Gloria's Theme Story

“Come on Julia! I’m leaving without you!” Ruth called as she picked up her dog, Danny.

“I’m coming!” Julia ran down the stairs and picked up the picnic basket from the table.

They walked out the door of their house and locked the door behind them. Julia put the picnic basket on the backseat of their blue and white convertible Volkswagen Beetle. Ruth got into the car and handed Danny over to Julia so she could drive. Danny curled up into a little ball on Julia’s lap as she patted him softly. Ruth started the car and went bookin’ down the street. Their dark brown curly hair was tied up into ponytails held by ribbons, being blown around by the wind. Julia pulled her radio out of her jeans pocket and started to flip through the stations. “She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah… There is a house in New Orleans… Twist and shout, come on, come on baby… I want to hold your hand; I want to hold your hand… Hello Dolly, it is so nice to have you back… Last night I said these words to my girl...” Julia switched the radio off as Ruth pulled into to their picnic spot. Ruth turned off the engine and hopped out of her car. She stretched and yawned before grabbing the picnic basket and blanket. Julia set Danny carefully on the grass so he could explore. She rolled up her jeans, tucked in her shirt, and wiped the grass off her penny loafers.

Ruth looked around the beautiful field, deciding where she wanted to sit. She spread out the blanket on the green grass and set down the picnic basket. She took off her wool sweater and tied it around her neck; she wiped the lint off her khaki skirt and took off her flats, pushing her toes into the cool grass. Julia and Ruth’s freckles sparkled in the sun as they sat on the blanket, laughing, eating, and talking. Danny sat on the blanket next to Ruth, his eyes looking so hopeful for food. After useless begging for food, Danny decided to look around and explore.

“Danny! Come back here!” Julia hollered to Danny.

“Oh he is fine, let him play,” Ruth said.

Danny sniffed the grass as he walked by a row of trees. His tiny paws left small imprints in the grass.

Ruth and Julia started to put the picnic items back in the car and clean up.

“That was good!” Ruth stated happily.

“Danny! Danny! Where are you?” Julia called worried.

“Let’s go look around for him,” Ruth said as she stood up.

Ruth walked toward the row of trees where she had last seen Danny. She saw a side opening to and old, run-down barn.

“Julia! He might be in here!” Ruth said to Julia.

The two sisters pushed their way through the trees and walked toward the sketchy barn. The barn was painted white, with a red roof. The paint was chipped and its color was faded. As they walked into the barn, they saw another barn next to it, identical to the one they were in. Several cats ran by them as they walked through the rustic barn. The barn was cold and drab as the wind ran through the open door and out the other one.

“Danny? Hey, boy, are you here?” Ruth whispered.

“Do you hear that?” Julia whispered to Ruth.

“Yeah, it’s coming from over there,” Ruth said while walking over to the sound.

“Danny! There you are!” Julia said as she picked up Danny and gave him a hug. “He is covered in dirt!” Julia said.

Ruth looked at the small hole in front of her.

“Danny must have done that,” Julia said.

Ruth bent down to the hole and noticed something shiny. She moved some of the dirt and pulled out a rusty, gold locket.

“Far out!” Ruth said as she held the locket in her hand, observing the small beauty.

“Danny must have smelled that when he went exploring and dug that up!” Julia said.

Ruth opened the locket to see a small picture of a young girl about 13 years old. Her blonde hair was brushed back out of her face, revealing her bright blue eyes. She turned the locket over. It had a small engraving on it: To Elizabeth Heart, 1954. From Dad.

“Wow! 1954! She’s a hip cat from a younger generation!” Julia exclaimed while patting Danny.

“10 years ago! I wonder why this is buried,” Ruth asked as she stood up.

“Come on, we better go before someone sees us here,” Julia said to Ruth.

They walked out of the barn, observing all the old relics of the past: old horseshoes and an old tractor. Julia, Ruth, and Danny walked back to the car and finished cleaning up their picnic. They got into the car and drove back home. Ruth was silent as she drove, thinking of the locket and wondering who Elizabeth Heart was.

The two sisters walked into the house and put Danny and the picnic supplies in the kitchen.

“Hey, Dad!” Julia happily said.

“Hey, girls! How was your time?” Dad asked while setting his newspaper down on the table.

“It was fun,” Ruth answered. “Dad, do you know who Elizabeth Heart is?”

“Elizabeth Heart was 13 years old when she went missing. Police think she was kidnapped, probably killed, 10 years ago. The case was all over the newspapers for a while, but police never solved the case.” Dad pushed his hair back with his hands. “What made you think of her?”

Ruth and Julia stood still, shocked about what they had heard.

“Oh, someone was just talking about her,” Ruth responded.

Ruth picked up Danny and motioned for Julia to come with her to the front porch.

“Julia, do you realize that we have a major clue to an unsolved case!” Ruth exclaimed.

“Yeah, I know it’s kind of creepy. Should we tell Dad?” Julia asked, playing with Danny.

“No! If we tell Dad he will go straight to the police and we will have no adventure,” Ruth said.

“Adventure! This is a murder case, not an adventure!” Julia shouted.

“Oh come on! Don’t be a humdrum. You and I have always read the Nancy Drew books. Wouldn’t it be fun to have our own mystery?” Ruth asked, full of excitement.

“Yeah, I guess you are right,” Julia responded.

“Ok, tomorrow we will go back to the barns and house and search for more clues,” Ruth said.

Ruth, Julia, and Danny went back into the house. They walked into the living room, decorated with a tall brick fireplace and different arrangements of flowers. Julia jumped on the couch and threw off her shoes and Ruth turned on the T. V.

“Do you want to watch Father Goose, or My Fair Lady?” Ruth asked Julia.

“My Fair Lady!” Julia responded.

As the movie played, both of the two sisters thought about the locket they had found in the barn and what would happen tomorrow.

“All right Dad, Julia I and are going for a drive! We will be back in a while; will you watch Danny for us?” Ruth hollered.

“Yes! Have a fun time,” Dad shouted from up the stairs.

The two sisters got into the car and Ruth started to drive. There was not a conversation stirring between them, only anxious thoughts. When they arrived at the field where they had gone last time, Ruth parked the car and both sisters got out.

“Okay, we have to search the two barns quietly and fast. I don’t want whoever owns this place to see us,” Ruth said.

“Agreed,” Julia said.

Ruth and Julia walked to the border of trees and walked through the small gap. They quickly ran to the first barn. Every movement they made was cautious. They might be in a place where a murder had taken place. The first floor of the barn had eight or nine empty horse stalls. Ruth looked in the stalls, finding nothing but dirt. Julia looked at the hole where the locket had been found, hoping to find something else buried with it. She found nothing.

“I’m going to check the second floor, Julia,” Ruth said with nervousness in her voice.

“Okay,” Julia said.

Ruth walked up the ladder leading to the second floor. When she reached the top, she pulled her flashlight out of her purse. She switched it on, revealing the room. There was a big pile of old furniture and toys. There was dust and dirt covering the floor. She walked around the room, hoping to find more clues.

“Is there anything up there?” Julia called up to Ruth.

“Nope,” Ruth replied. With a disappointed sigh, she made her way back to Julia.

“Ruth there is nothing here. We should go before someone sees us,” Julia said worriedly.

“No. We found the locket in this barn, but maybe there are more clues in the other barn. We need to look in there,” Ruth tenaciously responded.

“You’re right,” Julia said.

They made their way out of the first barn and walked across a path that led to the second barn. As they walked across the path, an old pickup truck pulled into the driveway. Ruth and Julia stood frozen in their tracks. Their faces turned white as the pickup truck door was flung open. An elderly man in his late sixties stepped out of the truck and started to chase after them.

“Come on Julia! Run!” Ruth yelled.

Ruth and Julia ran out of the first barn and through the trees. The man was still chasing after them. He ran with a limp, slowing him down. He had a long white beard and his clothes were ripped and stained. The girls approached their car and jumped into it. Ruth started the car, but it stalled. The man pushed through the trees and headed towards them, running as fast as he could. Ruth finally got the car to start and drove as fast as she could down the street. She looked behind her; halfway down the street, the man was standing in the middle of the road.

“That was a close one!” Julia exclaimed, still trying to catch her breath.

“I know!” remarked Ruth.

“Who was that?” asked Julia, still trying to catch her breath and calm down.

“I guess that was the owner of the place,” replied Ruth.

“We should get back home. Dad will be worried,” Julia said.

The next day Ruth, Julia, and Danny went out to lunch. They went to a small café shop down the street from their house. They sat outside and ate their sandwiches; even Danny got a small sandwich. Julia ate happily, but Ruth was too busy thinking to eat.

“We need to go back,” Ruth said to Julia.

“No! We could be killed!” Julia exclaimed.

“We have to solve this case, Julia,” Ruth said.

“I know, but I’m just scared. We need to go when that guy is not home, though,” Julia said as she sat back in her chair.

“Right, we will wait at the one field, till he leaves and then we will go in. We have to be quiet and search quickly,” Ruth said.

They finished their cokes and chatted until the sun was almost all the way down and the restaurant was closing up. Ruth pulled the ribbon out of her hair and let it flow in the cool breeze. Julia straightened her dress as she stood up and picked up Danny. The sisters got into their car and left for home. Ruth parked the car in front of their house and they got out.

“We should go tonight,” Ruth said.

“Tonight? But it is already 7:00. He is probably not going anywhere else this time of day. We should go early tomorrow morning after breakfast,” Julia said.

“That’s a better idea,” Ruth said as she grabbed Danny from the car.

The three of them went inside for the night and rested for the big day tomorrow.

“Morning, girls!” Mom said as Ruth and Julia came down the stairs.

“Good morning, Mom!” Ruth and Julia replied.

“I made pancakes for breakfast. Do you want some?” Mom asked.

“Yes, please,” Ruth and Julia responded.

“Where is Dad?” Julia asked while eating her breakfast.

“He already left for work; do you want some more breakfast?” Mom asked.

“No thanks, Mom. Julia, hurry up. We have to go!” Ruth said.

“I know! I’m going!” Julia hollered back.

“Where are you all going?” Mom asked.

“Oh, just going to go for a drive and explore!” Ruth responded cheerfully.

Ruth put her dishes in the sink while Julia finished, grabbed her flashlight and camera, and packed lunch for them in a basket.

“All right, I’m ready!” Julia called out to Ruth.

Ruth and Julia ran out of their house and got into their car.

Danny stood at the door, watching them drive down the street. Ruth went back to the field and parked the car behind a series of tall bushes. Ruth got out of the car first, rolled up her khakis, took off her sweater, and fixed her shirt in the front.

Julia got out of the car and they headed back to the barns. They quietly walked toward the first barn.

“Look! There’s a note!” Julia said pointing at the barn wall.

Ruth pulled down the note and quietly read it aloud.

“Do not come back again.”

“We really should get out of here,” Julia said.

“No!” Ruth replied. “Now we haven’t checked the second barn, so let’s go look there.”

They walked over to the second barn, looking around them cautiously. As they walked into it, they saw a big tractor in the middle of the barn. Both sisters split up and started searching the barn. Ruth walked over to look at the workbench at the back end of the barn. Julia took Ruth’s flashlight and looked upstairs but found nothing.

“Julia! Come here! I think I found something!” Ruth exclaimed.

Julia climbed down the ladder and joined Ruth.

“What is it?” Julia asked.

“I think it’s a room,” Ruth replied.

The two sisters pulled at a hatch and a door flung open. They walked inside the hidden room and turned on the light. There were five big brown boxes with locks on them. On the back wall, there were shelves with bottles with chemicals in them. The sisters looked around the room. On the top shelf there was a pair of small brown and black oxfords.

“These must have been Elizabeth’s!” Julia exclaimed as she pulled the shoes down.

“Help me break open these boxes!” Ruth said.

Ruth took an old hammer from the barn and broke through the old lock. She blew off all the dirt from the top of the box, and on the top, it said; “Bank Of Virginia.” Ruth pried the box open.

“Oh my gosh!” Ruth and Julia said as they stared.

The box was filled with stolen money. They opened all the other boxes to find the same thing: money.

“This is why Elizabeth was killed; she must have found all this stolen money!” Julia said.

Ruth and Julia heard a creak and turned around to find the old man. He slammed the door closed and locked it. Ruth and Julia tried to open the door, but it was no use.

“What do we do?” Julia asked with panic in her voice.

“I don’t know yet,” Ruth answered her back. After looking around the room for a minute, she got an idea!

“Take the hammer and try to break as much of the door as you can. I have an idea,” Ruth said.

Julia grabbed the hammer and hit it against the door. Ruth grabbed three plastic bottles, baking soda, and plastic wrap from the shelves.

“Will he come back?” Julia asked, trying to break the door.

“Yes, he will,” Ruth responded.

Ruth grabbed a jug of vinegar from the top shelf and poured some into each bottle, filling them halfway up. Julia broke a small hole in the door but still kept hitting.

“Ruth, I’m not going to be able to break the whole door down,” Julia said frantically.

“I know, you don’t have to. Just big enough so I can signal for help,” Ruth said as she worked on their escape.

Ruth poured a small amount of baking soda onto the three separate sheets of plastic wrap and wrapped it up into a small ball.

“All right, this is ready!” Ruth said as she walked over to the door. “This will be big enough,” she said as she observed the hole.

Ruth put one of the bags into the bottle, put the cap on it, and shook it up.

“Stand back!” Ruth told Julia.

After shaking it, Ruth threw the bottle out the hole. The bottle exploded, making a tremendous sound. Ruth threw the rest of the bottles out the hole. After a few minutes, a man and a woman came to the barn.

“Hello? Is anyone here? We heard a loud noise and wondered what it was?”

“Yes! We are in here!” Ruth and Julia shouted.

The man and the woman pulled the door open and let them out.

“Are you two O.K.?” they asked Ruth and Julia.

“Yes! Just go call the police and tell them to come here!” The man and the woman left, running.

“Why aren’t we going with them? The old man is going to come back for us!” Julia asked frantically.

“Because we have to wait for the police to come get him! If we leave now, he will come back, see that we aren’t there, and never come back to this place again; he will never be caught!” Ruth exclaimed.

As the two sisters waited anxiously for the police to come, they paced back and forth in the barn. After minutes of impatient waiting, they heard the sirens in the driveway. The sisters ran over to the police.

“Hide your car! He won’t come back if he sees your car in his driveway!” Ruth exclaimed.

One of the officers drove the car to where Ruth’s car was parked and came back over to the barn. Ruth and Julia showed the officers the evidence they had found while they waited for the man to come back. After several minutes of waiting, they saw the old pickup truck pull into the driveway. The two officers ran over to him and grabbed him.

“Mr. Harrison, you are arrested for attempted kidnapping of Ruth and Julia, plausible murder, and stolen money. Now if you will come with us we have some questions for you,” the officer said to the man.

One of the officers took the man and walked him to the police car.

“Can we give you a lift home?” the officer asked.

“No, thanks!” Ruth replied.

The officer held out the locket to Ruth and Julia. “You two keep this safe.”

Julia took the locket from his hand and held it. The officer walked to the car. Ruth and Julia stood in the barn, looking at the locket.

“Let’s go home!” Julia said to Ruth.

“Agreed!” Ruth replied.

They got into their car and drove home. Ruth and Julia walked into the house.

“Mom, Dad! You will never believe what happened!” Ruth and Julia shouted with excitement!

The End