CHAPTER 3
When the Quimbys arrived at the rented house, Mr. McArthur showed them the place, but give them a warning, when they passed through the food storage in the yard.
''Bob, be careful, when you enter the storage, the door is having some trouble and it don´t opened from inside. I called the carpenter a few days ago, but the rascal did not answer.'' Stan said ''when entered, be careful to not slam the door, always keep something by holding the door ... or carry your cell phone with you'' he advised.
This way, while they were in the house, Robert forbidden Ramona to approach the storage, just him and Beezus could get food in there, but after the older girl get locked inside once, he forbidden her to go there as well.
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By the third week the family were enjoying Tallahassee, the weather changed and a sunny day, suddenly became cloudy and just after lunch, a heavy rain began to fall, spoiling all their plans.
Trying to make sure that rain doesn't spoil a day of vacation, Robert decided to bake a cake, so they could eat in front of the TV the whole afternoon.
''ladies, I will get some things at the storage to bake the cake, be right back. Beatrice, you are in charge.'' He said
''why she is always in charge?'' Ramona complained
'' because you almost ran over an old lady yesterday with your bike. If Alex were not with you, we could have problems with Mr. McArthur.''
''it was the witch Beezus!''
''Girls, don´t argue, please, I will be back in five minutes.'' He said and walked toward the back door.
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Passing by the kitchen, Robert didn't notice a large ugly toad bouncing through an open window. Robert set his wallet and keys on the corner of the counter and headed for the store room to collect items to bake a cake for desert.
As he walked in he accidentally knocked the stopper with his foot allowing the door to slam shut causing two cans of peas to fall from the shelf above him knocking him out cold.
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Meanwhile, back at the living room, Ramona was feeling alone, since Beezus had gone put Roberta for a nap. This way, she made her way toward the kitchen in order to help her dad bake the cake. However, when she approach the kitchen, she froze. At the counter, the big frog was staring at her, sitting on her father´s wallet.
''oh no!''
Her little heart beaten faster, as she remembered the day before, when she ran over Mrs. Peas, the witch pointed a finger at her, saying she was going to pay for what she did. This way, she just waited for Robert to be alone, too turn him into a frog.
Taking a deep breath then, Ramona took the frog in her hands and ran to find her sister, as she needed to tell Beezus what happened.
''BEEZUS, BEEZUS!'' she yelled
''Ramona, could you…. Ramona get this thing out of here!'' the pre-teen barked upon seen a frog on her sister hand
''it´s not a thing Beezus, it´s Daddy… the Witch turn Daddy into a frog!''
'' Ramona, stop inventing stories, put that frog out of here and go watch TV. I'm trying to get Roberta to sleep'' Beatrice yelled, getting back to their father´s room.
Upset then, the little girl take the frog and rushed to the only person she thought could help her.
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At his room, Alex were playing with his toys, when heard someone knocking at his window, confused he raised his head, just to spot Ramona wearing a raining hat and carrying a frog on her hand
''Ramona, what you´re doing here in the rain?'' he asked ''and who's the frog?''
''Alex, I need your help, the witch turned my dad into a frog, we need to help him!''
''and how we will do that?'' he asked
''let's talk to her''
''let's go then, but let me get a bit of salt, maybe it stop her'' Alex suggested and a few minutes later, the two kids were riding their bikes toward the witch house, with the frog on a bag.
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Back at the Airbnb, Beatrice started to get worried, she wasn´t hearing any noise from the kitchen and once she reached the living room, Ramona wasn't there either. She looking toward the window, it was pouring, so Ramona couldn´t be outside either.
Then, she froze, it was on a raining day that she had gone the worst experience of her life, finding her mother dead. Taking a deep breath and without the slightest courage to go to the kitchen, he picked up Roberta, rolled it up in a sheet and ran to the McArthur-s other house, to ask for help.
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Meanwhile, Robert has come to his senses. In a hurry, he get up and punched the door, trying to open it, in vain. Worried, he cried for help, in hope that his girls could hearing him. When he noticed a small window at the top of the storage and decided to climb there and call for help again.
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At their home, Stan and Christina were watching TV, when their heard someone knocking at their door. Confused, Stan go answered it, just to find Beezus standing there, with an umbrella and her sister in her arms
''Beatrice, what happened?'' the Irishman asked
''Mr. McArthur, I'm worry, my sister is missing and my Dad said he was going to bake a cake, but I didn´t hear him at the kitchen''
''it´s ok'' Christina approach her husband and the girl ''Beatrice, your sister said where she went?''
''no, I was putting Roberta to sleep when she appeared with a frog, saying that the witch turned our father into a frog. I told her to put the animal away and watch TV, but she gone missing''
Stanley and Christina exchanged looks, but tried to act calm in front of the girl.
''Beatrice, you could stay here with Christina for a few minutes, I will search for your father and sister. I will be right back'' Stanley said and without a word, he first looked at his son´s room, before rushed out the door.
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At her home, Mrs. Peas was listen to a radio, when two kids appeared inside her house. Furios, she got up and walk toward the kids
''what are you doing here? How dare you broken into my house''
''you turned my dad into a toad!'' Ramona exclaimed, showing her the poor frog ''turn him back!''
'' Your daring girl, how dare you come in here with that nasty beast?'' she barked, slapping the girl´s hand and the poor frog, bounce away the fast as he could.
''hey, don´t hurt my fried, you witch!'' Alex exclaimed Alex, throwing the salt in the poor woman, who furious, pick up a cane to hit the children, when a hand hold her whist.
It was Stan, who spotting the bikes parked in front at the old house, jump the fence and rushed inside.
''who are you?'' she looked at Stan in confusion
''Mrs. Sullivan, drop this cane!'' he ordered, calling her by her real name
''these nasty kids broken into my house, they need to learn a lesson!''
''they have to explain it to me, Mrs. Sullivan, but if you hurt them, I will have to call the police'' he said angry and turning to both kids, he complete ''Alexander and Ramona, go to the car''
''but…'' Ramona tried to argue, but Stanley insisted her to go.
Without another word, he let go of Mrs. Sullivan´s wrist and followed the kids toward the car.
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What seemed like an eternity, Robert stood still at the Storage room, looking toward the small window, and waiting for someone to appear, when suddenly, he spot a black Impala parked in front of the house.
Taking a deep breath, he yelled a HELP out loud, scaring the driver, who looked straight toward the window.
''what is it?'' asked the driver
''could you help me here? I got stuck inside the Food Storage.'' Robert said praying for the man not to be an evil man
''wait a minute'' the driver running toward the house and a minute later, Robert found himself free and facing his savior. However, something wasn´t right
''how you managed to get in here, where´s my girls?'' Robert asked and the driver seemed confused
''there wasn´t no one at the house and the front door was opened'' he said ''by the way, my name is Dean, I'm Christina´s brother, I had come visit her''
''wait, there´s no one in the living-room?''
''no''
''Fuck!'' Robert cursed under his breath, he use that word, only when he was real worried ''we better go to your sister home.'' He said asking Mr. Dean to follow him.
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Back at Stan´s car, Ramona started to cry nonstop and asked the man if he and his wife, could adopt her and her sisters.
''we lost Mommy and Daddy, you adopt us, Mr. McArthur?'' she sobbed ''the witch turn our Daddy into a frog'' she said and in response, the man rolled his eyes
''kids, for the last time, Mrs. Sullivan isn´t a witch, witches doesn´t exist. And you two got in trouble you know'' he said and they nodded ''now let 'go back home and I will call the Sheriff, to know where Bob gone'' he said, driving back home.
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At McArthur´s home, Beatrice was telling Christina about the story with her mother, when the doorbell rang. Hoping to be her husband, the woman rushed to answer the door, just to came face to face with her brother, followed by Robert.
''Dean… Mr. Quimby where are you been?''
''hey sis!'' Dean smiled
''Daddy!'' upon hearing her dad´s voice, Beezus ran toward him and hug him tight, then step back and asked million questions, of where he was, what happened and if he was ok.
''i´m fine princess. Long story short, It was my turn to get locked at the Storage room'' Robert said ''where´s your sister?''
''Roberta is napping, Ramona isn´t with you?'' Beezus got worried, but before the father could say something, Stan´s car parked outside the house and the little girl rushed to her father's arms, crying.
''Daddy, you´re here, I thought the witch had turn you into a frog'' she cried
''what?'' Robert got confused
''you went missing and when I found a frog sitting on your wallet, I thought the Witch… I mean, Mrs. Pears turn you into a frog''
''you didn´t know your father was inside the food storage?'' Mr. Dean asked and in response, Ramona said no.
''it was my fault, I got knocked out by two cans of peas'' Robert explain ''but I'm okay, don´t worry.'' He said when the two girls look at him worried.
'''we´re so very sorry for all this mess, Bob, tomorrow for sure I will call another carpenter'' Stan said ashamed ''I can´t rent a house like this anymore''
''don't worry Stan, it´s happens'' Robert said ''now, let´s go back home? Finish that cake and wait for the rain gone? Alex, you want to go as well?''
''can I go Mom?'' the boy asked hopefully
''today, I don´t think so, let´s your friends rest for the day and tomorrow you can play with them, besides, Uncle Dean came to visit you'' Christina said as the Quimbys go back to the other house.
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That night, all the family sleep in the same room, living room to be exactly. After they got back home, everyone took shower and Robert give Ramona a lecture about never break into someone´s house, have dinner and baked the cake together.
When it was bed time them, Robert suggested to put all the mattresses on the living-room and all sleeping together and hoping that the next day, the sun would appear again.
