Free Afternoon of the Elves by Janet Taylor Lisle Page B

fingers were needed to free it from the snow. This was slow work. Even Sara-Kate’s hands turned numb and achy and had to be thawed out with warm breath, and then held in her pockets for a while.
    After a house was unearthed, its yard could be dug out more quickly with mittened hands. Sara-Kate borrowed one of Hillary’s mittens. But the stones in the little stone walls were always getting in the way and being knocked around.
    â€œLet’s just put them in a pile for now. Then we can lay them down in the right places when the whole village is cleared out,” Sara-Kate suggested. “Also, all these leaf roofs have fallen apart and I was thinking that the elves might like wooden ones instead. There’s a pile of wooden shingles under the back steps. Shall I get them out?”
    Hillary nodded. She was working on a different problem.
    â€œAccording to our calculations, the water well should be right about here,” she said, pointing to a patch of snow she had been probing with a stick. “But, it’s not. What could’ve happened?”
    They found out a moment later when Sara-Kate stepped back from the house she had been working on. A muffled crunch came from under her boot.
    â€œOh, no!”
    â€œIt’s a house!” cried Hillary, rushing over to look.
    â€œBut how could it be? There aren’t supposed to be any here.”
    â€œAnd here’s another!” exclaimed Hillary, just saving herself from putting her own foot on it.
    Sara-Kate looked thoroughly alarmed.
    â€œWait a minute!” she said angrily. “Has somebody been building more elf houses in this yard while I wasn’t here?” She gazed at Hillary, who shook her head.
    â€œThen how could...”
    â€œI know what it is,” Hillary said. “We’ve figured the village out wrong, that’s all. Look, the rest of the houses lie under the snow in this direction, not up there where we were looking for the well. And that means the well must really be just ... about ... here.” She probed a patch of snow and nodded at Sara-Kate.
    â€œIt’s here,” she confirmed.
    Sara-Kate seemed relieved.
    â€œWhew!” she said. “I thought maybe these houses were multiplying by themselves during the night.”
    â€œWell, I suppose there’s nothing to keep an elf from building more houses if she needs them, is there?” Hillary couldn’t help saying. She sent one more meaningful look in Sara-Kate’s direction but the older girl took no notice. She put her head down and started excavating the house she had stepped on. For the next half hour, no one spoke as the laborious work continued.
    At last, however, the village began to emerge again. On all sides, dramatic peaks of snow towered over the little houses as a result of snow-removal operations. The peaks gave the village the cozy look of a hamlet nestled in the foothills of the mountains, though what the serious-minded elves would think of this, Hillary was not sure. Certainly, they would have more difficulty coming and going over the snowy terrain. Would they provide themselves with cross-country skis?
    Hillary smiled at this thought. She was about to ask Sara-Kate for her views on the matter when she noticed her standing rigidly beyond the village, her face turned toward her house. She was looking at the window on the second floor, Hillary saw. Its shade had been drawn up. Some commotion was underway up there, a silent flutter behind the glass.
    Hillary stepped forward and caught sight of Sara-Kate’s face. It was as tense as a knotted fist, wholly absorbed in the action above.
    Hillary took another step forward.
    â€œIs it your mother?” she asked softly.
    â€œYes.”
    â€œIs she still sick?”
    â€œYes.” Sara-Kate stared up at the window. “She wants me to come in.” She sounded tired.
    â€œIt’s all right. Do you want me to go home?” Hillary asked her.
    â€œI guess