Free Yossi's Goal by Ellen Schwartz

Jonah said, “that’ll tip them off that we know. Better to warn your papa on the quiet. That way he can get men in place before they start. That’ll stop them, all right.”
    â€œYes, that’s it!” Max said. “I’ll go tell Papa right now.”
    â€œDon’t forget to tell him who told you,” Jonah added slyly.
    You weasel!
Yossi thought, exchanging an angry glance with Abie.
    â€œI won’t. Good work, Fishkin,” Max said.
    â€œI’d better get back before I’m missed,” Jonah said. “See you later.”
    A door opened, and for a moment the hallway was filled with the roar and screech of the factory floor. Then it clicked shut and the noise subsided to a muffled hum. Yossi thought frantically. They had to stop Max Steiner from getting word to his father. But how? If they grabbed Max, he’d start screaming, and that would alert everybody.
    Yossi heard footsteps. Max was heading for the door that led up to his papa’s office. They had to do something—now. Yossi glanced about, desperate for an idea, and again saw the skates and coat.
    Yes!
    Still hidden behind the scrap room door he said loudly in Yiddish, “Oh, look,somebody left a pair of hockey skates. Guess he didn’t want them anymore. I sure could use a new pair—”
    â€œWhat’s that? Who’s there?” Max’s voice said, sounding startled.
    Yossi was ready. As Max flung back the scrap room door to see who was on the other side, Yossi grabbed Max’s fancy winter coat, flung it over Max’s head and wrapped it around him, pinning his arms to the sides. René held the hood against Max’s thrashing head, while Abie and Yossi kept Max’s arms pinned to his body. Max tried to yell, but his cries were muffled by the thick wool, and even though he twisted and kicked, Yossi and Abie were able to keep him from getting away.
    They hustled their prisoner into the scrap room and threw him face down onto soft piles of felt and gabardine, muslin and cotton. Yossi could feel Max’s fear in his desperate thrashing. Despite himself, he felt sorry for the other boy. He would have been scared too, if he’d been grabbedlike that. He knelt close. “Don’t worry,” he whispered, “we’re not going to hurt you.”
    Max’s squirming grew less frantic, but he was still twisting about, clearly trying to escape. Yossi tied his feet together with a length of burlap, doubling the thickness so it wouldn’t hurt, and Abie did the same with his hands. Yossi grabbed several pieces of felt for a gag. Soft and fuzzy, they’d be just the thing to muffle any noise that Max might make.
    The boys rolled him over and Yossi slapped the felt pieces against his mouth.
    â€œYou’ll never get away with this!” Max managed to get out. “Just wait until my papa—”
    â€œBut your papa’s not going to know,” Yossi said, pushing the fabric against Max’s lips and motioning Abie to tie a sturdy length of cotton around his head to hold them in place. “Because you’re not going to tell him. Because you’re going to stay here, nice and quiet.”
    Max made a muffled noise that Yossi was sure wasn’t at all polite.
    â€œWe just need you out of the way for a while,” Yossi told him. “We’ll let you out soon, I promise.”
    Max glared at him, but Yossi saw that there was relief in his eyes, as well as anger.
    Yossi motioned to René and Abie. The three of them crept to the door and peeked out. The two bundles were where the boys had left them. There was no one in the hallway. Saying a silent prayer of thanks, Yossi waved his arm forward. He and Abie helped each other on with their bundles, and the three boys tiptoed down the hallway and out the door.
    Fresh air! Freedom! Safety!
    Yossi hurried across the street, followed by Abie and René. Benny, Louie and Milton had joined the