If you haven't read the rest of the story start with Chap. 1
Chapter 5
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The girls sat in silence for awhile as they listened intently to the weatherman. The tornado was only a few miles from Carrville when they heard the meteorologist say, "Well it looks like the storm is dissipating."
Crystal breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Well I guess we can go to bed now."
As she ascended the stairs Crystal thought, "This has been one of the most exhausting nights of my life."
"Crystal," Mary said. "I don't want to go to school tomorrow. I am so tired."
"I know. So am I."
The girls wearily climbed the stairs and crawled back into their beds.
The next morning Crystal's alarm clock began its normal ritual of beeping her awake. Her hand hit the snooze button and she rolled over and groaned.
She rose slowly from her bed when she heard the ringing of the phone. She leapt out of bed, knowing that it must be something important.
Looking at her Caller I.D. she noted that the call was from her school.
"Hello this is the Penning residence, may I help you?" she asked, picking up the phone.
"Yes this is Carrville Public Schools we are calling to inform you that our electrical system was knocked out so we are canceling school today. It should be back in order by Monday."
Crystal could hardly contain her relief. "Thank you for calling. Goodbye."
Crystal staggered back to her room and soon was asleep again.
Crystal awoke again to sunlight streaming in her window and Mary urgently shaking her.
"Crystal, Crystal."
"What is it," Crystal muttered.
"It is 10:00. Did you oversleep? Oh we are going to be soooo late."
"Mary it's alright. They called this morning and said they were canceling school because of some electrical problems."
"Oh. I was so scared. Mrs. Cally becomes very angry when anybody is late."
Crystal rolled her eyes. They had never had to worry about that when they were homeschooled if they had a valid reason for starting late.
"Crystal I am hungry," Mary said. Her stomach made a growling noise and the girls burst into laughter.
"Alright I will go make breakfast."
Crystal hastily dressed and entered the kitchen, as she found that she, too, was ravenously hungry.
Crystal decided that since that day was sort of a holiday she would make some coffeecake. She was reaching up to the cupboard to grab the cookbook, when she saw her reflection in the smooth surface of the oven.
She paused for a moment and stood admiring herself. She loved her pretty, narrow face, although the light sprinkling of freckles across her nose gave her a bit of exasperation.
Her eyes turned to her hair and she smiled. Here was one thing that she could not find any fault with. Her hair flowed gracefully down her back until it ended just below her waist. It was honey-blonde and had a slight wave to it. As Crystal stood looking at her hair a unpleasant scene came to her.
She hurriedly acquired the cookbook, flipped it to the right page, and began cooking, trying to push the memory from her mind. But it kept coming back. So finally when the food was in the oven she allowed herself to be drawn into the reverie.
Crystal and her parents were standing in the living room talking heatedly.
"No," Crystal half-shouted. "I won't."
Her parents had suggested that she cut her hair short and send it to a place like Locks of Love. She had quickly responded that she would never want to do something like that.
They had asked her why and she said that she liked her hair long. They pursued it and she had finally shouted, "No, I won't."
"Crystal, nobody can make you cut your hair. In fact we would be very happy if it could be your own decision," her father said.
"But it would look terrible if it was short. I don't want to look ugly."
"Crystal. It wouldn't make you ugly, which brings me to another thing your father and I have meant to talk to you about for awhile. You are becoming vain, Crystal," her mother said. "You look a good deal like me and, I confess, I struggled some with vanity when I was younger."
"But, but-"
"We just want you to think about it and start working on it alright."
"Alright," Crystal said softly. "But I still am not ready to cut my hair."
Mrs. Penning sighed. "That is okay. We would just like to know that you are working on it. Can you do that for us?"
Crystal nodded tearfully.
Crystal was snapped back into reality by the realization that her coffeecake was beginning to burn. She rushed to the oven and drew it carefully out. As she cut pieces for herself and Mary she thought over what she had remembered. It was now just a few months after the conversation, but oh so much had changed.
She knew that she was vain, but whenever she thought about doing something like cutting her hair short to give to other kids who needed wigs something in her just rebelled.
She wasn't happy that her parents wanted her to cut it as she rarely had quarreled with them.
Pushing the thought from her mind she called, "Mary, breakfast is ready."
[Read Chapter 6] | 