A Whirlwind Vacation Read Online Free PDF Page B

breeze blowing on the back of her neck. It grew stronger and stronger, blowing all around Katie like a tornado.
    And then it stopped.
    Katie looked down at her feet. The paint-stained shoes had been replaced by Katie’s red high-top sneakers. And she was back in her own purple cargo pants and pink T-shirt.
    Woohoo! She was Katie Carew!
    Now her parents wouldn’t be angry with her for disappearing. Her big problem was solved!
    That was more than Pierre could say. As Katie peered out from the alleyway, she could see him sitting in his chair. He was staring at the red, green, blue, and yellow canvas. He looked kind of confused ... and very upset.
    Katie felt really bad for him. She really wanted to cheer him up.
    â€œOh, I like that,” Katie said, walking over toward Pierre.
    â€œYou, again!” he shouted. “Didn’t I tell you to go away?”
    â€œBut I like your painting,” Katie assured him.
    â€œIt’s not my painting,” he told her.
    â€œYes, it is. I saw you working on it,” Annabelle called out from her hiding place behind the pole.
    â€œI didn’t paint ...” Pierre sighed and shook his head. “Or maybe I did. I don’t know. I can’t really remember.”
    â€œIt’s really different from everyone else’s paintings,” Katie told him.
    â€œIt’s a mess,” Pierre replied. “I don’t know what made me use these colors.”
    â€œIf you don’t like it, why don’t you just get a new canvas and start over?” Annabelle asked him.
    â€œCanvases are expensive,” Pierre told her. “I have to sell this painting before I can buy the paints and canvas. I will need to do another one.” He sighed. “But I don’t see how I’m going to sell this.”
    His friends obviously didn’t think he would sell it either. They were all pointing at his artwork and laughing.
    Katie really wished she could help him. But how?
    Then, suddenly, she remembered something Ms. Barnes, her art teacher at school, had taught her.
    â€œMaybe you could add some white or black to a few of the shapes,” she suggested. “Then you’ll have different shades of the colors.”
    â€œYou think I don’t know that?” Pierre asked her. “I’m an artist. I know how to change colors. But these are not colors I would want at all. I’m painting Notre Dame. It should be gray and black.”
    â€œIt doesn’t look like Notre Dame,” Annabelle said. “It looks like squares and triangles.”
    Pierre rolled his eyes. “Foolish child. This is abstract art. It’s not supposed to look like Notre Dame. But it is supposed to be dark and gloomy.”
    â€œWhy?” Katie asked him. “Everyone does it that way. I think it’s great that you did something different. Sometimes change can be good.”
    Pierre shrugged. “I suppose,” he said slowly. “It’s worth a try. Maybe I can save this after all.” He put a dab of white paint in the middle of a blue square and began to swirl it around with his paintbrush.
    â€œOh, that’s pretty,” Katie said as she watched the bright blue become lighter. It looked just like the color of the sky.
    â€œIt’s not bad,” Pierre agreed. He added a touch of gray paint to Katie’s red triangle. “Not bad at all.”

Chapter 11
    Katie and Annabelle watched as Pierre finished the painting. He worked quickly, changing the shades of several of the colors. He sketched in a few more shapes and painted them in.
    As Pierre put the finishing strokes on his canvas, the girls’ parents walked across the street.
    â€œDid you have a good time?” Mr. Carew asked as he came up beside Katie.
    She nodded. “We’re watching Pierre finish his painting of Notre Dame.”
    Pierre looked at her strangely. “How do you know my name?”
    Katie gulped. How was she going to explain this