Philip and the Fortune Teller (9781619501317) Read Online Free PDF

will think we went to the
supermarket,” he reasoned with Emery.
    “Now what?”
    “Now we can hide in Mrs. Logan’s bushes until
it’s time to leave for the circus.”
    “Good. We can’t be too careful. Three wishes!
This will be so great.”
    The boys slipped into their hideout and sat
down, the valuable plastic bag between them.
    “Did you think more about what you’ll do with
your wish?” Emery asked dreamily.
    “What do you mean my wish ? We have
three wishes.”
    “Yeah, but you can’t divide three in
half.”
    “So you get two wishes?”
    “I found the wishes, didn’t I? The gypsy gave
them to me first.”
    “So what? I did everything you did. I did more . You got to stand on me; I didn’t stand
on you. I crawled under the bush to hide the box, not you; I got the box back out, not you; I brought the
plastic bag, not you. I did everything !”
    “Yeah, but the gypsy gave me the wishes
first, not you,” Emery repeated. “Anyway, a plastic bag’s
nothing.”
    “But you were afraid to do it
yourself. You wouldn’t have any wishes if I didn’t do
everything.”
    “And you wouldn’t have any wishes if I didn’t
let you know about it. Besides, you didn’t do everything,” Emery
replied. “I found the box in the garage, didn’t I?”
    “Because you were standing on me! If you
didn’t stand on me, you wouldn’t have found the box. Let’s split
one wish.”
    “Split it? How?”
    “Let’s ask for something we can share. Like
let’s ask for a million dollars. Then you can take half, and I can
take half.”
    Emery considered. “How can we carry half of a
million dollars into the house?”
    Philip didn’t respond.
    “Well?” Emery insisted.
    “I don’t know. Let me think.” A few quiet
minutes went by. “How about we wish that when we’re twenty-one
years old, a million dollars shows up in each of our bank
accounts. We should have bank accounts of our own by then, don’t
you think?”
    “Yeah. Yeah! Great idea. How about your other
wish?”
    More quiet minutes went by as the two boys
thought things over.
    “How about you?” Philip asked. “And don’t
waste it on something dumb like getting good marks in school.”
    “I am going to wish that I never hear my
sisters cry again. Or even talk to me when they learn to talk. That
would be great ! That would keep me happy until I was
twenty-one, and then the money will show up in my bank account to
keep me happy after that.”
    Philip nodded. It made sense to him.
    “Now you,” said Emery.
    “I think I’ll wish that I never even get a brother or sister. That way there’ll be nobody to
bother me the way your sisters bother you. Then I’ll be
happy until the money shows up.”
    “Great idea,” Emery agreed. The boys lapsed
into dreamy silence as they contemplated their glorious futures,
and the minutes slipped by.
     
~ * ~
    The gypsy and the pharaoh sat talking outside
the gypsy’s tent when Philip and Emery arrived. The two men rose in
anticipation.
    Philip held out the plastic bag. “We got it,”
he said proudly.
    “Shhhh!” the gypsy counseled. “Come
inside.”
    The boys followed the men into the tent.
Philip handed over the box. The gypsy took it out of the plastic
bag and shared a smile with the pharaoh. He opened the box and ran
his fingers over the jewelry. He took another piece of jewelry from
somewhere in his sleeve and put it into the box before closing the
lid and sliding the box under his cot.
    “You did well,” said the gypsy, pronouncing
well as vell.
    “Very well,” the pharaoh agreed.
    “Can we have our wishes now?” Emery
asked.
    “Your wishes? Ah, yes of course,” said the
gypsy. He stepped outside and came back in holding his creamy glass
ball. “Place your hands on the crystal ball,” he said slowly.
“Close your eyes.”
    Philip and Emery obeyed. Philip thought he
heard a snort and a gurgle from the two men, but he didn’t dare
open his eyes. He listened to the gypsy say words in a