Raymie Nightingale Read Online Free PDF Page A

something.
    There was no bright and shining path anywhere in sight.
    It looked like a horrible, depressing book.
    “Maybe,” said Mr. Option, “you could read this over the summer, and then we could talk about it together when school begins.”
    “Okay,” said Raymie again. But she only agreed because she liked Mr. Option so much, and because he was so tall and lonely and hopeful.
    She had taken the Florence Nightingale book from him and brought it home and put it on her shelf. A few days later, her father had run away with Lee Ann Dickerson and Raymie forgot all about Edward Option and his strange ties and his nonfiction book.
    But maybe somebody at the Golden Glen Nursing Home would want to hear about the life of Florence Nightingale and her shining path. Maybe it was exactly what Mrs. Sylvester meant by a “suitable” book.
    Maybe everything would work out right in the end.

The Golden Glen Nursing Home was four blocks from Raymie’s house. Raymie could have ridden her bike, but she decided to walk so that she would have time to flex her toes and isolate her objectives.
    Every day in Lifesaving 101, Mr. Staphopoulos had all the students stand on the dock and flex their toes and isolate their objectives. Mr. Staphopoulos believed that flexing your toes cleared your mind and that once your mind was clear, it was easy to isolate your objectives and figure out what to do next. For instance: save whoever was drowning.
    “What is my objective?” whispered Raymie. She stopped. She flexed her toes inside her tennis shoes. “My objective is to do a good deed. And also to become Little Miss Central Florida Tire so that my father will come back home.”
    Her stomach clenched up. What if Louisiana won? What if Beverly sabotaged the contest? What if Raymie’s father never came home, no matter what Raymie did? A gigantic seabird flew through Raymie’s brain, its talons extended.
    “No, no, no,” she whispered. She flexed her toes. She cleared her mind. She isolated her objectives.
Do a good deed,
she thought.
Become Little Miss Central Florida Tire. Do a good deed. Do a good deed.
    After a lot of toe flexing, Raymie arrived at the Golden Glen and discovered that the door was locked.
    There was a sign that read THIS DOOR IS LOCKED. PLEASE RING THE BELL FOR ADMITTANCE . An arrow on the sign pointed to a button.
    Raymie pressed the button and heard a bell ringing somewhere deep inside the building. She waited. She flexed her toes.
    An intercom crackled to life. “This is Martha speaking. It’s a golden day at the Golden Glen. How may I assist you?”
    “Hello,” said Raymie.
    “Hello,” said the woman named Martha.
    “Um,” said Raymie. “I’m here to do a good deed.”
    “Isn’t that wonderful?” said Martha.
    Raymie wasn’t sure if this was a statement or a question, so she said nothing in response. There was a long silence. Raymie said, “I brought a book about Florence Nightingale.”
    “The nurse?” said Martha.
    “Um,” said Raymie. “She has a lamp. And the book is called
A Bright and Shining Path: The Life of Florence Nightingale.
”
    “Fascinating,” said Martha.
    The intercom gave a lonely crackle.
    Raymie took a deep breath. She said, “Can I come inside and read the book to someone?”
    “Of course,” said Martha. “I’ll buzz you in.”
    There was a long, loud buzz, and Raymie heard the door unlatch. She reached forward and grabbed the handle and entered the Golden Glen. Inside, it smelled like floor wax and old fruit salad and something else, a smell that Raymie did not want to think about too much.
    A woman with a blue sweater draped over her shoulders stood behind a counter at the end of the hallway. She smiled at Raymie. “Hello,” she said. “I’m Martha.”
    “I am the person who was going to read to someone?” said Raymie. She held up Florence Nightingale.
    “Of course, of course,” said Martha. She stepped out from behind the counter. “Come with me.”
    She took