The Origami Nun

The Origami Nun Read Online Free PDF

Book: The Origami Nun Read Online Free PDF
Author: Lori Olding
Tags: Early Readers
was the largest on the street, and also the scariest. He had dark green blinds instead of bright, sunshiny curtains, and his front garden had no fence and no grass, but just lots of tarmac where he parked his car. To Ruth, it didn’t feel soft like her great-aunt’s garden did.
    Great-Aunt Alice shook her shoulders and straightened her back as she always did when she made any kind of decision.
    “Come on, dear,” she said. “Let’s see if Mr. Brown is in.”
    Ruth blinked and her heart began to thump in her chest. She didn’t know if she could face Mr. Brown right now, in spite of what she’d written for her aunt to read, and all the more because of what had happened at school.
    But once her great-aunt had made up her mind, only extreme weather would stop her, so Ruth took a deep breath and tagged on behind. At the front door, Great-Aunt Alice gave the bell a firm push, and a deep tone echoed behind the wood.
    Perhaps he wouldn’t be in, Ruth thought, hoping that was the case. Then they could carry on walking to school and have their party. That would be nice.
    It didn’t happen though. A few seconds later and she heard heavy footsteps coming nearer from behind the door, then the creaking sound of a key being turned and the even creakier sound of the door opening. Mr. Brown appeared in the gap, frowning and peering out at them as if he hadn’t seen the sun in a long, long time. Even though they’d only met him this morning on their way to school.
    Mr. Brown stared at her great-aunt, who gave him a big smile in return.
    “Good afternoon!” she said. “My great-niece and I are going to a party and we’d love you to come with us. Please say you will!”
    Mr. Brown stared at Great-Aunt Alice and blinked. His mouth made some kind of movement but Ruth wasn’t sure what that meant. He might have been about to smile back or he might have suddenly found a bad taste in his mouth and not be quite sure what to do about it. She couldn’t tell.
    Then, without warning, Mr. Brown leaned over until he was almost face to face with her. His breath smelt of tea and biscuits, and Ruth gripped her great-aunt’s hand even tighter, although she didn’t try to run away. Really, she was quite proud of that.
    Mr. Brown’s mouth moved a little more and then she realised he was speaking. “Would you really like me to come to a party with you, Ruth?”
    Ruth handed him the invitation that she’d written out for him and nodded as hard as she could. A long moment went by while he read it. Then she was rewarded with the unexpected sight of a smile breaking out over Mr. Brown’s face. Well, she’d not seen that before! When he smiled, Mr. Brown became a lot less frightening, and Ruth liked that.
    “Thank you so much for the invitation,” Mr. Brown said, still smiling. “It’s beautifully written. I would love to come to your party.”
    Great-Aunt Alice squeezed her hand as Mr. Brown straightened up. He fetched his coat and hat, and also a packet of biscuits that her great-aunt added to the baskets. Then he took the heavier baskets from her great-aunt, and the three of them set off.
    “Look!” her great-aunt said, stopping and pointing upwards to the sky. “A rainbow.”
    Ruth stared upwards eagerly. She loved rainbows, all that colour made her feel like dancing. Sure enough, there it was, the colours just as she’d been taught them at school: red and orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. It was magical. It meant a very special promise, Great-Aunt Alice always said, and Ruth did love the story of Noah and the animals. Maybe that promise could work for her today also.
    The three of them looked at the rainbow until it faded, and then, Ruth’s hand clutched tightly in her great-aunt’s, they continued walking until they came to the school.
    There Mrs. Easting was waiting for them.

Chapter Four
    When she saw her teacher, Ruth began to drag her feet again. She didn’t like how stern Mrs. Easting looked and she knew she
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