The Mysterious Adventures of Adelaide Simmons

It was always cooler on Jasmine Lane, even in the heat of summer. There was some force that acted upon it to make it so. The residents didn’t know what it was but they didn’t bother to search out the mysterious happenings. One could say that they enjoyed this oddity. During the winter, the children of the street would play in the snow while others in town walked down dry sidewalks to play on this marvelous street. For fifty years it stayed this way until one little child returned from the hospital. It was mid spring and this newborn’s arrival would change the street forever.

Little Adelaide grew up as any normal child would, with dolls, a swing set and a tricycle. This brilliant little girl could read by age three and was sent to a special prep school for first grade. At Highland Academy for the Gifted, Adelaide was introduced to Agatha Christie’s mystery novels and grew attached to the idea of mystery. By age nine, she had read every book by her favorite author and had written several book reports that blew away every one of her teachers.

Adelaide especially loved Miss Marple and her methods of solving mysteries using metaphors to small town life. Adelaide would spend afternoons in her tree house reading these books over and over, dreaming about becoming a great mystery solver like Miss Marple. For her tenth birthday, her dreams were answered as a mystery presented itself.

Adelaide smiled for the pictures and blew out the candles on her cake making a wish for a mystery to solve. The cake was chocolate with vanilla icing. There were purple swirls on it and butterflies made of sugar that seemed to be flying around it. The air was perfect for a birthday picnic in the backyard being sunny yet cool enough to enjoy the party.

There were presents piled on top of a table but Adelaide already knew what many were. She had mastered the art of lock picking years ago and was able to sneak into her parents’ closet to take a peek. It didn’t feel like a real mystery to her but she enjoyed the thrill of sneaking around and investigating just the same. She knew there was a bag full of the Sherlock Holmes series and a box that held a detective’s kit. There were clothes and shoes and a Barbie doll dressed as a sleuth. She was the only one at the party not overly eager to open the gifts.

“Addie!” her mother called, “Look here!”

Adelaide smiled one more, her face covered with chocolate and she held one of the butterflies in her hand. Finishing her cake, she ran over to the swing set with her best friend Gavin and had a contest to see who could swing higher.

Gavin had just turned ten last month and never let Adelaide forget that he was older. Still, Addie loved playing with him. He reminded her of a bird, a free spirit. He loved running and feeling free. Addie could never seem to get him to play house or build tents with her. They mostly played outdoors in the sun. Since their backyards were right next to each other, they played together most days. They attended different schools but would do homework together. Adelaide would do pre algebra and Gavin would work on Spanish.

Addie pumped her legs as hard as she could but her swing just wouldn’t go as high as Gavin’s. Gavin laughed and slowed down just before jumping off, arms spread wide like a bird. Adelaide followed and ran to her mother.

“Can we play out front?” Addie begged her mother.

“Okay sweetie, for your birthday. Don’t leave the street though!” her mother warned.

Addie nodded and ran through the gate. They played with a big green bouncy ball Gavin had gotten for his birthday last month. They chased it down the street to the corner. The house on the corner was empty as it had been since before Addie could remember. The grass was mostly weeds and was brown and crunchy. Gavin picked up a handful of it and threw it at Addie. She shrieked and ran away, stopping at the corner of the sidewalk.

Adelaide had never been off the street. Mother had never permitted it but Addie had never questioned it. For the first time, Addie felt a need to disobey her mother and took a step off the sidewalk and onto Firethorn Way. The air was warmer here, Addie noticed, by at least fifteen degrees. She stepped back onto Jasmine Lane and the air was cooler once more.

“Gavin, come here!”

Gavin stepped off the sidewalk and noticed it too. “Why is that?” he asked.

“Well, neither is shaded and the sun lights up each spot in the same way. I don’t know,” Addie told Gavin. They jumped from street to street for a few minutes, looked around and wondered what this strange occurrence was before running back to the house.

Author's Note

is the writing too old for kids 7-12?

Reviews

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Nope, I'm 11 and I love this! 100/100 You're a great story writer1