Lesson 2 - Part 2

rising action
exposition
climax
falling action
resolution



My heart was pounding in my chest. What the hell was I doing out here in the middle of the night with some kid peeking into garden sheds? “Tell me what this is all about. You better start explaining this right now or I‘m taking you home.”

“It’s Evelyn. She’s in the shed. It’s Evelyn Weingarten”. Twelve-year-old Noah said, nervously twisting the sleeves of his Spongebob pajamas. He was my neighbor from across the street. I didn’t know the family well, they kept to themselves, but seemed pleasant enough.

“What do you mean it’s Evelyn? What’s she doing in your shed?” A snatch of a newspaper article surfaced in my mind at the mention of her name. Something about a missing grade school girl. It was over a year ago, but I could picture the bulletins posted on telephone poles around town.

“Now start at the beginning and tell me what happened.”

“We moved here when I was in the 4th grade. We left the last town in a real hurry and had to buy new clothes and toys and everything. We even changed our names. My name used to be Mike, but I get a spanking if I use that name. Now I’m Noah.”

The words kept spilling out of him. “My mom and dad aren’t my real mom and dad. I don’t even remember my real mom and dad anymore. We left my sister behind. She wasn’t my real sister. They made her stay in a shed too.”

I was fully awake now and the enormity of his story was starting to dawn on me. "We have to call the police.“ I pulled out my cell phone and dialed 911. We waited about five minutes and two police cars pulled into the drive. We followed them to the front door. A tall man and a thin woman stepped out onto the porch.

He stuck out his hand. "I’m Terry McDowell, and this is my wife Alexandra. I see you’ve met our son. What can we do for you officers?“ He stepped closer and whispered,“I’m sorry about all of this, Noah’s a little disturbed. I hope he didn’t cause you too much trouble. I can’t imagine what he’s been telling you. The doctors think he may have a form of childhood schizophrenia. “

“We’ll need to take a look at your garden shed, sir.” The officers led the way around the back of the house.

Noah and his mother caught up as his father unlocked the door.

“See? Nothing here at all. I don’t know why he’s so obsessed with this shed. We had to put a padlock on it just to keep him out.” Noah stood silently staring at the ground. his mother grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him to face the officers. “What do you say to the nice officers?”

“Sorry.” he said in a monotone. “Sorry to bother you.”

The two policemen exchanged a glance. “Would you mind moving that lawnmower out of the shed please.”

“Well, I uh, I don’t know if I have the key.”

“The key’s in the ignition, sir. Please move it out.”

He moved the riding lawn out into the yard. It had been used to conceal a trap door. We peered down into the room below the shed and saw a table, a chair and a child's potty and small, thin girl sitting on a cot. A flash of light glinted up at me from the floor. It was a charm bracelet with the initials E.W. I stooped to pick it up and handed it to one of the officers. “Ellen Weingarten, I believe.”