Around the Bend: Beans

"The money you wasted on these could have gone into buying us some food!" she roared. "Bread, jam, milk! Things we can live on! And you wasted it on some stupid, useless ..." she ran out of words and went to the window.

"This is what I think of your beans!" she said. She opened the bag and flung them out onto the back lawn.

"Don't do that!" said Dad. "I can take them back! The man said he'd give me my money back!"

"Too late!" said Mum.

She banged the window shut again and threw the bag on the floor. Dad picked the bag up. He looked glumly at it for a while. Then he went outside to try and find the beans. But of course they were gone. The lawn hadn't been mowed for a few weeks, so there were plenty of places for the beans to hide.

That night I had some really strange dreams. I thought I was flying. I felt as if I was going up into the sky, higher than the clouds. It was wonderful! I spread my arms and flew in loops and spirals, roller-coastering through the air ... and when I woke up my bed was sliding across my room because the whole room was leaning over.

"Mum! Dad!" I yelled. "Help!"

I heard thumps and cries of surprise coming from the other room. Dad pushed my door open. It broke off one hinge and swung sideways, and Dad stood there at an angle staring at me.

"It's all right, son!" he said. "I'm here!"

As soon as he spoke the house lurched again and he disappeared. He rolled all the way down the hall and stopped when he hit the wall. My bedroom door slammed itself shut behind him and then fell off its other hinge. I heard Dad coming back.

"What's happening?" I shouted.

Everything that wasn't screwed down was bouncing, sliding or galloping across my room. I jumped out of the way as my wardrobe fell over with a crash.

"I don't know!" said Dad. He tried to get to me but couldn't because my dresser slid to the door and knocked him all the way down the hall again.

Mum screamed.

"Where's my Tootsie!?"