Back at the hotel, Jessie suggested that they go for a swim.
“You want to see Mike, don’t you?” Henry teased.
“No,” Jessie insisted. “I just thought it might be fun.”
“I wonder if the pool has been cleaned yet,” Violet said.
“There’s only one way to find out,” said Benny.
“Yeah, let’s go see!” Ever since Bobby had heard about the purple pool up on the roof, he couldn’t wait to see it for himself.
In the elevator, Jessie pushed P for pool. The doors closed, and the children felt the elevator start to rise.
“Look,” Benny said to Bobby, pointing up to the mirror on the ceiling. He made a funny face at Bobby, who made a funny face back. The two boys were laughing when suddenly the elevator stopped. It sat perfectly still for several seconds, but the doors didn’t open.
The children looked at each other, curiously. Two lights were lit up on the dial over the door — 8 and 9.
“What’s happening?” Violet asked nervously.
“It looks like we’ve stopped between the eighth and ninth floors,” Henry said. “I’m sure we’ll be moving again in no time.”
“Yes,” Jessie said, trying to sound more sure than she felt. “This probably happens a lot in elevators.”
“I live in a really tall building in Chicago,” Bobby said. “And once the elevator just got stuck.”
“Got stuck?” Benny echoed, his eyes wide.
“What do you mean, ‘got stuck’?” Violet asked in a small voice.
The silence in the elevator was beginning to make them all feel a little uncomfortable.
“I don’t really know for sure,” Bobby said slowly. “I think something had gone wrong with the way the elevator works.”
“What happened?” asked Jessie. She was trying to stay calm so the others wouldn’t be scared.
“The people in the elevator called the superintendent, and he fixed it,” Bobby explained.
“But we don’t have a telephone,” Benny said, his voice trembling a little.
“Sure we do,” Bobby said with a reassuring smile. He walked over to a small door built into the panel of buttons. Bobby opened it and pulled out a telephone that had been hidden inside. “It’s for emergencies,” he explained. “The elevator at home is just like this, and my parents showed me how to call for help.”
“I’m glad you’re here!” Benny said, looking very relieved.
“We all are,” said Jessie.
“Hello, this is Bobby Grant, and I’m stuck in the elevator,” Bobby said into the phone. “Which elevator? I don’t know … oh, okay. I’ll check.” Bobby turned to the Aldens. “Do you see a number anywhere?”
“There it is,” Jessie said, pointing over the door. “Elevator number three.”
Bobby told the person on the other end, then he hung up the phone. “That was Mr. Parker. He said not to worry, they’d fix it as quickly as they could.”
“Who’s worried?” asked Benny. He felt much happier now that he knew someone was going to help them.
“I just hope it doesn’t take too long,” Violet said.
“Why don’t we play a game to keep busy?” Henry offered.
Jessie smiled at her brother. “Good idea.”
“What kind of game can we play in an elevator?” asked Benny, doubtfully.
“Well, how about Twenty Questions,” suggested Jessie.
“Hooray! My favorite!” cried Bobby.
“I forget how to play,” Benny said.
“Let’s all sit down on the floor, and I’ll explain,” Jessie said. The children sat in a small circle with their legs crossed. Jessie leaned back against the wall of the elevator. “Each one of us takes a turn. Let’s say it’s my turn first,” she began. “I’ll think of a person, a place, or a thing.”
“Like the president,” offered Violet.
“Or the moon,” said Henry.
“Or a peanut butter sandwich!” Bobby said. Even after the hot dog, he was still hungry.
“Yes,” Henry said. “Or a peanut butter sandwich.”
Violet went on, “We have to guess who or what it is by asking questions. If it takes us more than twenty questions to figure it out …”
“Then I win!” said Jessie.
“I remember now,” Benny said.
“I’ll go first.” Jessie thought for a moment and then smiled, “Okay, I’m ready — it’s a person. Violet, why don’t you ask the first question?”
Violet was looking around the elevator nervously, her face pale. Her sister knew that thinking of a question would be a good distraction.
“Let’s see,” Violet said. “Is it a real person or make believe?”
“Real,” said Jessie.
“I’ll go next,” cried Benny. “Boy or girl?”
“Boy,” Jessie said.
Henry took the next turn. “Have we ever met him?”
Jessie burst out laughing. “Yes, you’ve definitely met him!”
Now all the children were concentrating on the game and had forgotten they were sitting on the floor in an elevator. “Why don’t you ask a question, Bobby?” suggested Jessie.
After thinking for a moment, Bobby asked, “Is he young or old?”
“Young,” said Jessie.
“Tall or short?” Benny asked.
“Short,” said Jessie. “But medium for his age.”
“Is he thin or fat?” Violet asked.
“Medium,” said Jessie, and then she couldn’t resist adding, “but he loves to eat.”
Henry laughed. “Is he stuck in this elevator with us?”
“Why, yes,” replied Jessie, beginning to giggle.
“Is it Benny?” Henry asked.
Before Jessie could respond, Benny said, “Wait a minute, it’s my turn!” Then he thought for a brief moment and grinned. “Is it me?”
“Yes, it is,” said Jessie, smiling broadly. The children all laughed. A second later they heard a noise, and finally the elevator began to move.
“Hooray!” Violet cheered.
The elevator went back down to the lobby. When the doors opened, the children were surprised to see that a crowd had gathered. The people clapped their hands as the Aldens and Bobby got off. Benny smiled and bowed deeply.
Mr. Parker pushed his way to the front of the group. “Are you children all right?” he asked. “Someone switched off that elevator, although I can’t imagine why. I’m glad you knew how to use the emergency phone.”
“We wouldn’t have, if it hadn’t been for Bobby,” Henry said. “He saved the day.” Bobby beamed proudly.
“So what was wrong with the elevator?” Violet asked.
“As it turns out, nothing,” Don Parker said. “It took me a little while to find someone in our maintenance department, but when he checked, he said someone had just switched off the power for that elevator. I hope you weren’t nervous being in there so long.”
“So long?” Benny said. “It didn’t seem like very long.”
“We were having a good time playing a game,” Jessie explained.
“Is the elevator still broken?” a man in the crowd asked.
“No, it wasn’t broken, just turned off temporarily,” Mr. Parker explained. “It’s fine now.”
“What do you mean someone turned it off?” Henry asked.
“Just what I said,” Don Parker answered. “I don’t know who did it, or why. But I’m going to find out.” With that, he turned and walked away.
“Sounds like another piece of the mystery,” Violet said.
“It sure does,” Jessie agreed. “I think it’s about time we figured out what’s going on here.”
“Let’s go back to our suite,” Henry suggested.
“I think I might take the stairs,” Violet said quietly.
“Violet,” Jessie said gently but firmly to her sister, “Mr. Parker said the elevator was fixed. And you know what they say: When you fall off a horse — ”
“I know, you get right back on,” Violet said quietly. “I guess you’re right.” She followed the others back into the elevator. And this time, it worked fine. In a few seconds, they were on the fifth floor. |