The Lucky Wheel

A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
It was Monday morning, and Logan Pryce was late for school.

He ran through the door, out of breath. His knickers and boots were muddy. The other students were already at their desks. Everyone turned and stared at him, including his sister Tess and his older brother, Drew.



Tess mouthed the words, Where were you?

Their teacher, Miss Ashley, glanced up from her roll-call sheet. A vase of daffodils sat on her desk, next to her inkwell and feathery quill pen. “Oh, there you are, Logan. I was about to mark you as absent.”



“I’m sorry, Miss Ashley!” said Logan, plucking a dried-up leaf out of his messy blond hair. “I was on my way inside with the others. Then I spotted a broken button that I thought I could use in my Fix-It Shop. I was about it pick it up when I slipped and fell in a puddle, and—”



“What is a Fix-It Shop?” Miss Ashley asked.

“My Fix-It Shop is where I fix old things and invent new things!” Logan said proudly.



Miss Ashley smiled at Logan’s answer. “That sounds very interesting. In the future, though, please be more mindful of the time. You may take your seat now.” She added, “Class, please face forward!”

The children turned in their seats. The boys sat on one side, and the girls sat on the other. The six- and seven-year-olds sat up front near Miss Ashley. Drew, who was eleven, sat in the back with the older kids. Logan, who was eight, and Tess, who was nine, sat in the middle.



Usually, there were twenty students present in the one-room schoolhouse. But spring was planting season, so a few of the boys were missing. Farmers usually kept their oldest sons at home to help with the plowing and sowing. Pa used to keep Drew home for this reason.



“I have an announcement to make,” Miss Ashley began. “As you can see, our school is overdue for some repairs.”