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"What?"

"It's not where I left it."

"That's ridiculous. Noble."

"Someone took it," he said and glanced quickly at me.

Mommy was speechless for a moment, Mr. Kotes sat with a silly smile on his face.

"Someone took it? Someone came to our home and took it?" Mommy finally asked.

Noble shrugged.

"It s not there," he declared, his arms out. He looked at Mr. Kotes to see his reaction. Mr. Kotes continued to smile, but said nothing. I imagined Noble wanted to see him upset, especially now that he saw Mr. Noble was sitting in Daddy's chair.

Mommy turned to me, her lips taut, her eyes burning. "Celeste, take your brother by the hand. Take him outside and find that magnifying glass

immediately." she ordered. "Now!" she emphasized, raising her eyebrows. I got up quickly.

"Oh, let it go. Sarah," Mr. Kotes said. "I'm sure he'll find it later,"

"No, he'll find it now;" Mommy said sternly. "Or he won't have any dinner, and neither will Celeste," she added, glaring at me.

I took Nobel's hand and quickly turned him to the doorway. "Sarah. really--"

"Don't interfere," Mommy snapped at Mr. Kotes. "He needs some discipline, and he needs to know the value of things and what responsibility means. They both do," she added.

"You're probably right," Ms. Kotes agreed quickly.

"That was stupid. Noble." I said as we walked out of the house. "You just made Mommy mad at us for nothing."

He was silent. I marched him back to the anthill, but the magnifying glass was not there.

"See?" he said.

"Where is it. Noble?"

"I don't know,.` he said.

"This is dumb, Noble. Where is it?" I demanded, my hands on my hips.

"I don't know,''

"I'm going to go back inside and tell Mommy you won't tell me," I warned.

"Tell her to come out and look for herself," he said defiantly, standing back with his arms folded. "You can see its not here."

"Well... where is it then?" I asked.

He looked around. The darkness had thickened. The overcast night sky seemed to be closing in on us. The wind picked up in intensity. I walked all around the anthill and searched and searched. but I couldn't find it.

"Did you throw it away. Noble?"

"No." he said.

"Did you hide it somewhere?"

"No." he insisted. "I didn't do anything. When I came down from the tree, it wasn't here."