Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures #12: Escape to California (2 page)

Mr. Lambchop pointed a finger at Lily Fox. “How dare you! Don't you know it's impolite to kidnap people?”

“We're not kidnapping you,” Lily answered calmly. “You don't have to come with us if you don't want to.”

For the first time, Stanley noticed the wheels on the girl's wheelchair. They were big, studded, and rugged, like a mountain bike's tires.

Stanley got to his feet. “What do you want?”

Lily Fox wheeled over to the console and pushed some buttons. A grainy black-and-white video flickered to life on one of the screens: It was a street scene with a crowd of people. A boy walked up to a cardboard cutout and shook it roughly.

Wait a minute,
thought Stanley.
That's me and that boy at Fisherman's Wharf earlier today!

Stanley's stomach turned as he remembered the kid's face. The boy had recognized Stanley as “the famous flat kid.” Without even asking, he had pulled Stanley's head back and put his chin on Stanley's shoulders so it looked as though his head was perched atop a flat body. “Quick! Take a picture!” He'd cackled to a friend. Stanley had been too embarrassed to speak. He might as well have been a painted wooden character at a carnival.

“Stanley, do you ever get tired of people looking at you funny?” asked Lily, bringing him back to the present.

Stanley sucked in his breath. “Sometimes,” he said.

On the screen, his head was tucked out of sight as people crowded around and started lining up to have their pictures taken.

“Do you ever feel as if you're invisible? Like all that most people can see is that you're different, and they can't see anything else?”

On the screen, Mr. Lambchop shooed everyone away with an angry wag of his finger. In the van, he gently squeezed Stanley's shoulder.

Stanley looked at his feet. “Yeah. I guess.”

The girl pushed a button, and the screen went black. “Then imagine what it's like being in a wheelchair.”

Stanley looked at Lily for what felt like the first time. She was a few years older than he was. Her hair was pulled back in a dark ponytail. She looked athletic, and there was something strong about her face. She looked . . . determined.

With a slight jolt, the van came to a stop. A moment later the driver opened the cargo doors. He was a tall man wearing a tank top, Bermuda shorts, and flip-flops.

“Welcome to the Muir Woods,” said the man. “I'm Theo Fox, Lily's father.”

“Mr. Fox,” said Stanley's dad, “I think you and Lily have some explaining to do.”

“It's Dr. Fox,” the man corrected. “And that's why we're here.”

Stanley looked around. They were in the middle of a forest . . . except the trees were so much larger than any Stanley had ever seen. Some seemed as big as skyscrapers.

“These are the redwoods, or Sequoias,” said Dr. Fox. “They're among the biggest, oldest trees on Earth. We Foxes always come here when we have a big decision to make.”

“Amazing,” Stanley whispered, gazing up at the trees.

“Stanley, you said yourself that you're tired of others judging you by your appearance. I feel the same way. And I think it's time to change how the world sees people in wheelchairs.”

Stanley nodded. He knew what she meant. “But how?”

“By pulling off one of the greatest stunts of all time,” Lily answered matter-of-factly. “I'm going to escape from Alcatraz, without the use of my legs, on live TV.”

“Alcatraz!” said Mr. Lambchop. “The old prison? Nobody has ever successfully escaped from there! I read about it in my guidebook. It's perched on a rocky island in the middle of San Francisco Bay, surrounded by shark-infested waters! They call it the Rock.”

“The one and only,” said Lily.

Mr. Lambchop shook his head. “But it's impossible—”

“You might be surprised by what I can do in my wheelchair,” interrupted Lily. “That's the whole point!”

With that, Lily shot forward, her hands spinning both wheels so quickly, they were a blur. Dirt and leaves sprayed behind her. She curved sideways up the base of a giant redwood, and then rolled up the base of another, as if she were moving between a pair of skateboard ramps. Finally she lifted herself out of her wheelchair, spun the chair around, and sat again.

She came to stop in front of them, with one eyebrow raised as if to say,
See?

“That was incredible!” Stanley cried, clapping. But then he shook his head. “I still don't understand how
I
can help
you
.”

Lily wheeled up close. “Is it true that you found your way out of a pyramid in Egypt? That you trained with Oda Nobu in Japan and performed with the Flying Chinese Wonders in Beijing?”

Stanley nodded.

“Then help me pull off the greatest escape ever,” said Lily.

Stanley's heart skipped a beat. His eyes climbed the majestic trees, hundreds of feet into the air, where the sun was sparkling through ancient leaves.

Finally he turned to his father with a look that said,
“Can we?”

Mr. Lambchop sighed deeply and then cleared his throat. “Get back in the van, everybody,” he said. “This has gone far enough.”

Lily and Stanley's faces fell.

But then his dad winked. “We need to let Mrs. Lambchop, Arthur, and Stanley's friend Thomas know that they shouldn't worry. It seems we won't be joining them again for a few days, at least!”

Introducing the Escapist

When he and his father climbed out of the van at the Foxes' farmhouse a few hours later, Stanley was greeted by a big shaggy dog that bounded up, flattened him to the ground, and licked his face.

“Sequoia!” a voice called. “Heel!” The dog leaped off of Stanley and sat panting beside him.

A barefoot woman with curly blond hair and a flowing, brightly colored dress reached for Stanley's hand, helping him up. “I'm Lily's mom, Amber,” she said, and turned toward Mr. Lambchop. “And you must be Stanley's father.”

“It's George,” Stanley's dad replied.

“Well, I want to thank you both for being part of our little caper.” She threw one arm around Dr. Fox and put her other hand on Lily's shoulder. “When our Lily sets her mind to something, she never gives up.”

The Foxes led them up to the farmhouse. After Stanley's father had called Stanley's mom to check in, they joined Lily and her parents for dinner around a worn wooden table. There were so many different colors of food, they reminded Stanley of the fruit and vegetable section of the supermarket.

“We grew most of this here on the farm,” said Amber, serving Stanley some kale slaw. “In fact, if you eat fruits or vegetables back home that are grown in America, chances are they come from California. There's no place better on Earth.” She rattled off the things on the table: “Artichokes, arugula, asparagus, avocados, basil, beets, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, celery, corn, cucumbers, edamame, eggplant, escarole—”

“Mom,” Lily gently interrupted. “They get the idea.”

“But I'm only at the letter
e
!” complained her mother.

Stanley realized that Amber had been listing foods alphabetically, and he slapped his forehead.