Stoney Ridge Times Roving Reporter: Mary Kate, I was hoping to have a chance to speak with your sister, Sadie.
M.K.: Sorry. Sadie doesn’t like to talk to strangers. She’s shy like that.
Stoney Ridge Times Roving Reporter: Well, maybe you could answer a few questions for the local newspaper.
M.K.: No, I shouldn’t. [Looks intrigued.] What sort of questions?
Stoney Ridge Times Roving Reporter: I was speaking to someone who mentioned there was a scandal at Windmill Farm. Something involving Sadie.
M.K.: [Stamps her foot in anger] Who said that? Was it Jimmy Fisher? I’m sure it was! Everything that comes out of his mouth is a gullywasher of lies.
Stoney Ridge Times Roving Reporter: I can’t reveal my sources.
M.K.: And that’s how you track down your news stories? From a low down chicken farmer with a very poor character? That’s outrageous. [Narrows her eyes.] What did he tell you?
Stoney Ridge Times Roving Reporter: My source mentioned that your sister might have brought disgrace to Windmill Farm. Shame and dishonor, my source said. He said that your family will never be able to show your faces in Stoney Ridge again. He thought you would be moving away soon to start a new life. To restore your reputations.
M.K.: That Jimmy Fisher is nothing but a smart aleck. No doubt he’s telling tales all over town! I’ll have you know that my sister Sadie is the finest person on earth, next to my father. Fern is a fine person though she can be as prickly as a jar of toothpicks. And Julia and Rome are fine people, too, though I try not to get Julia mad. Uncle Hank might not be quite so fine, but he has a good character. Unlike Jimmy Fisher, who does not.
Stoney Ridge Times Roving Reporter: So, you’re saying that there’s nothing unusual going on at Windmill Farm. Nothing curious about your sister’s recent return? You’re not moving far, far away?
M.K.: [Seems a little uncomfortable.] I’m not going anywhere. Everything’s just as right as rain at Windmill Farm. And if I’m lying, I’m flying. [Leans in to whisper something.] Your real news story is over at Fisher Hatchery. Look inside the woodshed–left hand side, under two big logs–and you’ll find a green box filled with firecrackers. That’s Jimmy Fisher’s secret stash. He’s crazy about firecrackers. He’s just crazy. Period.
Well, that’s it for this month’s edition of Stoney Ridge Times. If you have an idea for a story or interview, please email the Roving Reporter’s assistant, Amy.
