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Uncle Larry was pointing at photos from the last Easter we all got together. In one picture Meemaw was wearing her diamond ring, and in the next, she WASN'T. It didn't take a genius to figure out where her ring went. Fifteen seconds later, everyone was fanned out across Gramma's backyard, searching for Meemaw's plastic bags. I guess everyone figured that if the ring was in an egg, then it was finders keepers. Mom tried to get

everyone to come back inside to have dessert, but it was no use. It was a little disturbing to see how greedy my relatives were acting, but I admit I got a little caught up in the excitement myself. While everyone else was looking for the egg OUTSIDE, I was looking for it INSIDE. But after Mom caught me rifling through Gramma's underwear drawer, I realized maybe I was getting a little TOO carried away.

I think Mom was pretty fed up with everyone by that point, because she told our family that we were going home. As far as I know, nobody actually found the ring. When we drove away from Gramma's, a few people were still out there searching. Tuesday Usually when Aunt Gretchen and her kids stay with

us, it's for a week. But this time around, they only lasted two DAYS. That's because, after what happened last night Dad told them they were gonna have to leave. At dinner we ran out of ketchup, so Malcolm picked up the phone and called 911 to report us. It took about two hours for Mom and Dad to clear everything up with the cops. After Dad gave Aunt Gretchen and her sons the boot, they packed up and went to Gramma's. And I'm sure that was just fine with them, because it meant they had more time to look for the egg. I was glad they left, because when they did I got my bed back. For two nights I had to sleep in Rodrick's room on a leaky air mattress.

No matter how much I inflated it at night, by morning I was lying flat on the ground. Yesterday when I woke up on Rodrick's floor, I spotted something under his bed when I was getting dressed. It was one of those Magic 8 Balls. I think Roderick got it as a present one year and must've forgotten all about it after it rolled under his bed. I was pretty excited to find it, because I never gotten to play around with one of those things before.

The way you use the Magic 8 Ball is by asking it a question, then shaking it up and waiting for your answer to appear in a little window in the back. I was curious to see if it actually WORKED, so I gave it a try. I thought up a question and concentrated real hard, then I gave the Magic 8 Ball a good shake. Am I the smartest person in my family? Shake, shake, shake A few seconds later, this is what showed up in the little window It is certain.