6. Facing the Wind

6 Facing the Wind Stanley watched the slender white base of one windmill after another zip past the car window. The truck was hot on their trail. "Lose them, Eduardo!" said Carlos. "Senora Lambchop said to drive safely," Eduardo replied. He kept his eyes fixed on the road. "Maybe if we go in between the windmills," said Arthur, "we'll be harder to follow." Eduardo put on his blinker and carefully made a left turn off the main road. They slipped between two wind turbines. Eduardo made a right and then another left. White posts flew by in a blur. Soon Stanley had lost track of all the turns they'd made.

"I don't see them!" Carlos announced. "We lost them!" agreed Arthur. Stanley and the guys exchanged high fives. But in the driver's seat, Eduardo had grown quiet. He was leaning over the steering wheel, looking carefully in one direction and then the other. "What's wrong, Eduardo?" asked Stanley. "I can't find the road we started on," Eduardo said. "And we're supposed to be at the Alamo soon." "You mean we're lost?" said Carlos. "We're going to be late?" croaked Arthur, checking his watch. Eduardo said nothing. Stanley looked around. The windmills were identical and stretched in every direction. "Try going back that way," Carlos suggested. To turn around, Eduardo stepped on the brake and shifted into reverse. They lurched backward, and the car was jolted by a crunch. They had backed into a windmill. In a panic, Eduardo shifted the car into gear, and the car shot forward. Crunch! The front fender struck another windmill.

"Uh-oh," said Stanley under his breath. Eduardo turned off the ignition. He spoke in a blank voice. "Senora Lambchop gave us only three rules. One: Drive safely." "Too bad we just crashed," said Carlos. "Two," continued Eduardo. "Meet her at the Alamo on time. And three—" "Well, since we're lost," Arthur interrupted, "there ain't no way that's ever going to happen." Stanley shot Arthur a look. "You mean 'isn't any way,'" Stanley said. Arthur winced, realizing what he'd just done. 'And three," repeated Eduardo, "follow the rules of English grammar." He dropped his head to the steering wheel. "We have failed." He sighed. Stanley couldn't bear to see his friends so upset. He suddenly realized how he could help... even if it meant doing what he was most scared to do. "I know how to find our way out of here," Stanley said slowly. "Tie me to the rope and let the wind carry me up above the windmills. I'll be able to see the road." Carlos shook his head. "Stanley, the wind—"

"I'll be okay," said Stanley. "Are you sure, Stanley?" said Eduardo, raising his head. "You guys have been there for me every step of the way," said Stanley. "It's my turn." The boys all got out of the car to help Stanley get ready. His hands shook as he tested the rope around his body. There was a steady breeze in the air from all the windmills, and he had to struggle to keep his feet on the ground. Stanley felt a bead of sweat roll down his face and all the way to his shoes. "I'm scared," he said simply.

Eduardo peered into his eyes. "Stanley, do you remember when you arrived in Mexico?" he said. "All the children thought you could not be hurt. We thought we could hit you like a pinata, and nothing would happen." Stanley nodded. "You told us we were wrong. Only then did we see how brave you were. Being brave does not

mean you're not scared. It means you keep going even when you are." "No one is braver than you, amigo," agreed Carlos. "Except maybe me," teased Arthur. Stanley nodded to his friends. Carlos and Arthur stepped forward, and together they helped lift Stanley into the air. Releasing the rope a little bit at a time, Eduardo ensured that Stanley was carried up carefully between the windmills. When the last bit of rope was let out, Stanley floated above the wind farm, his body bobbing and flapping.