9. Thanksgiving Friends

Chapter 9 Thanksgiving Friends Everyone got a chance to go inside the space shuttle. Finally, the kids began to yawn. "Okay, it's time to call it a night," Bradley's father said. "Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!" Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy went back to the twins' room. Within minutes, they were all asleep. On Thanksgiving morning, a loud barking woke Bradley. He crawled over Nate's sleeping bag and looked down at the ground. On the other side of

the fence, Daisy was barking. Pal was sitting on his side of the fence, barking right back! Brian woke up and looked out the window. Mr. Pinto and Mr. Sargent were standing by the fence, talking. Mr. Sargent was holding his chain saw. Nate sat up. "What's going on?" he asked. "My dad and Mr. Sargent are out there talking," Bradley said. Lucy's head popped up. She rested her chin on the sill and looked down. Suddenly Mr. Sargent started the chain saw. He began cutting the fence. In two minutes, there was a big space where a section of the fence had fallen to the ground. Pal raced into the Sargents' yard. He and Daisy began chasing each other. "Oh my gosh, there's a big hole in the fence!" Bradley said. "Charlie and Maddy are already playing in the shuttle!" Brian said. The four kids ran downstairs and dashed outside. Charlie and Maddy waved to them. "Come on up!" they yelled.

The cutout section of fence was lying on the grass. Mr. Sargent was measuring it with his shiny tape. "I can make a nifty gate out of this wood," he said. "I think I've got some hinges in the barn," Bradley's father said. "What're you doing, Dad?" Bradley asked his father. "Our new neighbor decided there should be a gate here," Mr. Pinto said. Mr. Sargent smiled. "Our grandkids will be leaving soon, and we want you kids to play in the space shuttle while they're gone," he said. "The gate will always be unlocked for you." Mrs. Sargent poked her head out the back door. "What's all the racket?" she asked. "Grandpa cut part of the fence down!" Charlie said. "Oh, what a marvelous idea!" Mrs. Sargent said. "Now it will be so much easier to get to know our new friends!" Bradley's mother opened her back door. "Everyone come over for juice and muffins!" she called across the yard.

Charlie and Maddy came down, and they all walked through the hole where the fence once stood.

Bradley whispered to his mother, "Mom, can we invite everyone over for Thanksgiving dinner?" His mother smiled. "I already asked them," she whispered back. "Now I just have to figure out where to get a bigger table!"