Fred Is Not Under the Tree

Mr. Hill is seventy years old, and he lives alone in a small house on Green Street. He has a nice garden with red flowers and a little apple tree. Under the tree, there is a garden gnome. The gnome is a little man with a red hat and a long white beard. His name is Fred.

Every morning at eight, Mr. Hill drinks his coffee at the kitchen window. He looks at his flowers and says, "Good morning, Fred." Fred never answers, of course. But he is always there, under the apple tree.

Then, one Monday morning, Fred is not under the tree. Mr. Hill goes out into the garden. He looks behind the flowers and behind the car. Then he finds Fred on the front steps, next to the door. There is a little paper sign in his hand. It says, "Hello!"

"Fred," says Mr. Hill, "you can't walk." He carries the gnome back to the tree. All day, he thinks about it. Maybe it is a joke. But who is doing it?

On Tuesday morning, Fred is gone again. This time, he is on the roof of Mr. Hill's car, and he is wearing tiny black sunglasses. Mr. Hill carries him back to the tree. "This is not funny," he says. But he smiles a little.

Now Mr. Hill really wants an answer. He takes a notebook and writes three names. The first name is Mrs. Lee. She lives across the street, and she often says, "That gnome is ugly." The second name is Tony, the mail carrier. He comes to Green Street every day. The third name is "the boys on the corner."

First, Mr. Hill visits Mrs. Lee. "Do you move my gnome?" he asks. Mrs. Lee laughs. "I never touch that ugly little man," she says. "I go to bed at nine, and I never get up before nine." Mr. Hill draws a line through her name.

Then he waits for Tony. Tony comes at eleven with the mail. "Your gnome?" he says. "No, Mr. Hill. I'm only here at eleven. Early in the morning, I'm at home with my kids." Mr. Hill draws a line through Tony's name, too.

Next, he goes to the house on the corner. The boys' grandmother opens the door. "The boys?" she says. "They're at the beach with their parents this week." Now there are no names left in his notebook.

On Wednesday morning, Fred is in a big flowerpot near the gate. There is a tiny book in front of him, and he looks like he is reading. Today, Mr. Hill sees something new. In the wet grass, there are footprints. Some are small, like a child's. Some are bigger, like a woman's.

On Wednesday evening, Mr. Hill goes to bed early. At five in the morning, he gets up and sits at the kitchen window in the dark, with a flashlight. He waits. Five thirty. Six o'clock. Then he sees a small white light in the garden. It goes on and off, like a camera.

Mr. Hill turns on his flashlight. In the garden, there is a girl in a big yellow coat. She has a camera, and Fred is in front of her, on a little toy chair. Near the gate, there is a woman with a cup of coffee. The girl looks at him with big eyes.

Mr. Hill opens the door. "I know you," he says. "You live next door." The girl's name is Mia. She is nine, and she and her mom are new on Green Street. "I'm so sorry," says her mom. "It's a surprise, so I come with her. But it's your garden. We need to ask first." "I'm making a book for school," says Mia quietly. "It's called The Adventures of Fred."

She shows him the pictures on her camera. Fred with the "Hello!" sign. Fred in his sunglasses on the car. Fred with his little book. In every picture, he looks very happy. Mr. Hill starts to laugh, and he can't stop.

"But why Fred?" he asks. Mia looks down at her shoes. "I don't have friends here yet," she says. "I see you every morning at the window. You talk to Fred. So I think Fred is your friend. And I want a friend too."

Mr. Hill is quiet for a moment. Then he says, "You know, Fred never goes anywhere. He's always under that tree. Maybe he wants a real adventure." Mia is very happy. "A real adventure? Where?" "What about the park on Saturday?" says Mr. Hill. "And next time, please ring the bell."

On Saturday, Mr. Hill, Mia and her mom take Fred to the park. Fred sits on a bench, then next to the duck pond. People stop and smile, and some of them want a picture with Fred too. Even Mrs. Lee comes, and she says, "OK, maybe he's not so ugly."

Now Fred is back under the apple tree. Every morning, Mr. Hill drinks his coffee at the kitchen window and says, "Good morning, Fred." But now he is not alone. Next door, Mia waves from her window, and Mr. Hill waves back. And on his kitchen table, there is a new book from Mia: The Adventures of Fred.