“May I speak with Marie Cantu?” the voice on the phone asked.
“This is Marie,” answered Marie.
“Please hold for the governor1.”
Marie looked at the phone. Why would the governor be calling her? She waited for the governor to speak. She did help out at the animal shelter2 every weekend. And then there were her honors in English3. Had she saved anyone's life lately?
She thought about these things as she waited...and waited...and waited. Finally, she realized the truth. Someone had played a trick on her!
She hung up the phone.
It rang again. Marie answered it. “Ha ha ha! Very funny,” she said into the phone.
“Marie?” It was Noelle. “I've been trying to call you for fifteen minutes, but your line was busy.”
“Oh, hi, Noelle. I just got a prank4 call. I thought it was the same person trying to call me again.”
“The governor?”
“The governor,” said Marie. “She called you, too? I waited for fifteen minutes before hanging up.”
“I waited twenty minutes. Beat you5,”said Noelle. “What do you think it was?”
“She disguised6 her voice, but now that I think about it, it sounded like Megan.”
“I think we need to plan a little revenge7. I'll be right over.”
The girls discussed options8, then headed over to Megan's house.
It had been snowing all morning, and when Marie and Noelle reached Megan's, blanket of snow9 covered the lawn, the sidewalk, everything. The girls walked up the sidewalk, making footprints in the spotless10 snow.
Marie whispered to Noelle. Noelle nodded. Then they went to work. Quietly they rolled snow into large balls. Together they pushed and heaved11 the balls up onto Megan's porch12 and built a large snowman, right in front of the door.
Then they rang the doorbell and ran to hide behind the next-door neighbor's bushes.
Megan opened the door. “What's this?” she asked. She tried to push the screen door13 open. It moved just a few inches, then hit the snowman and would go no farther.
A few minutes later Megan emerged14 from behind the house. She stomped15 onto the porch and began to dismantle16 the snowman. “Hi, Megan!”said Noelle. She and Marie walked up Megan's sidewalk as though they had just arrived. “Why are you building a snowman on your porch? Aren't you afraid it will block your door?”
“Very funny,” said Megan. “I owe you one17.”
“No, we're even18,” said Marie. “By the way, how's the governor?”
“The governor? I don't know what you're talking about.”
Marie told her about the prank calls.
“You think I made them?” asked Megan.
“I wish. But I didn't. I walked over to the library this morning to work on my research report on Peru19. I just got back ten minutes ago. Help me get this snowman off the porch, and we can go inside and get some hot cocoa20.”
Marie and Noelle helped Megan roll the rest of the snowman away from the door. Then the girls went in, sipped21 hot cocoa, and talked.
After a while, Marie stood up. “I'd better get going.” Noelle stood, too.
The girls started to leave. Then Marie turned back and said, “So tell me, Megan, who else did you call? Just us?”
“I told you, I didn't call you,” said Megan.
“Oh, I think you did,”said Marie. “You didn't go to the library today. I think you were here all morning being the governor's secretary.”
How did Marie know that Megan hadn't gone to the library?
1． 此句意为：请等一下，州长要和你通话。
2． animal shelter 动物收容所
3． 此句意为：她还得了英语优秀奖。
honor n． ( pl．) 成绩优异奖
4． prank n． 胡闹， 恶作剧
5． 此处意为：我等的时间比你长。
beat sb． 胜过某人
6． disguise v． 假装
7． revenge n． 报仇， 报复
8． option n． 选择
9． blanket of snow 厚厚的一层雪
blanket n． 覆盖或包裹的一层
10． spotless adj． 洁白无瑕的
11． heave v． 移动
12． porch n． 门廊
13． screen door 纱门
14． emerge v． 出现
15． stomp v． 跺脚
16． dismantle v． 拆除，摧毁
17． 此句意为：我要″还″你一个雪人。（即米根要用相同的方式捉弄玛丽）
18． 此句意为：我们扯平了。
19． Peru n． 秘鲁（拉丁美洲）
20． cocoa n． 可可饮料
21． sip [sip] v． 呷， 啜饮