Maggie stuck her head out of the window and felt the cool night breeze blow against her face; the scents of the flowers in the garden below struck her nose. She closed her eyes and breathed in the moment. Then the unsettling sound of Dirt Face’s snoring ruined the sensation completely and she was pulled back into reality. She turned and picked up her duffel bag and tiptoed downstairs, being careful not to wake Mother or Father.

Walking down the garden path, she had to be especially quiet so that she wouldn’t wake Dirt Face from his slumber. She stopped a few feet away from Dirt Face and took out several bedsheets that she had tied together into a makeshift rope. She would have used a real rope, but Father kept his shed locked unless he was working in the garden. She also took a large water gun from the bag.

Dirt Face had stopped snoring and now he just slept with his mouth hanging open. That would make Maggie’s job a whole lot easier. She eased the bed sheet rope into Dirt Face’s mouth…