Beverly Quarter, the final chapter
Don't miss the thrilling conclusion!
Here it is. The final chapter. But first, a quick note from the person who inspired the book …
Hi Everyone!!
My name is Lily, and I am Matt’s (or Ralph’s as some of you may know him) daughter, a senior in high school, and the inspiration for this story as I had an invisible frenemy named Beverly Quarter growing up.
I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did. I wanted to take over for a second and tell you guys about an opportunity I get this March. I’m going on a mission trip to Nicaragua during spring break with my school, Veritas Christian Academy. This will be my first time out of the country AND my first mission trip!
The financial goal for this trip is $2,500, and the money will go to flights, sponsorship, and other travel expenses. All the information is in the flyer above. My dad doesn’t know this yet, but for every dollar donated between now and 11:59 p.m. central time Thursday he will do five burpees (Make Nicaragua Burpee Again perhaps?) Thank you guys!!!
—Lily
(Note from Ralph/Matt: OF COURSE I’ll do five burpees for every $1. Also never tell your kids they can write whatever they want on your substack.)
CHAPTER 27
Sally lifted her feet, and she and her father slowly started to slide down. They were going slowly enough that she looked over the edge. What she saw startled her: Uncle Nailglue had turned back into Raillatot and was flying away.
“Just let him go,” her dad said. “There’s nothing we can do now.”
Sally and her dad enjoyed the long slide down. They reached a maximum velocity of 97.3 miles per hour, according to a watch Sally had specially made to make sure she never broke the speed limit while riding her bike. She knew that their speed broke several international park treaties, but every time she tried to slow them down, her dad told her to just relax.
When they got to the bottom of the slide, Beverly Quarter, her dad and all the rest were already there.
They all began the long, slow walk back to the bush that would take them back to the Adventure. Nobody talked much as they went. Finally they arrived.
“Are you coming with us?” Sally asked Beverly Quarter.
She shook her head. “I need to stay here. I need to help undo the damage my uncle did.”
“Will I ever see you again?” Sally said as tears welled up in her eyes.
“I don’t know,” Beverly Quarter said.
“Will I ever see you again?” Sally’s dad asked.
“Definitely not,” Beverly Quarter said, “unless I need to come break Sally’s laundry basket down the stairs record.”
Two weeks later, Sally’s dad took her to the Monstrously Humungous Ginormous Park. As they arrived, Sally looked up at her dad, with the hint of tears in her eyes.
“I miss Beverly Quarter,” she said.
“I know, honey.”
“Do you think I’ll ever see her again?”
“I don’t know, sweetie. It’s hard to say.”
Sally ran into the park. She blurred right past the sign with all the rules without even thinking to look at them. Then she realized what she was doing, stopped, and went back to read them.
She stopped at the base of The Slide That Causes Instant Death and Maybe Even Sooner Than That. “You should ride that,” a voice said. “It’s fun.”
She looked to her right. It was the bully, Pat. He was 100 percent clean, “for the first time in his life,” Sally thought, but did not say.
She climbed to the top. She got in line and waited and waited as dinosaurs lived, died, became oil and was put into her dad’s car. When her turn came, she sat down at the entrance. Her feet dangled over the edge. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” she said.
Every kid in line behind her groaned. She heard someone say, “oh great, No Slide Sally is back.”
She started to get up when she felt a hand on her shoulder, gently holding her down. Then she heard a familiar voice whisper into her ear, “it’s a great idea.”
And down she went.