Chapter Four

Marigold's tears had ceased but she was still upset at the idea of loosing her husband. Hector still comforted while Myron started with burning hatred towards Glenn, Stu's heartless step-father. A door opened, a girl appeared with a hand full of roses. A little girl walked by her side. The two of them sat down, the little one climbing into the others lap. Myron stared at them.
“Are you babysitting?” He asked the older girl. He asked this for the older girl was biracial and the younger one was white.
“She's adopted.” The girl said.
The little girl slipped out of her sister's lap and walked towards Marigold. She stood there, staring at the puffy eyed woman. Without a word, she gently kissed the young woman's face and whispered, “I'm sorry.”
“Children has much wisdom and insight don't ya think?” asked the girl. “Sometimes we forget we must look through the eyes of a child.”
Myron was dumbfounded and shocked. “Excuse me kid, but what is your name?”
“Cleotilde.”

Stu soon found out what the rock of perplexity was. It was a huge boulder that blocked an entrance to a cave. The Smiths and Callaghans had been searching for someone with brains not bronze to remove the rock. He didn't know what was behind it but he was sure it was something worth getting. He sniffed the air but then gagged. Why did it smell of horrid salt water and animal droppings?

“So you want me to find a way to move this rock?” He asked them. They all nodded. “Well this shouldn't be to hard!” He began to inspect the rock. “I propose we need a lever to wedge under it and then all of you will jump onto it thus removing the rock!”
There was a wave of applause at this idea. Soon everyone went in search of a lever big enough to put under the rock. Stu smiled with satisfaction. Here no one would oppose him. As he turned to leave he noticed the little girl was crawling on all fours around the rock. He smiled at her foolish but something about her actions made him want to stay. What was she doing?
He walked over to the child. “Hey kiddo!”
“My name's not kiddo Mr. Stu.” She said bluntly. He knew his name. How could she know? “My sister knows you Mr. Stu! I'm her baby sis, Arobi.”
The name echoed in his head. His mind raced back to one day in school. Cleo was in the 4th grade. While they were studying George Elliot, the phone rang. He answered it and told Cleo it was for her. She bravely took the receiver and said, “Hello?”
Then it was silent. Soon she erupted with a scream of joy. She hung up the phone and announced, “My mom just adopted my new sister from Italy, Arobi!”
“Okay, Arobi. What are you doing?” he repeated.
“This isn't a rock.” She replied. Stu tried to hid his smirk. “No joke. This is not rock!”
Just as he had suspected; the child was as dumb as her sister. Pity, he was starting to like her. The rich ones soon returned with the lever and lodged it under the rock. With great hope, they piled together to jump.
“1.………….2.………………..3!” They cried.
CRACK!
The lever spilt in two, sending the Smiths and Callaghans flying backwards. Arobi laughed while Stu had a horrorstricken face. The others gradually got up, brushing away the sand.
“We need a better lever!” They declared and they all ran off to find one.
“Sillies!” Arobi laughed and continued to crawl.
“Arobi, this is a rock!”
“Are you sure?” she in a wise tone. Stu stopped to think. He was in a unknown world. Could this possibly not he a rock? The more he thought the more he thoroughly examined the boulder. He still saw a rock but this child saw something else.
That was it! He had to look through the eyes of a child! He thought hard. What does this rock look like? He couldn't see anything yet. Plus it was hard to concentrate when the rock was moving. Moving? His eyes weren't playing tricks on him were they?
“Morning!” Arobi was now at the front of the rock. “Are you hungry? I brought you some turtle pellets!” Food? Turtle? Was thing a--------
There was an earth shattering yawn. Stu looked to see a huge head rise out of the boulder. This was no rock! This was the shell of a huge turtle! That was why he had smelled salty sea water and muck! Arobi had been the smart one all along! Wait until he told the others.
“Oh smart one!” Called Mr. Smith. “We're back with the lever!”
“No need! Look!” Stu pointed to the eating turtle. “This is no rock! It's a huge turtle!”
Mr. Smith just stared for a moment. Not at the reptile but at Stu. Soon a smirk came about that broke into loud laughter. The others found this funny too and laughed as well. Stu was wondering what was so funny. Could they not see it?
“That child has been a bad influence on you!” Mr. Smith said. Bad influence? But the child was right! He had been wrong! Why could they not see it?
That was it! They were blind! That's why they needed Stu for they had needed someone to follow. Arobi was right though because she had used a different perspective. A pain suddenly hit him hard; Cleo. He had been so cruel hearted. She wasn't dumb; she was brilliant in her own way. He had realized he was the blind one following himself on his own beliefs.

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