Lara Bergen: Sophie the Chatterbox

“So, guess what? I am so honest, I even told my mom and dad about taking the fifth graders’ snake. And that was before my big sister, Hayley, could say anything,” Sophie said.

Kate looked a little surprised. And a lot impressed.

“Did you get in big trouble?” she asked Sophie.

Sophie grinned and shook her head.

“No! That’s the best part,” she said. “My mom and dad were so proud of me for being honest they didn’t punish me or anything — just like George Washington’s father!”

And that was not all Sophie had told her parents. She also told them about the squash stuck to the bottom of the dinner table (by her — every time they had squash for dinner).

“Wow!” Kate said. “And how about your basement? Did you tell them why it stinks? That we were making potions?”

“Oh … that,” Sophie said. She had forgotten about that. Kind of. “I haven’t told them about that yet.”

“Well, how about your mom’s stockings? The ones we played Fashion Show with? Did you tell her Tiptoe didn’t rip them and we did?” Kate asked.

“Er … no,” Sophie said. And she did not really want to. Tiptoe was a kitten. She could not really get in trouble. But Sophie sure could.

Still, if she was really going to be honest, no matter what the consequence was …

“I’ll tell them,” she said to Kate. “I will! I promise!”

From now on, Sophie would be completely, totally honest, just like her new name said.

And to be completely, totally honest, Sophie was getting a little hungry.

She picked up her lunch bag. “I wonder what my mom packed for me,” she said.

Then she opened the bag. And right away, she knew.

Someone with a snooty voice from two rows up did, too.

“Ew! Gross!” the voice squealed. It belonged to Mindy VonBoffmann. She spun around and held her nose.

“Quick! Open a window!” Sophie whispered to Kate.

She rolled her lunch bag closed. But it was too late. Mindy’s best friend, Lily Lemley, grabbed her nose, too.

“Ew!” Lily cried. “Gross!”

“Who packed egg salad?!” Mindy asked.

Kate looked at Sophie. And Sophie looked at Kate.

Sophie slowly raised her hand. “Um, that was me,” she honestly said.

The whole bus started to groan.

“We’re here, class!” Ms. Moffly called.

Thank goodness! Sophie thought.

A park ranger met Sophie’s class as soon as they got off the bus. Sophie could tell she was a park ranger because of her Smokey Bear hat. That was even before she said, “Hello there! My name is Ranger Fawn.”

The ranger’s smile was very big. And she was very tall.

“Welcome to Popes Creek,” she said, “otherwise known as George Washington’s birthplace. Have any of you ever been here before?”

Mindy raised her hand. Of course. She liked to say she had done things (even when she had not).

Most kids shook their heads.

“No. I have not,” Sophie honestly said. “My mom wanted to come one time. But my dad said it sounded too boring. And my little brother, Max, won’t sit in a stroller anymore. The last time we took him somewhere, he jumped on an old bed and we all got in trouble. So we stayed home and did the Slip ‘n Slide instead, because that is never boring, and you’re supposed to jump on it.”

Ranger Fawn looked down at Sophie. “Wow!” she said, smiling. “We have a chatterbox here, don’t we?”

Behind her, Toby laughed. Sophie could hear him loud and clear. And Archie. And Mindy. And Lily. And everyone else in their class, she bet.

Sophie wanted to say, “Excuse me. That is not funny. Look at my shirt. I am not a chatterbox. I’m Sophie the Honest!”

But Ranger Fawn was already turning around. “Okeydokey, let’s get started!” she said.

The ranger led the class down a path along a river. There were shady trees and wooden fences. Behind one fence were sheep. Behind another were some cows. There were also a bunch of little white buildings and a big house made of brick. But the ranger didn’t stop at any of those. Instead, she stopped in front of some lines of white rocks on the ground.

“This is the house where George Washington was born,” Ranger Fawn said.

“Huh?” Sophie said. She pointed to the big house made of brick. “Don’t you mean that house? And by the way, I’m not a chatterbox. I’m just honest,” she added.

“Sophie,” said Ms. Moffly. She was standing behind the class. “Let’s let Ranger Fawn finish talking before we start.”

Ranger Fawn smiled a big smile. “That’s okay,” she said. “I’m honestly glad you asked that. In fact, that big house was not George Washington’s. It was built later. And it’s not exactly what George’s house looked like. But it gives you an idea.”

Sophie frowned. “Why not just show the real house?” she asked.

“Because the real house burned down in 1779,” Ranger Fawn explained. She pointed to the white gravel lines on the ground. “All we have of George Washington’s first house is this outline that we made.”

The other Sophie in the class, Sophie A., spoke up. “Was George Washington okay?”

“Yes, indeed,” Ranger Fawn said. “In fact, he didn’t even live here when the house burned. By then, he was leading the army in the Revolutionary War. But that wasn’t his first job. Does anyone know what that was?”

Mindy was the first to raise her hand. Of course.

“President!” she said.

“Good guess. But no. That came even later. George Washington’s first job was surveying. Who knows what that is?” Ranger Fawn asked.

Mindy raised her hand again.

“Yes?” Ranger Fawn said.

Mindy opened her mouth. Then she closed it. “Er … I don’t know,” she said.

“Anyone else?” Ranger Fawn asked.

Sophie spoke up. “I have no idea! But I’m pretty sure my mom just got surveyed on the phone,” she said.

Ranger Fawn chuckled. “That’s a different kind of surveying. That’s when someone asks you questions. The surveying George Washington did was measuring land.”

Measuring land? The other kind of surveying sounded like a lot more fun to Sophie, even if her mom made faces during it.

“George Washington taught himself how to survey when he was just fifteen,” Ranger Fawn went on. “And one of the first pieces of land he measured was the one you’re standing on.”

Sophie yawned and leaned over to Kate. “My dad was right. This is boring,” she said.

“Excuse me? What did you say?” Ranger Fawn asked, smiling.

Sophie bit her lip. She wanted to say, “Nothing,” but she could not. Sophie sighed.

“Um … I said my dad was right. This is boring. Sorry,” she added quickly.

“Oh, Sophie,” Ms. Moffly said.

Sophie held her breath. She wondered if Ranger Fawn would get mad. But the ranger kept on smiling.

“You know, you’re right. There’s a lot more fun stuff to see here. Let’s move on!” she said.

Ranger Fawn walked ahead, and Sophie’s class followed.

Eve skipped up next to Sophie. “Thanks! I didn’t want to say anything. But that was getting boring,” she said.

“Yeah!” Mia agreed.

Sophie grinned at them. “Don’t mention it. Just call me Sophie the Honest!”

Ranger Fawn led them down a brick path to one of the small buildings. The doors were big, like barn doors. Sophie and her class went in.

Sophie looked around at all the shelves and benches. There were tools and sawdust everywhere. It was a big mess, if you asked her.