“Alright girls, it’s time.” Carly said to Maggie and Shirley. The girls threw on their jet-black clothes and ran to the bathroom in sheer excitement.

“Do you think this will be enough?” Maggie questions Carly. Carly nods in reassurance. The girls gather all the toilet paper in the closet as if ready to perform mummification. They run down stairs to try and make their ever-so-secret getaway.
Carly stares at the k
nob of doom. Knowing that they are about to sneak out. If they get caught Carly will get all the blame. She imagines being locked in a dungeon for months on end by the dictators she calls her parents. Carly hesitates for a second, and then grabs the knob with force. She pulls twice but the door just won’t open. In panic, Carly tries to jerk the door open as if pulling her child from a busy street.

“It’s still locked silly!” Maggie says to Carly. With a sigh of relief, Carly twists the tiny silver lock and quietly slides the door open.
The girls slither through the grass as silent as can be. Knapsacks full of toilet paper clung to their sides. Maggie fumbles with the anvil-like lock on the gate.

“This is it,” She says to the other two. The gate took what seemed like forever to open. The girls took a deep breath and off they went.
The girls ran down the block searching for the perfect prey. Trees seemed to be extinct on this street. Then, there it was. A beautiful specimen covered in tall oaks with all the lights shut off. This was perfect. They dropped their bags and white paper spilled out everywhere. Maggie is the first one. She picks up the roll and slowly untangles it. She winds up, throws the bundle, and only hopes for a slight snag. Perfect. The toilet paper catches the tree and flows down ever so gracefully. Now there was no turning back. The girls took turns covering the trees like the first snowfall. When they were done, they stepped back to look at their masterpiece.

Just then, a man calls out, “Hey! What are you girls doing over there?” The girls’ hearts stop. They look around to find the man only praying he’s not talking to them. But then they spot him. A tall, groggy, old man is slowly hobbling towards them. No one moved. To scared to even move one muscle. Finally, they look at each other and bolt off in all different directions. They were determined to lose the old man who would ruin their master plan.

Maggie ran to the left. She knew if the man called the police and her parents found out she’d be grounded for life. She ran until her feet sank into the cement. She was completely lost. She looked around for a street sign. Nothing. Maggie’s eyes welled up with tears. She fidgeted with panic. Her mind raced with only with thoughts of being picked up by the police, or worse, her parents. Just then, CRASH! Carly and Maggie fall to the ground on top of one another.

“Oh my gosh Maggie, are you okay?” Carly asks.

Maggie stands up, dusts herself off, and says, “Yeah, I’m actually glad you ran into me. I have NO idea where I am.”

“I figured when I saw you crying like a baby,” Carly joked, “Just follow me.” Maggie and Carly jog back to Carly’s house. Shirley was already waiting on the front steps.
“Where were you guys? I must have run around this block a thousand times!” Shirley exclaimed, breathing heavily. Maggie and Carly look at Shirley and shook their heads.
“Let’s just go back inside.” The girls agree. They weasel their way around the house. The gate still left open from the start of their journey. They push open the back door and tip-toe in looking around for any sight of Carly’s parents. They smile at each other, slide back into their slippery sleeping bags, and shut off the light. This mission was completed.