Page 25 - Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

Hannah's mother was almost as loud looking about the
kitchen. They spent minutes calling out to each other
about how difficult Aaron was to find this year, until
Grandpa Will put his fingers to his mouth and let out
a piercing whistle that brought them all back.
Hannah had been waiting at the bathroom door as if
on guard. At the whistle, the door opened and Aaron
peeked out.
"Hannah, I'm in here," he whispered.
"Big surprise," Hannah said, slipping into the room.
"Look where I hid the afikoman." He took the blue
cloth out of the dirty clothes basket.
"That's disgusting, Aaron, hiding it in someone's
laundry."
"They never even looked in here, Hannah. I flushed
the toilet and pretended to be going, and no orie came
in." He grinned.
"You're so smart, Ron-ron." Hannah had to laugh at
his earnestness. "What are you going to ask Poppy for?"
"A baseball glove."
She knew how much he wanted one. He'd been saving
his Chanukah money and doing extra chores.
"Good choice," she said. "No matter what Poppy
offers you to buy back the afikoman, you hold, out for
that glove." She looked at herself in the bathroom mir-
ror, wondering when the braces would come off. This
summer, if she was lucky. "I got a Barbie doll dress
collection once." She didn't admit that she'd regretted
it right after. When she turned to say something else,
Aaron was already gone.

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