The Shoe in the Tuba

Rhoda opened her locker after lunch. Her left shoe was gone. Only the right shoe sat on the floor.

A white note lay on the shelf. She picked it up and read it.

"Your shoe is not lost. It hides. Start where the books sleep."

Rhoda looked at the note again. The letters were big and round. She did not know the writer.

Her friend Una came along the hall. She saw the single shoe. "Why do you have one shoe?" she asked.

"Someone took the other one," Rhoda said. "Look at this note."

Una read it twice. "This is a game," she said. "Come on. We go to the library."

They walked to the library. It was quiet and cool. Rows of books stood along every wall.

"The books sleep here," Una said. "Now we look for a clue."

Rhoda checked the tables. Una checked the chairs. Under the last chair, Rhoda found a small paper.

"Good work," Una said. "What does it say?"

Rhoda held it up. "Now go where we eat. Look under the long table."

"The canteen!" Una said. "Run!"

They ran down the stairs. A girl at the door said, "No running!" They walked fast until she looked away.

The canteen was empty. Chairs stood on the tables. The long table was by the window.

Una got down on her knees. She looked under the table for a long time. "I see something," she said.

She pulled out a third note. It was stuck to the wood with tape. It had a drawing of a small foot on it.

"Read it," Rhoda said.

Una coughed once. "Last stop. Go where loud things live. Listen well."

"Loud things," Rhoda said. "The gym? The bell room?"

"No," Una said. "The music room. Drums, horns, and a piano. That is loud."

They climbed to the top floor. The music room door was shut. Rhoda put her ear on it.

"I hear something," she said. "It is a low, strange sound."

"Is it a monster?" Una asked.

"Monsters do not play music," Rhoda said. She pushed the door open.

Valerio sat in the middle of the room. He was a quiet boy from their class. He held a big, shiny tuba on his knees.

The tuba made a low, soft sound. It sounded like a sleepy cow.

"Hello," Valerio said. His voice was very small.

"Valerio!" Rhoda said. "Did you write the notes?"

Valerio nodded. He did not look at them. "I am sorry. I did not know how to ask."

"Ask what?" Una said.

He pointed at the tuba. "My tuba is too loud. The band leader says I must play softer. I need a mute."

Rhoda looked into the big round end. Something white and blue sat inside. It was her shoe.

"My shoe is your mute?" she said.

"It was the right size," Valerio said. "I looked in the lost box. I found nothing. Then I saw your shoe in your locker."

Una began to laugh. She laughed so hard that she sat on the floor.

"I wanted to give it back today," Valerio said. "So I made a game. It was a bad idea."

"It was a good game," Rhoda said. "But you can just ask next time."

Valerio pulled out the shoe. It smelled a little like metal. He gave it to her with both hands.

Rhoda looked at it and shook her head. Then she began to laugh too.

"Can you play a song?" Una asked. "With no shoe?"

Valerio took a deep breath and played. The sound was huge. The windows shook, and a bird flew off the roof.

"Maybe the shoe was better," Rhoda said.

Valerio smiled. He pushed the shoe back into the tuba.

"Only for today," Rhoda said. "I need it for gym on Friday."