Author: Gianna DePalma

        You probably have a cousin, niece, nephew, or any other about the age of 11. He is a boy 11 years old. His name Thatious Ven-chury “Thats” is what people call him. Well, at least the people he knew. Like his Mama, his grandfather and his brother Rain Ven-churey. 14 1/2. In his young teen which means his room is dark and likes to be alone. You see, Thats’ father Lushous Ven-churey had died when he was 9. It started with a back ach. Then it got worse. A few nights later he had a nasty stroke. That’s what Mama says. Well he ended up in the hospital and you know what happened next. As you see, The Ven-chureyse do not have a lot of money. About 3 quarters thorough August, The Ven-chureys were sitting at the table for supper.
       “Hello boys” said Mrs. Ven-churey, “did you all wash up?”
       “Yes,” I answered. When she asked about our personal hygiene it meant next she was going to say something “important” in mind. She turned her head toward Thats. Then she asked a completely off subject question. It wasn’t disturbing but off subject.
       “Hun, do you remember Uncle Stem?” A giggle came to the table. It quickly stopped when they saw  Mrs. Ven-churey’s face
       “Am I supposed to?”
       “Well I guess, you saw him last year”
This was quite a long time kid time.
       “Oh, That guy he’s the one who is like 300 pounds.
       “Hush up!” said Mrs. Ven-churey, “212 to be exact.”
        “Anyway,” said Thats “what about him?”
       “Well Yummm a a Well”
       “Spit it out” yelled Rain.
       “Okay, for, um, for the rest of the summer you will be staying with… with him.”
       “Ah, What! Why can’t Rain go? ‘Cause Rain is 14 and he can be of use around the house, and plus Rain is taller then you which makes it easier.” A grouge rushed through his body. Thats crossed his arms and hiss eye brows lowered. Being lower in height as he knew to an average 11 year old he heard it times before.
                           Chapter Two
       As Thats and his mother entered the car Thats noticed a new paper sticking out of his mother’s purse. Thats knew his mother hated the newspaper. Mrs. Ven-churey was never sure if it was the truth or lies. As the car drove past First Ave. street about 5 miles from his house, Thats forgot the whole news paper thing and started to get very annoyed, he didn’t know if it was the old music playing from the car or knowing that in one hour he would be with his fat uncle for the rest of the summer.
       “Stop worrying. It’s 2 months” said Mrs. Ven-churey. Being 2 months he wondered how much gas Stem could pass in a month other then two. This gave Thats a baby barf. After a while of worrying they pulled up to a house with blue shutters rusted and  very faded yellowish doors. It was so 1950’s
                           Chapter Three
       Mrs. Ven-churey forced him out of the Cadillac and on to Stem’s front stoop. His mother rang the door bell. Slowly a tall man with a white beard and a bald head answered the door, then squeaked open and a “hello” came out of the small eye hole. Just above The glass window almost surrounded The door. “Hello”
       “hello” said Mrs. Ven-churey. Then stepped toward to kiss this amazingly fat, tall uncle. “And who might this be?” said Uncle Stem from behind, his mother quietly slapped him on the back and forced him forward toward Stem. Thats quickly held his hand out to shake.
       “Come, Come, Come. Welcome inside my home” Thats stepped in, his attitude did not match his decorating skills. He looked around. He saw grouchy gray walls and hanging slightly to the left which it looked to be a old fashion portrait of a singer whose name slipped his mind. Thats started to shake because he knew for the next 2 months he would have to wake up to barfish colored walls. After his mother left and the house was quiet he got settled in his room. The first door at the left of the stair case before dinner was ready. Thats felt like sleuthing around. Knowing he was going to be here a while he might well find out about this fat guy who claims to be my uncle. Thats started walking to the left and up the hallways which was barley lit. He kept on walking until suddenly only bam he fell face first on the ground which was make of wood and It hurt to land on it. Thats Turned around, he had tripped on the ugly rug in front of him. Thats went to spread it out when he noticed 3 small hinges. That’s lifted the rug and fixed his eyes on a square door that lay right in front of him.
       “Time for Dinner, Nats!” getting his name wrong. Thats knew he couldn’t investigate right now. He smoothed out the rug and quickly ran down stairs Thats choked down his dinner Then he stared to run up stairs.
“Wow, Wow, Wow, Hold up, where are you going in such a hurry? You dropped your baseball cards,” Stem picked them up, “Baily Stemmers, he is my favorite too”
“Nowhere” said Thats not paying any attention
“Well it looks like your going somewhere,”
       “ummm, I very tired and I want to go to bed… yeah, bed.”
       “Allright, goodnight.” Initially Thats started sprinting up stairs. Passed his room and to the ugly rug where wow the door. Thats slowly opened it and took a peek inside. Thats looked around he saw a black casino table and a little pet stool. Besides all that there was a stack of news papers in a brown box. Thats walked inside. Through the little door and toward the box. He picked it up and put it on the little table Then started rummaging through the box The papers were all the sports section. Titles mostly “Brooklyn Barges Baily Stemmers Home run” 1982 “Great Catch Baily Stemmer” 1994 “How did these papers get here? Why?
                     Chapter four
       It was getting Late. Thats grabbed 1 more news paper then quickly crawled out of the dome, closed the door, smoothed out the rug and ran back to his room. Thats put the newspaper under the bedspread jumped into his bed knowing that Uncle Stem would be up in a minute. Thats pulled him self in to bed and waited ‘till all the lights were off before he looked at the paper. Slowly the lights dimmed then shut off. Thats searched for his flash light. Thats read the title of the news paper “Famous Baily Stemmers has gone missing” 2005. Thats mouth dropped open. It was 2007 now that means Stemmer has been missing for two years and he didn’t know. He studied the paper closely “How could this happen? Why?”
                                  Chapter five
       The next morning Thats came running down the stairs to the dinning room where Uncle Stem was sitting Thats couldn’t say it strait forward He had to make Stem say it to him.
       “So Why do you like Stemmer so much?” asked That’s in a odd way.
       “Well hits lots of homeruns and catches stuff.” Thats believed that but he knew he had more to say. There was a long silence. Uncle Stem sitting there looking completely innocent. Suddenly Thats needed to burst. He couldn’t hold it any longer.
       “Liar, Liar You know where he is why do you have boxes of information of him?”
       “Son, it’s not polite to go through other peoples business.”
       “You know I have a cell phone” said Thats “I can call my mom.”
       “No, NO. Don’t do that but you have to keep a secret.” Thats all ears,”Well here it goes. I… am Baily Stemmer.” Thats couldn’t believe how stupid he had been. Stem Stemmer.
       “Wait so if your alive that means-“
       “I never said I was dead” interupted Stem”
       “That means Stemmer is alive. So why did you leave?”
       “I wanted  not to be famous just normal.”
       “So you left all fame and fortune.”
       “Yup, I also wanted to get married but that won’t happen:
       But hey” said Thats “I’d get fixed up and go outside Then show people your alive maybe you can get married”
       “I love that being a very smart boy. That’s just what happened.”
Thats went home, Uncle Stem got famous again and Thats got to see his favorite baseball player.