The Magic Ice Cream Cone

The Project had changed since the New Boy moved in. Georgie had a puppy. Freddie had a Bengal tiger. Joanna was learning how to play drums. Mary's father no longer sat on the steps with the broken grownups. He worked now. And the windows and doors worked. Even the old black car that was Mary's favorite hiding place worked now.

The old black car had windows now; so when Mary sat in it, she didn't see just the Project and the people who lived there. Rather she saw herself reflected, too. And the reflection told her that she wasn't beautiful like the New Boy said she was. She was plain.

Mary didn't believe in the New Boy. She didn't believe that he made everything seem new. To her, he was just a blind boy; the puppy was just a stray; the tiger was just static; and Joanna was just beating on old cans.

Mary wanted to prove that the New Boy was just blind. She wanted to make him look silly. So she tried to trick him.

"Is there anything magic?" she asked him.

"Only ice cream cones," he answered.

"Ice cream cones?"

"Yes, there are magic ice cream cones. You never know when you might find one."

"But what's magic about them?"

"Well, you can lick it and bite it time and again, and it's still there. It lasts longer than you could ever imagine. And every bite tastes better than the last.

Mary was delighted. Now that she knew he had a weakness for ice cream cones she would be able to make him look silly.

So she bought an ice cream cone. Then she asked Georgie and Freddie and Joanna and Lisa and Sandy to come over and watch.

She told the New Boy, "I think I've found a magic ice cream cone. When I eat it, it doesn't seem to get any smaller."

"Amazing," he said. "Bring it here, please."

She gave it to him saying, "Here, take a big bite."

His face lit up. "Gosh," he said, "a real magic ice cream cone. I always wanted to believe in magic. I always tried hard to believe in magic. But it's awfully hard to believe in anything when you can't see anything at all. You just keep hoping and hoping, and you hope so hard you almost make it real; but you know you're just hoping. Now Mary's found a real magic ice cream cone, and she's willing to share it. Thank you, Mary. Thank you ever so much."

Mary didn't know what to say. She felt ashamed for wanting to fool him. She wished it really was a magic ice cream cone. And she knew that as soon as he bit into it, he'd know it wasn't. She felt very small.

Instead of eating the ice cream himself, the New Boy said, "Here, Georgie, Freddie, Joanna, Lisa, Sandy. Pass it around. It's a real magic ice cream cone. Mary found it. It isn't every day that you find a magic ice cream cone. Everybody should have a bite."

Georgie didn't know what to do. And Joanna and Freddie and Sandy and Lisa didn't know either.

Then Mary suddenly reached out and took the ice cream cone. "Here, Give it to me," she said. "I want another bite. It's so good. And it doesn't get any smaller either. Hmm, delicious."

But she didn't even lick it. She just passed it along to Lisa.

Lisa remembered what Mary's mother had said. She didn't want to fool the little blind boy. But Mary nudged her with a hard elbow. So Lisa said, "Yes, it's delicious." And she passed it on to Sandy.

Sandy saw how happy the New Boy was that everyone was enjoying ice cream. So she said, "Scrumptious,' and passed it to Georgie.

Georgie said, "Fantastic," and passed it to Joanna.

Joanna said, "I've never seen anything like it," and passed it to Freddie.

Freddie, to seem natural, didn't say anything at all. He just groaned with delight and passed the ice cream cone, completely untouched, as good as new, back to the New Boy.

Mary was delighted. "Try it now, New Boy," she said. "Please try it. Everybody's enjoyed it, and it's still as good as new."

"Wow!" said the New Boy, as he took a bite. "It really is a magic ice cream cone... But Mary, your voice sounds sad." He gently touched her cheek. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she said, "I guess I miss the bears."

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