"Hoooo-die, Hoooo-die!"

Hodie heard his Mama calling over the noise of the grinding wheel below him.

This was his very own place. Not even Papa knew about it. He liked to watch his Papa work the mill through the cracks in the floor. Every so often Papa would look up as if he thought someone was watching him but, seeing nothing, he would shake his head and return to work.

But Mama was calling and Hodie knew he'd have to answer sooner or later. His thoughts about "later" were dashed when he heard Mama calling again.

Hodie took a deep breath and squeezed his wry frame between the windmill supporting posts to the duct. He grabbed the rope and slid down between the walls to the floor below.

He listened for a moment but hearing nothing except the giant wheel at work he lifted the panel in the wall and climbed out.

Racing to the door he opened it and called, "I hear you, Mama. I am coming!"

Halfway across the golden field he knew why Mama had called him. Papa was home and the wagon was filled with supplies from market. Papa would need his help.

Hodie was only ten and slightly built but he was very strong for his size. He knew Papa needed his help now that his brother Hans had moved away. Mama had been helping him until her back gave out and Papa could not work the mill alone.

He watched his Papa. His eyes were twinkling. "He is teasing me again," thought Hodie. He knew when Papa went in to pick up supplies he'd always find something special to bring home for him. He wondered what it was this time.

Hodie began searching for a shape, a box, a sack that was not food or hardware; something special for him. He didn't know that this time his Papa hid the surprise in the feed bag behind the wagon. He searched diligently but, finding nothing, he began to be disappointed.

They'd emptied the wagon of foodstuffs. Mama had gone in to prepare dinner for her two starving men. Hodie and his Papa rode in the almost empty wagon to the mill.

"Papa?" Hodie queried at last. "Where is it?"

"Where is what?" Papa smiled at him.

"Ummmmm," Hodie was not sure how to ask the question. Always before he'd found his gift hidden in the wagon but not this time. He knew Papa had something special because of the way Papa had watched him search.

"Do you not have something for me?"

Papa looked surprised. Then recognition shone on his face as he pulled a small bag from his coat pocket.

"Well, Hodie; yes, I do have something for you."

Hodie excitedly reached for the bag but when he looked inside at the candy stick his face fell.

"Is this it?" Hodie tried to suppress his disappointed comment and failed. "Oh, I am sorry, Papa. Thank you for the candy." Hodie tried to smile.

"Do you like it? Is it the right flavor?" Papa looked amusedly at his son. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

Hodie didn't say another word. They unloaded the wagon into the mill, unhitched and fed the oxen.

Papa couldn't hide his amusement any longer. He started to laugh. Papa's face began to turn red from laughing and soon the two of them were holding onto each other for support, laughing together.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Hodie said, "Why are we laughing?"

Papa pointed to the sack fastened to the rear of the wagon. "Loo. . . look. . . in. . . sack. . . wagon. . ." Papa choked the words out between laughs. He doubled in laughter again.

Hodie searched around the sack but found nothing. Then he untied the thong and felt inside. Something large and round pressed against his hand. It was slightly warm-cool. Hodie clasped his hand around it and lifted it out into the sunlight.

Papa's laughter faded to a wide grin. He faced his son. Hodie stared at the "thing", surprise and puzzlement in his eyes.

"Papa...what... What is it, Papa?"

Hodie studied the object. It was shaped like a large doughnut. The surface was smooth except for several indentations around the inner ring. The object appeared translucent but no shape could be discerned through it. It was as large as one of Mama's pie pans and about two inches thick at it's thickest part.

Hodie could easily put his fist through the hole in the middle, which he did, sliding it up and down on his arm. When the object rested against his arm it felt "funny" but good. The only other feature was a band, a ring of shiny silver around the outside. The object was as light as one of Mama's biscuits.

Hodie looked at Papa. Papa was smiling.

"Where did you get it, Papa?"

Papa looked a bit more serious. "Do you like it, Hodie?"

"Oh, yes, I do...but... but what is it?"

"I was hoping you could tell me. Mr. Veldt said it must be some new kind of toy. He found it leaning against the door of his shop when he opened this morning. He gave it to me. He said you might like to have it to play with. He did not charge me.

Hodie embraced his Papa. He did not have to say anything more. Hodie knew his Papa loved him.

After Papa went into the house, Hodie raced across the field with his new toy. He would not have much time to play with it. After the evening meal there were chores to do and then to bed, for tomorrow was a school day.

Hodie slid the doughnut onto his arm, lifted the panel and deftly climbed the knotted rope to his secret place above the mill.

He lay in the straw and turned the toy this way and that. He liked the way the silver band reflected the afternoon sunlight which peeked in between the broken shingles behind the windmill.

This was a strange toy Papa had given him. Hodie looked for a key to wind it but the smooth surface had no holes in which to insert a key. The only rough parts were the two rows of small square things on the inside ring. Hodie examined these carefully.

"One, two three..." Hodie said quietly, touching each square as he counted. "...twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fif..."

Hodie hadn't seen that before. It was a very small hole with lots of tiny holes surrounding it. When he held it up to a sunbeam he could see a crystal just under the hole. It looked something like the crystals hanging from the lamp he'd seen at his grandmothers house in the city.

"Maybe there are some more holes."

Hodie, now armed with a bit more knowledge of what to look for, discovered eleven holes, evenly spaced around the outer circle of the doughnut on the opposite side of the small square buttons. A crystal just like the one he found in the first hole, was inside each of the other holes.

"I wonder what they do," Hodie thought. "Maybe if I could put water in them I could sprinkle Mama's flowers."

Hodie ran his finger back and forth over the small squares. He thought the squares moved a little when his finger touched them. He pressed his finger against one of the buttons. It moved away from his finger, then snapped back against it. Hodie stared in awe.

Just then Mama called him for supper. Hodie left the new toy in his secret place. He'd get it in the morning, before school. Maybe Ian could tell him how to play with the toy.