The Cold (An Easy English Story): Part 8
I found Dad’s note two days ago, and I cannot stop thinking about it.
We still can’t find him. Every day I watch the news. Will they find a new ice body? Will this one be Dad?
While I am watching the news, Ms. Sato calls me. “Ari,” she says with a gentle voice. “Are you doing okay?”
“We can’t find my Dad.” I want to cry.
Ms. Sato is quiet on the other end. She finally says, “Well, I have some information that might help you know where he is. Some of our journalists interviewed the police. Yesterday, the police found something the same about all of the ice bodies. About a month before each person died, they all took out $50,000 from their bank accounts. It was cash, and they took it out in small amounts. About $5,000 ten times. Because they didn’t use a credit card or do a bank transfer, we don’t know who they paid the money to.”
My chest feels cold. I know what Ms. Sato wants me to do.
“Ari, if you check your Dad’s bank account, you can see if he took out $50,000 recently.”
I can’t speak. If Dad really took out $50,000, then I know he is an ice body.
Ms. Sato adds, “Don’t worry about work this week. And I hope you can find your dad.”
She doesn’t say, “I’m sure he’s fine.” We both know the possibility.
Mom is still sleeping, so I wake her up. With her eyes closed, she whispers, “Did they find him?”
“Maybe we can find him, Mom. I need you to check your bank account.”
“Why?” Mom sits up and reaches for her glasses beside her bed. Before I can answer, she turns on her phone and opens her bank app.
“I need to see if Dad took out money from the bank recently.”
“Oh, Dad keeps most of his money in his own account.” Mom looks worried. “But I can try to find his login info.” Mom walks to Dad’s desk and begins searching through a stack of papers. She never asks why I need to check his bank account, and I don’t want to tell her.
We look through Dad’s notes for an hour. Finally, Mom cries, “Here it is!” She opens Dad’s banking site on her laptop and types in the login and password with shaking fingers. My heart sinks when I see the screen.
December 22, 2023 -$5,000
December 29, 2023 -$8,000
December 30, 2023 -$6,000
January 5, 2024 -$7,000
January 11, 2024 -$3,000
January 15, 2024 -$8,000
January 22, 2024 -$8,000
January 25, 2024 -$5,000
That’s $50,000.
I tell Mom about Ms. Sato’s phone call. She closes the laptop and calls the police.
When Mom called the police, they said sadly that Dad is probably an ice body. They told Mom to keep checking the bank account. If Dad takes out more money, then they know he is still alive.
So far, the police have found 755 ice bodies. And now there are 82 missing people. Now, banks will have to call the police when any customers take out a large amount of money, but this won’t help people like Dad who already took out the money. The ice bodies were only found in or near Clayton. Local hotels are filled with scientists, FBI agents, and news reporters. They all hope to find more information about a disease, a killer, or a war. But no one has an answer.
I call Priya. I don’t know what to say to her. When she picks up the phone, singing “Ari Brooooooks!” in her usual way, I start to cry. I cry for several minutes, and Priya waits patiently on the phone. When I finally whisper the words “ice body,” Priya says, “My dad is asleep now. I’m coming over.”
Priya, who lives five minutes away from my house, runs through the front door and hugs me. We stand in the front hallway for a long time, just hugging. Priya’s shoulder is soaked with my tears. Priya holds my hand as we go upstairs to my bedroom. She says quietly, “I noticed your Dad’s car isn’t in the driveway. Is it your Dad?”
I nod.
“Did they find his body?”
I shake my head, crying more.
“Then there’s still time. He might be okay.” Priya grabs the tissue box from my desk and wipes my face. “How do you know that he died?”
I slowly tell Priya about the $50,000. She squeezes my hand tighter.
“Ari, Carlos told me that you found ice in the mall, right? At the cafe that closed?”
I nod.
“Then let’s go! The police aren’t being helpful. We can do more.”
I look outside at Mom’s car.
“I know your mom will worry,” Priya says, understanding the problem with her plan. “So let’s sneak out tonight.” She whispers, “I’ll pick you up at 2:00 a.m. We’ll come back before 5:00.”
I sigh. I couldn’t save Alex. But maybe I can save Dad.
Part 9>
Fun for Fluency! 
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