Judy ran around to the back of the west annex. The west annex was a small two-story building built behind the L-shaped main church. It had the bathhouse, the older kids' rooms, and a storage room.
There was a small space between the wooden wall and the annex, where scraggly bushes grew mixed with weeds. Judy circled around to the back of the annex and shouted through the open window to Levi and Mandy, the two dog ears kids. They were currently cleaning the bathhouse.
"Hey! Have you seen Bao Bei?"
Levi leaned out a little and said, "Oh yeah, he was staring down a frog behind the north corridor just a little while ago."
"The north side! Thank you!"
Judy took off running again and Levi shook her head as she watched him disappear.
"Judy's like Bao Bei's babysitter. That's tough."
"Well, Bao Bei's just a ball of curiosity. He never sits still."
Mandy smiled warmly. "And Judy likes to act like Bao Bei's big brother. He always looks out for him."
The eastern road beside the church had a back entrance at the far north end. Food and daily supplies were usually brought in from there. The north side of the L-shaped main church building was a narrow strip of land, with just a few scrubby trees growing there.
Judy ran behind the annex and finally reached the spot, but he couldn't find any sign of Bao Bei. He clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Geez, where did he go now? Aunt Lisa's going to be here any minute!"
Judy had a reason for searching so hard for Bao Bei. Once a week, the women from the village came by with vegetables they had grown in their own gardens and cooked a meal for the kids in the church.
On that day, instead of the usual meal of one slice of dark, hard bread and thin vegetable soup, the children would get a real feast—stew, salad with pancakes, and freshly baked soft bread. For children who were always hungry and growing fast, it was a special day they looked forward to more than anything else.
And for the younger kids like Judy, there was an even sweeter reason to be excited. The kind village Aunts would bring along some candy and sweets to share. But their apron pockets were small, and they couldn't carry many candies. Only the kids who ran up right away to greet them when they arrived could get a treat—first come, first served.
The children at the church understood that Rodentia Village was small and the people living there didn't have much to spare. Candy and sweets were a real luxury. So even if just two or three of them could get a taste, they still felt grateful for the kindness of the Aunts who brought those small treasures to share.
Judy had been looking everywhere for Bao Bei so they could run and get a treat together. His long rabbit ears twitched, then drooped.
His sensitive ears had caught the voice of one of the Aunts—cheerful and loud, they were already near the eastern back door of the church.
"Oh no, we're not gonna make it! Bao Bei, you idiot!"