Bobby and his siblings walked back home.
So far everything seemed the same.
"What exciting thing were you thinking of?" asked Panther.
"Anything! I don't care." Bobby shrugged.
When they got home, Aunt Martha was on her way out.
"I need to run to the bank," she said.
"Can we come with you?" asked Jane.
"Jane!" hissed Bobby.
He wanted to wait for his wish to come true.
"Of course," Aunt Martha said.
"Then we can get new shoes for Lamb."
"Shoes?" Bobby almost shouted.
This day did not sound exciting at all.
The children walked with Aunt Martha to the bank.
Bobby walked behind the others and dragged his feet.
The guard at the bank greeted them.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning," they said in return.
The bank was quite busy that morning.
Aunt Martha, holding Lamb, went to stand in line.
"You can wait for me on those benches," she told the children.
The children sat on hard wooden benches.
They looked around.
Bobby noticed Mr. Keefer, the shop owner.
He also saw Mr. Becker.
Bobby glanced outside.
Mr. Becker's dog, Silver, was tied to a fire hydrant.
At that moment, four men stopped in front of the bank.
They looked nervous.
One man had a scar on his face.
Another man had a ponytail.
"I wonder if they're lost," Bobby said aloud.
Then quick as lightning, they pulled masks over their heads.
Bobby opened his mouth but no sounds came out.
The men entered the bank holding guns.
"Ladies and gentlemen," one man said in a calm voice.
The bank customers turned around.
When they saw the masked men, some began screaming.
"Everybody, stay calm.
Do not scream!" the man said, holding his gun up.
Meanwhile, another man tied the guard's hands behind his back.
He put tape over his mouth, too.
A third man locked the bank doors.
He rushed around pulling down the blinds.
The fourth man jumped behind the tellers.
"Do not push the alarm!" he warned them.
"I want everyone to move here," the first man said.
He pointed to where the children sat.
"And lie down on the floor."
"Please, there are children here," a woman cried.
It was Aunt Martha.
"Quiet!" the first man shouted.
He was probably the leader.
"If they behave," he said, turning to look at the Barth children, "nobody will get hurt."
Everybody obeyed the robber's instructions.
They walked to where the children sat.
Then they dropped to the floor.
Aunt Martha motioned for the children to lie on the ground as well.
From the floor, Bobby could see only the robbers' feet.
Two of the men wore sneakers.
One of the sneakers had a large hole in it.
Bobby could see the socks of the man wearing it.
They were blue with red stripes.
"Put all your money and jewelry in this bag."
The robber with blue socks dropped a bag in front of the people.
They removed their purses and wallets.
Some took off their watches.
The robbers also took rings, necklaces, and earrings.
Bobby lifted his head slightly.
Behind the counter, the tellers opened their registers.
"Hurry up," the fourth man said, holding the gun close to them.
"Well, Bobby," Cy whispered to him, "your wish came true."