Greg Ridley is failing math. His principal sends home a letter to his dad saying that heās in danger of failing. Gregās dad gives him a lecture and tells him he is crazy if he thinks heās going to play basketball with grades like that. He sends Greg to his room to āhit the books.ā Greg is devastated because playing for the Scorpions Community Center team is very important to him.
Sitting in his room, listening to a storm in the distance, Greg starts thinking about a pickup game heād seen a while back in an abandoned warehouse. He decides to go there in the hopes of getting into a game. When he gets to the warehouse, he enters and looks around. It is dark with only the light from a few passing cars. Greg is aware of something in the room with him, and is scared. Suddenly Lemon Brown speaks up, saying he doesnāt have anything for him, and that he has a razor that could cut him up. They wind up talking for a while. Greg wants to know about Lemonās supposed treasure. Lemon doesnāt have time to explain to him.
A group of thugs come in and toss the room, looking for Lemon and his ātreasure.ā Lemon and Greg quietly run from room to room, hiding. Suddenly, as they are trapped in an upstairs room, Greg howls like a wolf. Lemon throws himself at the attackers at the top of the stairs, and they all tumble down the stairs. Only Lemon returns, though he is bumped and bruised.
Greg and Mr. Brown begin talking. Lemon tells Greg of his past accomplishments as āSweet Lemon Brown - Blues Singer and Harmonica Player.ā Heād been quite famous. He had also had a wife and son, but when his wife died, his sister-in-law took the boy in. Lemon didnāt really see much of him after that. His playing wasnāt as good, once he lost his reason for playing.
Then he found out that his son had gone off to war and died. When they found his body, he was carrying his dadās old āmouth fiddle and these clippingsā of when Lemon had played. That had been his sonās treasure, and when Lemon got them back and realized that his son loved him enough to carry them everywhere he went, the clippings became his treasure. Lemon also says that every man has a treasure. With the thugs chased off, and Lemonās story told, the rain ends and Lemon tells Greg he ought to be on his way home. Greg agrees and walks home. When he reaches his stoop, he thinks about the lecture his dad is going to give him. Somehow, it makes him smile. He has learned something important from Lemon. He has a new appreciation for his dad, and all his dad does for him.
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