CHAPTER 7
Tim threw out his arms and grabbed the next branch. He held on with all his strength, dangling twenty feet up in the tree.
Down below, Paul called, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Tim said.
The branch with the cache on it dangled next to him. It had snapped, but was hanging on to the tree by just a splinter.
The cache was only a few feet away from Tim.
“I can reach it!” Tim called down. He took one hand off the branch and reached out toward the cache.
It was too far. There was no way he could reach it.
“Don’t move!” Paul called up. “Forget the cache!”
Tim’s hand started to slip. Quickly, he put his other hand back on the branch.
“Can you get back to the trunk?” Paul said.
“I think so,” Tim said. He turned and put one hand over the other. Soon he could wrap his arms around the trunk. He shimmied down until he was on a nice strong branch, closer to the ground.
Tim sat on the branch, then lowered himself down, dangled for a minute, and dropped to the soft forest ground.
He got up and patted the leaves off his clothes.
“You okay?” Paul said.
“I’m fine,” Tim said. The boys looked up at the tree. The cache was still dangling there, out of reach.
“I can’t believe someone put it way up there,” Tim said.
“It’s not worth it,” Paul said. “Let’s just head back to the beach.”
Tim shook his head. “No way,” he said. “I want that prize.” He walked over to the tree. “Give me another boost,” he said.
“No way!” Paul said.
Tim stopped and turned around. Paul was shaking his head. “I’m not letting you go up there again,” Paul said. “No way. You could’ve broken your neck.”
“I’m not going back to the beach without the cache,” Tim said.
Paul took a deep breath. Then he said, “Fine. I’ll go.”
Tim raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?” he asked. “You saw what happened to me.”
Paul nodded. “I’m sure,” he said. “We’re a team. I should be the one to try this time.”
He walked over to the tree. “Give me a boost,” he said.