Chapter 6

We climbed up where the air is thinner, so the trees can’t grow. The mountain looked like the bald head of that guy on the airplane; it was all bare on top with scraggly stuff growing around the edges.

More clouds came, a whole crowd of them. They rushed by like they were late for a cloud party. The wind flapped my jacket. I zipped it up all the way.

The path got skinnier and steeper. My dad slipped on the loose rocks.

“Yep, watch your step,” he said.

Then I learned what it means when people say the wind whistles, because that’s what it started to do. It whistled just like my soccer coach does when you go out of bounds.

“Look at that view, would you? Hah!” Dad stopped us for a minute. We were almost at the top of Mount Baldy.

“I think I see our house!” I really thought I could see all the way to Illinois.

“Cleo, that is so totally not possible.” I didn’t care what Jenna said. I waved hello to Lucy, back home.

“I can see Egypt!” Jack said, and walked like an Egyptian for about ten minutes, until Jenna yelled at him to stop.

“Say cheese.” Dad took pictures of Mom with the mountains behind her.

But she said “Brrrrrrr” instead, and shivered. Then, “Hey!” Mom looked at the sky and held out her hand to catch what fell.

“Oooh!” I felt something wet hit my cheek, right where Gram’s lipstick had been.

“SNOW!” Jack shouted. He stuck out his tongue to taste a flake.

“Whoooaaa.” Jenna frowned as she watched the snowflakes fall on her blue sleeve.

“Good heavens.” Mom laughed for the camera.

Click.

Then it was like some wizard waved a magic wand, the one they use for weather.