SEVENTY-TWO

Abby pumped the air with her little legs as hard as she could, struggling to keep up with Aaron on the swing beside her, who seemed to reach the sky each time he flew by.

“How can you get so high?” Abby asked.

“It’s easy,” Aaron said. “I can show you how.”

“Please do!”

“But you won’t want to do it,” Aaron said, whizzing past her. “Because you’re a scaredy cat.”

“I’m not a scaredy cat!”

“You were a scaredy cat the night in the barn. You wouldn’t jump!”

“That’s only because my mother was there. She wouldn’t let me!”

Aaron dropped one of his feet to the ground, breaking the momentum of his swinging, and dragged himself to a stop. Abby did the same, stirring up a sudden cloud of dust and soil.

“If you’re really brave, Abby, I have lots more special, secret places I can show you,” Aaron said, his big round brown eyes shining.

“I can’t wait!” Abby exclaimed.

“But you can’t be such a scaredy cat this time.”

“I won’t be!”

Aaron smiled. “Do you promise you will not be scared and follow me wherever I take you?”

“I promise!”

“Good,” Aaron said, and he began swinging again. “Because if you’re a scaredy cat again, I’ll go away and never come back to play with you again.”

Abby certainly didn’t want that. She had missed Aaron too much to lose him again.

“I won’t be scared,” she promised, and struggled once more to swing as high as he could.