chapter 52

HENRY

“This little light of mine,

I’m gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine,

I’m gonna let it shine.

Let it shine,

Let it shine,

Let it shine.”

The singing was the most beautiful thing Henry had ever heard. Layers of voices, perfectly stacked, but all of them different. Like the wind, the sparrows, and the waterfall on the mountain making music at the same time.

He felt something inside, something different from the hot, fiery feeling he usually had. A tugging feeling. A pulling-toward feeling.

Henry needed to do something. Not fight. Not run. Not sing. Nobody wanted to hear him sing. But he wanted to be a part of it. He scooped Osprey up onto his shoulders and marched with her.

Enzo picked up something white from the laundry basket on the floor next to the back door. He unfolded a pair of underwear.

“This tighty-whitey of mine, I’m gonna let it shine—” He grabbed another pair and tossed it to Skeet, who picked up the underwear and the new song.

“This tighty-whitey of mine-y,” he sang, “I’m gonna put it on my hiney—” Enzo tossed four more pairs to Tavius, Pierre, Ben, and Jake.

“This tighty-whitey of mine-y,

I’m gonna put it on my hiney,

It looks so fine-y

Me-oh-mine-y

My butt’s so tiny.”

Henry laughed so hard he almost dropped Osprey.

“Put me down!” she was laughing too. Henry lifted her off his shoulders, and she marched over to Zavion and wiggled her way into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her. Henry felt that tugging feeling again. He wanted to do something for Zavion.

He saw Mount Mansfield from Zavion’s eyes. From someone who had never seen it before. The way the trees changed from birch to fir to tundra. The view of the valley from the very top. Henry wanted to take him there. He pulled Jake aside.

“I want to take Zavion up Mansfield.”

Jake played monkey in the middle with a pair of underwear. Jake caught them and threw them to Tavius. “You do?” he said.

Henry did. He needed to find his marble first. But yes, he wanted to take Zavion up Mount Mansfield just a little bit more than he was afraid to be back there.