berries left. Nicole told him the birds liked the berries, so he liked the tree, even though its thorns made it impossible to climb.
It
was
cold out. He looked up and up, at the sky. It was white, heavy, and damp-looking, like a wet pillow. Maybe it would snow. He hoped so. His mommy said he’d seen snow before, but he couldn’t remember. If it did snow, his fort would be a perfect place to keep warm, so he stomped over to the picnic table and benches.
It took him a few tries to wrestle the bench over so it was lying on its side, legs sticking out, the long flat seat side acting like a wall. He stomped around to the other side and struggled to tip the other bench over. Finally he succeeded. He went to one end of the table and crawled under.
It wasn’t much of a fort. The seats of the benches didn’t come all the way up to the table top, so a long space was exposed on each side. The dry grass was crackly. He sat for a moment, considering what kind of fort it should be. Pirate? Spaceship? Indian?
A door opened. Nicole stepped out onto the porch, wearing a navy blue sweater with ice-skating penguins slipping and twirling all over it. The sweater made him laugh.
“Penguins don’t ice-skate!” he called.
Nicole came down the steps. “Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure.” She headed toward the shed at the back of the garden and yanked the door open. “Let’s see what we’ve got for you.”
Maddox raced over to peer inside the dark enclosure. Reaching up, Nicole pulled a chain, and a light came on, a single bulb hanging from the ceiling. The building was wonderful, with a slate floor, high work benches along two walls, shelves along the third, and yard implements leaning on the fourth. He saw rakes, a lawn mower, shovels, saws. Coiled onto a special rack was a green garden hose. Pots, paint cans, and other containers sat on the shelves. Above them, outlined in white chalk, were the tools: hammers, pliers, wrenches, screwdrivers. He wanted to get them down and
do
something.
Nicole said, “Look, here: the folding lawn chairs I told you about. See?” Picking up an aluminum chair with webbed seat and back, she opened it, and turned it sideways, to display how it could be used as a wall.
Maddox nodded. “Cool.”
“Shall we take them out?”
Maddox nodded again.
Nicole hoisted two chairs, one under each arm. Maddox took a third chair, which was surprisingly lightweight, holding it as well as he could in front of him, following Nicole back to the picnic table. Returning to the shed, Nicole reached up to lift a couple of fat vinyl cushions from a shelf.
“These might be good as seats in your fort,” she told him.
Maddox grinned. “Oh, yeah.”
She tossed him one and carried two out herself. She dropped them outside the fort, seeming to understand how private the enterprise was to him. He wanted to arrange things himself, even if it took him time and struggle.
Back in the shed, Nicole stood with her hands on her hips and scanned the walls. “Let’s see. What else?” Cocking her head, she suggested, “What about these?”
She handed him a pair of field glasses. Puzzled, he turned them around in his hands. Nicole knelt down and demonstrated how to use them. She helped him turn the round knob until the view went clear.
Maddox was speechless. This was the most excellent fort toy he had ever seen. He raced away, binoculars in hand, ready to enter his fantasy world.
12
Nicole returned to the kitchen, shivering slightly. She’d gone out to the shed without a coat or hat and the day was frosty.
Sebastian rose from the table. “I’ll get shaved and dressed and bring in more firewood.” He smacked a kiss on her lips.
Nicole poured her second cup of coffee and stood at the window, keeping an eye on Maddox as he dragged a floral cushion from the shed to his fort. Hearing a shuffling noise, she turned to see Kennedy coming into the kitchen, wrapped in a puffy pink robe that couldn’t quite close over her
It
was
cold out. He looked up and up, at the sky. It was white, heavy, and damp-looking, like a wet pillow. Maybe it would snow. He hoped so. His mommy said he’d seen snow before, but he couldn’t remember. If it did snow, his fort would be a perfect place to keep warm, so he stomped over to the picnic table and benches.
It took him a few tries to wrestle the bench over so it was lying on its side, legs sticking out, the long flat seat side acting like a wall. He stomped around to the other side and struggled to tip the other bench over. Finally he succeeded. He went to one end of the table and crawled under.
It wasn’t much of a fort. The seats of the benches didn’t come all the way up to the table top, so a long space was exposed on each side. The dry grass was crackly. He sat for a moment, considering what kind of fort it should be. Pirate? Spaceship? Indian?
A door opened. Nicole stepped out onto the porch, wearing a navy blue sweater with ice-skating penguins slipping and twirling all over it. The sweater made him laugh.
“Penguins don’t ice-skate!” he called.
Nicole came down the steps. “Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure.” She headed toward the shed at the back of the garden and yanked the door open. “Let’s see what we’ve got for you.”
Maddox raced over to peer inside the dark enclosure. Reaching up, Nicole pulled a chain, and a light came on, a single bulb hanging from the ceiling. The building was wonderful, with a slate floor, high work benches along two walls, shelves along the third, and yard implements leaning on the fourth. He saw rakes, a lawn mower, shovels, saws. Coiled onto a special rack was a green garden hose. Pots, paint cans, and other containers sat on the shelves. Above them, outlined in white chalk, were the tools: hammers, pliers, wrenches, screwdrivers. He wanted to get them down and
do
something.
Nicole said, “Look, here: the folding lawn chairs I told you about. See?” Picking up an aluminum chair with webbed seat and back, she opened it, and turned it sideways, to display how it could be used as a wall.
Maddox nodded. “Cool.”
“Shall we take them out?”
Maddox nodded again.
Nicole hoisted two chairs, one under each arm. Maddox took a third chair, which was surprisingly lightweight, holding it as well as he could in front of him, following Nicole back to the picnic table. Returning to the shed, Nicole reached up to lift a couple of fat vinyl cushions from a shelf.
“These might be good as seats in your fort,” she told him.
Maddox grinned. “Oh, yeah.”
She tossed him one and carried two out herself. She dropped them outside the fort, seeming to understand how private the enterprise was to him. He wanted to arrange things himself, even if it took him time and struggle.
Back in the shed, Nicole stood with her hands on her hips and scanned the walls. “Let’s see. What else?” Cocking her head, she suggested, “What about these?”
She handed him a pair of field glasses. Puzzled, he turned them around in his hands. Nicole knelt down and demonstrated how to use them. She helped him turn the round knob until the view went clear.
Maddox was speechless. This was the most excellent fort toy he had ever seen. He raced away, binoculars in hand, ready to enter his fantasy world.
12
Nicole returned to the kitchen, shivering slightly. She’d gone out to the shed without a coat or hat and the day was frosty.
Sebastian rose from the table. “I’ll get shaved and dressed and bring in more firewood.” He smacked a kiss on her lips.
Nicole poured her second cup of coffee and stood at the window, keeping an eye on Maddox as he dragged a floral cushion from the shed to his fort. Hearing a shuffling noise, she turned to see Kennedy coming into the kitchen, wrapped in a puffy pink robe that couldn’t quite close over her
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