sunlight.
“Hey, Emma,” he said groggily. “Am I at your house?”
“Yeah, come on,” she said. “We have to leave before my dad wakes up.”
Jake nodded. He stood up, still in his clothing from the day before. He went to the kitchen and drank a glass of water before they both left quietly out the front door.
On the way to the forest, Jake told Emma what he had overheard the night before.
“They were talking about me?”
“Of course,” Jake said. “You’re eleven, right? Who else could it be?”
“But who could he have been talking to?”
“I have no idea. I didn’t get a good look at him.”
Emma frowned. A Blue Jay was watching her from a branch on the side of the road.
“Are you sure?” she said. “Maybe you were dreaming.”
“I’m pretty sure,” he said. “Didn’t seem like a dream. Hey, don’t tell your dad about it, okay? I don’t want him to think I was eavesdropping.”
“You were eavesdropping,” she said.
“Well, yeah, but I don’t want him to think it.”
They arrived at the edge of the forest and Emma paused in front of it. She took a deep breath and then stepped forward.
“I’m officially breaking the rules now,” she said.
“It’s for a good cause.”
That early in the morning, the forest was welcoming. Birds sang their hellos. Soft rays of sunlight brushed the moist leaves on the trees and on the ground.
They walked on without aim for a little while.
“Do you play here a lot?” Jake said.
“Yeah,” Emma said. “Me and Will used to come here all the time. More in the summer when there’s no school.”
“What can you play in a forest?”
“Lots of stuff. Hide and seek.”
A squirrel scurried in front of them and stopped for a moment to stare at Emma before it ran off into a bush.
“What’s going on today?” Emma said.
“What do you mean?”
“That squirrel was staring at me. And there was a bird doing it back there too.”
“You’re so weird,” he said. “Which way do we go now? Do you want to ask one of your friends?”
“Maybe if we see an owl,” she said.
She took the lead and tried to recall the way they had gone when she had found the singing tree. As she picked her way through the forest, Emma hoped that she would be able to hear the music of the tree again and that it would show her the way.
It was almost half an hour later when Emma saw movement through the trees. Someone was coming.
“Hey! What are you kids doing here?”
A man in uniform ran up to them. There was a German Shepherd with him and it sat down and stared at Emma.
“What are you doing in the forest?” the man demanded. “Don’t you know it’s dangerous? Where are your parents?”
“We’re just playing, sir,” Emma said. She peeked behind him and beyond the trees she could see a bulldozer and the beginnings of the Paigely Builders construction site. “But I think we got lost.”
“Do your parents know you’re here?”
“No, sir,” Emma said.
“You kids better come with me,” he said.
They were taken through the construction site, past the parked bulldozer and in between newly built houses and construction equipment. The entire time the German Shepherd walked along beside Emma.
They ended up at a portable office. There was a sign next to the door and it said “Security” on it. When they entered, the German Shepherd sat down in front of the door, just inside, and from there he watched Emma.
Inside the room, there was a desk, some filing cabinets, and three chairs. The walls were bare and the place looked more like a prison cell than an office. The security guard sat them down before leaning against his desk. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a pack of gum. He started to chew a piece loudly and then crossed his arms.
“I’m going to have to call your parents. What are your names?” the guard said. Emma read the man’s name off his chest. His name tag said, “Aaron Humphries.”
“Emma Wilkins and Jake Milligan,” she
“Hey, Emma,” he said groggily. “Am I at your house?”
“Yeah, come on,” she said. “We have to leave before my dad wakes up.”
Jake nodded. He stood up, still in his clothing from the day before. He went to the kitchen and drank a glass of water before they both left quietly out the front door.
On the way to the forest, Jake told Emma what he had overheard the night before.
“They were talking about me?”
“Of course,” Jake said. “You’re eleven, right? Who else could it be?”
“But who could he have been talking to?”
“I have no idea. I didn’t get a good look at him.”
Emma frowned. A Blue Jay was watching her from a branch on the side of the road.
“Are you sure?” she said. “Maybe you were dreaming.”
“I’m pretty sure,” he said. “Didn’t seem like a dream. Hey, don’t tell your dad about it, okay? I don’t want him to think I was eavesdropping.”
“You were eavesdropping,” she said.
“Well, yeah, but I don’t want him to think it.”
They arrived at the edge of the forest and Emma paused in front of it. She took a deep breath and then stepped forward.
“I’m officially breaking the rules now,” she said.
“It’s for a good cause.”
That early in the morning, the forest was welcoming. Birds sang their hellos. Soft rays of sunlight brushed the moist leaves on the trees and on the ground.
They walked on without aim for a little while.
“Do you play here a lot?” Jake said.
“Yeah,” Emma said. “Me and Will used to come here all the time. More in the summer when there’s no school.”
“What can you play in a forest?”
“Lots of stuff. Hide and seek.”
A squirrel scurried in front of them and stopped for a moment to stare at Emma before it ran off into a bush.
“What’s going on today?” Emma said.
“What do you mean?”
“That squirrel was staring at me. And there was a bird doing it back there too.”
“You’re so weird,” he said. “Which way do we go now? Do you want to ask one of your friends?”
“Maybe if we see an owl,” she said.
She took the lead and tried to recall the way they had gone when she had found the singing tree. As she picked her way through the forest, Emma hoped that she would be able to hear the music of the tree again and that it would show her the way.
It was almost half an hour later when Emma saw movement through the trees. Someone was coming.
“Hey! What are you kids doing here?”
A man in uniform ran up to them. There was a German Shepherd with him and it sat down and stared at Emma.
“What are you doing in the forest?” the man demanded. “Don’t you know it’s dangerous? Where are your parents?”
“We’re just playing, sir,” Emma said. She peeked behind him and beyond the trees she could see a bulldozer and the beginnings of the Paigely Builders construction site. “But I think we got lost.”
“Do your parents know you’re here?”
“No, sir,” Emma said.
“You kids better come with me,” he said.
They were taken through the construction site, past the parked bulldozer and in between newly built houses and construction equipment. The entire time the German Shepherd walked along beside Emma.
They ended up at a portable office. There was a sign next to the door and it said “Security” on it. When they entered, the German Shepherd sat down in front of the door, just inside, and from there he watched Emma.
Inside the room, there was a desk, some filing cabinets, and three chairs. The walls were bare and the place looked more like a prison cell than an office. The security guard sat them down before leaning against his desk. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a pack of gum. He started to chew a piece loudly and then crossed his arms.
“I’m going to have to call your parents. What are your names?” the guard said. Emma read the man’s name off his chest. His name tag said, “Aaron Humphries.”
“Emma Wilkins and Jake Milligan,” she
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