in my chest until I realized it was only birdsong For a few fleeting seconds I could’ve sworn it was Junie laughing Which made me want to cry I looked at our swing then down at my poor feet and just about every part of me started to ache So I sat on that swing even though I’d vowed to never touch it again Not after what happened to Junie Or me Heck I might as well have changed my name to Isabel-Invisible For all I could tell I was disappearing Except this wasn’t superpower invis ibility or something cool like that Nope It was the opposite of cool Junie would say it was the worstible a word reserved for the worst-most-horrible things like brussels sprouts and salamanders and shots at the doctor’s office Back and forth the ropes and wood creaked as I kicked my legs swinging higher Up up then down with a whoosh that made my stomach drop The higher I went the more I could see Not quite a bird’s eye view More like a squirrel’s-eye view Little green leaves sprouted on crooked branches Robins flitted here and there building nests Crocuses peeked up purple and yellow forsythia blossoms scattered like confetti at a birthday party I hoped we’d have a party for Junie this summer She’d never met a cupcake she didn’t like any flavor 5
would do Chocolate vanilla strawberry even carrot cake which she refused to believe was actually made from a vegetable Dad used to joke that somewhere in Junie’s pint-sized body was the stomach of an elephant She could probably eat an entire dozen cupcakes if you let her though Mom never would I bet she’d make an exception this year though If there was a birthday I’d save up my lunch money and buy seven of the biggest brightest balloons I could find Instead of making wishes by blowing out candles which leave holes in the tops of precious cupcakes Junie preferred popping balloons one for each year Last year Mom even gave her a wishing pin a sparkly red brooch in the shape of a butterfly that she found for a dollar at a rummage sale The latch was broken and it was missing some rhinestones but Junie thought it was perfecterrific and proceeded to make her birthday wishes using it on the balloons Pop Pop Pop Pop Pop Pop Six very loud wishes And I’m pretty sure none of them involved getting sick There was a rustling in one of the trees My eyes followed the sound A squirrel skittered down a nearby trunk and ran across the clearing his tail bouncing behind him all jolly and fluffy Junie and I watched that same squirrel collecting acorns last fall I recognized 6
him right away by the notch in his left ear and the patch of missing fur on his rump souvenirs from a scuffle with a hawk or a cat or maybe our neighbor’s notoriously feisty chickens I remembered that squirrel digging holes all over our lawn and dropping nuts into the ground for safe keeping I learned in Ms Perdilla’s science class that squirrels are awfully forgetful and easily distracted and often forget where they buried their nuts Which I could totally relate to Take that wishing pin for example I told Junie I’d put it in one of my special hiding spots for safekeeping Trouble was after a few weeks I forgot where that spot was It wasn’t the first time this type of thing had happened either Mom said I turned the entire house upside down searching for my lost treasures That was ridiculous of course Look I was pretty strong I could do eight chin-ups and I could run the bases faster than any other girl on my softball team But I was nowhere near strong enough to lift up an entire house and flip it over Although I wished I could I’d shake it until my mother tumbled out of her room and all the change came clinking out from between the couch cushions Then maybe Mom and Dad might’ve noticed that even though I was healthy and strong enough to lift up a house I still needed them too 7
The squirrel was bounding through the grass look ing hungry Swish swish His tail curved behind him like a question mark Where are those nuts he seemed to ask I dragged my feet along the ground slowing the swing to a halt Dirt filled my holey too-small shoes I took them off and tossed them aside Good riddance The squirrel stopped He turned and stared right at me Well He cocked his head Care to help I stood up and scanned the trees For generations Melwick Orchard had been famous for growing the most delicious fruit for miles and miles People would travel hours just to buy a bushel of those apples The farmers could barely keep up with the demand so they started experimenting with ways to increase harvests Unfortunately something went wrong and the trees sort of rebelled sprouting wild limbs in any direction they pleased and refusing to produce so much as a single bud There was no fruit that fall or the next or any year since People in town whispered all sorts of strange sto ries but no one really understood what had happened Maybe the pruning had been too aggressive Maybe the pesticides and fertilizers had been too harsh Maybe there weren’t enough bees to pollinate all those trees Maybe the owners had gotten too greedy Maybe it was something else entirely 8
