John could hear the autumn leaves crunching under his feet. "Hey, Charlene! Wait up!" he shouted, trying to run faster. He could see the old tree house in the distance. It's small roof sagged under the weight of the leaves. With a gulp from his canteen, he quickly ran to the clearing where his sister was waiting for him.
Charlene climbed the ladder and opened the wooden door. "It looks just the same as it did before school started," she called down to John. Of course Charlene would know. She beat him to the tree house every time they came up north to their cottage.
But this time John planned to surprise her.
There’s no way I’m going to get called a wimp if I can help it, he thought firmly as he started to climb the old maple tree.
At first, the climbing was easy and he quickly made his way up through the bottom branches. Then as he neared the top, the branches became thinner and farther apart.
I have to keep going, he told himself.I can’t be afraid. I have to get to the top. He began to climb faster so he wouldn’t have to think about his distance from the ground.
The next branch was just out of reach. John leapt for it. His fingers grazed the edge, pulling at the leaves. He gave a small shout and frantically grabbed for another one nearby. He caught it just in time.That was close, he thought nervously.
Down in the tree house, Charlene had heard her bother’s cry and peered out to make sure he was all right.
"Hey John! You OK?" she questioned.
"Yeah, I’m fine."
What are you doing all the way up there anyway? I thought you were afraid of heights."
"Well, you thought wrong." I’m just afraid of falling, he added silently.
"Hang on. I’m coming up," Charlene insisted.
"No! No, I’m fine. Really, you can stay there. I’ll call you when I get to the top."
She wasn’t convinced but Charlene went back inside anyway. As soon as she disappeared John caught his breath and looked for a safe branch.
He had made his way across several branches, trying to stay calm, when a branch broke under his running shoe. He felt himself falling. Then he realized that he was on the ground. He had hit his head on a rock and blood began to drip down his cheek. He called out weakly to his sister but couldn’t keep his eyes open long enough to know if she had heard him.
When Charlene heard the branch break, she rushed out of the tree house to see her little brother, bloody and unconscious on the forest floor. She quickly climbed down and ran to the cottage to call for help, then returned to John’s side.
"Geez John! What were you thinking? Climbing so high..."
In John’s mind, a large brown bear appeared beside him, furry and friendly, accompanying him along a straight dirt path. They came to a fallen tree blocking their path. The bear hoisted John over it with its strong front paws. Then the two continued down the path. They encountered obstacles of every kind, but the bear and the boy always managed to overcome them, even when things seemed impossible.
Suddenly, a wall appeared before them, tall and shiny black. It reached to the sky and stretched out as far as thy could see to the right and left of them. The animal began to claw at it wildly but in vain. Its claws could not penetrate the sleek surface.
Charlene sat in the ambulance, clutching her little brother’s canteen in clammy hands, as the paramedics hooked John up to machines she had never seen before. She whispered in his ear, "Come on John. Don’t die on me now. I’m sorry I called you a wimp. You didn’t have to climb that tree. I was just teasing." A tear rolled down her cheek. He couldn’t die. She wouldn’t let him.
Back in John’s mind, the bear had managed to claw a small hole through the wall. The boy watched hopefully as a part of the seemingly indestructible wall started to crumble. An opening was visible.
The bear moved aside and John came forward. He walked to the hole and stood there, not knowing which way to go.
The girl saw her brother’s eyes flutter open. John saw Charlene’s tear-stained face and weakly motioned to the canteen she was holding. Charlene raised it to his mouth and watched him take small sips as the long wails of the ambulance siren dissolved into the afternoon sun.