Can you believe this headline scored high to pull in views? 93/100! Looks like it was made by a robot… We’ll see how that works out, but I still want to leave a good impression with this post, so I’ve a story to tell.

Twin Pines

When I was a kid, no more than 2 years old, I had a grand interest in adventure. I’d grown too big to climb stairs on all fours, and needed another challenge.

Our yard was an abundant source of entertainment, rain or shine. With a sandbox, a play-scape, flower and vegetable gardens, a garage of paints, a swing set… two pine trees. There’s the adventure. Nobody was watching. One branch. Two branches. Nobody was watching. I knew. I checked, and I checked often. Slowly, and definitely, those branches numbered into the unimaginable. As they grew, I climbed. The lowest branches, full of life, flexible. The midsection, stiff and sturdy. The top, dead and dry. As I reached the scrapped and flaking lofts, I greedily grabbed the sights for my young eyes. “So that’s what the chimney looks like from above.” Those little arms would soon give out, and I was tuckered out for a nap. I began my descent.

The way down was much more difficult, what with the dead bark falling in specks toward my eyes. It hurt so badly, but looking down gave a fear too strong to bear, so I kept my eyes open and upward as I took in more tree shrapnel. Lower, lower, I closed my eyes and put faith in my feet as I reached for the lower branches. I even considered for a moment, the prospect of climbing hand-after-foot, upside-down, but a small twist from my upward pose proved it impossible. After another five minutes that felt like an hour, spending time to rest every so often, I made it to the lower branches. “Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to just jump from here? The ground under the tree is covered with a cushion of pine needles.” But no, I kept to the plan.

With my sister waiting at the base of the tree, encouraging me down to her, I had finally come home. The adventure, fruitful by the look in my eyes I hid behind wood-freckled eyelids. Mother ran out from the house, “You had me worried sick! Don’t do that ever again, you hear?!”

I rubbed my eyes, and peered through tears, thinking to myself as I scoped the challenge…

Twin Pines