First Tree Conquered By Ardweden I ran through the yard, grass digging into my feet. "Come on," Kendra demanded, beckoning to me from the swinging fence door. She pushed it forward, listening to it creak. "I've got something to show you." "What is it?" I asked suspiciously, eyeing my younger cousin. She didn't answer, but swung the gate open. Poking my head through the opening, I took in the flowering dandelions and spindly trees. Kendra slipped through, braided pigtails waving behind her. I hesitated, then crossed the boundary, testing the ground. We weren't supposed to go there. She stopped before the closest tree and jumped, grabbing a low branch with both hands. In minutes, the sprite was waving from near the top, calling my name. I squinted, barely making out her shape in the sun. Kendra laughed, then called down again. Before I knew it, I grasped a branch, the bark rough against my palms. I tensed, straining my arms as I tried to pull myself upwards. Eventually, I put my feet to the trunk and tried "walking" up, ascending to the first step. The next wasn't so far, nor the next, and soon I sat below my smiling cousin, air cooling the bangs plastered to my forehead. We giggled and plucked fuzzy caterpillars from the tree's branches, delighted as they squirmed beneath our touch. We stared into the sun, then looked down, marveling at how the glowing green spots matched the dandelions blanketing the ground. We pretended we were birds; we plotted a treehouse. The world turned pink before us, and a woman's voice angrily carried over the fence. I heard a sigh, then felt the tips of Kendra's pigtails brush the top of my head. "Mommy wants us to come in." I looked up at her and nodded, but neither of us moved. Instead, we stayed to watch in silence as it all turned gold and dark.