By Emma McGratten
When you were nine years old, you fell into a tree. Your mother worked late and couldn’t pay the babysitter extra, so she said you were old enough. You wound up on the roof, trying to feel the sun as close as possible. Then your foot slipped. But there was a maple sapling nearby, and to your credit, your little hands clung on tight. You stayed for an hour, whistling sitcom theme songs to the mockingbirds. They refused to sing until the Simpsons won them over. Years later, you climbed onto the roof again. The tree couldn’t hold you this time.
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The question marks are not what I meant, which was a thumbs up!
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Wow! The ending came at me totally out of the blue – love this!
Brilliant, and a very sad ending! (I do wonder though whether anyone could hold onto a branch for an hour.)