In the Treetops
“So how do we get up there?” asked Pepper impatiently. There
was something she needed to do — and soon!
Aunt Linda walked once around the broad trunk of the tree, and
then climbed as skillfully as a monkey up a shaky-looking rope
ladder. Was that the only way up? Pepper climbed fearlessly
upward, rung by rung. She wasn’t sure she looked quite as
graceful as her favorite aunt did. When she reached the top,
Pepper gasped with astonishment again. “The best thing about
my treehouse is the fantastic view!” said her aunt, standing
right beside her. “Over there, you can see the waterfall, and
to the left you can see a group of monkeys living in the trees.”
Pepper squinted, trying to see the waterfall and the monkeys,
but she couldn’t see anything amongst the leaves. But the sound
of the waterfall reminded her of something. “May I use the
bathroom?” asked Pepper, hopping from one foot to the other.
Aunt Linda shrieked with laughter. “If you really have to go,
you’d better use that pail in the corner,” said her aunt,
pointing to a covered bucket. “I have to go and get fuel for
the generator, the tank’s nearly empty. Will you be okay
here for two or three hours without me?”
Understandably, Pepper was a little unsure about
being left alone in the treehouse. She didn’t really
know what a generator was, either. But if she was
going to use the bucket, she would only be able to if
her aunt was out of sight. “Hey, Aunt Linda, I’m eleven
years old! Of course I’ll be okay! You’d better go right away!”
Aunt Linda spun around on her heels and climbed back down the
ladder. As Pepper started walking over to the pail, she heard a call
from below: “Don’t forget to hoist up the rope ladder, and use the
block and tackle to haul up your backpack!”
9
