there?”
“
Oww
,” she squealed, trying to pull away. “I’m saying mayhaps there’s more to that tree than we know.”
He squeezed her harder.
“
Ow
, Master, please! You’re hurting me.”
His face twisted and he relaxed his grip a little. “That tree be terrible dangerous, girl. Terrible dangerous! Surely ye know that by now.”
She shook her head, as mist filled her eyes.
For a long moment he peered down at her. His own eyes grew clouded. “I jest don’t want to lose ye, child. Not after everythin’ I—”
He caught himself. His tongue worked inside his mouth, as if he wanted to swallow some words he just could not speak. Finally, in a raspy voice, he commanded, “Now go. Back inside where ye belong! Afore them ghouls be comin’ for ye.”
As the door slammed behind them, a new breeze arose, leaning on Old Master Burl. The tree’s moonlit branches sagged lower, and made a sound very much like a sigh.
Chapter 12
A S THE DAYS GREW LONGER , Anna’s hunger to go to the willow grew sharper. Not even the warm waves that sloshed upon the shore, or the seal pups who played on the sand, could distract her now.
“Is this the day? Will Sash come this morning?” She woke up every day with the same questions on her mind.
Meanwhile, she hardly even spoke with the master. His face looked hard these days. Aye, and brittle as dried thatch.
One morning, just after the master had dragged his boat into the surf and rowed off for the day, Anna sat down beside Old Burl. She put her hand on a mound of needles between two roots—and felt something move. What was this? Looking closer, she saw a tiny pink paw. She pushed aside the needles.
A nest of mice! The mother mouse lay on her side, while four babies as pink as rosebudssquirmed beneath her, trying to suckle. A fifth one had rolled away, and squeaked for help. Anna nudged the little mouse back to where it belonged, while the mother watched with bright black eyes.
Anna covered them again with needles. Then she scanned the forest edge. Still no Sash! She slapped the side of the tree and demanded, “Where is that bear? Why hasn’t he come?”
The old tree stirred ever so slightly. A single fleck of bark fell to the ground, spinning all the way.
“I’ve got to go back there, Burl. If I don’t, I’ll just die!” She drew a long breath. “Oh, Burl! What if Sash isn’t coming at all?”
Needles rustled in the fir’s upper boughs.
“I
am
being patient. I am, I tell you!”
But still Sash didn’t come.
More days passed. Anna watched and waited for some sign from him. Yet none came.
Then, at last, the sign appeared. Or more truly, it disappeared. For one day, when she was outside pulling radishes, her sandals vanished. One minute she set them down by the garden’s edge—and the next minute, they were gone.
It had to be him! She scooped up Eagle and puthim in her apron pocket. Then she dashed through the brambles and into the forest.
Near the glade, she stopped. There were her sandals—hanging from a branch of the great beech. And there, hanging beside them in the silvery boughs, was her friend. The upside-down boy waved both his hands. His dangling hair seemed to shoot straight out of his head.
Anna grabbed a low branch, swung her leg over, and scampered up the tree as fast as a squirrel. When she reached Sash, she slid over to the spot where his legs wrapped around the branch. And started tickling the bottoms of his feet.
“
Hoohoo
, now stop that!
Hoohoohoo heehee ho-ho-ho.
Anna, stop!” He turned himself over and sat upright beside her. His whole face scowled. “That was mean.”
“So was making me wait so long!”
His green eyes glittered. “Missed me, didn’t you?”
“
Mmm
, not really.” She almost smiled. “Eagle and I, we’ve been dancing day and night.”
“Oh, I’m sure.”
Anna tapped her toes against the smooth bark of the beech. “When can we go, Sash?”
He looked puzzled. “Go where?”
“The High Willow!
“
Oww
,” she squealed, trying to pull away. “I’m saying mayhaps there’s more to that tree than we know.”
He squeezed her harder.
“
Ow
, Master, please! You’re hurting me.”
His face twisted and he relaxed his grip a little. “That tree be terrible dangerous, girl. Terrible dangerous! Surely ye know that by now.”
She shook her head, as mist filled her eyes.
For a long moment he peered down at her. His own eyes grew clouded. “I jest don’t want to lose ye, child. Not after everythin’ I—”
He caught himself. His tongue worked inside his mouth, as if he wanted to swallow some words he just could not speak. Finally, in a raspy voice, he commanded, “Now go. Back inside where ye belong! Afore them ghouls be comin’ for ye.”
As the door slammed behind them, a new breeze arose, leaning on Old Master Burl. The tree’s moonlit branches sagged lower, and made a sound very much like a sigh.
Chapter 12
A S THE DAYS GREW LONGER , Anna’s hunger to go to the willow grew sharper. Not even the warm waves that sloshed upon the shore, or the seal pups who played on the sand, could distract her now.
“Is this the day? Will Sash come this morning?” She woke up every day with the same questions on her mind.
Meanwhile, she hardly even spoke with the master. His face looked hard these days. Aye, and brittle as dried thatch.
One morning, just after the master had dragged his boat into the surf and rowed off for the day, Anna sat down beside Old Burl. She put her hand on a mound of needles between two roots—and felt something move. What was this? Looking closer, she saw a tiny pink paw. She pushed aside the needles.
A nest of mice! The mother mouse lay on her side, while four babies as pink as rosebudssquirmed beneath her, trying to suckle. A fifth one had rolled away, and squeaked for help. Anna nudged the little mouse back to where it belonged, while the mother watched with bright black eyes.
Anna covered them again with needles. Then she scanned the forest edge. Still no Sash! She slapped the side of the tree and demanded, “Where is that bear? Why hasn’t he come?”
The old tree stirred ever so slightly. A single fleck of bark fell to the ground, spinning all the way.
“I’ve got to go back there, Burl. If I don’t, I’ll just die!” She drew a long breath. “Oh, Burl! What if Sash isn’t coming at all?”
Needles rustled in the fir’s upper boughs.
“I
am
being patient. I am, I tell you!”
But still Sash didn’t come.
More days passed. Anna watched and waited for some sign from him. Yet none came.
Then, at last, the sign appeared. Or more truly, it disappeared. For one day, when she was outside pulling radishes, her sandals vanished. One minute she set them down by the garden’s edge—and the next minute, they were gone.
It had to be him! She scooped up Eagle and puthim in her apron pocket. Then she dashed through the brambles and into the forest.
Near the glade, she stopped. There were her sandals—hanging from a branch of the great beech. And there, hanging beside them in the silvery boughs, was her friend. The upside-down boy waved both his hands. His dangling hair seemed to shoot straight out of his head.
Anna grabbed a low branch, swung her leg over, and scampered up the tree as fast as a squirrel. When she reached Sash, she slid over to the spot where his legs wrapped around the branch. And started tickling the bottoms of his feet.
“
Hoohoo
, now stop that!
Hoohoohoo heehee ho-ho-ho.
Anna, stop!” He turned himself over and sat upright beside her. His whole face scowled. “That was mean.”
“So was making me wait so long!”
His green eyes glittered. “Missed me, didn’t you?”
“
Mmm
, not really.” She almost smiled. “Eagle and I, we’ve been dancing day and night.”
“Oh, I’m sure.”
Anna tapped her toes against the smooth bark of the beech. “When can we go, Sash?”
He looked puzzled. “Go where?”
“The High Willow!
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