OCR Text |
Show Chapter One Sandy felt very proud of herself. She had at last managed to climb to the very top of the old pine tree that stood behind her house. It was a glorious day. A soft breeze rustled the thick branches about her. She could smell the musky scent of early summer yarrow that bloomed in the meadow beyond the gate. She looked out over the tiny cottage where she lived with her parents. About a half mile down the narrow path that wound through the meadow sat the old schoolhouse, and beyond that lay the town, huddled in a profusion of trees and flowering bushes. With a sigh, the girl leaned back against the tree's sturdy branches. A little sparrow was darting about her head, twittering noisily. "If I were a bird," she whispered, "I would fly beyond those hills, and just - oh, just keep flying forever!" |