The Write Place

Under the Fruiting Tree: Chapter 17 – The Write Place
Under the Fruiting Tree: Novella Table of Contents – The Write Place

The sun shone high in the sky above the valley.  Down the hill from the tree a group of boys were busy playing baseball in the open field.  Other children were occupied by rolling down the hill or climbing the budding trees.  Houses poked out from among the forest, dirt roads were visible running through the treeline.  As time passed a loosely clustered neighborhood was forming.  From out of the homes the children rushed to explore the world around them.

All around the apple tree several young children were playing.  A pair of chubby, brown-haired boys about eight years old, wearing their jean overalls began climbing the budding tree.  Beneath them several girls ran and played around the trunk.  A little six year-old girl with dark hair wearing a red dress, passed by the old broken-down bench to place herself at the tree’s base.  Curious, she cocked her head up to look at the two young climbers.  

“What are you doing up there?” she yelled to the two boys, who stopped their climbing at the words of the newcomer.  The boy who had climbed higher looked down as he balanced himself against the many branches.  “Climbing! What else!” he yelled out his answer.

“You’re getting pretty high up considering there are no apples yet, William.  They aren’t in season.  The trees are just budding,”  the little girl said, cocking her head and shaking her hips with no small amount of playful sass, her dark curls bouncing as she did.

“Trees need to be climbed, ain’t that right?” William said looking at the other boy who laughed while nodding agreement.  “We just wanted to see how far up we could get.  Better prepared for when they come.  They might start at the top.  You can never tell with a tree.”

“Unless you climb them,” said Daniel.  William shook his head in hearty agreement.  “Quite the view up here, too.  I can see the game perfectly from here,”  Daniel looked ahead, one hand over his eyes, imitating a telescope.

“Keep one hand on the tree Daniel.  You don’t want to take the quick way down,” William yelled to his friend.

“Can I come up too?” asked Ruth, with her black curls bouncing with excitement.  “You’re a little small, Ruth.  You can’t climb as high as us,” William yelled down to her.  “Aw come on!” Ruth said with a piercing disappointment in her voice.  William and Daniel looked at each other with a touch of nervousness then started back down the tree.

“Well, let us help you up,” said William.  They finished jumping off the last branch onto the ground, then took positions to either side of the tree.  Without a word, the two boys slightly crouched and put their hands low together.

 “Come on over,” said Daniel.  Ruth happily walked forward as the boys gave her a boost to the first branch.  “You know, I don’t know about this,” said William as Daniel climbed the tree. “She may fall.”

William turned to his friend and said, “Let’s keep her down low.  One of us can stand beside her while she’s up there.”  Daniel nodded and said, “I can go up and keep an eye on her.  You can catch us if we fall.” 

“Well, I like that you think I could,” said William a little facetiously, but also with a touch of anxiety. Daniel climbed the tree with the nimble skill of an experienced climber.  Ruth set herself down three branches up from where they placed her. Then looked back down with disappointment on her face.  

“I thought you’d come up too, William,” Ruth said in disappointment.  “Daniel, why won’t William come up?”  Daniel sighed and slowly went down himself.  Slowly and carefully, he traded places with William, who sat down next to Ruth, a touch of red in his cheeks.

“Nice view,” he said, looking at Ruth.  She turned to him with a smile on her face.  “What?” she asked. 

“The valley, the game, all of it.  Quite the view,” William recovered, trying to keep his face from getting redder.

“Oh,” Ruth said, disappointed.  After a moment, a wry, knowing smile appeared on her face.  They sat at their perch a short while before William broke the silence “Have a good look?”

“I’d say so,” Ruth replied with cheer.  “We can go down if you want,” she added, her curiosity now satisfied in more ways than one.

“Alright, careful now,” William placed one foot at a time on the next lower branch. “Give me your hand,” he said as Ruth smiled.  Slowly they climbed their way down together.  The baseball game finished, and several of the boys were walking up the hill as the trio slowly made their way out of the tree.  William came down first then with Daniel, each gave a hand to help Ruth on her way down.

William rolled down the hill after Daniel.  Ruth stopped a minute to think about taking the same step.  Then with a mischievous smile she rolled down after William and her brother.  The older boys stopped as they approached the base of the hill.  Looking rather amused, one of the older boys in a red cap with a likewise striped shirt came forward from the group.

“You spend a lot of time with Ruth, William. Careful, you may catch her cooties,” he said with a mischievous smile.  The other boys laughed rather heartily, more than pleased that the embarrassment was intended for someone else.  Ruth looked down at the ground, bashful and rather embarrassed.  William saw Ruth’s reaction and his face reddened and contorted with anger.  Seeing the situation unfolding, Daniel stepped forward.

“Leave them alone Robert,” said Daniel.  William stepped in front of Daniel to face Robert, unwilling to let his friend take the risk.  Putting one hand out he shielded him to keep him out of trouble.

“What if I like her cooties, Robert!” William said.
“You like a girl?!” Robert shouted mockingly.  A larger crowd of the little people formed as the amusing spectacle took place.  There was a show, and nobody wanted to miss it.

“Your mom’s a girl,” yelled William.  William knew something the others didn’t, and he had the golden opportunity to turn Robert’s shenanigan’s back on him.

“What, no she’s, she’s a mom,” Robert sputtered, having been taken off guard by the obvious fact about his mother.

“What do you think she was before that?  Why do girls like to play house with dolls?  If all girls have cooties your mom has cooties.  Bet your Dad liked her too.  Your Dad probably loves cooties, I’ll bet that’s what he likes about your mom.  Between your Mom and your sisters, I’ll bet there’s cooties all over the house,” yelled William to riotous laughter from the group.  Robert’s face flushed as the situation spun out of his control.  A little blond-haired girl in a blue dress ran out of the crowd to William’s side and took his arm.

“Shows you for messing with my brother!  He’ll really get inside your head,” she said with a touch of pride accompanied by an innocence coupled with experience.  Mercy came for Robert when the Moms in the neighborhood rang their dinner bells and began shouting out names.  All the children knew the bells meant time for dinner.  The crowd dispersed as children began to run across the road or down the hill to their homes with vigorous enthusiasm. 

“Hold on Marie.  Same time tomorrow, Daniel?” asked William, his sister pulling on his arm.

“Of course.  The tree will still be there,” he said with a smile.  Daniel turned to go uphill to the neighborhood.  Ruth stood where she was for a moment before heading up the hill and following behind him.  William took his sister’s hand.

“Come on Marie,” he said, beginning the walk across the field.  He stopped and looked back.  Ruth stopped walking up the hill and stood by the tree.  Their eyes met for a moment before their siblings took them by the hand and they continued on their way.