The Girl Who Could

Once upon a time there lived a Boy and a Girl. They were about that age where they were curious and just starting to understand things - a little older than you and a little younger than me.

The best way to see curious things was to climb very high. The Girl was an excellent tree-climber. The trees were very tall. The Girl wore knee socks to protect herself.

The Boy did not like to climb. He was afraid of heights. He would stay at the bottom and write down what the Girl saw. He had excellent penmanship.

Together they climbed a great many trees and wrote a great many things down.

One day a branch the Girl was sitting on broke. It wasn't her fault but she fell a long way. Even though she was wearing knee socks, she got a bad cut on her knee.

The Girl went to the best doctor and she gave her a special bandage. Lots of time went by, but she refused to take off the bandage.

   'Does it hurt?' asked her mother.
   'No,' said the Girl.
   'Are you bleeding?' asked her father.
   'No,' said the Grile.
   'Are you infected?' asked the doctor.
   'No,' said the Girl.
   'Why won't you take the bandage off?' they asked.
   'I'm afraid,' said the Girl. 'The bandage stays.'

The Girl decided to go where there were no trees. She walked a long way and came to a fence. On the other side was a vast open space with no trees. She went through the gate and walked to the middle. It was a very large space indeed.

'How large do you think this space is?' the Girl asked. No one answered her because she was alon. The Girl thought about writing it down, but she had forgotten a pencil. It didn't matter. No one could read her handwriting anyway.

The Girl sat down. 'I'll be safe here.' She sat for a long time. Nothing happened. She began to fidget. There wasn't much to look at.

The Girl decided to go home. It wasn't any fun with no one to talk to. When she got to the fence, the gate was locked. The Girl could see her house beyond the fence. She looked to the left. The fence stretched waaay into the distance. She looked to the right. The fence stretched waaay into the distance.

The Girl sat down. The moon kept her company all night, even when the lights went out in the town.

In the morning, the Boy walked up to the gate. 'What are you doing?' he asked.
  'I'm stuck on this side of the gate,' she answered.
  'Why don't you climb over?' he asked.
  'I can't,' she said. 'I might get hurt.' The Boy went away.

The next day the Boy brought the Girl a cheese sandwich. 'I don't have anything to write,' he said.
  'I'm sorry,' she said. 'I can't get over this gate.' She was getting lonely, though, with no one but the moon for company at night.

The next day the Boy brought the Girl a cheese sandwich and something else. 'I brought you some knee socks,' he said.
  'I wore my knee socks and I still got hurt,' she said.
  'These are special knee socks,' he said.
  She took the socks.

'Well?' asked the Boy.
  'I'm thinking about it,' said the Girl. She was getting tired of the vast open space with no trees. She was also getting tired of cheese sandwiches.

'Maybe I'll try the knee socks on,' she said. She put on the right sock. It fit perfectly. She put on the left sock. It wouldn't fit over her bandage, no matter how hard she tugged.
  'Take off the bandage,' said the Boy.

The Girl wanted to wear the knee socks. She liked spaghetti better than cheese sandwiches. She liked curious things better than vast open spaces. She took off the bandage.

They both looked at her knee. There was nothing there. Not even when they looked really close.

'I guess you can climb over now,' said the Boy.
  'I guess so,' said the Girl.

And she did.

The next day, the Girl woke the Boy up early. They found a very tall tree.

'What do you see?' called the Boy. He didn't hear anything. 'Have you made a discovery?' asked the Boy. There was no answer. 'How can I know what's there if you don't tell me?' shouted the Boy.

Something floated down from the tree. It was a knee sock. A second one followed the first.

The Boy paced back and forth. Then he sat. Then he paced some more. There wasn't much to look at down there.

Maybe I'll just try the socks on, the Boy thought.

And just like that, the Boy and the Girl were sitting side by side on the highest branch, admiring the view.


(The Good Luck Girl - Kerry Reichs)