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CH 06: A Best Friend's Wisdom

Bogum Park had the size of a standard football field, 100m by 65m.

A pathway traced its rectangular shape. Branches and leaves from tall sugar maple trees shaded the trail from the summer sun. They lined up on either side of the path. In the middle, vibrant green grass covered the open space. Picnic tables had been set up under a few trees.

A playground occupied one end. Children took over the monkey bars, slides, seesaws, swings and more. Their guardians watched nearby. A few old women chattered among themselves from a table. They shared stories about their families.

Eri and Ede broke through the trees.

Their short legs carried them to the nearest empty table.

"Ha! I won!" Eri cheered. She kneeled on the bench. Two braids framed the sides of her face. The top part stuck to her scalp. The ends pressed against her back, reaching the middle. She wore a pink plaid dress that reached her knees.

Beside her, Ede wore the same outfit but in a mint green color. Her hair only had one braid, fixed at the center. She stuck out her bottom lip.

"It was a tie!" She defended, crossing her arms over her chest, "Don't cheat. We both won."

"So who won?" Andie asked them. She walked towards the other bench and placed the picnic basket on the table. Eve and her mother followed soon after.

"It was me!" Eri raised her hand, declaring it proudly.

Ede yanked it down. "It was a tie!"

"No, it was not!"

"Yes, it was!"

"Woah!" Eve cut in. She raised her hands in surrender. Her brown eyes twinkled with mischief while her face feigned innocence. "That's too bad. The loser was going to get a chocolate bar."

"Wh-What about the winner?" Eri asked.

Her older sister shrugged. "Winner gets bragging rights."

"But if we tied then, no one won or lost." Ede pointed out.

Eri nodded at her words. "Yeah! So we both get chocolate bars!"

Eve cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you were the winner?"

"We both did!"

She tapped her chin, glancing up the sky. "So neither of you get a chocolate?"

"EVE!" The twins whined.

Their older sister dropped her act and doubled over in laughter. She pulled out two chocolate bars from the basket, presenting their prizes. "You can eat these after we eat lunch, okay?"

"Yay! Thank you, Eve!" Eri said. She clapped her hands in delight.

Ede smiled cheekily. "You're the best older sister, Eve!"

Frowning, Eve hit her head with a chocolate bar. "You only say that whenever I give you sweets."

"No, I don't."

She put the chocolates back where she found them. "Come on, let's go fly kites."

Georgie stayed by the picnic table, transferring to the other bench. Her right elbow rested on the picnic basket next to her. They had moved it so she could keep watch. She brought out a book and a pair of reading glasses. Her shoulders relaxed as she sighed in satisfaction.

She immersed herself in the world of chicken soup stories.

At the open field, Eve and Eri paired up while Andie partnered with Ede. The older generation held the kites from a distance. The kids each held a spool of string. They trained their eyes on the kites, placing their feet apart. They waited for the go signal from their partners.