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whispered, and then he fell asleep.

The ice pack melted. and I grew stiff sitting

there and hardly moving. I kept wondering where

Mommy had gone. Why wasn't she coming back quickly to see how Noble was? Suddenly, I heard a loud engine sound and rose slowly to look out the window. I didn't see anything, but the sound became louder. I thought for a moment. A memory returned of

Daddy in the woods getting us firewood.

Curious now. I headed downstairs and went to

the front door. The moment I stepped out. I stopped. It

was such a shocking thing to see. Mommy had

Daddy's chain saw, and she was cutting at the tree

from which Noble had fallen. It was a good-size

maple tree and a beautiful tree. I didn't understand

why she was doing it, but even more difficult to

understand was how she was able to hold that saw and

work like a man.

She didn't see me standing nearby, and she

couldn't hear me calling to her above the chain saw

engine. Finally, she caught sight of me when she

stopped to rest a moment.

"Why are you out here?"

"I heard the noise and wanted to see what you

were doing, Mommy. Noble's fast asleep and the ice

pack is all melted."

"I don't want you leaving him, Celeste. Empty

the water out of the ice pack and fill it with ice cubes

again. Keep it on the bruise. You and I are going to

have to take care of him until he mends," she said. "But... why are you cutting the tree?" I asked.

She looked up at it and then turned back to me. "It's touched by evil now she said. "We have to

get rid of it." She started the saw again, but I heard her

add. "We have to get rid of anything that welcomes

the evil. Get back upstairs and stay with your