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"You and your big, stupid mouth," he said and kicked at the door so hard. I jumped away.

Mommy heard it and came to the foot of the stairway. "What are you doing up there. Celeste?" she called up. "Let him think about what I told him. Come downstairs and finish cleaning up," she ordered.

I looked about frantically for a place to hide the piece of pie and then hurriedly went to the bathroom in Mommy's room and dumped it down the toilet.

"What were you doing up there?" she asked.

"I wanted him to behave and come out." I said.

She kept her eyes on me so long, I had to shift mine away.

"Just do what I told you," she said and returned to the kitchen. I helped her clean up, and then I went into the living room and helped her set up the chintz sofa for me. I kept waiting to hear Noble call for Mommy and make the promise, but he didn't give in. Mommy was surprised, too. Nothing bothered him as much as being confined.

"Something's gotten hold of him already," Mommy muttered with conviction.

She didn't open his door to speak to him about it again. Later she went to bed. and I lay there listening and hoping Noble had decided to make the promise Mommy wanted, but he must have fallen asleep under a blanket of anger. and I was too tired to wait any longer.

In the morning Mommy woke me to wash up and come to breakfast. I expected to find Noble at the table, but he was still locked in our room. Mommy went about her business. Finally, when it was nearly lunchtime, we heard Noble calling, and she went up to let him out. I remained at the foot of the stairway.

"Im listening."

"Do you promise and swear. Noble Atwell?" He mumbled a yes.

"If you disobey me, you'll be kept in this house for the whole summer," she threatened. "I mean it."

He came downstairs looking tired and defeated.

No matter what I did or said, he wouldn't talk to me. He wouldn't even look at me. Mommy tried to make things up to him by promising to take us for a ride and maybe, just maybe, if he was good, take us to the fun park that was nearly forty miles away. It would be a full day away. That did put the light back into his eyes.

"But will I ever be able to back into the woods and go fishing?" he asked her.

"Yes. Noble, When I say." she said.

He seemed satisfied, but on the weekend, when we were supposed to go the fun park. Mommy woke with a very bad cold. It was the first time we had seen her so sick. She had a fever and a cough that made her so tired she had to stay in bed. I made breakfast and lunch. and Noble and I waited on her.

"I'll be better in no time." she promised and fell asleep, sleeping most of the day.

Noble was far more disappointed than I was. He sat on the lowest front step and scratched shapes in the dirt with a stick. Every once in a while he would look out at the woods in the direction of his fart,

"I don't know why I can't go in there," he muttered. "And this is a great day to go fishing. I could catch something for supper. I bet that would change her mind."

"Don't you even think of it." I told him. "Noble?"

"Leave me alone," he said.

I went back inside to see Mommy. She was still sleeping. so I thought about what we would have for dinner. Maybe I could get Noble to help me. I hoped. Maybe that would distract him and keep him from thinking of his fort and his fishing. I went out to tell him, but he was riot on the stoop.

"Noble?" I called. 1 went about the house looking for him, and then I went to the barn. He wasn't there, but my heart stopped and then started.

Where our new fishing poles and tackle box were kept, his were gone.

My first thought was to go tell Mommy, but I knew she was sleeping, and she would be so upset to hear about Noble doing this, she would get up and maybe get even sicker. I decided instead to go after him and make him come back. He couldn't be too far ahead of me. I imagnied, and I knew exactly where we had always gone to fish.

I ran through the forest, paying little regard to the branches and bushes that slapped at my

legs and scratched me. I had to find Noble and bring him home before Mommy woke up and asked for him. When I got to the stream. I stopped and looked around. At first. I didn't see him.

"Noble!" I screamed. "Where are you?"