Your sisters’ red skirts swish and crackle as they giggle and whisper together secretively behind little chubby hands, their little golden ringlets bobbing every time they take a step. “Come on, hurry up!” you call back to them. You don’t want to be late to the park and have your friends gone by the time you arrive! The twins step a little faster, trying to still be as slow as they can without making you too upset. When you finally arrive, your friends are already there, waiting for you,

“What took so long?” Henry, a tall, solid boy with blond hair asks.

“Just a couple pesky little siblings.” You answer, making sure you keep your voice just loud enough for Emily and Marcie to hear. Giggles are heard from behind.

“I can so relate to that. You’re lucky you only have two.” laughed Amy, a girl with long, brown hair, always pulled up into a high ponytail. She was the oldest of five kids, all loud and annoying.

You leave your sisters to play with Grace, one of Amy’s younger siblings and run with your friends towards the woods where you always play. This time Amy has this great idea to make a treehouse, right in the big, sturdy tree you’ve all named Trumbos the Ancient. You think it’s a pretty good idea when Henry interjects,

“I kind of wanted to make our headquarters in the old cave we found a few months ago. Not some boring old tree. Besides, a treehouse isn’t even original.” Amy purses her lips and looks to the sky, obviously rejecting the idea in her head, and of course, she’d say it was a bad idea without even giving it much thought.

“But almost everyone knows about the cave! If we make a treehouse up there, no one will ever know! It’ll be our secret hideout!”

Henry stomps the ground with his foot, totally unlike him, and storms off, shouting over his shoulder, “Fine! I’ll make my hideout at the cave! Go ahead with your stupid treehouse!”

If you decide to help Amy make the treehouse, go to 7.

If you help Henry with the cave project, go to 5.

1.

As you wander through the woods, trying to find your way home, Grace begins to get weary. Presently, you and Amy have to take turns carrying her, and this slows your progress considerably. After a time, you know you’re lost, but you can’t get Grace or Amy’s hopes down. You try to act as cheerful as possible, but your acting skills have never been outstanding. You know Amy is getting an inkling of what’s going on, but luckily, Grace still has no idea that you’re lost. The rests your little group needs are getting more frequent, and longer periods. It begins to rain, and you huddle beneath a tree, wondering if you’ll ever get back home.

The End

2.

You pull some money out of your pockets and hand it to Henry. “There, I only have three dollars, but along with your two, that should be enough to get you to Omaha.”

Henry grins and thanks you. He runs off back home, and you smile. It’s time for you to head home too, your parents will be waiting. So will your sisters, but seriously! Why worry about yours, Henry has seven to worry about!

The End

3.

“Sorry Amy, but I’m going to stay here. You can go if you want though,” Amy rolls her eyes and shrugs.

“Fine, whatever. I’ll stay.” as you continue building the treehouse, the screaming becomes quieter until you can’t hear it anymore. But suddenly, bursting out of the trees comes your little sisters. They’re breathless, and their eyes resemble identical blue saucers set side-by-side on a pale white table.

“We finally found you! We’ve been looking everywhere!” Emily manages to say. Marcie swallows and nods.

“Well, what is it?” you impatiently ask.

“Grace… she went into the dark part of the forest!” Emily begins to talk fast. “The part where we can’t go!” Marcie swallows and nods. “And, uh, we think the weird screaming was her.”

Amy looks sharply at Emily and Marcie, then jumps out of the tree, saying, “I’ve got to see if she’s alright!”

If you go after Amy to help, telling your sisters to stay here, go to 11.

If you still stay put and obey you parents instructions, go to 12.

4.

“So, you came back,” Amy states over her shoulder as she pulls a wagon load of wood planks to that big tree, Trumbos.

“Yeah.”

“So, how’s Henry?”

“Not so good. Somethings wrong with him. He didn’t want me there.”

“Hmm… well if he doesn’t want you probably doesn’t want me!”

As you continue building the treehouse, you hear a strange scream coming from deep inside the woods. You shiver. You’ve been told by your parents never to go in that part. You wonder now if the scream was the reason you’re not supposed to go. “That was odd,” you remark, “it sounded like an animal in distress.” Amy nods.
“We should see if it’s alright. I think it’s the right thing to do. By the sound of the scream, I’d say it’s a fairly small animal.”

If you stay and obey your parents, go to 3.

If you go with Any to help the animal, go to 10.

5.

You find Henry sitting dejectedly in the cave, shoulders drooping, eyes staring off into the distance.

“You didn’t need to come you know. I don’t need any help,” He says without looking at you.

“Oh, well I thought you might want some, even if you don’t need it,” you reply.

“Well, I don’t want it and don’t need it! Can’t you just get that through your thick head?” This was the most upset you had ever seen Henry. Something was wrong, but he clearly didn’t want you.

If you stay with Henry and try to find out what’s wrong, go to 9.

If you leave and return to Amy, go to 4.

6.

“I’m sorry Henry, I don’t think I should help you run away.”

Henry looks away and shrugs, “Fine, fine. Whatever, you don’t have too,” But you feel like things are not fine. He still seems hurt. Your sisters come through the bushes and start giving you a lecture about going home on time, not worrying Mother, and reminding you about how dirty you have become. You sigh and stand up, following them through the trees back home. You feel like you did the right thing, but you know you’ve lost a friend.

The End

7.

“Well, that was certainly unexpected,” Amy commented, her eyebrows arched with surprise. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him. Let’s get started on the treehouse.” As you help lift boards, nails, and hammers into the tall branches, you hear an ear-piercing scream coming from the part of the woods you’re not supposed to go into. “Whoa! That sounded like an animal in distress!” Amy says dramatically from the branches above your head.

“Yeah, it sure does,” you agree, “It sounded painful.”

Then Amy says something unexpected, “Why don’t we see if it’s ok? I mean, it can’t be too far away.”

“Amy! Are you crazy? You know I’m not supposed to go over there! What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that we go over there and see what the problem is with that animal. Besides, your parents made that rule before you had anyone that would go over there with you. You won’t be alone!”

If you go with Amy to find out what caused the strange noise, go to 10.

If you decide to stay put and obey your parent’s instructions, go to 3.

8.

After a while, it becomes dark and your head begins to nod. Grace is already happily asleep in Amy’s lap, and Amy herself is beginning to drift off. You try to force yourself to stay awake, but eventually, you too fall asleep.

Branches whip your face as you run through the woods, holding you back from your destination. You fall to the ground when a thick branch hits you in the stomach. The forest gets thicker and thicker and you’re having a hard time breathing. You’re frantic, trying to get out, out, out! But you can’t. Sweat trickles down your face, you try to get up again, but you’re weak, and a heavy tree falls onto your shoulder, shaking your whole body.

Suddenly, you wake up, your dad is by your side, shaking you to wake you up. Once he sees you’re awake he smiles and helps you stand up. You also notice that Emily and Marcie are there too, and Amy’s father. He’s picked up Grace in his arms and you and Amy walk together following your parents, grateful for the rescue.

The End

9.

Instead of turning around, you sit down next to Henry to find out what’s wrong. There’s just silence for a while, but finally, he speaks, “I guess you’re wondering why I’m here.” You answer truthfully,

“I am.”

He sighs and mutters something inaudible. Then he finally speaks again, in a more relenting tone, “I’m running away, can you help me?”

You’re completely taken off guard and you realize, you don’t know much about Henry’s family and life. You resolve to find out more about why he would be running away before you jump into helping him. So you choose your words carefully, “Why do you want to run away?”

“I’ve got seven sisters, all bossy and older than me. I’m going to live with my dad in Omaha. It’s not too far away and I think I know which bus to take, but I still need money for a ticket. All I have right now is $2”

And you thought Amy had a lot of siblings!

If you help Henry run away, go to 2.

If you don’t help him but stay there, go to 6.

10.

You and Amy pick your way through the trees, admiring the tall oak trees with such wide beams that your arms couldn’t even reach around. But as you’re plodding along, you see a strange red handkerchief lying on the ground. It’s muddy and torn, but you still wonder if anyone else besides you and Amy could be around.

Suddenly, three large men come out from behind the trees and surround you. Before you have time to think, a sack is thrown over your head and you and Amy are carried off. You begin to scream and kick, but the man holding you just gives a grunt, puts his hand on your neck and… everything goes black.

The End

11.

As Amy runs through the trees, you race after her. You’re amazed at how fast she can run when she gets worked up. You can tell she’s choking back sobs. She continually calls, “Grace!” as she runs, obviously trying to follow the sound of the crying.

As you get farther into the woods, you start to lose your sense of direction. You have no idea where Trumbos the Ancient is, and you’re sure Amy has no idea either, in the state she’s in. Amy starts to pant, but still doesn’t slow the pace she’s setting. If these were normal circumstances, you’d be impressed. These are not normal circumstances. The thumping of your feet and the distressed voice of Amy become a steady rhythm.

Suddenly, Grace is right in front of you and a smile breaks out on her face as soon as she sees you and Amy.

If you stay where you are with Grace and Amy, hoping someone finds you, go to 8.

If you try to find your way back with Grace and Amy, go to 1.

12.

Your sisters are very worried, so you choose to take them home, there isn’t anything you can do except get help.

“Thank you for telling me,” your mom responds, “I’ll call Amy’s parents right away.” She picks up the phone and dials their number. When she’s done talking, she puts her hand on your shoulder and smiles approvingly, you’ve just made your mom very proud.

The End