A tree house, a tree house. A street house, a neat house,
A secret you and me house.
A high up in the leafy branches
Cozy as can be house.
Be sure and wipe your feet house
Is not my kind of house at all—
Let's go live in a tree house.
-Shel Silverstein
"Aleks! Where are we going?" you called impatiently. You had been walking through a forest for less than ten minutes, but your eight-year-old mind had made it seem like much longer. The branches that kept swinging back into your face weren't making the hike any more pleasant, either.
"We're almost there! Come on, Eddie, I promise this is worth it," Aleks said as he marched on a few feet ahead of you.
"What did you find back here that's so cool, anyways? You'd better not be messing with me! You're not gonna run away and leave me in the middle of the forest, are you?"
"Eddie, I'd never do that."
"You did that to me last week!" you shrieked, outraged Aleks had apparently forgotten about his 'prank' so quickly.
There was a pause before Aleks turned around and grinned. "Well, I'd never do it to you a second time. Now come on, I think I can see it!" He jumped over a fallen tree branch and sprinted towards a small clearing. You had no choice but to follow; you weren't about to go walk back through the forest by yourself, and besides, Aleks was your friend. He said he wouldn't ditch you, so you believed him.
"Here!" Aleks threw his hands up grandly, gesturing to the tree behind him.
"You brought me all the way here to see a dumb tree? We coulda seen one of those without walking into the middle of the forest."
"This one's special," Aleks declared, running around the other side. You followed, and saw boards nailed to the trunk forming a ladder. Aleks was already half way up, gesturing for you to climb with him. Once at the top, Aleks threw open a trap door that opened into a hidden tree house.
"Welcome to Fort Immortal!" Aleks said while you pulled yourself inside.
"Fort what?" You giggled. You wanted to make fun of him, but the tree house was easily the coolest thing either of you had ever found.
"Fort Immortal."
"That's a stupid name," you said, trying to find something to make fun of.
"Whatever, you're just mad you didn't find this place first. I found it, so I get to name it. Look, there's a table and stuff up here already, and I got some sodas and stuff, too! This can be like our secret base," He said, pulling a can of Pepsi out of his backpack and cracking it open.
"Cool!" You agreed with the idea wholeheartedly—you were both only eight, after all. A secret anything was amazing, as far as you two are concerned.
He took a long drink from the can before you made a dive for it. "Don't drink it all, you hog!" you laughed, managing to take the can and get a sip. He laughs and pulls another out of his bag.
"May these be the first of many!" he said, raising the can to the sky. You two laughed and looked out the window, observing the view from your brand new base.
You're eighteen now. Still in high school, you're both almost adults, but you never stopped coming back to this place. You'd long since outgrown the table and stash of magazines you'd kept hidden in corner, and the wooden planks forming the ladder had to be reattached to the trunk more times than you could count as you each grew heavier, but you both did everything you could to keep the tree house from falling into disrepair.
"Dude, can you believe we found this place ten years ago?" you ask. You're both laying inside and staring at the ceiling.
"What's with this 'we' bullshit? If I remember right, I was the one to find Fort Immortal."
You snort. "I still think that's a stupid name for a fort."
"Hey, this fort has survived ten years of you hauling your fat ass up here, and it hasn't collapsed yet. If that's not immortal, I don't know what is."
"Please Aleks, you know you love this ass," you say, pulling some ridiculous pose showing off your butt, which makes you burst into laughter.
"Eddie, stop, Eddie, das gay," Aleks says in just about the weirdest voice you can imagine, which only makes you laugh harder. Soon, Aleks is laughing too, and you're both lying on the hard floor of the tree house trying not to piss your pants.
"Eddie, holy shit, look," Aleks manages through gasps for air. He reaches over into a pile of magazines and fallen leaves and pulls something out. "Check out what I found."
You look over and see a can of Pepsi clutched in his fist. "Dude, how long ago is that from? We haven't had Pepsi up here in years."
Whatever, man. It isn't Pepsi Max, but I might as well," he says, cracking it open.
"Gross! It's probably old or some shit, don't drink that!"
"Soda doesn't go bad, dumbass. Here's to ten more years of fucking around in Fort Immortal!" He takes a swig from the can and almost immediately chokes and spits it back up, causing you so go into another laughing fit.
"Soda doesn't go bad, he said. I can drink it if I want, he said," you mock him.
"Shut up," he mutters, wiping soda off his face. You two laugh and look out the little window over the trees, observing the view from your beloved old base.