They're not mine. But I really think they should be…
Takes place four years after 'Julian's First Day of Kindergarten'. I'm not writing this series in order because my muse won't work that way. I'm sure there will be some skipping around in time eventually.
Sophie Learns to Fly
Seven-year-old Sophie Manoso sat on the back steps, looking out at the yard intently while munching on a carrot. Her eyes went back and forth between the tree house her father had built when she was a baby and another large tree about a dozen yards away.
She had a plan.
She grew up hearing about her mother's childhood, about her jumping off the garage roof in hopes of flying. She loved her mother and the thought of her falling and getting hurt like she did made her cringe. But it also made her proud of the fact that she hadn't let anything stop her from flying.
Sophie wanted to fly, too. The whole falling and breaking an arm thing was unappealing, though.
Still, she was determined to fly.
Stuffing the last of her carrot into her mouth, she stood up and brushed her hands on her shorts. Walking into the yard, she circled the tree house a few times, looking up. She mentally measured the distance between the tree house and the other tree, figuring out what she would need to achieve her goal.
The sound of the back door opening caught her attention and she glanced over to see Julian walking outside, a bag of peanut M&M's in his hand. He shut the door behind him and made his way towards her.
Stopping beside his sister, Julian looked up at the tree house and over to the other big tree close by. From the way his little sister was eyeballing both, he knew she had something up her sleeve.
He thrust his bag of candy towards her. "M&M?"
She shook her head. "No thanks. Just ate a carrot."
Julian wrinkled his nose but didn't say anything. They continued looking between trees silently.
"So what's your plan?" He finally asked, breaking the silence.
Sophie cocked her hip and bit her lip, still mentally figuring out what she would need. "I want to fly."
Julian nodded, popping an M&M into his mouth. She continued.
"I don't want to break a bone."
Julian nodded again, still silent. After seven years of being her big brother, he knew to just let her get her thoughts out before speaking.
When Sophie didn't say anything else, he knew it was safe to talk.
"So how are you going to do it?"
Sophie's hand moved to her mouth and she began nibbling on her thumbnail. "I'll need to build a platform in that other tree. Run a line from there to the tree house." She looked over at him. "Can I borrow your bicycle handles?"
Julian snorted. "I need them to ride my bike, you big dork."
She made a face at him. "You won't need them. Mom and Daddy got you a new bike for your birthday. It's hidden in the garage."
Julian grinned. "Is it a BMX?"
"I guess so. So you can do those silly jumps in the woods."
Julian looked pleased as he popped another piece of candy into his mouth.
"So can I borrow your bicycle handles?"
"What am I gonna do until my birthday? It's still two weeks away."
Sophie sighed in exasperation. "We'll put them back on when we're done. You've helped Uncle Lester work on his car. I'm sure we can get some bike handles back on with no trouble."
Julian looked back up, mentally picturing his sister's plan. He groaned. "I guess so. Since I'm so nice and all."
She grinned. "You're the best."
Julian snorted. "Suck up."
Sophie playfully stuck her tongue out at him before turning her attention back to the trees. "Okay, I'll need a big enough piece of wood for the platform and some smaller pieces for a ladder." She looked up at him. "Is fishing line strong enough to use?"
Julian shook his head, crumpling up his empty candy wrapper and stuffing it into his pocket. "Nope. But I think Elizabeth has that extra clothesline in the garage. That would work."
"Sweet." Sophie scuffed her shoes on the ground. "Will you help me?"
"I might as well. You'd do it without me if I said no."
Sophie threw her arms around her big brother and hugged him tightly. Embarrassed by her uncharacteristic display of affection, Julian gave her a one armed hug, patting her on the back.
"Let's get started then!" Sophie took off toward the garage, determined to fly before bedtime. Julian watched her for a second, groaning in defeat before following.
00000000
"Babe, come take a look at this."
Stephanie looked up from her magazine to see Ranger standing at the back door, staring out into the yard. He had a huge grin on his face that barely masked his curiosity.
"What's up?" She stood up and made her way to her husband. He reached out immediately, pulling her the last few feet into his arms.
They both stared outside, watching their seven year old daughter and their soon to be ten year old son up in a tree hammering a wooden platform into place.
"What in God's name are they doing?" Stephanie wondered aloud. Ranger chuckled.
"I have no idea. I'm not sure I want to know."
Stephanie squinted slightly. "Did they build a ladder in that tree?"
"Looks like it."
They watched in silence, arms wrapped around each other as their children continued hammering. Sophie pulled herself into a large branch while Julian tested the weight capacity of the little platform. He said something to her and she climbed down beside him.
"Could they be building 'his and hers' tree houses?" Stephanie wondered.
Ranger shrugged, his eyes twinkling as he watched his children work together.
In the tree, Sophie reached for something hanging from one of the lower branches. Stephanie's eyes widened slightly.
"Is that Elizabeth's clothesline?"
Ranger burst out laughing. He had an idea of what his children were planning. "I think so."
Stephanie groaned, hiding her face in his chest. "Tell me they're not doing what I think they're doing."
Ranger looked down at his wife, all the love in the world shining in his dark eyes. "Are you surprised? They're our children, after all."
Stephanie looked up at him and grinned. "I guess I can be grateful that she's got a plan. At least she's not leaping off the garage roof."
Ranger chuckled, leaning down to kiss her softly before turning his gaze back to his children.
This he had to see.
00000000
Sophie climbed up a few feet more, reaching up to wrap an end of the clothesline around a sturdy branch. Julian held her steady so she could tie a triple knot before shimmying back down to the platform.
"That should be tight enough, right?"
"Let's see," Julian grabbed the clothesline and tugged with all his weight. The knot remained solid. "I'm gonna climb down it to check. If it's tight enough, I'll tie the other end in the other tree."
Sophie nodded, sitting down to wait. She watched as Julian climbed down the clothesline, landing on solid ground a few seconds later.
"How's the knot look?" He shouted up to her. She looked up.
"Looks good."
He nodded in response and, grabbing the other end of the line, walked to the other tree. He climbed up the ladder to the platform and looked across the yard at his sister.
"I'm gonna tie this up a little lower so you can go faster!" He shouted.
"Okay!"
He shimmied up another branch, wrapping his end of the line around it and triple knotting it. The clothesline was pulled tightly between the trees, at a slight incline. He was fairly certain that it would hold his sister's weight.
"I'm gonna test the weight!" He shouted to her. Better him than her, he decided, reaching out to grip the line in his hands.
"Be careful!" she shouted back.
Taking a deep breath, Julian stepped off the platform, using his hands above his head to move across the line. He had to admit, it was much better than the monkey bars at school. It reminded him of the training courses that his father and uncles participated in to keep in shape. Maybe if his father saw him doing this, he would let him join in next time they did it.
It only took a few minutes for him to make his way back to his sister. When he was on somewhat solid ground, he wiped his hands off on his jeans and turned to her.
"Feels solid."
Sophie grinned up at him, excitement sparkling in her brown eyes. "Awesome!"
Julian turned back to the line. "You'll need something to help the handlebars slide better on the line. I don't want you to get stuck in the middle."
Sophie bit her lip and studied the line. "How about that clip thingie you use when you climb the rock wall?"
Julian turned to her, his eyebrow raised. "I'm letting you use my bike handles. Isn't that enough?"
She rolled her eyes. "Come on! You have a gazillion of those things sitting around in the garage! How many do you actually need?"
Julian sighed. It was no use arguing with Sophie. She always came out ahead.
"You're too stubborn for your own good," he grumbled, climbing out of the tree and heading for the garage.
"But you'll let me use one, right?"
"Yeah, I'll let you use one."
Sophie grinned, watching her brother disappear in the garage. He was so easy.
He returned a few minutes later, carrying two metal screwlock carabiners, his chest harness, two nylon slings, and his bicycle handles. He was wearing a helmet on his head.
"What's the helmet for?" Sophie demanded, reaching down to help him with his load.
"For you to wear, goofball," he said in his best 'duh' voice.
Sophie shook her head. "I don't want to wear it! How can I feel the wind in my hair when I'm wearing that heavy old thing?"
Julian stood up straight, his blank expression in place and his arms crossed over his chest. "If you think I'm gonna let you on this thing without a helmet on, you've lost your mind."
Sophie's hands immediately went to her hips as they stood toe to toe in the staring match to beat all staring matches. Julian's blank face never wavered and Sophie scrunched up her own face, trying to intimidate him.
It wasn't working.
A full five minutes later, Sophie huffed and crossed her arms. "Fine. I'll wear the stupid thing!"
Julian grinned. "Good answer."
She rolled her eyes. It didn't happen often, but she hated giving in to her brother. "Now what do we do?"
Julian sat down on the platform and she joined him. Together, they hooked a sling and carabiner around the center bar of the bicycle handles so they could attach it to the line. When it was sturdy, Julian turned to his sister.
"I'm gonna try it out first to make sure its safe."
"Huh uh," Sophie shook her head adamantly. "It was my idea so I get to go first."
Julian's eyebrow once again arched up. "Yeah, I'm gonna stand here and watch you fall because I didn't test it first. Not gonna happen."
Sophie huffed. "That's what the harness and sling is for! So I won't fall!"
"Mom and Dad will ground me for life if you get killed doing this."
"I'm not gonna get killed doing this! I'll be, what, ten feet in the air?"
Julian sighed. "You wear me out with your arguing."
"We won't argue if you just do what I say and shut up!"
He reached for the harness and held it out for her. "Just put this on and stop complaining."
Throwing him a dirty look, Sophia let him help her put on and buckle the harness. He attached the other sling and carabiner, hooking the harness up to the line. When she was ready, he turned to face her, pulling the helmet off his head to place it on hers. Sophie rolled her eyes as he tightened the strap under her chin.
"You sure you want to do this?" He asked her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
Sophie grinned in excitement and nodded. "Yep."
He sighed. "Be careful, shrimp. I don't want you to get hurt."
She gave him a mock salute. "Aye Aye, Sir!"
Julian rolled his eyes as he stepped back. He watched nervously as Sophie paused, mentally measuring the distance between trees. She reached up, gripping the bicycle handles tightly. She glanced over at him, giving him a little wink before pushing herself off the platform with a shriek of joy.
Julian watched proudly as his little sister flew down the line towards the other tree.
00000000
"Oh God, she's gonna do it."
Ranger chuckled, glancing over at Stephanie. She had pulled one of the kitchen chairs to the door and was sitting on her hands, watching their children through the window.
"I can't believe how clever they are," Ranger said proudly, watching as his son stuck his helmet on Sophie's head. "How many seven and ten year olds know how to do that?"
Stephanie grinned up at her husband. "I sure didn't. Hence, why I ended up falling from the garage roof and breaking an arm."
Stephanie stood up and leaned against Ranger as Sophie pushed herself off the platform. They watched with pride and terror as their little girl shot down the line, shrieking and laughing with glee.
Stephanie gripped her husband's arm tightly, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. "Look at her, Carlos! She's flying! She did it!"
Ranger's smile was just as wide as Sophie safely made it to the other side. They watched as their daughter turned to face her older brother, both children shrieking and punching the air with their fists proudly.
Husband and wife faced each other, their smiles wide enough to crack their faces.
"She flew," Stephanie whispered in awe.
Ranger nodded proudly. "She flew."
Okay, so yeah, I couldn't resist writing this. I have no idea how accurate the kids' contraption was, but it sounded good as I was writing it. Hope you liked it! Let me know.