Your Turn to Wait

Mila ran to the slide.

The big, twisty, sunny-yellow slide.

But there were kids on it. Lots of kids.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven kids.

And Mila made twelve.

"I want to go NOW," said Mila.

But the line didn't move. Not yet.

The boy at the front was sitting at the top, holding both sides, looking down. He wasn't sliding. He was just... sitting there.

"Go!" said the girl behind him.

"Go!" said the boy behind her.

"GO!" said everybody.

He went.

"WHEEEEE!" All the way down.

The line moved one step forward.

Mila moved one step forward.

Eleven kids ahead of her now.

Mila looked at her shoes. She tapped them together. Left, right, left, right. She hummed a little song. She stopped humming. She looked at the line.

It had moved again!

She stepped forward. Ten kids ahead.

Then nine.

Then the girl in front of Mila turned around. She had red boots and a ponytail that stuck straight up like a carrot.

"I'm Bea," she said.

"I'm Mila."

"Want to see something?" Bea held up a small white rock. It was shaped like a heart. A perfect little heart, smooth and warm-looking.

"Whoa," said Mila.

"I found it by the swings," said Bea. "You can hold it while we wait."

Mila held the rock. She rubbed it with her thumb. It WAS warm. Eight kids ahead now.

She didn't even notice.

The line climbed the stairs. Step, step, step. Mila held the railing with one hand and the heart rock in the other. Up they went, all the kids together, like a caterpillar going up a leaf.

Seven. Six. Five.

At the top, the wind blew. You could see the whole playground from up here — the swings, the sandbox, the water fountain, and the big tall trees.

"It's high," whispered Bea.

"It's REALLY high," whispered Mila.

Four kids ahead. Then three. Then two.

The boy in front of Bea put his hands up and zoomed down. Gone.

Bea looked back at Mila.

"Your rock," said Mila. She held it out.

Bea shook her head. "Keep it for your turn. Give it back at the bottom."

Then Bea sat down, grabbed the sides, and WHOOOOSH — she was gone too.

Now it was just Mila.

She sat at the top of the big, twisty, sunny-yellow slide. She could feel how smooth it was, how warm from the sun. She looked down. It curved away like a river.

Her heart bumped fast.

She squeezed the little heart rock tight in her hand.

Behind her, she heard feet. New kids lining up. One, two, three. She heard a small voice say, "I want to go NOW."

Mila smiled.

She tucked the rock safe in her pocket.

She let go.

The slide was fast and slippery and twisty and her tummy flipped and the wind went WHOOSH past her ears and she laughed the whole way down — a big, loud, spinning laugh that flew right out of her mouth like a bird.

She landed at the bottom on her feet. Well, almost her feet. Mostly her bottom.

Bea was there, waiting.

Mila pulled out the heart rock and put it in Bea's hand.

It was even warmer now.

"Again?" said Bea.

Mila looked back at the slide. There were twelve kids in line.

"Again," said Mila.

And they ran to the back together.