No need to pout

Mary Lou Durak

Laura pushed open the screen door of the cottage and walked toward her bedroom. Mother could tell by the look on her face that play between Laura and her brothers and sister had gone wrong again. Laura was the youngest, and sometimes trying to keep up put her in a bad mood. ...

The family was ending summer vacation at a small lake in a rustic cabin with no radio, television, or telephone. So they had done lots of exploring. They had found a caterpillar on a milkweed plant and put it into a jar (with holes in the lid) so they could watch it spin a cocoon. When a beautiful butterfly broke out of the cocoon, they let it fly away. They watched red-headed woodpeckers fly around the trees. They followed trails in the woods. There was so much to do.

Laura marched into the bedroom, plopped down on the bed, folded her arms, and looked up at the ceiling. Laura was ready for a good long pout and didn't even seem aware that Mother had come in and was sitting on the bed beside her. Tim had found another furry caterpillar. It rippled and felt prickly as it crawled up his arm and made him laugh. Laura was put out because she wanted to feel that caterpillar too, but Tim wouldn't share it. He was a tease, and she wished she were big enough to push him down, grab that caterpillar, and run away so fast he couldn't catch her. Laura got tired of being the littlest child in the family.

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