“The Welcome Gate”

“Look! There it is!”

Avery ran toward it. Zack grabbed her arm and pulled her back before her hand touched the latch. Startled, she turned on him and snapped:

“What?”

“Don’t be in such a rush,” he warned. He looked serious, his gaze fixed on the white picket gate with the heart painted on the wood.

Avery blew a raspberry. “It’s the Welcome Gate, stupid. What could go wrong?”

Zack razzed her back. “How about everything?”

Avery frowned at him. He was such a nervous Nellie, a real worrywart. She often wondered why she was so fond of him, he was always so anxious. “You’d have more fun if you lightened up a little.”

“I can have fun on this side of the Gate.” He tugged on her sleeve. “Come on; come away.”

She let him lead her a few paces in retreat, then she dug in her heels to argue some more.

“Why did you agree if you didn’t want to come?”

“I couldn’t let you go alone. You get into trouble without me.”

This was true. Zack was her voice of reason. But still. He’d agreed to go with her and they’d made a plan and now he was hedging and she was losing her temper.

“It’s got a heart painted on it. How can something with a heart be bad?”

“It could be lying.”

She huffed in frustration. “You’re such a girl. Look—there’s sunlight and green grass on the other side.”

“There’s shadow, too,” he observed.

“You can’t have light without shadow. Come on, Zack. We’ll have a grand adventure.”

His face was long beneath his moppy brown hair. “What if we get separated?”

“Is that what’s wrong? You’re afraid you’ll get lost?”

Zack said nothing, just stood on itchy feet and stared at the Gate as if it was about to swing open and swallow him whole.

“ ’Cause you won’t,” Avery continued. “I’ll be with you the whole time.”

His puppy eyes met hers. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

“It’ll be hard,” he said.

“It’ll be fun,” she insisted.

They were both right.