Chances and Changes: My Journey with Molly

Gem invites Bea over for homemade waffles, but Bea says she isn’t hungry. So Gem and I go home for breakfast and a conversation full of maybes. I don’t feel like I’m any closer to making a decision about the summer camp.

Then, Mischa walks in. Gem greets him, and Mischa scratches behind Barney’s ears. He takes a seat next to me. I get up, and say that I’m going to take a walk to clear my head. Mischa asks if there’s anything he can do to help, and I want to tell him not to be so nosy. But instead, I just shake my head. I tell Barney to come, but he settles in next to Mischa. Fine.

I meander through the woods alone. Usually when I’ve got a problem, I ask Gem or Bea for advice. But this time, they are my problem. Gem thinks I should go to the music camp. Bea thinks I should stay home. Not only can I not decide what to do, but whichever choice I make will disappoint one of them.

After walking for a long time, I flop down on some rotting wooden steps that I hadn’t noticed before. The steps lead to nowhere, which is appropriate because so far, my thinking is leading nowhere, too. One minute, I have this urge to go to music camp, and the next minute, I realize I want to stay right where I am. There’s a breeze through the treetops, but the morning is getting hot. I glance at my watch to see how late it’s getting and as I do, I see something shiny on the ground. It’s a gold pin with one white stone and three red stones around it. It was probably dropped by a hiker. I pick it up and rub the dirt off the white stone.

Whoosh! First there’s darkness, then glaring sunlight.