I Never Told You But…
--
Trevor snuck toward the wall of the blanket fort in the living room with his trusty dart gun. Simone was peacefully humming her favorite Lonnie Lupnerder tune when Trevor attacked.
Simone screeched, startled as Trevor cleared the opening into the fort, yelling, “Ah-ha, my sweet! I’ve got the drop on you.” Then he launched the projectile that hit and stuck onto her forehead. The cross look of scrunched lips and reddening face conveyed her displeasure.
Trevor, realizing he’d overstepped the sibling boundaries, gingerly reached over and popped the suction dart off her. “I’m sorry I made you mad, Simone. Need some help with your blanket fort?”
“Really? I felt scared. Then shoot me with your dart gun. Now you want to help build my fort. Usually, you’re a nice brother. What’s up with you today? Are you reliving the Ninja movie we watched last night? You were mean to dart me with your gun, Trevor.”
Trevor dropped his head and stammered, “I was wrong, Simone. I said sorry. But with all the bad weather and being stuck indoors, I feel trapped. Boss calls it cabin fever. I felt compelled to shoot something, safely, of course. Not like the last time.”
“Cabin fever, Trevor. That’s funny.” Cocking her head to one side, she added, “What do you mean safely?”
“I never told you, but when I first came here, Boss bought me an archery set. The bow with the neatly colored arrows was a treat. Boss showed me how to attach the string using my legs to brace it then bend it over to hook it. We went out in the backyard and practiced shooting the arrows at a target. After a few shots, my fingers started to hurt from pulling the string back. Boss grinned and gave me a leather pad to protect my fingers. It worked great.”
“He made certain you learned why to use the leather pad for shooting. He could have taught you to use it right away, but sometimes he’s tricky.”
Trevor cast his eyes toward the ground. “He tried, but I didn’t think I needed it.”
“Wow, I thought you always knew Boss was smarter.”
Trevor clucked his tongue. “Anyway, after all that practice, I wanted to show the other kids my new bow and arrows. Boss said no. I pleaded. He gave in but took all the arrows so no one would get…
