was a good idea,” I told Poppy as we approached the front desk. “I can’t wait to jump in.”
“Me neither!” Poppy said in a confident, grown-up-sounding voice. I gave her a look, but she just smiled sweetly at me.
As I anticipated, the pool was crowded. Poppy and I dropped off our clothes and towels on the lone free chair we could find, and headed over to the main pool. We swam for a while and I tried to teach Poppy how to do thedead man’s float. She didn’t like putting her face in the water, so I wasn’t very successful.
Then I had to go to the ladies’ room. I deposited Poppy on our white plastic lounger with strict instructions not to move.
When I came out of the bathroom, I noticed a big crowd gathered around the diving pool.
I wonder what’s going on?
I thought. I took a quick detour to check things out. I frowned. Everyone was looking up at the high board and pointing to it.
I shielded my eyes and looked up, too. And there, to my disbelieving eyes, was my little sister, frozen in fear at the end of the board, high above the crowd. It looked like she was crying.
“Mother-of-pearl,” I said, one of Gran’s favorite fake swears. The lifeguard was standing at the top of the high board’s ladder, trying to coax Poppy to come to him. But she wasn’t moving.
I pushed through the crowd.
“Poppy, hang on!” I cried. I went to the bottom of the ladder and called up to the lifeguard. “Hey, I’m her sister! Maybe I should try,” I said.
He shrugged and climbed down. He looked embarrassed. “I shouldn’t have let her climb up,” he said. “But she insisted she was brave and could do it.”
With a gulp, I realized what was going on. Poppy was dressing like me, talking like me, bossing people around like me, and now she was jumping off the high board, just like me. Just like she had mimicked Aster and Rose before. But why was she doing this? I had to get to the bottom of her behavior.
But first, I had to get her off the high board in one piece.
I took a deep breath and climbed up the ladder, rung by rung. When I got to the top I stood at the far end so I wouldn’t accidentally bounce my sister into the pool.
“Hey, Poppy!” I called out cheerfully, even though my heart was pounding mad fast. “Whatcha doing?” I was trying to be as casual as possible so I wouldn’t freak her out anymore than she already was. But it was hard to keep my cool.
“Del, I’m scared!” she whimpered, not taking her eyes off the crystal blue water below.
“All you have to do is take a step backward,” I said.
“Huh?”
“Just take one big step backward and we’ll take it from there.”
“O-okay.” Poppy sniffled. She nodded and stepped backward. She almost lost her footing and the crowd gasped.
“You’re fine, Poppy, you’re fine,” I assured her. “Now take one more.”
She did it. “And now that you’re away from the edge you can turn around and walk toward me.”
Poppy shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can, Poppy,” I assured her. “Just face me. You can do it.”
I saw her little shoulders shake. Then she took a deep breath and turned. Her eyes were as round as saucers.
“Great!” I said. “Now put your hands on the rails. Look me in the eyes and walk right toward me.”
Poppy gripped the rails so hard her knuckles turned white. Then slowly, slowly, she took a step forward.
“That’s great, Poppy!” I said encouragingly. “Now a couple more …”
A few seconds later, Poppy was clutching my leg for dear life. After I hugged her and then detached her, I helped her down the ladder. The crowd cheered when we got to the bottom. My legs nearly buckled when I was on solid ground and I realized I was drenched in sweat. That had taken a lot out of me. I had to walk over to our lounge chair, sit down, and take a deep breath. Poppy, of course, was as fine as could be.
“Wanna make soup?” she asked me.
I smiled weakly. “Sure,” I said. Anything to stay on
“Me neither!” Poppy said in a confident, grown-up-sounding voice. I gave her a look, but she just smiled sweetly at me.
As I anticipated, the pool was crowded. Poppy and I dropped off our clothes and towels on the lone free chair we could find, and headed over to the main pool. We swam for a while and I tried to teach Poppy how to do thedead man’s float. She didn’t like putting her face in the water, so I wasn’t very successful.
Then I had to go to the ladies’ room. I deposited Poppy on our white plastic lounger with strict instructions not to move.
When I came out of the bathroom, I noticed a big crowd gathered around the diving pool.
I wonder what’s going on?
I thought. I took a quick detour to check things out. I frowned. Everyone was looking up at the high board and pointing to it.
I shielded my eyes and looked up, too. And there, to my disbelieving eyes, was my little sister, frozen in fear at the end of the board, high above the crowd. It looked like she was crying.
“Mother-of-pearl,” I said, one of Gran’s favorite fake swears. The lifeguard was standing at the top of the high board’s ladder, trying to coax Poppy to come to him. But she wasn’t moving.
I pushed through the crowd.
“Poppy, hang on!” I cried. I went to the bottom of the ladder and called up to the lifeguard. “Hey, I’m her sister! Maybe I should try,” I said.
He shrugged and climbed down. He looked embarrassed. “I shouldn’t have let her climb up,” he said. “But she insisted she was brave and could do it.”
With a gulp, I realized what was going on. Poppy was dressing like me, talking like me, bossing people around like me, and now she was jumping off the high board, just like me. Just like she had mimicked Aster and Rose before. But why was she doing this? I had to get to the bottom of her behavior.
But first, I had to get her off the high board in one piece.
I took a deep breath and climbed up the ladder, rung by rung. When I got to the top I stood at the far end so I wouldn’t accidentally bounce my sister into the pool.
“Hey, Poppy!” I called out cheerfully, even though my heart was pounding mad fast. “Whatcha doing?” I was trying to be as casual as possible so I wouldn’t freak her out anymore than she already was. But it was hard to keep my cool.
“Del, I’m scared!” she whimpered, not taking her eyes off the crystal blue water below.
“All you have to do is take a step backward,” I said.
“Huh?”
“Just take one big step backward and we’ll take it from there.”
“O-okay.” Poppy sniffled. She nodded and stepped backward. She almost lost her footing and the crowd gasped.
“You’re fine, Poppy, you’re fine,” I assured her. “Now take one more.”
She did it. “And now that you’re away from the edge you can turn around and walk toward me.”
Poppy shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can, Poppy,” I assured her. “Just face me. You can do it.”
I saw her little shoulders shake. Then she took a deep breath and turned. Her eyes were as round as saucers.
“Great!” I said. “Now put your hands on the rails. Look me in the eyes and walk right toward me.”
Poppy gripped the rails so hard her knuckles turned white. Then slowly, slowly, she took a step forward.
“That’s great, Poppy!” I said encouragingly. “Now a couple more …”
A few seconds later, Poppy was clutching my leg for dear life. After I hugged her and then detached her, I helped her down the ladder. The crowd cheered when we got to the bottom. My legs nearly buckled when I was on solid ground and I realized I was drenched in sweat. That had taken a lot out of me. I had to walk over to our lounge chair, sit down, and take a deep breath. Poppy, of course, was as fine as could be.
“Wanna make soup?” she asked me.
I smiled weakly. “Sure,” I said. Anything to stay on
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