way back

A family often visited a woodsy park.

They liked to lean over the fence and look into the pond.

They liked to wander along the edge of the grassy meadows and explore the trails in the dark woods.

 The boy loved to run and climb.

His sister loved to skip and dance.

Their baby sister watched them.

Each day she grew a little bigger.

She wanted to run and climb too.
She wanted to skip and dance.
The baby had learned to say a few words. She loved to say, ‘down.’ When she said it, her mother or father would take her out of the stroller and let her walk.
The baby loved to walk.
But one day when she was lifted down out of her stroller she didn’t walk.

She ran instead.

‘Grab her,’ sang the mother and the baby smiled.

‘Grab her,’ called the father and the baby chuckled.

‘Grab her,’ shouted the brother and the baby giggled.

‘Grab her,’ squealed the sister and the baby laughed.
Everyone had to run too then.
They ran past the pond and past the meadow.

They ran through the forest on the woodsy path,

They ran past a horse and rider.

Past a woman almost jogging,

Past a hairy man with his hairy dog.

Past a rabbit and a little mouse.

and a huge owl.

“Who, who, who,” said the owl sternly.
The baby stopped running.
She didn’t know how to say her name yet.
Her family caught up to her at last.

They grabbed the little baby and she smiled and chuckled and giggled and laughed.

 And then she rode down the hill on her daddy’s shoulders, all the way back to the beginning.