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He wasnt going to give it to her. It was his favourite toy and she knew it. She stood there, arm outstretched and hand gesturing â ˜gimme, knowing the look on her face would convince him to relinquish this prized item. It always did. She had a knack for honing in on her brothers soft spot and using it to her advantage. Today was no different as he reluctantly handed her his Bionic Man action figure.
Be careful! You broke the last one and you promised youd give me something for it if you could play with him today. With that, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
There, she said, satisfied, gripping the toy figure around the middle and quickly moving her eye to the magnifying lens at the back of its head, a simulation of bionic powers. She couldnt see anything, but she could pretend. Swivelling on her foot, she turned and walked the few steps to the shade tree where she and her brother erected a city of trucks, their loaders hauling chunks of Lego mixed with dirt from a small pit they dug. The pit was strategically placed next to the large root both straddled while they dug and clawed at the moist earth with small, adept fingers.
Peter wiped his cheek, half disgusted, half embarrassed and scowled at her back. He was too gentle a creature to say anything. He sighed, then squatted over the yellow steam roller at his feet and, getting on all fours, he vroomed the small vehicle over a hillock of dirt and careened it into a line of sports cars and Lego people, feeling satisfied with the resulting devastation.
They often played together. Their favourite place was under the large hedge in the back yard. They found a way to crawl in through an opening on the one side. Under a canopy of thick dark green leaves was an open cavern high enough to squat in or sit cross legged with a soft leafless carpet of fragrant earth that felt blessedly cool to the touch. She found this hiding spot one day when following the cat into the foliage. She could see why he spent the hot days here, hidden from the danger that frequently lurked around the yard both day and night. The hedge was large enough to contain several small rooms, little pockets of space that the cat could slink into but not the child. Still the secretive space was ideal for sharing with her brother and this she did.
They shared many secrets, the two of them, both together and individually. Their world became so consumed by secret keeping that much of their time spent together became one of thoughtful silence. Later, when they were young adults, this silence would begin to widen and deepen enough for others to wedge themselves between and their secrets would not be strong enough to sustain their childhood bond.

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