Eddie led Kristin up through the branches, dark moonlight spilling in between them. The two silhouettes moved up the ladder, slow and silent.

Eddie stepped into the tree house first, hoisting Kristin up off the ladder. He loved it in here, with the warped walls and the piney smell in the air. He indicated a trapdoor in the ceiling. Kristin climbed into his hands and reached for the edge of the trapdoor while he gave her a boost. Soon after, his head poked up into the dim loft.

“Okay, now that we’re here, tell me a story about secrets,” Kristin said.

Eddie smiled down at her seven-year-old eyes. “Okay, here we go. Let’s see…Once upon a time, there was a fairy princess who loved to watch—”

“You’ve told me that one already!” she whined.

“Oh, all right.” Eddie cleared his throat in an ostentatious manner. “It was a dark night, much like it is now. The trees wavered in the wind, while a figure raced through the woods. He finally reached his destination. ‘Greetings,’ a man said. . . .”