“Mr. and Mrs. Hollister said you were sanct-ta-moneus. Mrs. Hollister said the raisin cake you made for the bazaar last week was heavy enough to be used as a doorstop.”

“Well I never…” her mother sputtered as she went back inside.

“Don’t worry, Mom, I like your raisin cake. I even told Mrs. Hollister I liked it.” Cady jumped off the swing and ran down the steps. “I’m going to take a ride on my bike. I’ll be back in time to change my clothes for the church supper.”

Cady pedaled her bike as fast as she could, careening around corners and coasting down the hill, then pedaling again on a straight road that led to the Judas Grove on the outskirts of Indigo Valley. Her favorite place in the whole, wide world.

The little group waiting for Cady acted like the ten-year-olds they were, jumping up and down, whistling, and clapping their hands.

“Gee whiz, we thought you weren’t coming,” Andy Hollister said, linking his arm with Cady’s. “Don’t be afraid. I did it, and all your heart does is beat real fast until you land. It was Pete’s turn to bring the Kool-Aid and cookies. Do you want to eat first and then do it or the other way around?”

Cady could feel her insides start to shake as she looked at her friends. It was probably better just to do it and get it over with. She took a moment to ponder her immediate problem. She was moving away, and she would probably never, ever, see her friends again so why did she have to climb the hill and ride down the zip line? The zip line was a homemade contraption of old telephone cable wire, one end of which was attached to the mighty oak at the top of the hill and the other end to a smaller oak at the base of the hill on the other side of the pond. The object was to slide down the taut line, over the thirty-foot drop, out over the pond, then skid to a stop at the edge of the pond without getting wet. Because if she didn’t, she’d be leaving with her tail between her legs, and the kids would call her a sissy chicken. She wasn’t even going to think about what her parents would say if they ever found out she was at the Judas Grove and she rode the zip line. Knowing her father, she wouldn’t see the bright light of day until she was thirty-five, maybe longer. Her mother wouldn’t intervene either.

“You ready, Cady?” Pete asked.

Pete Danson was a nice kid, nicer than the Hollister twins. They’d been her friends from the time they met at Bible school at the age of four. Pete knew she was afraid. They all knew she was afraid. Afraid or not, she still had to do it. At least their tormentors weren’t around to heckle her. She voiced her thought as she wondered what was in the paper sack Pete was holding in his hands. It looked heavy.