“It can’t be much farther now to the pond,” Vevi sighed. She was feeling a little tired.
The road wound through low ground, in among the tall, whispering trees. Soon Vevi and Connie found their shoes coated with dust. The air seemed chilly too for the sun had disappeared under a thickening blanket of clouds.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have come,” Connie said anxiously. “I didn’t think it would be so far.”
“Neither did I,” admitted Vevi. “We can’t turn back now though. We must be almost there.”
The children trudged on. And then, as they were becoming very discouraged, they glimpsed an expanse of blue through the trees.
“There’s the pond!” cried Vevi. “We’ll get our turtle yet, Connie!”
Although small, the pond was very attractive. It was rimmed with trees and shrubs and at one point had a tiny sand beach. An old boat was tied to the end of a sagging dock.
Vevi and Connie walked out on the planks, taking care not to slip through any of the yawning holes.
“Oh, look!” cried Connie. She stopped so suddenly that Vevi who was directly behind, bumped into her.
“What do you see, Connie? A turtle?”