Isabella and the Singing Swing

"My turn next!" said Isabella, hopping from one foot to the other.

She stood by the big tree at the edge of the playground. A red swing hung from its branch. Her cousin Theo was on it, kicking his legs high. All morning, Isabella had wanted one thing. She wanted to swing as high as the birds.

The swing made a sound when it moved. Creak-a-lee, creak-a-lee. It sang a little tune, just like the old gate next door. Nobody thought that was strange. It was simply how the swing talked.

"Soon," said Theo. "I'm not done."

Isabella waited. Theo did not slow down. She counted ten swings. Then she counted ten more.

"Theo, it's my turn," she said. "Please."

"Just a bit more," said Theo.

That did not work. So Isabella tried something else. She stood in front of the swing with her arms out wide. Theo only laughed and swung right over her head. Whoosh! The wind lifted her hair, and she sat down in the grass with a thump.

She frowned. Then she tilted her head, because she noticed something. The swing was not singing the same note both ways. When Theo flew forward, it sang a high note. When he came back, it sang a low one.

"Theo," she called. "Listen. The swing is singing two notes."

Theo stopped kicking. He listened. High, low. High, low.

"Here's an idea," said Isabella. "Every high and low is one song. You swing ten songs, and I'll count them out loud. Then I get ten."

Theo grinned. "Okay!"

Isabella counted on her fingers, one song, two songs, all the way to ten. Theo dragged his sneakers in the dirt until the swing slowed and stopped. Then he hopped down.

Isabella climbed up and held the ropes tight. She pushed off with her toes. Up she went, and the swing sang high. Back she came, and it sang low.

"One song!" shouted Theo from the grass.

Isabella's feet pointed at the sky. The leaves rustled right above her, and the whole tree hummed along.