The Secret Explorer

I love to wake up and see the sun shining through the window, especially on Saturday. I feel excited because there is hope for good things to happen and I have the whole day to myself! Well, that is if I can sneak out before my mom, older brothers, or sisters catch me and try to make me do anything. Saturdays in the Patterson house are usually filled with the music, cooking, and loud conversations with the television playing in the background, and a long list of chores could easily ruin a perfect morning. My plan: tip toe to the bathroom, get dressed, quietly grab a bite from the fridge, and out the door to FREEDOM!

I sat up in bed and listened closely. The house was still mostly quiet, save for the deep, rhythmic snoring coming from my older brothers' room down the hall. Slowly, I peeled back my blankets, making sure they did not rustle too loudly. I slipped my feet onto the cold wooden floor and stood perfectly still for a second. Step one was complete. I crept toward my closet and grabbed my favorite pair of practical denim overalls with the deep pockets, perfect for carrying specimen jars, and my sturdy sneakers. I pulled them on with practiced speed, tying my wild dark curls back with a bright yellow scrunchy so they would stay out of my face.

Now came the hardest part of the stealth mission: navigating the hallway. I tiptoed past the open door of my brothers' room, lifting my feet high to avoid the squeaky floorboard right near the linen closet. I made it to the bathroom, quickly brushed my teeth, and headed down to the kitchen. The refrigerator door always made a sticky, popping sound when it opened, so I pulled it extra slowly. I grabbed a small piece of leftover fruit, slipped it into my pocket, and glided toward the back door. With a soft click of the lock, I stepped outside. I made it! Now the day is mine, it is still a little early because all of my neighbors' doors are closed. No men working on their cars, no teenagers talking about the people they want to date, no one leaving for work—it is perfect.

Should I climb my favorite tree to watch my neighborhood wake up? Should I check on my animals in my secret bush cave? Should I head to the back of my house and look down from the hill to see the other world of life on the street below our fence? I think I will check on all the pets I have in my secret cave. It is my very own outdoor classroom, a quiet sanctuary hidden away inside a thick, overgrown hedge of green bushes at the edge of our yard. To anyone walking past, it just looks like a messy pile of leaves and branches, but to me, it is my secret hide away.

I crawled on my hands and knees through the small opening in the branches, careful not to snag my hair. Inside, the air was cool and smelled like fresh dirt and damp leaves. I had cleared out a perfect circle in the center of the bushes, lining up my collection of clear glass jars on a flat, smooth stone that served as my laboratory desk. I remember in class learning about the life of caterpillars, so my collection would not be complete without Cathy. Here I have Cathy the Caterpillar, Mary Moth, Bethany Bee, Laura Longlegs has her own home so she doesn't eat the others, and finally Barry Beetle with his fantastic colors. I was lucky to get the jars from my brothers who were happy to help when I told them it was for my science experiment. My little friends teach me a lot, so I try to take good care of them.

I sat cross-legged on the dirt floor and pulled the jar containing Cathy closer to me. I gasped softly when I looked through the glass. Cathy was growing incredibly fast! She looked almost twice as big as she did last weekend. I unscrewed the metal lid, which had tiny breathing holes punched through the top, and peered inside. Cathy was wiggling slowly near the bottom of her jar. Cathy eats a lot of leaves, wild grass, and sometimes soft fruit. I watched others that look like her to figure out what she likes best. She eats a lot and grows very fast. I had to search for just the right food for all of my insect animal friends because just like humans they are picky!

I pulled the slice of soft fruit from my overall pocket and cut a tiny piece off with my fingernail, gently placing it inside Cathy's jar. She seemed to sniff it before slowly making her way over to enjoy her breakfast. I smiled, feeling like a very successful scientist mom. It takes a lot of careful observation to run a proper science project, and I made sure to take my job seriously. My teacher, Mr. Davies, always said that science requires patience and attention to detail, and that is exactly what I planned to give to my little bug friends.

Next, I turned my attention to the jar right beside Cathy's. Mary Moth was sitting quietly on a twig I had placed inside her jar. I watched her closely, feeling a small pinch of worry in my chest. Although I do worry about Mary because I see her friends moving from one daisy to the next with excitement and she is by herself. Maybe she needs friends. I like being by myself sometimes, but I also enjoy spending time with my friends. I wondered if insects felt the same way. Did Mary miss flying around the porch lights at night with the other moths? I wanted her to be happy in my hideout, but maybe she was lonely in her clean glass jar. Well, something to think about, but right now I hear noise outside my cave, so I will have to check back with my little friends later.

The quiet peace of the early morning was starting to fade. I could hear the distant rumble of a garage door lifting down the street, and a dog began to bark a few houses over. The neighborhood was finally waking up, which meant my private research hour was officially coming to an end. I carefully tightened the lids on all my jars, making sure they were safe and secure on their stone shelf. I patted the side of Cathy's jar one last time and promised to bring her some more fresh wild grass later in the afternoon. I crawled back out of the green leafy entrance of my secret bush cave, brushing the loose dirt off my overalls and looking up at the bright blue Saturday sky, ready to see what the rest of the day had in store for me.