No. 151

The ladder that had allowed them to climb up was now flat out on the back lawn.

“You didn’t happen to bring your phone up along with the iced tea, did you?” Josie asked.

“Nope. It’s on the kitchen counter.”

“I guess this is what we get for buying the house at the end of the street. It’s quiet, but nobody will come by until the Braids get back from vacation next week,” said Josie with a bit of a laugh.

Brian shuffled down to the edge and peered over.

“Honey, be careful, it’s too far to jump,” cautioned his wife.

Brian tapped his chin thoughtfully. “We could use our clothes to fashion an SOS that would be visible from the air,” he suggested.

“Yes, but then we’d be visible from the air, too,” said Josie. “I bet that was your plan all along. Come up here. Surprise me with tea. ‘Accidentally’ knock the ladder down. Trick me into disrobing.”

“You’ve figured me out. But seriously, how do we get down? ‘Cause I got nothing. You’re supposed to be the body and the brains, remember?”

Josie smiled.

There was a fierce gust of wind.

“Aw, there goes my hat, too,” Brian shouted.

The wind continued to pick up. The couple could hear a banging from the other side of the house.

“That’s it!” exclaimed Josie. She stood up and, staying crouched, walked to the north end of the roof.

“Ah, right!” said Brian. “You see, that’s why I keep you around.”

The large tree had been on Brian’s ‘to-do’ list for the last several months since they’d moved in. He’d meant to cut it down because he’d thought it was too close to the house. Now he was thankful for the fact that he’d so far been too cheap to call someone in to get rid of it.

“Should be easy enough,” said Josie. “You remember how to climb a tree, right?” she teased her husband.

“Now that we have a way down, do you think we should re-visit the SOS plan?” he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

“Let’s at least wait until we’re on the ground,” she told him.