Togg's Arc

Chapter 3 of 8

By midday the pavilion floor was a mess of ribbon and coiled rope. Togg stood back and stared up. The high rafters ran across the peak of the roof, far above his head. Every good spot for garlands hung up there, bare. He and Jimothy had lashed twigs into a ladder, but even propped tall it fell short. The best beams stayed empty. Togg's tail flicked. One day left, and the top of the roof might as well be the sky. Delphine dropped a bulging sack on the bench. Pip clung to her cap as she dug through it. "Twine. Slingshot. A dart." She lined each item up. The dart had a long thread tied to its tail. "Found the slingshot in Grampy's shed. Figured we'd need to throw something." Togg looked at the slingshot, then the dart, then the tall red pillar holding up the roof. His whiskers twitched. The plan arrived all at once. "Delphine. Load the dart. Shoot it up over the high rafter, near the pillar." He grabbed the loose end of the twine. "You tie this end tight around the pillar. Then I climb the twine to the top." She didn't ask why. She fit the dart in the pouch and pulled the band back. "Hold your ears," she said, and let go. The dart shot up. The thread hissed after it. The dart cleared the high rafter and dropped down the far side, dragging twine over the beam. Delphine caught the falling end. She wound both ends around the red pillar and knotted them fast. She pulled hard with both hands. The twine held. Togg tested it with one paw. Tight as a vine. He was a chipmunk. Climbing was the one thing that never frightened him. He gripped the twine and went up hand over hand, quick and sure, until he sat astride the high rafter with the whole pavilion below him. "Now the ladder," he called. Jimothy climbed onto the wooden bench, short body braced, long arms reaching. He lifted the twig ladder overhead. Togg leaned down from the rafter. He caught the top rung and hauled. Jimothy pushed from below. Together they raised the ladder until its top reached the beam. Togg lashed it to the rafter with rope, knot after knot, testing each one. He let go. The ladder hung firm, a path from the bench straight to the high rafters. Every bare beam was now within reach. "It works," Delphine said, grinning up. Togg looked along the rafters. Every one waited empty, ready for flowers. He had reached the top. But the ladder was thin, and the beams ran the whole length of the roof. They had rope and ribbon and one afternoon. What they did not have yet was a single flower to hang.