“Close your eyes,” the small girl with big brown eyes and long brown hair said.
The little boy with big blue eyes and bleach blond hair hesitated and asked, “Are you sure?”
“Yes Alex, it’s alright.”
So Alex closed his eyes and the little girl grabbed his hands. “Don’t open them okay? We’re going on a trip,”
Alex nods and walks slowly forward as the girl leads him on.
After a while Alex squeals as something wet and cold falls on him. “What is that Claire?” he asks, as the wet droplets continued to fall on him.
“Rain,” she says quietly. “Don’t freak out.”
But it’s too late. Alex is freaking out. He’s not supposed to be outside! He’s never gone outside!
“Count to ten Alex, calm down. It’s okay.” Claire’s voice is soothing, so he does as she asks and counts to ten.
“Breath in slowly,” Alex takes slow deep breaths as he counts.
“Good, now listen to your heart.”

Alex’s heart was loud- it pounded in his chest. “It’s really loud,” he tells Claire.
She laughs at this. “Yes silly, but what is it saying?”
Alex thinks about this question. What IS his heart saying?
“Let’s go,” he whispers.
“Alright! Let’s go!”
So they walk and walk, and Claire never let’s go of his hand. Alex never opens his eyes, he just smells and feels and listens. Even without seeing, Alex knows that the outside is beautiful. He can feel it in his heart.
“I know those peoples never let you out here, and they’re really terrible to you,” Claire says, “that’s why I brought you here.”
The rain has stopped, but now Alex feels something else wet. With each step forward he takes, the wetness rises too, up his calf, past his stomach, to his neck.
“You’re in the ocean Alex.”
Alex can’t help it. He opens his eyes and looks around him. He’s about ten feet off the shore of a beautiful breach. He begins to panic. He shouldn't be here! He can’t even swim!
“Don’t worry Alex, I won’t let you go.” Claire teaches him how to swim. They play for a long time in the ocean, and Alex has a great time. Soon though, he is tired. He yawns and stretches as Claire leads him out of the water and back onto the beach.
“Come on, climb onto my back,” she says, and he does. She begins to walk back to the cement house that Alex lives in.
“I don’t want to go back,” Alex mumbles, almost asleep.
“Don’t worry Alex; we’ll go on more adventures. I’ll save you, I promise.”
Alex nods. Just before he drifts off, he whispers something to Claire. She nods and opens her mouth and begins to sing.

”Close your eyes,
Count to ten,
Don’t let go,
I am your friend…”