In “Five” by N.E. Garnier, the narrator describes one night of her childhood. She remembers raking leaves, “marching around the world,” and staying out until dark. I liked this piece because I am the eldest of four, and I too used to spend time playing with my sisters.

In “Five,” the author identifies the characters by age instead of name. This confused me at first, but after I reread it a few times, I found it easier to understand. In fact, it helped me relate to the characters to know how old they were.

At the end of the article, the narrator looks at a picture of Three, Five, Nine, and Eleven playing in the leaf pile that they had raked so long ago. She remembers how much fun she had that night. Of the four, the author reveals that she was Five.