Shadow Fort

I have a place I love to go. It’s a fort, or a clubhouse, where I can go with friends. We can hang out there, plan neat stuff, eat, and rest. Shadow Fort is my favorite place for lots of reasons.

First of all, there’s plenty of room for a few kids. It’s large (gargantuan to me). The fort is 3 ft. 8 in. high, 5 ft. 3 in. long, and 3 ft. 6 in. wide. There’s a place in back (we call it the pantry) for crackers, grapefruit, avacadoes, potatoes, carrots, berries, and Spanish moss. The roof is made of 4-ft. palm leaves and smaller fronds.

Second, this fort is the first structure I ever built, with the help of my friend Kevin. We built it during a light shower. It was only a few vines that tangled together to make a kind of cave that we could crawl under. We worked fast to put palm fronds and leaves over the vines. “Quick! Let’s get inside!” I shouted to Kevin. We got inside in the nick of time. It began to rain powerfully, and oh how the wind blew! But our fort kept us safe and dry. Later we named it Shadow Fort because it sits in a shady area.

Finally, Shadow Fort is my favorite place because it has everything we need. We keep food in the pantry, a small cot to sit on, and we even have a plywood door. One time Kevin fell out of a tree and hurt his ankle. I helped him back to Shadow Fort where he rested on the cot. Then I made some “dinner”—crackers, carrots, and berries for dessert.

Can you see why Shadow Fort is my favorite place? I hope so. When I’m there, I feel happy as a cat with cream!