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Chichi looked at the big heap of autumn leaves. Her ears stood straight up. “I will build the most TREMENDOUS tower!” she said. She rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
She grabbed a pile. She stacked it up. She grabbed another pile. She stacked that too. The tower grew and grew — and so did Chichi's smile.
Run, grab, stack! Run, grab, stack! Chichi was quick as the wind. The tower was already as tall as the garden gate. “Tremendous!” she cheered.
But the top was very, very high. Chichi stretched her arms. She rose on her tiptoes. She could not quite reach. She needed to be braver and bolder.
“I am brave!” Chichi told herself. She crouched low. She JUMPED — up, up, up! Her fingers brushed the leaves. But it was not enough. Not yet.
She jumped one more time. WHOOOOSH! The tower shook. It swayed. It tumbled — leaves flew everywhere like a wild orange snowstorm! Chichi sat in the middle of the pile, blinking. “Oh,” she said.
Then big footsteps came padding across the grass. It was Benny! “Chichi, what happened here?” he asked, eyes wide. “I was building a tremendous tower,” said Chichi, “but it fell.”
“Then let us build it together,” said Benny. He lifted Chichi high above his head. She placed each leaf carefully, one by one. Her paws were steady. Her heart was fast.
Run, grab, stack — together! The tower rose higher than the gate. Higher than the fence. Higher than before! “Tremendous!” they both shouted at the very same time.
Chichi and Benny looked at each other. They grinned. Then they JUMPED into the tower. WHOOOOSH! Leaves burst into the sky like bright fireworks. They laughed and laughed and laughed.
They sat in the warm, rustling pile, side by side. “Tremendous things,” said Chichi quietly, “are even better with a friend.” Benny nodded and tossed one last leaf into the golden sky.
