Going Barefoot - Jennifer Baljko

Adele remembers the kite the most. That’s what she thinks about whenever she thinks about her older brother Harry. Harry’s dead now. Was killed over during the war. Harry had worked in the five and dime that summer, the summer Adele turned 7. One afternoon, he came home with this kite. It was the nicest thing Adele remembers ever seeing. It had a red dragon painted onto the white background, and red and white ribbons trailing down the bottom. Harry took Adele to Beach Haven that afternoon. He bought her cotton candy even. He was happy and handsome, she recalls years later, sipping her green tea. They spent hours running barefoot in the sand, coaxing the wind to pull the kite up, up and away. Adele hoped the wind would take her and Harry up and away, too. Anywhere the wind would take them would be better than anything she had waiting for her in Roman Mill.