The summer was exceptionally hot, and Lotte and her two oldest cousins hurried to finish their chores. In the heat of the afternoon, they headed for a nearby pond surrounded by large trees. After frolicking in the cool water for a while, they stretched out on the grass to be dried by the sun.
Lotte glanced at her new plimsolls. A grin spread across her face, and she couldn’t resist the challenge.
“First up the tree wins,” she shouted at her cousins and tied the shoelaces as fast as she could. Clad in her bathing costume and wonderful birthday shoes, she ran for the highest tree and climbed from branch to branch, like Tarzan.
“I beat you,” Lotte announced in a sing-song voice as soon as she reached the top with a hammering heart.
Jörg, her eldest cousin, shot her a dirty look. “That’s b
