He saw Sasha jumping rope and Joseph kicking a potato. He closely watched Nolan and Oliver playing in the sandbox. Brent landed softly on the crate by the sandbox and shyly said, “Hello.”

Nolan and Oliver stopped digging. They looked at Brent. Nolan blinked.

“A bee!” he said. Oliver, equally surprised, slowly moved back.

Brent looked at the ground sadly. He so wanted some friends. He had planned to have a picnic, but who would want a picnic with a bee?

Suddenly, Sasha and Joseph came over. Sasha kindly said, “Hi Brent. We saw you from the swings.” Joseph added, “Do you want to play?” Brent’s heart did a jump.

He looked from Sasha to Joseph. He could hardly believe it. “Absolutely!” he buzzed.

Brent quickly led them to a shady spot under a bush. He had already set out his picnic. Plates of potato salad and cups of sweet sap sat on a bright blanket.

Brent, Sasha, and Joseph happily ate and chatted. Brent told them about his plan to visit the swamp and see the otters. Sasha told them about her plan to visit the mill and see how they grind the wheat.

After the picnic, they played tag among the reeds by the creek. Brent swiftly zipped, repeatedly tagging Sasha and Joseph.

They played and ran. Brent finally felt like he belonged. He had found some friends, and he knew this summer would be absolutely perfect.