12 The Secret Secret

The Secret Secret

"Hey, Andy," said Terry. "Guess what?" "What?" I said. "I've got a secret." "What is it?" "I can't tell you," said Terry. "Why not?" "Because it's a secret," said Terry. "If I told you, then you'd tell somebody else and then it wouldn't be a secret anymore." "I promise I won't tell anybody," I said. "If you tell me, I promise it will stay secret forever and ever." "Promise?" said Terry.

"Pinkie-promise," I said. "With sugar on top." "Okay," said Terry. "Here goes." He leaned in close and whispered the secret in my ear. "Wow," I said. "That's the most amazing secret I've ever heard!" "Promise you won't tell anybody?" said Terry. "Promise you won't tell anybody what?" said Jill, walking into the room. "The amazing secret Terry just told me," I said. "What is it?" said Jill. "I can't tell you," I said. "I promised Terry I wouldn't tell anyone." "It's a secret!" said Terry. "A secret secret."

"Is it about me?" said Jill. "No," I said. "Then tell me, please!" said Jill. "But if we told you," I said, "you'd tell all your animals and they'd tell all the other animals and then it wouldn't be a secret anymore."

"I swear I won't tell any of my animals," said Jill. "Not even Silky?" I said. "Not even Silky," said Jill. "Now please tell me the secret, before I burst!" I looked at Terry. Terry looked at me, and then he nodded. I leaned in close to Jill's left ear and Terry leaned in close to her right ear and we whispered the secret together. Jill's eyes grew wide. "So that's the secret," she said. "That's a good one. Have you told the readers yet?" "No," I said. "There's too many of them. If we told the readers, they'd tell other readers and those readers would tell other readers and soon everybody in the entire world would know the secret and then it wouldn't be a secret anymore!" "Uh-oh," I said. "Here they come." "Who?" said Jill. "The readers!"

I said. "Look." the readers chanted as they streamed through the forest and surrounded our tree.