Iva Honeysuckle Discovers the World by Candice Ransom Page A

to Lily Pearl.
    â€œWhy wasn’t I born an only child?” Iva said to Sweetlips.
    He put his nose down on his front paws and sighed. He didn’t know, either.
    Iva lay down on the quilt and watched fireflies flickering in the grape arbor. Lily Pearl and Howard played Witchy, May I, leaping from shadow to shadow. Arden’s and Hunter’s faint voices sang, “Went to heaven, went to heaven, went to hea-ven just now. Just now I went to heaven, went to hea-ven just now.”
    The cousins were paired off, having fun, living up to Iva’s mother and Aunt Sissy Two’s grand plan. All but Iva.
    Iva felt at rock bottom. Nothing worse could happen.
    Then she heard something snuffling outside the tent.
    â€œIva? Can I come in?”
    Iva closed her eyes. If she pretended to be dead, Heaven would go away.
    â€œI’ve got something for you.” Heaven’s voice rose in a tantalizing lilt.
    Iva smacked the tent flap open. “What?”
    Heaven steamrollered herself inside the tent, carrying her pillow under her arm.
    â€œDon’t get comfortable,” Iva said. “You’re not staying.” Heaven seemed to take up more room than Arden, Lily Pearl, Howard, and Hunter all together.
    Heaven dug something out from her pillowcase. “I just came back from Cazy Sparkle’s yard sale. I put that TV lamp on layaway and got you this.”
    In the faint light, Iva could make out a skimpy-haired doll in a dusty ruffled skirt. “Thank you, but I don’t play with dolls.”
    â€œIt’s not a doll.” Heaven turned it upside down. “See, you hide your extra roll of toilet paper under the skirt.”
    â€œIn case you haven’t noticed, my tent doesn’t have a bathroom.”
    â€œPut other things inside it,” Heaven said, sliding out a shiny brass sign that said Office . “I cleaned it up for you. Since you’re into that discovering stuff, I thought you’d like this.”
    She did like the sign. And the fact that Heaven finally admitted Iva had a real life’s ambition. “Thanks. I’ll put it on my bedroom door.” Not that it would keep anybody out.
    â€œYou won’t mind if I take the doll back?”
    â€œNo.” Some things never changed.
    â€œI have something else for you,” Heaven said. “Close your eyes and open your mouth.”
    â€œThe last time I did that, I kicked the bottom of my cradle out—”
    â€œIva, just do it!”
    Iva closed her eyes and opened her mouth. Something cool and sweet dropped on her tongue. Butter rum!
    â€œHey, that’s the kind of Life Saver Ludwell gave Daddy when he was a little boy,” she said.
    â€œMy daddy, too,” Heaven said. “My daddy is younger than Uncle Sonny, but he still remembers our great-grandfather. He’s told me a few things about him.”
    â€œYou didn’t come to bring me a toilet paper doll you took back and a Life Saver.” Iva knew Heaven always had an ulterior motive. “What do you want?”
    â€œCan I sleep over?” Heaven asked. “We never do that. Hunter sleeps over with Arden all the time.”
    â€œI know,” Iva said. “I feel like I have three sisters most of the time.”
    â€œWell, can I?”
    They laid down their heads outside the tent. Iva thought about Yard Sale, the world’s cutest kitten that Heaven was allowed to keep at Miz Compton’s house. She thought about Heaven’s job as assistant church-school teacher. She thought about how Heaven hadn’t gotten into trouble for digging in the dump yesterday—well, for leaving tools all over town. Heaven, it seemed, had everything on earth. Why should Iva let her stay over?
    Yet…there was something comforting about her sturdy self lying next to Iva.
    â€œYou’re taking an awful long time,” Heaven said. “I guess that means no.”
    â€œNo. You can