Promise by Judy Young

sandwiches and juice boxes. He handed a sandwich to Yo-Yo as Kubla flew back through the window. Kubla took one look at the open backpack, dropped the matchstick onto the floor, and hopped into the backpack. The backpack looked alive as the crow moved inside, and there was a muffled sound of the bird pecking at the cookie package.
    It wasn’t long before Kubla emerged from the backpackwith a cookie in his beak and darted quickly through the open window.
    â€œHe’ll go over to the dead limb on that tree,” Kaden said without standing up to look. But Yo-Yo watched attentively as the bird dove downward. Just as Kaden said, it landed on a large dead limb. The limb was near the top of the tallest tree but the tree reached only half the height of the tower.
    â€œCrows can’t hang on to things with their feet,” Kaden explained. “He’ll bite down and get a little bit but most of it will crumble and fall. Then he’ll fly down to eat the pieces. When he’s finished, he’ll be back for another but I won’t let him have any more.”
    Kaden wolfed down his sandwich and stood up. He went over to the metal chest, opened the lid, and dropped in the backpack. The lid slammed shut just as Kubla returned. Squawking, Kubla jumped up on the lid, then jumped to Kaden’s shoulder and gave it a peck.
    â€œOuch! No!” Kaden exclaimed, pushing the bird off. “He’s mad he doesn’t get seconds,” he told Yo-Yo.
    Yo-Yo had been so engrossed watching Kubla, he’d only taken one bite of his sandwich. Before he knew what was happening, a flutter of wings came toward his hand. The bird grabbed at the sandwich and made his getaway, taking most of the sandwich with him.
    Kaden laughed at Yo-Yo’s startled expression. “Snooze, you lose,” he said, “especially with peanut butter sandwiches. They’re his favorite.”
    Yo-Yo looked toward the dead limb. Kubla stood with the bread hanging from his beak.
    â€œThat’s why I made three,” Kaden said. “I figured Kubla would get one somehow.”
    Kaden opened the chest again, pulled out the backpack, and tossed it to Yo-Yo. Yo-Yo reached into the backpack but quickly pulled his hand back out.
    â€œGross!” he exclaimed, holding up his hand. A thick gooey white glob covered his fingers. Kaden laughed.
    â€œIt’s not funny,” Yo-Yo said, but Kaden kept laughing.
    â€œGive me your canteen.”
    â€œWon’t do any good. You used up all the water washing off poison ivy but there’s an old rag in there.” Kaden pointed to the chest.
    Yo-Yo opened the chest. “Wow, there’s a bunch of stuff in here.”
    As Yo-Yo wiped off his hand Kaden carefully removed the extra sandwich and the bag of cookies from the backpack. He turned the backpack inside out and took the rag from Yo-Yo.
    â€œIt didn’t get on the sandwich or the cookies,” Kaden said as he wiped the bird’s droppings from the backpack. With hisindex finger and thumb, Yo-Yo picked up a small corner of the sandwich’s baggie and held it up for inspection. Satisfied, he ripped open the baggie and took a big bite.
    Kubla flew back through a window. Yo-Yo turned his back on the bird but Kubla was undeterred. He reached over Yo-Yo’s shoulder and tried to nab the sandwich. Kaden reached out and took hold of the bird. “You’ve had enough, you little pig. Let Yo-Yo eat.”
    Yo-Yo finished his sandwich and started rummaging through the chest. Pushing aside a book, a pad of paper, and a wadded-up T-shirt, he inspected an assortment of rocks and feathers. He picked up a turtle shell and then looked inside a small box, which held some dried butterflies and a cicada shell. On the bottom of the chest was a long, flat metal tool with a wooden handle. The metal was smooth on one side, but sharp pointy teeth completely covered the other side.
    â€œWhat’s this?” he