One morning, Red notices a slender boy sneakily lingering at a nearby stop sign with a quiet, satisfied smile and a small metal object in his hand. Bongo soon joins Red and reminds them that that day is their “sproutday,” or birthday of sorts—Red turned 216 rings old that day. 

Red soon watches as Samar and Stephen each emerge from their homes, each with their backpacks on and ready to take on the day. They only acknowledge each other rather surreptitiously, however. As Stephen makes his way to school, Samar tentatively says “hello,” and Bongo immediately greets Samar with a mimicked hello. Bongo was a fixture at the school, where she was beloved by the children for her playful mischief: “Every now and then, she would even make a polite request. She could say ‘Chip, please,’ ‘No way,’ and ‘You rock,” when it served her purposes” (41). While Red wonders what it would be like to not be so intricately and firmly rooted to the earth—and to be able to fly like Bongo—they wouldn’t trade their own existence for anything.