The Hay Fight

"Hey, Jim," Hailey called.

He looked up at the top of the haystack where she sat, and flinched at the rain of dried alfalfa that hit his face. Glaring in mock anger at her laughing green eyes, he said, "Don't make me come up there.”

"Oooh, scary!" Hailey deliberately flicked another handful of hay at him, daring him to make good on the threat.

"That's it." Arming himself with two handfuls of the prickly stuff, Jim leapt up the side of the stack. Hailey screamed and made a half-hearted attempt to get away, which was quickly foiled by Jim's much longer legs. Catching her arm, he rubbed hay into her long, sun-blonde hair.

"Oh! How could you?" Hailey yanked her arm away, snatched up another handful of hay, and launched herself at Jim. The two of them fell into the cushiony bales, Hailey trying to get hay down the neck of Jim's shirt. Jim's struggle to stop her quickly became a moot point as they rolled across the bales and the itchy fodder worked its way inside their clothes to cover them both.

The rolling across the stack halted when Hailey got stuck in a space between two bales. Jim grabbed his advantage and pushed her in deeper, widening the gap.

"No! Don't put me in the crack!" She struggled futilely as she sank deeper, giggling helplessly.

Jim laughed wickedly. "You started it," he reminded her, planting his knee on her ribs in order to hold her down.

"So what? Let me up!"

"Why?"

"I'm gonna put YOU in the crack!" Hailey kicked and writhed, making it difficult for Jim to hold her.

"Fat chance." Jim laughed, easily holding her down.

"Jim!" Hailey demanded. "Let me up! I don't like the crack!"

"Poor baby. Cry about it."

Hailey's eyes suddenly widened as something occurred to her. She went still. "Jim," she said, "what would Dan think if he saw us right now?"

Jim sobered. What would the camp director think? "Even worse," he suggested, "what would the kids think?"

Hailey exploded into giggles. "This looks really bad, doesn't it?"

Jim stared at her in disbelief. "You think that's funny?" he asked.

"Can you imagine the look on Dan's face?" Hailey could hardly breathe.

Despite himself, Jim grinned. "He'd probably send us home." He stood up and, taking Hailey's hands, pulled her out of the crack.

Trying to keep her balance on top of the bales while shaking hay out of her clothes and hair proved too difficult for Hailey, so she jumped nimbly down from the haystack and grinned up at Jim. "At least I'm out of the crack," she said, smirking. Laughing, she ran lightly around the barn, stopping by the horse trough. She began rinsing the alfalfa dust out of her hair with the nearby hose.

Shaking his head, Jim slid down the side of the haystack and followed her. As he approached, Hailey looked up.

"Stay back," she warned. "I haven't forgiven you for putting me in the crack."

Jim gauged the distance, then dove for the hose. A brief struggle ensued. Within minutes, Jim stood back, dripping yet triumphant, the hose in his possession.

An equally soaked Hailey did not pause for a second. Stooping, she grabbed a horse bun and, with unerring accuracy, pitched it at Jim's face.