The Unpainted Support

Ages 12-15

Ettel reaches the outdoor display while the others are already setting it up.

A tall painted model stands in the middle. Two girls adjust its roof. Another places a sign beside it.

Ettel lifts one loose roof piece.

"That's mine," a girl says.

Ettel puts it down.

Beside the model, a flat wooden support lies unused on the ground. It has no paint or sign. Ettel picks it up.

"What goes on this?"

The girl holding the roof points to a long side piece.

"That. It keeps tipping."

Ettel lays the support beneath it.

The side piece tilts toward the model. Ettel moves the support outward.

The girl lifts it into place. Ettel stays beside the unpainted support.

"A little farther," someone says.

Ettel slides the support another inch. The side piece stops touching the model.

One girl brings the sign over. She sets it in front, covering half the bare wood.

Ettel moves the sign back so it does not push the side piece.

The roof settles into its final place.

Around it, the girls lean toward the finished painted parts. At their feet, Ettel's unpainted support holds the side piece level.