The Final Three

I bounded right up onto the wooden writing desk the instant I counted ninety-seven—that means exactly three more to hit one hundred! Resting beside an open kraft notebook was a sheet of shiny red foil star stickers. I pinched the edge of the first star with both plush hands, smoothed it onto the paper, and marched the next two right beside it to build a soaring diagonal runway. Three stars for the final three! When the radiator clinked with an evening rattle, I didn't flinch—I popped onto one soft red foot with both arms flung wide in an electrifying showstopper freeze, celebrating our grand countdown!