Mateo picked up a pencil. He drew a postage stamp on a thick envelope. Then he held it up to the window. He made a throwing motion. The envelope sailed into the ocean in his mind. It rode a wave that glittered gold in the afternoon light.
Three days passed. Mateo stood by the mailbox. Tap. Tap. Tap. His foot went fast. Tap. Tap. Tap. His foot went slow. Then—rustle. A letter slipped through the slot. He pulled it out. On the front was a watercolor of gray mountains. In the corner, a smudge of white. It looked like snow.
Mateo tapped his tablet. A screen lit up. Elena! he said. She appeared in a bright yellow raincoat. She held up a crayon drawing. It showed a long paper bridge. One end touched a sandy beach. The other end reached a misty mountain. Her nose was smudged green with marker.
Elena giggled. I wanted to show you how we can meet, she said. Let me draw your part. Mateo grinned. He opened a giant roll of paper. He drew on one end. A lighthouse stood tall. A crab scuttled across the sand.
Elena leaned into her camera. She drew on her end. Pine trees climbed a slope. A winding trail led upward. Now lets tape it! Mateo said. He pulled the paper tight. He taped the ends together. His fingers worked the tape strip by strip.
Look! Mateo held up the paper. Two worlds met in the middle. The sandy beach curved toward the mountain trail. The lighthouse stood guard near the pine trees. A bridge connected them all. It was perfect. The crayon lines looked strong and sure.
Mateo taped the paper to his wall. He stepped back. He nodded. A small piece of white paper fluttered down from Elena's end. It drifted through the air and landed softly on his desk. He leaned in to look.
Whats that? Elena's voice came through the tablet. She gasped. She held the paper up to her camera. A six-pointed snowflake sat on the white. I slipped it into my envelope, she said. For you. Her green marker smudge still sat on her nose.
Mateo picked up the snowflake. He carried it to his wall. He taped it next to the lighthouse. The mountain in his drawing seemed to reach toward the beach. The beach seemed to reach toward the mountain. They were connected now.
Mateo opened his tablet. He showed Elena his new drawing. A mountain stood at the edge of his beach. Snow capped its peak. Elena laughed. She laughed so hard her marker cup wobbled. It tipped and rolled. Careful! Mateo said.
Almost knocked it over! Elena said, grinning. Her yellow raincoat glowed bright behind her. Now our worlds really connect, Mateo said. The snowflake caught the light on his wall. The lighthouse stood tall. The mountain at the edge of the beach completed the picture.
Mateo looked at his wall. Then he looked at Elena on the screen. She waved. He waved back. Outside his window, the afternoon sun still glowed gold on the water. He smiled. The map stayed ready for the next adventure.
