The Almost Endless Summer(Peter J Barbour) The Almost Endless Summer
Peter J Barbour
Word count 2372

Jonathan and Amy lived in the Valley of the Black Dog. They had a daughter named Etta, a sweet young girl with long, thick, raven-dark hair, dark eyes, and a round face. Etta’s cheeks dimpled and her eyes sparkled when she smiled. At the age of six, each morning as the sun’s first light appeared over the eastern mountains, she rose with her father, ate breakfast, and fed Oscar, their big black dog. As he walked towards her, his giant bushy tail cut the air behind him like a giant dorsal fin. He had long floppy ears covered in long black fur, which complemented his fluffy black coat and full lion-like mane. In the summer months, when Etta had no school, she helped her father move sheep from their pens by their home to the foothills where she and Oscar watched the sheep graze until mid-day. Once her chores were complete, Etta would sit down to a mid-day meal with her father and mother. When they finished eating Amy would work with Etta to reinforce what Etta had learned in school about reading, writing, and working with numbers.

“Before we read,” Etta asked, “please tell me, again, about my cousins, Justin, Jake, and Elan. They tended the sheep, didn’t they? Just like me?”

“I thought we were going to do some reading today,” Amy replied.

“Can you tell me a story about Justin, Jake, and Elan, first?” Etta looked at Amy with her large innocent disarming eyes.

“Okay,” Amy said as she reflected on Etta’s cousins who had left the Valley of the Black Dog months before Etta was born to explore the high eastern mountains. Etta had never met her cousins but still felt a strong connection to them. Family was very important. Uncle Josh and Aunt Melissa, Justin’s and Jake’s parents, still lived in the valley, as did Uncle Sam and Aunt Sandee, Elan’s parents, and Etta visited them regularly.

“We will still do reading later,” Amy instructed Etta. She thought for a moment before she started her story.

“You know how we enjoy the cycle of seasons that brings us change throughout each year? Well, there was one year, before you were born, when we thought summer would never end. Summer had dragged on longer than usual, and it seemed that fall would never arrive. The rivers and ponds were drying up, and the grass had all turned brown. It was a very unusual time, without explanation for why this was happening.

Each day, in the early evening, before the sun set, while there was still plenty of light, Jake and Elan would meet Justin in the same hills where you and Dad tended the sheep today. They helped Justin bring the sheep home. Justin was ten years old and Jake and Elan were about your age. Oscar was young then and not nearly as skilled at tending sheep as he is now.

One particular afternoon that summer, just before Jake and Elan were set to arrive, Justin noticed that Oscar had disappeared. Justin stuck his crook in the ground. He left a note for his brother Jake and cousin Elan that he was going to look for Oscar. He asked them to take the sheep home, if he wasn’t there when they arrived.”

“Wasn’t that when the nights were very dark before there were stars and a moon to brighten the night? What if the sun went down before Justin found Oscar? It would be too dark for him to find his way home.” Etta asked, concerned.

“I’m not sure Justin thought that far ahead,” Amy responded. “Justin figured, that if he got to higher ground he could see all around. He called for Oscar as he walked. “Oscar, that’ll do,” he called. “Oscar, that’ll do.”

Etta looked up and imitated her mother, “Oscar, that’ll do.”

Amy smiled and continued. “But, still no Oscar. Justin got to the top of the tallest rise and looked out over the valley. He could see the village below with smoke rising from the chimneys and the fields of ripening corn and patches of green. He could see all the way to the river where boats full of goods were making their way to market, but he couldn’t see Oscar anywhere.”

He decided to walk to the next rise. As he got farther from home the sun began to set and darkness descended on the Valley of the Black Dog. There were no stars or moon to light the way; and without the sunlight, dark meant very dark. It was so dark Justin couldn’t see his hand in front of his face. He could feel the ground begin to rise as he walked. He took small careful steps to avoid tripping over rocks or roots. Once near the top of the hill, he could see the village and the faint glow of light in the windows of the homes below. This allowed him to have a direction in which to walk, and find his way back home."

“Was he scared?” Etta asked, as she felt frightened for him.

“I think he may have been scared before he got to the top of the hill. Once able to orient himself, he felt more confident; but the way home still meant going through several deep gullies between hills where there was no light. He took a deep breath and started to descend the hill in the direction of the village. At night, especially in the high country, the temperature drops. The cool air causes ground fog to form, and Justin became enveloped in the heavy damp mist. He tried to keep to a straight line, occasionally stumbling over a bush or branch. He managed to stumble onto a straight stick that he used for balance as he made his way into the depression between the hills. Suddenly, the ground disappeared beneath his feet, and he began to slide down the hill. He tried to keep his feet below him and his head up. The ground was a very slick, and he picked up speed as he descended. Down and down he slipped, unable to stop, as hard as he tried to brake his fall with his hands and feet. The descent gradually became less steep; he lost speed, and came to rest gently at the bottom. It was very dark where he landed, but he thought he saw a faint glow of light in the distance. In the dense dark haze, it was difficult to judge how far. He brushed himself off and decided he would see whether there were people by the light.”

Etta’s eyes were wide, her mouth agape. “Poor Justin,” she said.
“Weren’t Aunt Melissa and Uncle Josh concerned when Justin didn’t come home?”

“When Jake and Elan didn’t find Justin with the herd, and they read the note that Justin had left them, they did as Justin asked. They took the herd back to the holding pen. Then, they told Aunt Melissa. No one was concerned at first. Then the sun went down, and darkness descended on the valley. Justin and Oscar hadn’t come home. Aunt Melissa found Uncle Josh in the vegetable garden and told him what happened. He made a torch with rags and a big stick and went to get Uncle Jon and Uncle Sam. They headed to the pasture.

‘Justin, Justin!’ they called, but there was no answer. ‘Oscar!’ they called, and suddenly there was a rustling of grass and pounding of paws as Oscar came running to them.

Uncle Jon grabbed Oscar, looked him in the eyes, and said, ‘Oscar, go get Justin.’ Oscar leaped in the air and headed out into the darkness.

“Oscar, go get Justin!” Etta shouted, with a smile on her face aglow with hope. Then her expression changed, and she became perplexed. “How was Oscar going to find Justin in the foggy darkness?”

Amy took up her tale again. “Justin started to walk in the direction of the light, the ground was soft and the air smelled damp. He had managed to hold on to his stick when he fell and found that helpful in guiding his way. As he approached the light he heard voices. He stopped to listen and tried to decide if whoever was there was friendly or not.

‘We’ve been looking for weeks, and I don’t think we are any closer to finding it. We can’t stay here.’ Someone said.

‘Remind me why we are still looking under rocks?’ Someone asked.

‘You’re right. Maybe, it’s not under a rock,’ someone else replied.

‘We’ve already looked in the bushes and combed the grass.’

‘I guess we can look in the trees. That gets us closer to the clouds.’

‘Trees are too tall. I don’t like heights. Might as well look in the clouds, but I don’t know how to reach them?’

As Justin continued to listen, he became curious. He decided to make his presence known. He didn’t want to scare anyone. He called out to the group sitting around a campfire.

‘Hello,’ Justin called. ‘I’m Justin. I’m lost. May I join you?’

‘Are you real, or are you a ghost? We can’t see you in this infernal darkness. Please step into the light.’ Someone called.

Justin came closer. He could see several people sitting around the fire. They didn’t look much older than he. Their clothes were ragged and dirty. Their hair was caked with mud. Each was gaunt and appeared underfed. They sat in the dirt around a fire.

‘I am real,’ Justin said as he stepped into the light. ‘I got lost in the darkness then slid into this ravine. May I ask, who you are?’

‘He is real,’ someone said, with surprise and relief. ‘That’s good, I’m not fond of ghosts,’ and then he began to introduce his company. ‘This is my sister, Spring. That’s my other sister, Summer. That’s our brother, Fall, and I’m Winter. Summer is warm, here in the North. Spring and Fall are our colorful siblings. I’m Winter. I’ve been accused of being a little cold and harsh. I apologize in advance.’

Justin could see through the dirt on their clothes that Spring was wearing a shirt with light blue, pink, and purple. Fall was wearing orange, yellow, brown, and red. Summer wore green, and winter wore a dreary gray.

‘I’m Justin,’ he said again. ‘Are you lost like me? I overheard you talking. What are you looking for?’ Justin inquired.

‘Fall is a clumsy oaf,’ Winter said as he looked at Fall. ‘I’m sorry, brother, but it’s true.’ Winter looked back at Justin. ‘He fell through the hole in the clouds. Loyal brother and sisters that we are, we had to retrieve him. I told Spring to keep an eye on the location of the hole in the clouds when we came through so it would be easy to return the way we came. She got turned around and confused. Now, we are lost. I’m sure Mother Nature misses us and doesn’t know where we’ve gone.‘

Spring, Fall and Summer sadly shook their heads in agreement.

‘Each year as the days grow longer,’ Winter continued, “Our most beautiful sister, Spring, emerges. The snows melt, flowers appear and the earth is replenished. Spring gives way to our sister Summer, and the plants mature, bear fruit, and vegetables ripen. As the days grow shorter, it’s our brother Fall’s turn to retreat in a spectacular display of beauty before it’s my turn to put everything to sleep under a blanket of snow. Then the cycle begins again. We came here through the hole in the clouds when sister Summer was at her peak. Now, Summer has gone on too long. Fall has gotten restless, and it is time to go home, so he can take over. If we stay here, there will be no change in seasons, and an endless summer isn’t good. It will cause the world to warm, northern snowcaps will melt and the oceans will rise. We are lost, and logic would suggest the best way home is back the way we came, but the clouds seem out of reach from here. I’m not very happy with Fall right now or Spring for that matter. Perhaps, we’ll skip fall this year and go straight into winter, if only we could.‘

‘There are mountains to the east of the valley. Have you noticed that clouds frequently surround the mountain and seem to poke right up through them? Perhaps, you can find the hole in the clouds that way?’ Justin suggested.

‘Certainly, we haven’t had much luck looking under rocks,’ Summer said with distain.

The four seasons invited Justin to stay by the fire until morning when the rising sun would return with the light. That seemed to make sense. He could not find his way in the darkness safely. Fall graciously shared his spot by the fire with Justin. Soon they all were asleep. In the dark of night, just before dawn, Justin was startled awake by something tickling his cheek. He awoke to find Oscar licking him. He gave Oscar a hug and looked around for the others. He was alone, no fire or sign that Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter had ever been there. He and Oscar climbed to the top of the hill, oriented themselves in the direction of the village, and started to head home. As he turned to go, he looked at the eastern mountains where the clouds obscured the peaks and appeared to cascade down their slopes like a white waterfall. Suddenly, as the sun peaked through a break in the clouds, a rainbow appeared.’

“Did Winter, Fall, Summer, and Spring get home?” Etta asked, concerned for their welfare.

“They must have,” Amy answered. “What seemed like an endless summer, that summer, finally moved into fall. Our seasons have been normal since. I just wish Winter were less harsh.

“Did Justin get into trouble for staying out all night? Was he on Grammie’s bad list?” Etta was still concerned.

“You’ll have to ask Uncle Josh, dear. I’m sure that he would know. Now, enough procrastination, go get your book. I want to hear you read."

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