A Strange Day in July(Michelle Ballantyne) A Strange Day in July

Based on a Harris Burdick Caption and Picture by: Michelle Ballantyne



SKIP! SKIP! SKIP! SKIP! SKIP!

“Wow! I got five skips in a row!” the mysterious lad exclaimed, spending heaps of respectable delight and honour in his magnificent circumstance.


SKIP! SKIP! SKIP!
“Aw man, I only got three skips this time!” he uttered as tremendous sorrow poured out of his weary mouth.

I watched with wonder as he threw with all his might, but the third stone came skipping back. I gaped at the very thought of what just happened. WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED? It was unspeakably weird, as, rubbles of rigid rocks rumbled my newly scarred knees. It all ensued too hasty.


TRIP! CRASH! BANG!

“Ouch!” both of our wretched bodies screamed out in glorious distress.

I felt as if it was you just fell off your bike, although you didn’t have adequate time to prepare your future fall; in my particular situation, I was caught off guard. It hurt gravely. My knees were therefore scarred, my legs had endured most of the pain, causing seeming less more bruises than I would have ever got. My head was sure in one of those migraines. All this agony gave my body the official overall sting and throbbing.

I queried this anonymous organism thoroughly, in result of the fact that I had never seen this young whippersnapper before, living on this planet. Muddy, rich, burgundy shoes made his scratchy, green, velvety trousers materialize no more appealing than his multiple stained jade green T-shirt. Greasy strands of ginger fibre piled up on his mildly normal sized head. This young boy seemed like Oscar the Grouch, all greasy and not well-kept. Hold on, I appeared to miss something! I lowered my glance towards his eyes.

They were amazingly beautiful, that included shimmering golden yellow, gentle baby blue, and hard vermillion green colors dancing around in his joyful iris. While soft, black strands stayed in his eye, locked forever to stay in his kind gentle sense of being. Waiting for someone to unravel the somewhat secret trapped in this wonderful nine year old boy’s only vision to the big yet small world.

My shiny luxurious golden locks of sandy blond hair trampled on my fairly small head. That helped draw oblivious, unwanted attention away from plain brown eyes possessed by me. A white and purple floral dress flowed in the warm breeze of July. Oh how the delightful touch tingled my shattered nerves. That certain touch it gave you was similar to when you laid in the grass on that nice summer day. I loved the summer especially in Sidney, Texas.

On the other hand, my petite feet concealed in my cozy, pastel blue running shoes stayed toasty warm. I’m nine years old identical to the boy next to me seemingly staring into space. Well this is awkward I quietly thought to myself, wondering how to start up conversation.

“Hello, my name is Emily; what’s your name?” I kindly accompanied my friendly smile.

He seemed to blankly stare at me; as if he just noticed I was there.

“Hi! My name is John!” an unexpectedly upbeat person seemed to outburst with joy.

Out of the blue, John hurriedly left our hemisphere of grateful fun to go use the washroom in the fetid bushes a few metres back in the trenches of the future sticky unexpectedly edible leafy greens.

When I thought no-one was watching me, I carefully placed the gracious caterpillars out of my secret compartment pocket trapped in the seamless seam of my luscious dress. They were my precious pets; I gained authority towering over them at the age of five. I knew it was time to send them back. The caterpillars softly wiggled in my hand spelling out ‘goodbye’. They have brought me such luck and still wanted happiness.

Then again, I tenderly declined the soon to be beautiful butterflies from my nervous palm into the lake one by one. They were known to evolve into wonderful new insects in any type of water. No wonder I had chosen that peculiar ocean liner, just to see what would happen in that lovely blue-green H2O, it had that hint of glittery shine that makes you want to jump right into it.

I turned to see John waiting for my ritual to be over. After that, we talked until our parents found our loud laughter, and gigantic smiles planted on our faces and in our hearts.

“Emily, I got to go! I’ll talk to you later, okay?” the ideal boy gently acknowledged me.

I nodded with armfuls of satisfaction.

“Bye John!” I yelled to the backs of him and his family.

John frantically waved with a twist of his fine wrist then that delightful, blood and flesh, man-made mammal disappeared behind those humongous rows of full fir trees, and prickly pine trees.

TWO HOURS LATER!

I was casually walking to my humble home when I saw him! He was standing in front of a typical house. There was something in peculiar about that house. It was glowing and partly off the moist, sheer ground. Oh my gosh! It’s lifting off the flat ground! What the heck is this? Why is this happening?

“It was a perfect lift-off.” John eerily corresponded to himself.

“John! What’s happening?” I frantically screamed.

“Nothing horrible is happening, Emily.” John remarked.

“Well, how do you explain this?” I widely gestured, emphasising the parity lifted house.

All of a sudden; everything went back to the way it should. I was completely and unspeakably utterly confused about what just evented.

“Come on, Emily, follow me!” John unexpectedly retorted my joy.

He showed me his room. There was a horrifying, astounding wall paper in that room. It was pale aquamarine blue backdrop and graceful eggshell white doves plastered on those walls. Nevertheless, something was different about the part of the awesome wallpaper near the well-kept window; there seemed to be some odd birds replaced by the great backdrop. I glanced out the window. Then I slammed it shut with all the might I had retained.

“It all began when someone left the window open.” John quietly rejoined.

“What happened, that someone had to leave the window open for it to happen?” I swiftly regained my breath from all this strange stuff circulating me.

BANG!


“WHAT WAS THAT SOUND?” I screamed my head off 720 degrees around my traumatized body.

“Run, Emily!” John swiftly, yet quietly hollered.

“WAIT! YOU DIDN’T ANSWER MY QUESTION!” I gaudily paced to keep up with him.

“Emily, it’s just my grandpa, he’s a terribly confused man for that matter.” John replied to my annoying substance.

We saw a very aged man. He seemed crazy caused by his hand flapped in the air. Both of us gasped when we looked at the old man’ feet; it was Johns’ grandpa. An angled chair was in the meaty hands of this overly being. He was glowering over…. Nothing…. There was nothing there!

“John! What is he doing?” I asked through the dust debris.

“I told you, he’s elderly confused, he is seeing something right now; I don’t know what though.” John said with that same amount of annoyance.

“…… Okay…… sorry for bugging you.” I softly retorted his hurtful words.

“Two weeks pasted, and it happened again!” John impatiently replied to the occurrence, “Grandpa!” John hopped into action, saving his poor, misunderstood grandparent.

“Sonny, thank you so much; I don’t know what I’d do without you!” A raspy voiced splattered.

The grandpa did a double-take when he saw me, and silently left the room. We happened to follow him. When we found him, he was already comfortably seated in that deluxe armchair.

There was this news reporter on the magic TV box. All of a sudden, she disappeared and a picture showed a huge church with a group standing and staring at this floating chair. There was odd orderly organism in the floating chair! THIS IS SO WEIRD! How strange this is beginning to get!

“The fifth one ended up in France.” The news reporter loudly rejoined.

SNORE!

“Well; it seems like grandpa is asleep. Let’s go to the basement.” John retorted.

We creaked down each step, and I glimpsed towards the tiny door. Right then, I gaped with my shocked being. Astounding agony of fear filled me up. I ran up the stairs like a scared camel. John faithfully followed. My heart was pounding. I was sure I saw the doorknob turn!

“Okay Emily, I’ll be right back; so you just calm down.” John casually acknowledged me.

I crept up the stairs, towards the place John was last seen. When I got in his room; there were two glowing lights.

A tiny voice asked, “Is he the one?”

“John! Wake up!” as scare flowed through my screaming mouth.

The suspicious lights automatically disappeared in thin air.

John leaped out of bed, “Follow me, I’ll show you the rest of the house.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE GOING TO SHOW ME THE REST OF THE HOUSE? THERE WAS JUST CREEPY LIGHTS SOMEWHAT STALKING YOU!” I howled.

“Emily, I don’t know what those were, nonetheless I want to show you the rest of the house now!” John favourably reclaimed.

I followed him thoughtfully, thinking about what just happened. We happened to go in the door of the kitchen. There was an odd person there. She lowered her knife and it grew even brighter. There was a glowing pumpkin there; what the heck is this?

“John? How come that lassie has a glowing pumpkin, with a knife?” I wailed.

“Oh, that is just my sister!” John nonchalantly declared.

John casually left the doorway and went into another girls’ room!

We peeked through the door, “She was reading that book from Mr. Lindens library; I guess she fell asleep. LOOK! He had warned her about the book, now it was too late.” John whispered; somehow not wanting to wake her up.

“OH MY GOSH! JOHN YOU GOT TO HELP HER!” I displayed seeming less distress and torment.

He silently shut the door. Lastly he led me towards the private art room. There was a wide variety of wonderful pictures that was way underestimated. I tried to defuse the meaning of most of the painting.

“This one is ‘Missing in Venice’, even with her mighty engines in reverse, the ocean liner was pulled further and further in the canal.” John said.

“What about this one?” I asked thoughtfully.

“It’s called ‘Captain Tory’s Ship’.” John loudly proclaimed, “He swung his lantern three times and slowly the schooner appeared.”

“Wow! What about this one?” I gladly said.

“It’s called ‘Another place, another time’.” John said with pride, “If there was an answer, he’d find it there.”

“Ohmygosh John, these are beautiful. Who made them?” I asked.

“Harris something, it’s in complete sorrow that I don’t know that fine lads last name on the contrary.” John sadly reclaimed.

John starting walking away from this private art room, and I obediently followed him.

“John, what is this house?” I practically hollered in his left ear.

“What do you mean? This is my home!” John didn’t answer my question; as usual.

“WELL, THIS HOUSE IS SO ODD, STRANGE, AND WEIRD!” I shrieked.

John tugged on my flouncy dress, as if he ignored my fumes and rage. He led me towards his front door.

“Bye, Emily! I’ll have to go now. I’ll see you soon, okay?” as he slammed the filthy door in my face.

“OKAY, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?” I yelled with all the energy I had left.

I was shocked, it was so strange. Well, this has been the strangest day of my life! I marked the date down on my calendar…. It all happened on ‘July. 21st, 1812, I climbed into my covers and dreamt about what just happened, trying to fulfill the empty holes in my brain and soul.

I’ll have to find out about John, he seems like a great person, although, he just seems a little off for a nine year old. One of these days, I’ll ask him a jillion questions. I’ll find out what happened on this strange day in July, or I’ll just figure it out myself.

Unexpectedly, John never came back to our place where we had become such amazing friends…. I learned yesterday that he will never come back. Then again, I lived today to regain my grand feelings of spiritual, physical, and mental state of being and wonder; caused by the hard, cold fact of truth that I’ll never see him again!

On the contrary, I always have and always will hope that for tomorrow; John will turn the other way and be lead towards our faith to be together. Nevertheless, my ambition and drive for the hope of John prancing his graceful attitude back into the currently terrible life, given to me, by the eternal creator, dissolved and transformed into forgetfulness and emptiness.

Soon enough, John fled my demented mind, everything I was after disappeared in thin air. Nothing was the same after those feelings of hardship, heartbreak, and gloomy sorrow. It might seem a smudge too much of overreacting, nonetheless ‘love at first sight’ distanced greatness for the hope of graceful John and I’s future. I loved John, right at the moment when I saw his excellent appearance of his eyes. Something was missing; nothing was the same.

NINE YEARS LATER!

TRIP! CRASH! BANG!

“Ouch!” I and an oddly familiar human being hollered in anguish.

A wave of de JA vu overwhelmed my head glazed with agony of annoyance and pain. I gazed towards that really, rude, red-headed of a man who appeared like somebody I was acquaints with long ago. Anyways, this horrible man mortified me more grandly than one pitiful way.

A relaxing wave of comfort and happiness healed and sealed my broken feelings as I caught a glimpse of those eyes. Those eyes I hadn’t seen in what seemed like forever. This was it; everything went back to normal; well as normal as it can be. The empty rat hole burrowed into my tearful soul was compacted with secure serenity.

“Is that you, John?” I steadily hesitated.

“Hi Emily” John casually responded to my excited nerves.

“Follow me!” I tugged on his black, bumpy bundle up.

I lead him towards our forgotten place. We stood there; in deep silence.

“My parents banned me from ever coming here the moment I told them about the skipping stones. They said there’s a legend. They have religious beliefs, so I didn’t worry about it; although I couldn’t do anything about it.” John grimaced, with that look of hatred. He acted as though this was a crime scene.

“What legend?” I asked as curiosity flooded in my goose-bumped body.

“Come on and follow me!” John productively communicated.

He took my hand and led me towards the almost abandoned library, owned by Mr. Linden. Once we got there, John instantly logged onto that old, fetid, strong- stenching, musty computer.

“See, here it is!” John commented to my boredom.

I swiftly scanned through that crazy long article. On the other hand, there was a part of information that made me grasp for the chance of vomiting my internal organs released from my scarred mouth; in result from that terribly grand length type of article. There was a certain part that managed to get my desirable attention:

In the early days of 1812, any living organism found at Dove Lake was to be whirled into the brine abyss of the lake by a swirling, navy green, slimy, four-eyed, water-breathing, 7FOOT8 monstrosity. Especially those who disturbed its peaceful slumber by dropping any sort of inanimate object that happened to be placed near or in that putrid body of water. The lake is now wasted as the date of 1821, June. Submitted by: Archie Smith

“My parents said I’m lucky enough to even be alive and they said I couldn’t go there AGAIN! I didn’t have enough money for transportation or schooling, so I couldn’t see you to tell you that horrible finding.” John explained thoroughly.

I nodded with understanding.

“John… we are going to find that horrid monster!” I yipped with determination.

John didn’t seem to care, so he just followed me, like a trained puppy. Aha, he hasn’t changed one bit! That moment that just occurred was when you just encountered an old friend you haven’t seen in such a long time; of course you had felt that at least once in your life! Everyone has friends! It’s just the true ones that mean the most; just like John, although, just his looks differ, therefore saving his entitled personality. During the next few months we studied, learned, and practiced strategies. We learned information, and techniques; in order to be sure that we would not have the slightest chance of failing. The atmosphere when this evented was alike to that time you studied really hard for your test, depending on your work ethic, you would either fail really badly; or score the best score in the class; John and I are hoping that we will have that second option.

THREE MONTHS LATER!

“Let’s go!” John and I stared at each other, encouraging one another to go first.

We seemed to go at the same time, though.

“Okay, so I’ll go under this mucky water and you’ll keep watch!” I fierily remarked towards that unusually quiet and still friend of mine known by the name ‘John’.

I glanced towards the full, green rows of pine and fresh fir trees, where I swore I had saw a person once stand. I confidently shrugged. They’ll have to get past John first. Meanwhile, I had to get into that horrifying, algae-packed water. I saw things that words couldn’t explain. I started swimming for the surface of that horrid location.

“AHHHHH!” I screamed as the face belonging to the frightening monster – which was supposedly a ‘myth’—went all up in my shocked face.

The monster was all slimy deep avocado green. Counting endless fins and gills splattered on its head, legs, and arms. You could already taste the saltiness of his needless scent. Weird squirming sounds were all you could hear. Haze and white mist were all in the package of the encounter with the dreaded monster. That feel it has when you touched it, it was as if you had just put your hand in wet bubble-gum. It was horrifying the way it looked; just imagine a monster going up to your face! Where is John! The emotions I felt was like you were in one of those action-packed/horror movies, and you were just put into the worst situation imaginable. Yes, I know you know that particular emotion, because I’m pretty sure everyone has seen multiple movies, just saying.

I swiftly swam up to the all of a sudden surface I really, really hoped to reach.

SLAP!

Aha! My flipper slowed that excuse for a water-breather. I gasped for an oxygen sucker to inhale vitamin rich air into my wretched lungs. It’s similar to when you try to be all pro and swim to the bottom of the deep end side of the pool, but in my certain scenario I for sure almost failed there. After unexpectedly regaining my breath, I suddenly noticed that something was missing.

“John, are you there?” I managed to get out in that heavy atmosphere.

I saw something climb out of the water and take off its head? It’s a he? He slowly walked towards me.

“Emily, I’m that guy who wrote that article you read about Dove Lake.” This random person acted as if nothing serious was going on.

I didn’t know what to do, so I screamed out to that disrespectful man, “What did you do with John?”

“I don’t know, although, he was the one to put you up to this; he faked the whole thing and purposely bumped into you, to make it seem as though it was accidental. His parents are long gone by all means, and they never had any religious beliefs. I gave him all I could give him. Money for transportation anytime and schooling he would need to be able to qualify to go to Harvard; it’s not even close to possible, but why should I even think about giving up the opportunity of breaking hearts and making future cash?” he replied to my clenched fist attached to his far-fetched costume.

I let go, and yelled with all the strength I had left, “LIAR! I don’t believe you for one second. You’re the one who put my dearest friend up to this, and you’ll pay!”

“He’s the one who did this to you, Emily! He’s gone. He’s never going to return! You might think he’s going to come back, but think again, because it’s not going to happen. John is never going to be with you! I should know I put him up for adoption. No-one wanted him, so he just ran into the strangest house. He named the lake ‘Dove Lake’ because for some odd reason he has dove wallpaper in his childhood room. I bet it’s a pity to even catch a glance at!” The stupid article writer hollered in my ear.

I glanced towards those files of fresh pine trees and nice fir trees. This time I didn’t just look, I started angrily waltzing my way over there. When I happened to get there, I couldn’t believe my eyes…. There it was; John lying dead on the moist grass with a perfect skipping rock covered in blood. Tears swelled up in my eyes.

I took the perfectly smooth rock and washed it in the lake; I made the cross of Jesus Christ on Johns’ somewhat now dead body and left. I ran as fast as I could, away from that horrible scene.

Immediately, when I got to my humble home, I put on my comfy pajama clothing and I was almost half-asleep. I was holding the rigid less rock in my clutch; when I realized that since it was too smooth, perfectly round and not a ragged edge found on it!

It couldn’t have helped John commit suicide. I yipped with excitement. And I left the building I lived in. Next, I ran towards the one place that I knew John would have to be.

When I got there, I heard sniffling and quiet tears in the mystery section. I hurried towards that hopeful section. John was there, looked miserable.

“John, are you okay?” I softly placed my nervous palm on his tough shoulder.

“I gave the money back.” John replied quietly, John stiffened up, “I’m sorry.” He responded to his own comment.

“It’s okay, I totally forgive you.” Upbeat and trapped giggles were forced into my voice.

“What are you reading?”

“A book based on these stories from this guy named something Burdick. His stories are well known; then again I can’t seem to find a story with his first name. Anyone could write one, you should write one too! I began writing one of those awesome stories; it had the character Archie Smith, because that’s my dad’s name. I don’t know if you realized it, but that’s what it announced on the article I showed a while ago. All the stories are unique! One hundred people could write the same story, on the other hand; in the end, they will be completely different!” John gave the impression of forgetting what he’s just been through.

John and I talked like nothing had ever happened after that. He moved into my flourish, grand mansion with me. Secondly, we lived an amazing life together. Marriage invaded our life six years later. However, John helped me get one happy child, (one boy). Fond memories were what John and I shared faithfully.

That monster was never real. It was just a ‘prank’ that those stupid, unforgiveable people did to get precious valuables to break, even to keep. John stopped their harmful schemes by telling the police. Others were either dead, or in another country by the time the police caught on to the bandits. That meant they didn’t really have any proof.

I knew from the moment I saw John that it was meant to be. John and I touched each other’s lips softly against one another’s. Dove Lake was now a place for friendship and love.

Familiar beautiful butterflies floated around our heads. Hmm, I wonder if those were those precious caterpillars I had let go of so long ago. I glanced to the side where John had left me and they were replaced by new bushes on the place where John marked his territory. There was something I have never realized before; there was this pumpkin patch at the side.

Perhaps, that’s where the sister of his got that glowing pumpkin and there was this special light in it caused by the fact that I later learned about her eye disease. Well that odd! There’s rips of paper on the side over there! Hey, they look like those doves from that wallpaper in John’s old room! Oh, it all happened when someone left the window open!

I get it now! Don’t you? What the heck? How come there’s a cat over there? Oh my gosh, that what was under the rug! John told me that they lost their cat, seems like they didn’t have the smarts to figure out that was their cat! Wow! What are those lights?

Totally true how those were the lights that were in the room of Johns’ that peculiar night! Lights from the lighthouse! The tiny voice was the sleep talking of John! I noticed that he sleep talks when he moved in with me! The door in the basement was where the cat escaped; and lived his life!

All those paintings in that private art room are now on display at this lake! There’s this specific building over by the lighthouse! I never really realized that there was a lighthouse here before though! This makes total sense now! I have so much fond memories at this lake; way more than I seemed too realize.

“Look mommy, there’s a harp over there!” my happy sonny exclaimed; interrupting my excel thoughts.

I glanced to when his miniature finger was pointing, right then I saw a harp sitting there at the other side of the lake. I could feel what my cautious son was thinking: “It’s true.” He thought. “It’s really true!”

The only reason I thought that was because he adores those stories by that something Burdick guy; the same author that John likes, that thought circulates the information that there was a story about a harp on a lake, my son has a vivid imagination; he is going to be an actor someday.

Just then, I saw a young girl about my son’s age who was skipping stones…. I wonder if my child will have a greater stranger experience; similar to the one John and I shared. That was one strange day in July although it will always be in my memories! I’ll never forget that strange day in July!



THE END!

---