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The summers in northern Minnesota are hot, damp and filled with mosquitoes. It's hard to believe that all the warm lakes freeze over and all the dark, drowsy trees disappear under a heavy layer of snow in the winter. Mary didn't believe this. She had been talking to Roger whose father was the caretaker of the camp. He told her about the silent darkness that covers the land just a few weeks after the camps are over.
"It's so quiet and there are no damn mosquitoes," he said excitedly. He was looking at Mary and then he looked down at his shoes. "Well, it gets very boring. You can't do anything but stay inside. Dad does things but I'm not allowed to."
Roger always felt very ugly next to Mary and he was astonished that Mary seemed so unaware of her own beauty. She was so unlike the other girls who already played at using makeup and flirted with boys. Mary spent most of her time alone with the piano.
"Don't laugh at me, but I've never really seen snow," she whispered, squinting her eyes a little in the sunlight and looking away at the white church that sat on the hill. "I mean, I've seen snow, but not the kind that sticks to the ground. It doesn't really do that in England."
"But I thought it's all foggy and cold and I was sure it would snow in England."
"Not proper snow."
Mary noticed two girls skipping down the hill towards them. They were pointing at her and she thought she knew them but couldn't remember their names. Roger saw them too and he instinctively stepped away. He knew she would go with them but he didn't want her to leave him. He wanted to leave first and he wanted to do this secretly so that they wouldn't notice him.
"Mary, Mary, it's Livia, do you remember me?" gasped the blond girl as she rushed upon them. She pointed at her companion, "That's Suzy, you know. We were waiting for you. Come on, let's go to the swings."
Mary didn't remember them but said she did. She followed them towards the lake where the swings were. She looked back and was surprised that Roger wasn't there. But soon she forgot him and was running to catch up with the girls who were taller than she was and had longer legs.
The sun reflected hard from the lake and Mary was struck by how beautiful everything was. The camp claimed a large, grassy area before a sandy beach. There was a small, wooden dock that marked off a region for swimming and activities. The swings stood at the border of the grass and the dark woods and commanded a fine view. Mary remembered being able to touch the branches of a tree that stretched from the forest whenever she swung high enough. She wanted to do it again.
"The other kids aren't here yet," said Livia as they began to swing. "It's only us and that weird boy Roger."
Suzy added, "Yeah, he's so weird. He was eating those wood chips in the camp fire place. Yeah, and he offered me some!"
The two blond girls shrieked in mock horror, but Mary just concentrated on swinging higher. She could see the church clearly. It sloped down a little at the rear where a cafeteria and a kitchen had been built. The kitchen door was open and Mary thought someone was watching her from it.
"Oh, that Chinese boy is here too," chirped Livia.
"Yeah, I always see him with his mom. I don't understand what he says," said Suzy. "Let's go higher, Livy! Let's jump when we're at the top and then race to that big tree near the caretaker's place."
Mary was swinging very high now. She felt the two chains holding her seat go hard and taut as she swooped down. But as she became level with the bar holding the chains, they loosened and she was afraid.
-What if I go past the bars and the chains crumble? Then I will go down and the bars will break my head, thought Mary nervously. The branch was well within her reach now but she was too terrified to let go one hand to touch it. How did she do it before? Then she saw her companions jump. Livia arced forward in the air and tumbled in the grass. Suzy landed on her feet.
"Come on, Mary, jump!" they insisted. Suzy looked bored.
It was a very hot day and the heat affected Mary like nothing else. She promised to jump each time she swung back but when it was time, she grasped the chains. It was making her very dizzy so she slowed down until everything dangled weakly.
 germanicus2 · Wed Mar 18, 2009 @ 07:52pm · 0 Comments |
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