Scooter Chronicles

Prologue

Dread is what it felt like. That or utter despair. Maybe that was over dramatizing it, but it’s what came to mind. He had a feeling he knew who was behind it, but had to find out for himself.

All the color was disappearing from this wonderful place. The trees were rotting; the plants were dying, as were the crops. Gray is what filled the land. The sweet smell of eternal spring was gone. How could anyone not feel despair? And those that farmed the lands were feeling the fear of losing their livelihood. It was the fruits of the land that they depended on to feed them, both literally and figuratively.

He wondered how his former partner could think he would get away with it. No matter how strong you think your position is, when your back is against the wall to begin with, there is very little hope of winning. However, he seemed to be getting somewhere. Why did others not see it? Maybe he was wrong after all.

At first he wasn’t sure how it was happening. Like everyone else, they didn’t notice things until it was too far along. It seems that when a farmers land doesn’t reap what is sewn, it’s doesn’t lead people throughout the land to panic. And after a second farmer shares the same fate, even still others are calm. But when a third and fourth find their crops dying, and then the orchard keepers start finding rotting trees instead of fruit by the bushel full, then citizens start to take notice, albeit too late.

He found the first mechanism well hidden in a hollowed out tree trunk. He was looking for something hidden long before. It took him days to figure out what it exactly was. Poking and prodding, making the parts works. When he started to put things together in his mind, he realized what he held. Then he realized who’s it was. The craftsmanship was a dead give away. Only the mind and hands of his former partner could make something of such genius.

This still led to other questions. Why was he using these contraptions to propagate such a horrible act? He dug deep. Started asking questions of anyone that he thought may know. He even traveled into the other five duchies looking for information. After all this research he felt that he discovered the source of his former partner’s wicked game, the reason behind the dread that the citizens were feeling.

He thought of telling the authorities. Rewards from a Duke could be of fantastic size. But loyalty made him hold back. Maybe it wasn’t so much loyalty, but the idea of using his former partner for possible financial gain made him sick to his stomach, especially if his research led him to the correct conclusion. Even at risk to himself, he would rather try to help him then throw him to the wolves.

Then he made another sad discovery. The Duke knew who was creating havoc amongst the citizens, but wasn’t letting everyone know. He realized that his former partner’s position may be even stronger then originally thought. Maybe he had the Duke’s back up against the wall. But why wouldn’t the Duke let his citizens know where the trouble was coming from and lending help to them, instead of keeping quiet? Was he hoping the problem would just go away? Or was there something he was guilty of that he needed to hide? He was even more confused now of what to do.

After days of contemplating all possible angles, he decided that the best plan was also the simplest to start; to find his former partner and talk to him, if nothing else. Maybe he could help him. Maybe he could talk him out of this crazy scheme. Maybe being the great salesman and negotiator he himself was he could strike a deal for his former partner.

But first things first, he had to head back to Amber Land to find him.

The First Chapter

Saturdays always fell into the same routine. It was the day of their usual visit to his grandfather’s house, something that Jimmy always looked forward to. No matter how many times he went to his grandfather’s house, he always found something new or different. It was a great way to cap the end of a school week, though better during the summer not having to worry about homework on Sunday. Didn’t matter what time of year it was, Jimmy and his parents always made the forty minute drive on Saturday. And they always brought along Jimmy’s dog, Herman.

First it would start with watching cartoons by himself early in the morning. His parents were both the type to go into the office early and work long hours, so they always made a point of sleeping in late on Saturday. Long hours were the norm for anyone running a business. They were dedicated to seeing that it survived, and that their employees were well taken care of. Often Jimmy thought that his parents spent too much time working, and cared too much for those employees compared to him. Many nights Jimmy would have to settle for a self-made sandwich for dinner because his parents were working late. But no matter how much they worked, there were three important things that they never did that meant a lot to Jimmy. When they were home, his parents always left their work at the office. They never missed one of Jimmy’s baseball games. And most importantly, they never canceled a Saturday trip to his grandfather’s house.

When Jimmy’s parents would finally wake up, they always cooked a big breakfast that included pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast with a variety of different jams. He liked the different jams, especially raspberry, as they were reminders of their Sunday trips to different country towns where they purchased them at the general stores they came across. During the week Jimmy usually preferred a couple of bowls of some cold cereal with marshmallows, but knew that these big, hot breakfasts provided good energy for his adventures at grandfather’s house.

After their meal, they would take turns in the bathroom with their showers. It never took too long since Jimmy’s mother would fore go her usual make-up and hair rituals. Sometimes she would even just borrow one of his father’s ball caps to wear. It seemed strange to Jimmy to see his mother go from sharp dressed business woman to wearing jeans, a baggy sweater, and a ball cap, but she always looked more comfortable that way. That comfort rubbed off on him making him feel relaxed. Even if he had gotten in trouble during the week, it all was forgotten on Saturday morning.

Seeing that it was late September Jimmy wore his special pair of blue jeans. They had two extra pockets that were very big just above the knees with Velcro flaps, perfect for storing things that he found during his Saturday explorations, or holding something to snack while out and about, and even treats for Herman. He never knew what he would come across while out exploring the woods beyond his grandfather’s old shed, so he wanted to have plenty of space to hold things. He had found numerous different stones that he would later go back and discuss with his grandfather. Indian arrowheads were another treasure that he would find from time to time. It was like hitting the lottery those days for Jimmy. Mostly what he found was junk, but it always fascinated him what he could find on his grandfather’s property.

Lately Jimmy had started worrying about his grandfather’s health. He wasn’t sick, but he was 79 years old. Jimmy was only eleven years old himself, though he had a good understanding of life and death. Just two years ago his grandmother had died of cancer. He knew that there would be a day soon that his grandfather would no longer be with them either, which made him wonder what would happen to the house. The idea of not being able to go over there anymore and explore the vast rooms and the huge backyard bothered Jimmy.

* * * * *

“Don’t forget you jacket this time, Jimmy,” his mother reminded him as they prepared to leave. “It’s supposed to get much cooler later this afternoon.”

“OK, Mom.” Jimmy grabbed his favorite baseball jacket, and then went downstairs to start getting things prepared for Herman. His grandfather had bowls for Herman to eat and drink out of, but didn’t have any food, treats or toys. Herman was an explorer like Jimmy, but he also liked playing fetch or with one of his other toys.

“You got your watch, too?” his Mom asked, meeting him at the bottom of the stairs.

“Always,” Jimmy said with a smile. It was the watch his grandfather had given to him at Christmas last year. Jimmy thought it was rather grown up for him, with a fancy chronograph like pilots would have, and an alarm. But his grandfather thought that an explorer like Jimmy should have a good watch. Besides, Jimmy had a habit before of forgetting to come back to the house for dinner while out on his adventures on his grandfather’s property. With the watch he had no excuse not to be back in time.

Jimmy headed to the mud room where they kept Herman’s supplies. “So what will it be this week, Herman?” he asked as he put a few treats in a sandwich baggy. The Jack Russell Terrier tilted his head to one side as if listening intently, but wouldn’t answer Jimmy. “I have a feeling you’re not in a Frisbee mood today so I will bring your tennis balls, OK?” Herman again didn’t answer, but started heading for the door knowing they would soon be leaving.

“We all ready?” his father asked peeking in the door.

“Yeah, Dad.” Jimmy replied. “Just gotta get Herman’s stuff in the car.”

After loading things into the car, they headed out down the road, stopping briefly twice; once to fill the gas tank, and another time to get a few things for dinner later that night with his grandfather. When they got back on the road, it was oddly quiet in the car, even though his father was playing one of his favorite jazz CD’s. Jimmy kept thinking about how much he enjoyed playing at his grandfather’s house. “Dad, do you think we would ever live at grandpa’s house after he dies?”

While his mother started to laugh a little, his father asked “Why do you want to know?”

“Do you think he’s going to die soon, just because he’s old Jimmy?” his mother then asked, still chuckling.

“No,” replied Jimmy. “I was just wondering if because you are the youngest Dad, that one of your brothers would get the house, like Uncle Mike because he’s the oldest.”

“Oh. So why do have this sudden interest in grandpa’s estate?”

“Well, I really like going over there. I like it because it’s so big, and I like the big backyard. Our neighborhood is alright, and I like playing with Mickey and Jared, and with the Kovach brothers, but you can’t do much exploring around there.”

“So all these times you are excited about going over there wasn’t because you were visiting Grandpa?”

“No, I like spending time with him, too. He teaches me a lot of cool things. But I would really miss going to the house after he dies.”

His father smiled a bit. “Well, I believe that Grandpa’s will was written so that one of us could buy it, but we would have to pay the other brothers. However, I am not sure that your Mom and I would want the house. And that’s not to say that we don’t like it, but it’s an awful big house for the three of us, and Herman. And it’s old. Plus it’s a lot further from the office so we would have to drive farther for work.”

“You could always move the office, right?” Jimmy asked, feeling that one of the few things in his life that he could count on, one of the things that he truly loved was slowly slipping away.

“Well sure, but that’s not something that we really would want to do, Jimmy.”

“But maybe we could just keep it and then go over on weekends like we do anyways,” Jimmy desperately was clinging, trying to think of anything that might help sway his father’s opinions. “This way we could have family parties there, and I could help cut the grass and do other housework!”

It was time for his mother to step in. “Jimmy, it’s just too much work. Your Dad and I can barely keep up with our own house, let alone taking care of Grandpa’s house. It’s a good thing that you clean up after yourself as well as you do, or the house would be a real mess.”

“But I don’t want some strangers taking over Grandpa’s house!”

“It’s inevitable, Jimmy,” his father said, obviously feeling for Jimmy, but resolving to not sugar coat anything for him or give him false hope. “It would just be too hard to keep it up. I appreciate your idea of helping out, but it would take all the time we would have on a Saturday to catch up, then it would be time to go back home. And buying such a big house would be a waste for us.”

Jimmy turned his head and looked out the window. As if he knew that Jimmy was sad, Herman moved over and laid his head on Jimmy’s lap. He started to scratch Herman behind his ears as he thought about all of this. He knew that his father was right, but he just didn’t want to have to let go of the house. He had started envisioning his parents, Herman, and himself living there every day. He envisioned himself being able to explore around the backyard during summer vacation. He envisioned building a great tree house, with his father’s help, in one of the big trees out by the creek. Now he didn’t feel much like going over there, knowing that soon he would no longer have the opportunity to even visit on a Saturday, must less live in the house.

“I know this is of little consolation, Jimmy,” his father started after a few silent moments, “but I am not happy with selling the house to a stranger either. I spent my whole childhood there. Unlike your uncles, I was born in that house. All my memories of home during my childhood and even becoming a young adult are in that house. But when the day comes that Grandpa passes away, I just don’t see us being able to keep it.”

Those last words did little to make Jimmy feel better, but even at a young age he appreciated what his father was saying.

“Besides kiddo, Grandpa’s very healthy for his age,” his father added. “I don’t see him leaving us anytime soon.”

* * * * *

The rest of the trip was quiet. Jimmy kept petting Herman and thinking about his visits, not wanting them to end. As the drive continued, his thoughts moved to his grandfather living alone. Jimmy wondered how much his grandfather missed Grandma. Jimmy then started to realize how much he missed his grandmother. He did a lot with his grandfather during his visits, like walking around, or playing games. Sometimes he would even take Jimmy out to the old shed and show him what he was working on, whether repairing the riding lawnmower or fixing his grandmother’s favorite rocking chair, or one of the various woodworking projects that his grandfather liked to fiddle with. Jimmy spent a lot of time with him, but it was his grandmother that always baked cookies for him, or bought him packs of baseball cards. Earlier, before his parents allowed him to roam free around the big property exploring, his grandmother would read him stories or play games with him, too. He never realized just how much time his grandmother had spent with him. Jimmy knew that he missed her, but it wasn’t until now that he finally realize how much, and start to think about what she meant to his grandfather. He also realized that he had never cried about his grandmother’s death, and wondered if it was wrong of him not to cry. And he wondered what his parents, and more importantly his grandfather had thought about that fact.

His thoughts went back to his grandfather then. Woodworking was something that he had enjoyed doing, but had stopped. He said it was because of his age, and his now unsteady hands. Added to this he said that with Grandma gone, no one was there to keep an eye on him and take care of him if he got hurt. Jimmy also thought about how much his grandfather had seen come and go in his life. He started his own business before meeting Jimmy’s grandmother. He supported a family of eight while living in a two bedroom apartment. Then he built the house just before Jimmy’s father was born. He had seen two World Wars, witness the tragic death of his business partner, watched his sons grow up and move out, seen one son return from the Vietnam War unscathed, saw his business stumble during the early 70’s, watched both his younger brother and sister die of cancer, welcomed fifteen grandchildren into the world, and had Jimmy’s grandmother die in his arms. These thoughts swirled around in Jimmy’s mind, making his feelings seem trivial.

* * * * *

The smell of a wood fire was the first thing Jimmy took in as he entered the family room. On either wall he saw the familiar site of bookshelves, though not only occupied by books. House plants took up some of the space along with half a dozen models of great sailing vessels. The room was bright, with the sun shining in through the numerous windows, reflecting off the white walls and lighter colored furniture. His grandfather was sitting in front of the fireplace in his favorite chair, re-reading Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea.” He had told Jimmy that he never had any regrets for what he had done or not done in his life, except learning how to work a sail boat. Because of this, he spent a lot of time after he retired reading novels that had anything to do with the sea, with Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey and Maturin novels being his favorites.

“Hi Grandpa,” Jimmy said as he came in, feeling the warmth of the fire.

“Why hello young man,” his grandfather said. He put down his book and took off his reading glasses, setting them on top of the book just before Herman jumped into his lap. “And hello to you, too,” he said to Herman while rubbing his head. He looked back to Jimmy then said, “How have you been?”

“OK, I guess,” Jimmy replied, trying to smile.

“You don’t sound very convincing to me. You usually are so happy about coming over the last couple of years we were afraid we would have to tie you down or you would fly away.”

Jimmy looked at the fire trying even harder now to be happier looking. He enjoyed sitting in front of it, drinking hot chocolate that his grandmother made during those cold winter days. He would sit there and talk for hours with his grandfather, listening to stories about his great-grandfather and great-grandmother, and stories about his father and six brothers when they were young. “I just have a few things on my mind, that’s all, Grandpa.”

“Now, now. You are too young to have a lot of things on your mind other then homework and girls.” The last word made Jimmy start to blush. He was hoping that the red glow of the fire would hide it. “Is it problems at school?”

“No, Grandpa. It’s nothing important.”

“Are you sure?”

Jimmy paused for a few minutes. He had barely looked at his grandfather. He was embarrassed at what he was talking about with his father on the drive there. And he was worried about how his grandfather felt about the fact that he didn’t cry at his grandmother’s funeral. After an uncomfortable amount of silence, he finally swallowed hard and spoke.

“Grandpa, do you think it was wrong of me not to cry at Grandma’s funeral?”

“Hmm,” his grandfather said and looked at him hard. “To tell you the truth Jimmy I didn’t even realized that you didn’t cry. I was thinking so much about your Dad and your uncles, and your Grandma’s sister. And that’s not to say that I wasn’t worried about you and your feelings, but we had that talk at the funeral home two days earlier with your parents. So I didn’t think I had to worry about you.”

Jimmy remembered the talk they had very clearly. It was the one that made him feel rather grown up. His parents discussed with him about death and what it meant. About how all living things must die. He remembers his father saying that “I’m not going to sugarcoat things for you, because I want you to know the truth, because maybe it will help you deal with things better as you get older.” At the time Jimmy didn’t realize how soon it would help him. It was part of the reason he didn’t cry at his grandmother’s funeral. He kept thinking about how his grandmother was in a better place, and that she wouldn’t have to suffer through the heartaches of life when one gets older.

“Well, I was thinking about it on the way over here and I started to feel bad that I didn’t cry. I didn’t want you to think I was a bad person because I didn’t cry.”

“Jimmy, I would never think you were a bad person because of that,” his grandfather said with one of those cliché smiles that older people have when letting someone much younger know that they are indeed not in trouble. He then lowered his voice a bit and said, “To be totally honest with you, I was trying to think about what I could do to make your Grandma’s death easier on everyone else, but I really was so sad for myself.”

This didn’t make Jimmy feel any easier. “I’m sorry Grandpa that she had to die and leave you alone like this. I am sorry too that I didn’t help you when you were sad about it.”

His grandfather smile grew. “Oh you helped me Jimmy. Coming over here every Saturday and spending some time with me helps in ways you can’t imagine.” Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief, which made his grandfather laugh.

His grandfather though leaned forward and looked him in the eye again, the smile was still there, but there was a more serious look in his eyes. “Now tell me this, why were you thinking about me so much and Grandma’s death on the way over?”

The beet red color returned to Jimmy’s face. He really didn’t want to bring up the conversation during the car ride now. He felt that he had gotten over one hurdle, why mess it up with having to jump another so soon.

Just then his father came in. “Hi Dad, how are you doing?”

“Oh just fine, James, thanks. I was talking to Jimmy about a few things,” his grandfather said.

Jimmy’s father smiled, “I am sure you are. Did he mention that he is really interested in buying the house from us after you die?”

If there was ever a time when Jimmy wanted to crawl in a hole and actually die himself, it was now. He stood there wide eyed, looking at his grandfather utterly perplexed on what to do or say. The proverbial deer in the head lights look. He couldn’t believe that his father would divulge that to his grandfather. If he had been a violent child he would have kicked his father in the shins and run off.

His grandfather though surprised him, winking at him then saying, “It doesn’t surprise me James, your son knows a treasure when he sees one.”

Only seconds after wanting to burst with embarrassment, Jimmy’s grandfather let him know that he understood what he was thinking, what had weighed heavily on his young mind, and gave a slight verbal jab in his defense towards his father.

“I am sorry to say this Dad, but I can’t raise his allowance to help him start saving money for the down payment,” his father said, seemingly to Jimmy not phased by the comment.

“That may be the case, James,” his grandfather said, “but it is important to have dreams, even if they are unattainable. You never know when you can make them reality.”

This time his grandfather’s words found their mark, so it seemed to Jimmy. His father looked at him with a bit of a blank look on his face. “Uh, yeah … you’re right, Dad,” he offered while still staring at Jimmy.

His father then shook off his reverie and started to talk to Jimmy’s grandfather about a few other things that didn’t interest him at all, so he started to walk around the room. He ran his hand across many of the books that his grandfather had accumulated over the years. As much as he liked to read fiction, there were some business related books along with some on woodworking techniques, some biographies of favorite celebrities and politicians, a couple of books on insects that Jimmy would look through with him, and a few on sailing. It fascinated Jimmy the different styles of bindings and covers. Some had glossy hard covers like his school books. Some had dust jackets, some didn’t. There were many different sizes of paperback books, too. One shelf housed books that Jimmy figured may be as old as his grandfather. The leather covers and bindings reminded him of well worked, aged hands. He was afraid to touch those fearing they would disintegrate with the slightest brush of his fingers.

The newest model ship then caught his eye on the shelf above. It was a stunning looking schooner, painted a deep forest green, with burgundy handrails and trim. Jimmy was awed by the detail of the rigging. All the hardware was shiny; making it look like the mates had been hard at work. He imagined himself and his grandfather pulling up the main sail on a very windy ocean, with a vibrant blue sky above. Water would splash on the deck, cooling them off from the summer heat. Jimmy would walk to the bow, lean on the railing take in the salty air while he looked out towards the water. Dolphins would be swimming along off the starboard side trying to race them.

“So Jimmy, would you like to finish our discussion?” His grandfather’s voice startled him. He was so far into his daydream on the water that he hadn’t realized that his father had left the room.

“Uh, sure,” he hesitated a bit, wanting to go back to the boat.

“Why don’t you sit down,” his grandfather said with a smile. After Jimmy got settled, all he could do was stare at the fire again. He was having such a hard time facing his grandfather, even though he seemed to already pick up what was on his mind, and that he didn’t seem upset. Jimmy sat there silently petting Herman who had now jumped on his lap.

Finally after a few moments his grandfather started, speaking slowly, trying to put together what he wanted to say. “So it seems you are worried that I am going to die someday soon, and you don’t want that to happen because you won’t be able to come to this house anymore, given that your father doesn’t want it and your uncles would sell it. Does that about sum it up?”

Jimmy looked at his grandfather, almost wanting to cry. “Grandpa, I don’t want you to die just because of the house!”

“Oh, I am sorry, Jimmy, that’s not what I meant.”

“I don’t want you to die at all. I know it will happen though. I don’t want it to sound like all I care about is the house. But I really love coming here. I love walking around your backyard and exploring with Herman. We have so much fun. There isn’t anywhere like this in our neighborhood. I like spending time with you, too. Like when you tell me stories. I am sorry that it sounds like all I care about it the house.”

“It’s OK, Jimmy,” his grandfather said, trying to comfort him a bit. “I understand what you mean. I don’t take offense to your feelings. I was a boy once. I know.”

Jimmy hadn’t realized that one of his hands was deep between the cushion and the arm of the chair. He was fidgeting, embarrassed even though his grandfather said he understood. He sat there thinking about what to say next, but couldn’t think of what was best to say.

His grandfather took a deep breath, uncertain of what to say next either. After gathering his thoughts again, he started, “Jimmy, you know that there are certain things in life that you just have to accept. We talked about this after Grandma died.” Jimmy was kind of struck funny that he would be reminded twice of that conversation in a matter of an hour. “You have to grab the opportunities that you get and don’t let go until you have to. But accept the letting go. Accept the change and cherish the good memories. Every time you come over here, you should just be worried about doing everything that you want to do in that day. Don’t worry about the next time. And especially don’t think about the fact that it might be the last time. There is much to be joyful about in life. And if you forget that joy, then you end up worried about everything.”

They sat in silence for a few moments. Jimmy had become so worried about this subject now in such a small amount of time. He wondered if this is what happens to adults when thinking about problems they have to deal with. He kept petting Herman with his other hand. He looked down at him, how he was unaffected by the conversation. He didn’t worry about when he was going to Grandpa’s again. He wasn’t worried that he may never come back here. And he certainly wasn’t worried about Grandpa dying. He realized then what his parents always jokingly said about Herman, “Must be nice to be a dog and not worrying about those things.” Jimmy saw the truth in that statement now. He wished he could turn off those feeling and just do whatever came naturally, like Herman did.

Jimmy looked at his grandfather and took a deep breath. “I understand what you are telling me, Grandpa. I hope I can do that.”

His grandfather smiled at him. “I know it’s not easy, and at your age. When you understand what death means, you start thinking too much sometimes. Life doesn’t have to be hard though. Just try to remember to have fun when you are over here visiting. OK?”

“OK, Grandpa, I will try.”

“Good,” his grandfather said with a smile. “Now, I think there is a big backyard calling your name.”

Though still feeling overwhelmed by what he had been talking about, Jimmy felt a bit more relaxed. He smiled at his grandfather, put Herman on the floor, then went and gave him a hug. “Thanks for understanding.”

“Anytime, Jimmy.”

* * * * *

The cool breeze of autumn upon his face was such a wonderful feeling. Sure, Jimmy enjoyed running around on those bright summer days with shorts and a t-shirt, but it was autumn that he liked best. The scent of pine and leaves was always stronger, making things more real to him.

His grandfather’s backyard was enormous, or so it was in Jimmy’s mind. He estimated that it was as big as ten football fields put together, which was very close to the truth. Jimmy had set out many times to walk the entire perimeter of his grandfather’s property always to be detoured. Whether it was some interesting bug, or a different tree that he had never seen before, some new treasure he had glimpsed, or if he had to stop Herman from chasing an animal or checking out its den, there was always something disrupting them.

As was his routine, he would walk first to the old shed. Over the past few years it had really deteriorated, due to his grandfather’s lack of upkeep. He would normally use the power washer to clean it and put a fresh coat of paint on it every couple of years, but had fallen behind on his chores since the death of Jimmy’s grandmother. Lately what was left of the peeling white paint on the wood siding and the green paint on the door and trim were looking grey. Behind the shed though was the real prize, three big shrubs that was a treasure trove, home to many different insects.

Jimmy had grown out of the habit of catching insects, putting them in jars that his grandmother would save for him, and taking them home, much to mother’s relief. Yet the insects were still of great interest to Jimmy, always eager to find something new to talk to his grandfather about. His mother still had other things to worry about with his insect fascination, like what kind of bites or stings he would come home with. Being that it was autumn the insect population was low and not very exciting. Jimmy knew that his excursions would soon be coming to an end for the year. He didn’t trek out much during the cold winter months. As he grew older, these times always made him a bit sad, but more so this past month as he thought more and more about the events that would soon have to happen.

After prodding Herman to leave the squirrel alone that was taunting him from a nearby tree, they headed out towards the very back of the property. The last time Jimmy had been there he had found what he thought might be a cherry tree. Both his father and grandfather were skeptical that that was what it was, so Jimmy had planned on bringing back a couple of the fruits to show them. He also had hoped to snag a pear or two from the trees that his grandfather had planted.

Along the way Jimmy stopped along the creek to investigate. This was one of Herman’s favorite spots on the property. He was always running along trying to catch the few trout that had made its home in it. Also the beaver’s den further up, near the end of his grandfather’s property was another one of Herman’s interests. He always had to check them out to see what they were up to, keeping a close eye on their actions. The first time they had come upon the beavers, Herman had run up to them, barking wildly as they were building their dam. At first they were not impressed, but Herman kept at it, getting closer and closer. Finally the pair of beavers decided Herman had come close enough and started after him. It surprised Jimmy to see the beavers move so fast. In the confusion of getting away from the animals that he thought were friendly, Jimmy went the opposite direction of the escape route Herman used. It was a couple of minutes before Jimmy realized that Herman wasn’t with him. He spent the rest of the afternoon searching for his dog everywhere. The time went by quickly as he grew worried that he would never see his little friend again, but once his stomach started growling of hunger he knew that he was out of time. So with his hours of searching coming up empty handed, Jimmy headed back to the house to tell his parents the bad news, only to find Herman sitting on the back porch, caked in mud. Since then Herman had always left the beavers alone, but still liked to check up on them every time they came out to visit.

Jimmy made a quick detour to his favorite tree to climb. Though he had conquered many of his grandfather’s property, this particular pine tree was the best. Herman waited patiently while Jimmy worked his way inside to the trunk. It was so wide there was plenty of room in the middle of the tree where the needles didn’t grow giving anyone a natural ladder to the top. Often Jimmy would climb it to scout out his objectives for the day. Today he decided to climb it just to enjoy the view. Like his grandfather told him earlier, he wanted to get what joy he could out of every visit. It didn’t take Jimmy long to get a good stopping point. He moved a branch that was in his way and looked out at the world in front of him. Jimmy was overtaken by how wonderful it all seemed. His position had him looking out toward the back of the property. The wooded area beyond seemed like just a vast land of trees, almost like another continent to him that he could continuously explore and find something different every time he visited. The only disruption was the steeple of the local church. After that, it was rolling hills of grass, pines, maples, and oaks. He stood there for what seemed like a lifetime, thinking about how much he enjoyed this place.

After Jimmy climbed down, he decided to head to the supposed cherry tree. On the way he and Herman came across the two mysterious apple trees. His grandfather had always maintained that he never planted them. He planted the ten pear trees for Jimmy’s grandmother, but not the apple tress. Numerous times when Jimmy would come over his grandmother was hard at work canning or stewing the pears, or making pies. She had always loved pears from the time she was a girl. But those apple trees were a mystery. Back when Jimmy’s grandfather was looking for a piece of land to build the family house on, he came across this property that a farmer was selling. The farmer and his wife had been losing money due to poor crops and just the general burden of owning a farm. They had inherited both this property and the farm from the farmer’s father. They had hoped to build their home on that piece of property after selling their farm someday, but found that they had to sell both. The farmer, nor his father, ever planted anything on the piece of land that Jimmy’s grandfather had bought from them and built the house on. And other then planting the pear trees, his grandfather had never planted anything, or relocated any of the trees he cleared to make way for the house. So it was a surprise to his grandfather when Jimmy had brought in a few Golden Delicious apples the day he had found the trees while exploring. His grandfather thought he knew every inch of the property, having owned it for so long, but he had never come across any apple trees. He even thought that Jimmy had wondered onto the property that butted up against the back of his. It wasn’t until Jimmy walked with his grandfather out to the spot and showed him that the apple trees were in fact in the middle of his property before his grandfather believed him. From that day on, his grandmother made a couple of apple pies along with her pear pies when she baked. His grandfather was not only surprised to find that he had two apple trees, but was amazed that they produced the sweetest tasting Golden Delicious apples he ever had.

Herman darted out in front of Jimmy, grabbing an apple to eat when the arrived to the clearing where they stood. Herman sat down next to the bigger of the two to enjoy his treat, while Jimmy picked an apple off one of the branches. The sweet juices ran down his chin and the taste made him smile. He loved pears like his grandmother did, but enjoyed the apples from his grandfather’s trees, too.

He looked back at Herman who was devouring his. “Boy Herman, you would think I didn’t feed you.” Herman continued on the apple, not even looking up. Jimmy slowly walked over to the other apple tree and leaned his back up against, looking at the surrounding landscape. Before he could get comfortable, he saw something obscured by leaves out of the corner of his eye, a color that didn’t belong there. It was lying under some shrubs, just off to Jimmy’s left. He decided to go investigate, excited that he had found the first treasure of the day, and they had only just started.

“Wow, Herman, look at that,” Jimmy said after seeing what it exactly was. “I don’t ever remember you having that as a toy.”

Jimmy moved the leaves exposing the squeaky toy shaped like a bone. He picked it up and rubbed some of the dirt off it if on the arm of his jacket. He looked at it closely, certain that it wasn’t anything that Herman had ever had and accidentally left there from a prior visit. Herman had picked up his head to see what Jimmy was doing, and then followed after him, leaving the apple on the ground half eaten.

“Do you remember this, Herman?” Jimmy asked. Whether Herman had recognized it or not, he was wagging his tail recognizing that it was a toy for him. “So you want to play some fetch now?”

Herman started running around in circles in front of Jimmy, making him laugh as always. It didn’t matter how many times Herman did this Jimmy couldn’t help but to giggle. Jimmy made the motion to wind up and throw it, and then faked, sending Herman in the direction that the bone would have gone. He did this again, continually laughing at Herman. This was something that irritated his mother, but Jimmy couldn’t help but do it. Herman looked so funny running back and forth, tilting his head from side to side, wondering when Jimmy would finally release his toy. And being out of his mother’s site, Jimmy decided that he could get away with it for a laugh.

After giving Herman a couple more fake throws, Jimmy finally threw the toy bone between the two apple trees to the clearing behind them. He was laughing so hard he thought he lost sight of the bone. He also thought that his vision started to blur. He rubbed his eyes, thinking it was tears from laughing. He moved over a bit to see behind the tree on the left, thinking that the bone had landed somewhere behind it, but it was not there. Herman took off after the toy like a shot. Jimmy was still looking to see where the bone had landed when Herman was just in front of the two apple trees. A split second after Jimmy turned the few degrees back to see how Herman was doing on his quest, the space between the two trees grew blurry, and then he watched Herman disappear in thin air between them.

Jimmy’s laughing stopped. He still had a twisted half smile on his face as he stared at the space between the trees. Soon the smile faded and stood stunned at what he saw and more at what he didn’t see. Like with the bone, he leaned over trying to see behind the trees, wondering if Herman had just stopped beyond his sight. But Herman wasn’t there. Jimmy then realized that Herman’s barking had stopped. Jimmy continued to stand and stare at the apple trees. He was dumbfounded at what he witnessed. Or was he imagining things? After a few moments, Jimmy realized that he should move around to the other side of the trees to see if Herman may actually be over there. He slowly moved one foot forward, then his other foot with much apprehension. Jimmy was afraid to get close to the trees, not wanting to disappear himself. After being painstakingly careful not to get too close to the trees, Jimmy finally reached the other side and saw nothing. He again paused, frozen in his place. He continued to stare at the space between the trees with his mouth hanging open, breathing rather shallowly. He was in total disbelief. How could a dog, and a toy bone, disappear into thin air?