Chapter 2

  

hapter 2 growing up

A Story by Bruce58

 

Eric and Glen get together

 

        Moms calling me, so I guess I have to leave now, but I'll be right back. Glen was standing next to me in Dads field up against the fence facing his house. My father had just burnt the weeds off all the fence so the wires wouldn’t rust when winter arrives keeping them wet.                Can you hold the wire up so I can go through to my house? My mom will get mad if I put a hole in my shirt. I held the middle wire as high as I could and Glen slipped through. He walked as close to his side of the fence as he could. His father had not cut his field yet and was as high as we were.

     Wipe your feet before you enter this house, "yelled mom." OK OK I will but there not dirty. What’s for dinner? I was talking to her from the other side of the screened door. And don’t let that door slam! What do you want? Chicken I answered.

She looked at me and said "right" then putting a plate on the table with a pork chop, mashed potatoes and green beans. She smiled saying you love your chicken don't you. Ya is all I could say.

    Sit and eat your dinner. Your father is working on a sick cow and will be in when he finishes. Now, how are you and Glen getting along? Good, we helped get some stuff out of the barn today. Well you be careful, if anyone knows that old barn you do. Can I take Glen to town after dinner mom? We’ll walk on the road I promise. OK, but you be home before ten. I don't want you two to be down there late tonight. There might be a lot of strangers tonight. You know it's the thirty. Oh, can I stay there tonight and show Glen? No not tonight maybe next month. I looked down and said OK and finished my dinner.

    After dinner I walked next door and saw Mr. Rugner still working, getting the rest of the supplies out of the his barn. He had placed everything in one pile and was covering it with a tarp. Ha Eric want to help me put this cover over the supplies? Glen's still eating his dinner. Sure it might rain tonight and get everything wet. It was the biggest tarp I had ever seen. I measured it by walking, adding three feet to one step like my father does. 15 x 15 thinking that it was 45 feet in both direction. I said, Mr. Rugner that the biggest tarp that I have ever seen. He said, it was the biggest Rick had in the farm store. 

    We had the pile covered and placed rocks all around to keep the wind from blowing it away. He said, wow would you look at that. The only tarp Rick had that big was this red one. I bet you can see it from space! Thank you, your a big help Are the two of you going to watch me pull this barn down tomorrow? I said sure when Glen walked out the back door. I told him I was going down town and did he want to come? He said, can I dad? OK, but don't be too late and I'll tell your mother.

    We walked in the center of the road. It went slightly down hill since we lived on the left side of the valley. I told him about the two farms before Main Street. That’s the Morgan's next to you and old lady Lgerna on the corner. Dad said stay away, she's crazy and no one remembers where she came from. Her daughters name is Lgerna to and so was her mother. When she dies her daughter will be "old lady Lgerna" I was laughing and said what a weird family.  Hay when she's not home getting food or something I'll show you the old house before that one was built. It's in the field behind that one and under ground. The other side of the road is shared land. We all share it to graze cows on.

    As we came to the corner, I said “let’s go see the school. Pointing to the left across the street. Glen looked in that direction and said “OK”. We past the cemetery on the right just before reaching the school. Glen, want to see the class we’re going to be in when we go back? Sure but how? The doors aren’t locked? Glen said.  As pulled the front door open, Glen started telling me about the school he went to in Washington. He told me there were high chain link fences all around with houses on the other side. A three story brick building with fire escapes and when you walk in the front it always smelled like wet books and they always lock the side and back doors. Even when we we’re there.

    We walked through each class rooms from the first to twelfths. Each one was large with one big desk to one side and smaller ones facing it and windows from waist high to the ceilings. The desk all had books on them with the names of each student written on them. Glen asked if I had a desk already. Sure I’ll show you. We walked into the class with the number 10 on the door and looked around for my name. Here it is and look you’re sitting next to me. Eric Johnson me, Glen Rugner you. But how I’ve never attended here. Eric looked at Glen shaking his head slowly and said “small town”. I showed Glen the rest then we walked out. This side is for upper classes and the other side is for lower. Glen asked why we had no kindergarten class and I told him there we’re only twelve class rooms.

    As we pasted the cemetery again, Glen wanted to look at it. I said why, there’s nothing there but dead people and a lot of them even I don’t know. Here look at the name closes to the road. There was a rock with the name Oldin carved into the top. Never heard that name here before and I figure it was the first person to die here. Besides I want to get some ice cream and the stand classes in about thirty minutes. So we hurried past Sif Street to the other end of town.

    Sam was sitting in front of his store with a snack rack and ice chest next to it. Hi Sam anyone here yet? Sam looking both ways said, not yet. It’s not like it was a few years ago. People would come from all around to watch “The Thirty”, but now maybe one or two. What’s the thirty Glen asked? I’ll tell you after we get some ice cream; we have to run if we’re going to make it. See ya Sam! We ran past the park, church and some houses where people lived. There’s the farm store I said. The stand is on the other side.

    It was an old carnival stand with tires under it. Bill, who lives in the house next to it, put it there ten years ago and is only open in the summer. Hi Eric and you must be Glen Bill said through a screen in front of his stand. Do you have any strawberry today? He said do you want that on a cone or dish. Cone I said. And what do you want Glen? Vanilla in a dish please. Be right up, that’ll be 2.50. Eric reached in his front pocket an got out the five dollars Glen’s father had given him today for helping. After Bill gave them there ice cream and change, Eric said lets go back to the park. 

    We sat on the bench looking at the pond when Glen asked. What’s The Thirty? Eric said he didn’t exactly know. That every thirty days the pond in front of them would have a gusher of water shoot twenty or more feet high enough to touch the tree branches above. It was funny, one winter the ice was so thick, it didn’t brake and all the people watching got wet from the water spraying from under the slab. Glen wanted to see it tonight but I told him my mom said maybe next month. On the way home I told Glen, he had to see the hammer in the museum but it was closed now and would be open tomorrow.

    The next morning Mr. Rugner was tying a long rope around his barn and attached it to the tractor Mr. Wilson had left. Hi Eric, Glenn will be right out, do think this’ll work? Dad walked up behind me saying maybe the rope needs to be higher. Let me get my latter and well push it higher. A crowd was gathering now, wanting to see if that old barn would fall. Bill, Sam, Marty the museum owner. Everyone in the town had come to watch, even Lgerna the crazy lady down the street.

    Mr. Rugner started his tracker and moved slowly forward until the rope was tight. All right here we go he yelled. The more fuel he gave it, the more that tracker would bounce up and down. The more it would bounce the louder his rope growled. Then Crack and the whole barn was falling slowly in his direction. Well that old barn hit the ground and left a cloud of dust thirty feet high and went clear across his field. We could hear the tracker stop running and everything was silent. No one spoke a word. Mr. Rugner walked out from under that cloud, covered white. He was a ghost with spider’s termites and any bug in the barn at the time hanging on to the dust. No one could explain the glow seen in the middle of all that cloud though.

                                Mom told me. Lgerna finally the one to speak. She started laughing while walking to the street then home. Then everyone started to laugh, even Mrs. Rugner. She was helping him pat the dust of saying, go it the kitchen and take your cloths off for a bath.

    Marty came over to me and Glen and said. Are you and Glen coming in today? Someone brought in a bow yesterday. I think it belonged to one of the Indians that lived here years ago. I looked at Glen saying, you’ve got to see that big hammer hanging on the wall. That’s my favorite. Well be there after we look around to see what was under that mess. Marty said ok and left.

    The dust cloud was still moving towards Main Street but not as high now. We we’re now picking through where most of the barn once stood. Lifting what was left, then throwing it in a pile. Tomorrow dad said he was taking all the wood and burning it in the field. What is in this dust? Eric made the remark. I’ve never seen dirt sparkle before. Let’s keep digging. We reached the floor and found under a layer of dirt, there was a door that was pried open. Not all the way but just enough to see how dark it was down there. Eric being adventurous said. Wow! Want to go down there? How deep do you think it is? Glen not saying anything started running to his house. Where are you going? Shouted Eric. To get my flashlight is all he said.

    When Glen came back, he went to shine the light under that door and found the light shining right back into his eyes. What the heck! Eric now wanted to see more, so he grabbed hold, lifting what was left of the door. Look there’s a broken walking stick down there. It was in a hole three feet deep and the same size as the door. Eric jumped down and picked it up. It felt like pins pricking his hand.

     This feels weird he said and when he looked up at Glen. Ha who’s up there with you? No one. Yes there is whose that old man next to you? Glen turned to see saying there’s no one here. I see an old man in a gray robe, with long hair and a beard. Your crazy Glen said. Maybe we should leave it here or find another place to hide it. I said. No I want to see it to. Ok here it is but I warn you it hurts a little and I handed it to him. What do you mean; it feels like an old stick. Someone broke the bottom off and you must have grabbed where it splinters. Maybe I said. But I do like the crystal on top Glen said. Let hide it in my basement. Dad has nothing in there and mom hates it down there.

    After the stick was hidden under some old paint cans in Glen’s basement. We started walking to town. Your quiet Glen said. I was thinking about what I saw. Your imaginary man, Glen started laughing. Ya but he looked real. I said. We reached the museum and Mr. Martin greeted us outside saying, come in to see that old bow. I polished it up and now it looks brand new.

    The three of us walked in together with Mr. Martin wanting to show off that bow. Look it even has the old string on it. Saying, what a find! I just wanted for Glen to see that hammer. Look Glen, that's the oldest thing in the museum. I went to see what Mr. Martin was doing and he was still cleaning that bow. I want to touch it I said so stepping on a chair from the corner of the room. Almost there just inches away.  DON'T TOUCH IT! Mr. Martin screamed.