Summer Hauntings

Short story of first love

Photo by Sean Oulashin on Unsplash

“Filene! Casper! Blackie! Rex!”

Sixteen-year-old Tim watched as the girl banged a large spoon on the bottom of a cake pan. Various cats and a big black dog came running. The cats rubbed against her bare legs; the dog stood facing her, tongue hanging, tail wagging.

“You crazy ole dog! Wait your turn!”

Just in time, she stopped the dog from stepping on a kitten.

He saw her light-brown hair brush across one cheek as she bent to lift the kitten out of danger. She held it to her cheek, breathing in the kitten smell.

“Ooh poor baby! Did that big ole dog scare you?”

She crooned to the kitten, rubbing one cheek against its soft fur. But the kitten would have none of it. It struggled against her soft voice, her gentle hands.

Tim saw Maggie for the first time that summer as he stood in the doorway. He saw through her light cotton dress in the early evening sun as she put the kitten on its feet. To him, her skin looked like burnished gold.

Maggie straightened and caught his gaze fixed on her. She threw a baleful look in his direction before returning to her task. Her long legs, flashing through the dress, held his gaze until he turned away.

Or rather, his brother, Gabe, pulled him away by grabbing his arm. His brother always sneaked up on him. He wondered if he had caught him looking at Maggie.

“Hey, come shoot pool with me. They have a table in the basement.” His brother said, giving a quick sidelong glance at the girl in the light summer dress.

“Okay.” Tim said.

“Yeah. It’s great that Mr. Glanville founded this club. So, who’s the girl?” Gabe asked Tim as they went down the stairs to the basement.

Tim spoke without looking at his brother.

“Must be his daughter.”

“Think she’ll join this club he started? She’s something!”

“Um... maybe she will.”

“Yeah. Well, think she’ll come shoot a game with us?”

“Maybe.” Tim said, shrugging his shoulders, concentrating on arranging the balls on the table.

That summer still haunted him. The heavy air was redolent with scents and scenes that came unbidden to his thoughts at the weirdest times. The perfume of the blossoms, the swing’s gentle sway in the oak tree, and Maggie's clean scent as she brushed past him created a sensory experience.

He realized he loved her even then. Pure and simple. There were days when he would either watch and listen or follow her around, but always with a sick, empty feeling in his stomach. Reflecting, he realized how creepy that was, even for a sixteen-year-old.

Although she treated him with disdain from the first day they met, he never allowed that to stop his obsession with her. Not to say he hadn’t tried to banish her from his mind.

Sometimes his intense attraction drained him of all feeling for her. It was those times that he talked to her, learning more about her, discovering her secrets, becoming her friend.

But inevitably, sharing her aura awakened the old obsession, released the butterflies in his stomach. Thoughts of her raced through his mind day after day of that summer as his love for her coiled itself around his heart.

By popular vote, after much discussion, the group named themselves Dream Builders. Tim thought it was a hokey name, but the other names suggested were, to his thinking, much worse.

Mr. Glanville informed the club members that they would keep the front door unlocked until 7pm on weeknights and 10pm on weekend nights. This would enable them to come by for pool, board games, or to hang out.

Maggie began taking part in club activities. He suspected her father’s nagging had paid off. Many times in the meetings, he saw her glance at her father as she sat with her hands folded in her lap. She often disappeared right after the meeting ended.

At least once a month, Dream Builders’ members went on an excursion. Whether it was hiking, performing some community activity, debating other clubs, going to museums, or going to the beach, Maggie took part, albeit with resentment.

At the beach, she developed a ritual of sorts. Running into the sea, kicking up foam, then diving into the water. He held his breath until he saw her head surface.

Once he ventured to join her in her romp in the sea. She tolerated him for a while, but then he tried to tickle her and brushed her breasts with his fingers. Without a word, she swam back to the beach, rising regally from the water, adjusting the tiny bottom of her swimsuit as she walked to her towel. He observed her swaying hips as she walked away from him. For a period, she avoided speaking to him without reason.

There came a time, however, when Maggie welcomed his arms around her and allowed him to express his love for her with his immature kisses.

Early one evening, as she fed the animals, he heard her father call out to her. He had dropped in to see if she needed help with some math. Maggie had expressed frustration when he had seen her in the cafeteria at school and asked for his help with some homework problems.

“I’m out here, Daddy,” she said, as she bent to spoon food into the animals’ bowls.

Maggie’s response prompted Tim to swiftly take cover behind the family room sofa, which had a clear view of the back veranda. He loved seeing her boss and pet the animals.

Mr. Glanville was in a foul mood. He hated the animals. He barely tolerated them.

That evening, rain poured from a gun-powder-gray sky. The animals were restless. They all hated the thunder that accompanied those storms.

“These animals are a nuisance, Meg!” Mr. Glanville strode onto the porch, almost stepping into a water bowl.

Maggie stopped what she had been doing. Tim felt the tension radiate from her as she straightened. She nervously pushed her hair off her face.

“Meg, did you hear me? I’m tired of these animals! We should get rid of them! What good are they, anyway? All they ever do is eat!”

Tim watched as Mr. Glanville approached her. She quickly bent, scooped up a kitten and stood with it in one arm.

“And these kittens, they’re everywhere! I just want to relax on the porch and enjoy my... oh!”

It was at that point that Mr. Glanville stepped on Filene’s tail. She hissed at him. He backed into Casper and the surprised cat jumped, hissing, before scooting under a chair. Rex growled as Mr. Glanville kicked at his bowl. Mr. Glanville’s annoyance turned to fury. He unbuckled his belt, pulling it through the loops with one hand. Tim watched in horror as he swung it.

“Oh, my god! No! Daddy! Don’t!”

Maggie held the kitten closer to her. With her other hand, she grabbed her father’s arm as it hung in the air, ready to swoop down with the belt on the defenseless animals.

Her father turned on her, his face surly and scowling.

“Get outta my way, girl!”

“No Daddy! You’re hurting them!”

She held onto his arm. He pushed her back.

“Daddy, please!”

She lowered the kitten to the floor and Tim watched as Mr. Glanville kicked it into a corner.

“Daddeee!”

Maggie straightened, trying to hold both his arms.

Her father pushed her against a wall.

“I told you to get outta my way, Meg!”

He slapped her as she struggled to free herself.

“Please Daddy! No! Don’t!”

Tim sprang from his hiding place. He ran onto the porch and grabbed Mr. Glanville’s arms from behind. At sixteen, he was already 5 feet 10, but Mr. Glanville was over 6 feet tall and weighed well over 250 pounds. He shook him off easily and slapped Maggie again as she cowered with her hands over her face.

Tim punched him in the back, putting all his 130 pounds into every punch, but again, Mr. Glanville shook him off. He sat on his backside on the porch.

But Maggie surprised them both. Just as it seemed her father would hit her again, she suddenly pushed away from the wall and punched him in the space between his ribs and his abdomen. Tim heard a whooshing sound as Mr. Glanville’s lungs forcefully expelled the air.

As his body folded in half, he heard Mr. Glanville whisper, “Meg, how could you do this to me?”

Maggie stood with tears coursing down her face. Tim went over and cradled her. She allowed him to caress her hair, to murmur reassurances, to kiss her brow. He guided her to her room, briefly leaving her to fetch a cool, damp washcloth.

He spent the rest of that summer in a daze.

Whenever he thought at length of Maggie, his thoughts inevitably returned to that summer. There were other summers, of course, but none like the first.

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