by David Harp
Chapter 19
The Hidden Spring
The group set off after lunch and stopped thirty minutes later at Rogers Park. It was crowded with teenagers enjoying a party atmosphere. Brian’s friend Jessica didn’t want to leave, but the others were ready to continue after a ten minute rest.
The forest canopy grew thick as they traveld further up river. The river narrowed, appearing like a blue and green trail in a dimly lit tunnel. The group was getting weary fighting the current when Jessica began to complain.
“This is boring. I’m getting tired. Let’s go back to the park.”
“There’s a beautiful spring only a little further. Does anyone want to go?” Dan asked.
“That must be the place you took me when we were ten.” Steve said. “It’s spectacular, we should definitely go.”
“I’d love to see it,” Linda added. “This area is really beautiful!”
Chris, Haley, Matt and Jamie agreed.
“O.K., looks like I’m outvoted,” Jessica conceded.
Dan barely recognized the area when they arrived at the creek. An old tree had fallen and a large limb was across the entrance.
“I don’t see a creek, where’s the creek?” Jessica asked impatiently.
Dan answered, “Jessica, It’s hidden. Only those of us who know how to find it can get there. There are no roads and I haven’t seen anyone else there.”
Dan didn’t want to explain how he found the spring after his mother died. This was a special place for him, but unlike the few close friends he had taken before he was afraid Jessica wasn’t going to appreciate it. In fact, it began to dawn on Dan that a trip up the overgrown creek with a multitude of bugs, snakes and alligators might be something few girls would enjoy.
Steve said to Linda, “This is Dan’s secret place, so you guys get to go first. It’s your job to knock down spiders and snakes.”
“Steve!” Dan shouted. Then he whispered, “Shut up!” The entrance was completely concealed by vegetation with a large limb hanging a couple feet above the water.
Dan explained to Linda, “Grab the limb, lean back into the canoe like you’re doing limbo, and pull the canoe under. Then I’ll do the same. It should be clearer on the other side. I’ll propel us forward while you sweep your paddle back and forth in case there are spider webs.”
Linda didn’t say a word. She boldly grabbed the limb, pulling the canoe under without hesitation.
As Dan passed under the limb, he looked up to see a garden spider as wide as a softball. It was less than 10 inches from his face. The canoe slid forward a few more feet to avoid the web. Dan looked back at the spider and heard Linda say, “Isn’t it beautiful?”
It was, but that wasn’t the reaction he expected. “Are you O.K. with this?” he asked. She smiled, nodded yes. “I’m having fun.”
Then it was Brian and Jessica’s turn. Dan started to use his paddle to clear the spider web, but Linda insisted it would be a shame to tear up the beautiful web which sparkled with dew while swaying gently in the breeze.
Dan warned Jessica to avoid the spider by staying on her back until she passed completely under the limb.
Haley was a little surprised how quickly the front of the canoe and Jessica’s knees appeared. As she emerged from under the branch, Jessica popped up like a cork. The spider landed on the top of her head, ran across her face and down her arm to safety.
The people a few miles away at Rogers Park heard the scream. The words Jessica used to describe her displeasure would not be recognized in polite conversation. The canoe was back under the limb and heading for home in less than a minute. At that point, Brian was little more than a passenger. The others heard him call out, “we’ll see you back at the house,” as he and Jessica disappeared.
Dan apologized, “I’m sorry Linda. This was a bad idea.”
Linda’s face began to twitch. It looked like she was going to cry. She bent over as if to start bawling and let loose the most infectious giggle. Dan started chuckling as they both laughed hysterically until tears ran down their cheeks. She managed to speak a few words, “Did you … laugh, laugh…, see her face?”
When they stopped laughing, Dan said, “You’ve got a dark side.”
“Maybe,” she said. “But that was sooo funny. Steve said this is the first time he has seen Brian interested in a girl. Brian’s first love is nature, so I wanted to make sure Jessica and nature were properly introduced.”
Chris and Haley had passed Dan and Linda and were waiting at the spring. When the entire group arrived Steve gasped, “Wow! This place is even more impressive than I remembered.”
The spring was an iridescent blue hole, less than 50 yards across with no discernible bottom. The quiet stillness was broken only by the melody of a Carolina Wren. Giant oak trees on all sides stretched out, completely covering it like an entrance to a magical realm on a beautiful alien world.
The couples rested a few minutes before swimming for an hour. Steve repeatedly climbed a tall tree to jump in with a huge splash, “Cannonball!” Linda and Dan sat on the shore together.
“Now I understand why you’ve kept this place a secret,” she said. “Steve told me it has a special meaning for you. He said it has something to do with your mother.”
“Yes,” Dan admitted. He felt surprisingly comfortable with Linda, opening up in a way he hadn’t with anyone else.
“I haven’t told this story, not even to Steve. I was only eight years old when my mother died of cancer. It was about a month before your brother John died. I was depressed. Dad kept saying how much mom loved the river. He said her spirit would always be here. One day when I was missing her, I paddled a little Jon boat further up river than I’d ever gone until I was too tired to go any further.
I tied the boat to a low hanging limb and cried for the first time since she died. When I was getting ready to head home, I noticed water flowing from the woods into the river. I followed the creek to this spring. I swear, it was full of manatees.
It had been cold that winter, so the creatures must have been attracted by the warm water. One of them swam right up to the boat and looked up at me. I think my mother was sending me a message.”
Linda leaned in toward Dan and he moved toward her. They kissed softly. “I think I’m falling in love,” he whispered. Then as if on cue, a solitary manatee appeared and looked at them. The manatee was gone in an instant, but Dan and Linda felt something very special had happened.
The fish fry was well underway when the couples arrived back at the house. Mr. Naidoo waved to them from his place of duty in front of a large pan of boiling oil. He was serving up huge piles of fish and hush puppies while Bill Wynn was standing only a few feet away tending to a pot of boiling crabs. Other neighbors brought grits, greens, coleslaw, and cold drinks.
As they picked up paper plates to get in the serving line, Mr. Naidoo said “We were starting to get worried. Brian and Jessica got back a couple hours ago.”
Linda said, “Sorry Mr. Naidoo. Dan took us to the most wonderful little secluded spring. We were having so much fun, I didn’t want to leave.”
Bill Wynn chimed in with a chuckle. “That isn’t the way Jessica described it. She said it was the most god forsaken place, then added something about a big-ass spider. She was so distraught that Brian spent all afternoon comforting her.”
Mr. Wynn looked over at Mr. Naidoo and winked.
The couples carried their meals next door, climbing up on the deck above the boat slip where Brian and Jessica were sitting. Dan was worried that Jessica would be angry about the spider, but it turned out she really enjoyed the canoe trip. All she really wanted was to be alone with Brian. Her little tantrum worked.
Everyone ate, talked, and watched the boats go by as the sun began to set. Jessica said she wanted to be a fashion designer, Haley was interested in archaeology, and Linda was already preparing to be a veterinarian. Their excitement was obvious.
It seemed as though everyone except Dan was eager
to move on to the next phase in their lives. Dan didn’t want anything to change. His friends wanted to make a mark on the world. That frightened Dan because he didn’t care. He couldn’t imagine anything better than what they had, this unspoiled moment with family, neighbors and friends.
Chris, Steve, Matt, and Brian appeared to be driven from birth with a desire to do something spectacular. Dan felt they were moving too fast, wasting the most precious time of their lives. He began to think out loud.
“It’s like you guys are obsessed with changing the world. Ever since the lightning struck our boat …”
Steve started to laugh. “Here we go again. What is it with you and the lightning? You’re obsessed with the lightning! Nobody died, we’re doing fine so get over it.”
Dan couldn’t let it go. “I’m just saying you guys have always been ambitious, but the lightning strike changed you! It’s like you’ve each been given a mission. You’re like the Tin Man, Lion, or Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz searching for something.”
“Well then,” Steve flashed a playful smile. “If I’m the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, I guess that makes you Dorothy?” His face lit up with delight.
A sense of panic washed over Dan. He made a serious blunder and was in danger of being nicknamed Dorothy for the rest of his natural life. He had to distract Steve, but couldn’t change the subject to save himself.
“It seems like you guys are restless, trying to find something that isn’t missing. Can’t we just slow down and enjoy the moment? I mean our lives are pretty good aren’t they?”
“Yea,” Steve looked off thoughtfully, “Everyone isn’t as lucky as we are. We come from good homes with good friends, and we live in a rich country. I want to make the world a better place, don’t you? Besides, it isn’t all work. We’ve had a nice day. We’re enjoying the company of these beautiful ladies while watching a spectacular sunset.”
He looked directly at Dan and said, “You’re the one talking shop.” There was a pronounced pause before he added in a voice like a wicked witch, “Dorothy.”
