Journey With the Comet

by Dana Wayne Haley

  But Wally was too busy having fun and paid no attention to his sister. After rocking for five minutes he climbed down and placed MyBear on the horse and rocked it back and forth. When he tired of that he climbed back on the horse and his sisters took turns rocking him, each trying to rock the horse harder than the others to see who could make Wally laugh the hardest.

  Margaret and Murdock sat back in their rockers, blissfully watching and listening to their children’s antics, all the while realizing that the special Christmas that they had planned for, but most of all hoped for, was now a reality. And to insure that would indeed be the case, this year the Haleys spent more of their hard earned money on Christmas gifts than in any previous year. After a few minutes of watching the children playing near the tree, Margaret spoke:

  “Okay, kids, calm down. Your father and I have a special present for you.”

  Instantly, the room became quiet with anticipation, and Leona gently placed Comet on the floor. Then Murdock, who had earlier slipped out of the room unnoticed while the children were playing, came walking in from the kitchen. In his hands were two large snow-sleds that the kids would be able to use even when fully grown. The kids screamed with delight when they saw the sleds.

  “Your mother and I bought these for you kids,” Murdock said, “but you have to share them because we could only afford to buy two.”

  Including last year’s toboggan and this year’s skates, which were purchased on sale last spring, the sleds were the most expensive store-bought gifts the children had ever received, and, in reality, they were more expensive than the Haleys could afford to buy. But Margaret and Murdock wanted to give their kids something really special this Christmas, and the sleds were just what the doctor ordered. They would keep their children entertained, and last for years if taken care of. The girls were thrilled when they saw the new sleds. They had seen other children in Bangor sledding and having fun, and now they could do the same. Only little Wally could care less about the sleds that day; he was too busy riding on his rocking horse and playing with Mybear and Comet.

  —2—

  “This was the best Christmas ever,” Leona said, when Margaret came into her bedroom at noon and placed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and glass of milk on the small table next to her. She fixed a snack for her daughter knowing that dinner wouldn’t be ready for two hours and that Leona was anxious to read her new book: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. As Margaret turned to leave, she said, “I hope you enjoy your book, dear,” and closed the door. Leona opened the book and began to read:

  “CHAPTER 1——I Discover Moses and the Bulrushers——YOU DON’T know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but that ain’t no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There was things he stretched, but mainly he told the truth. That is nothing. I never seen anybody but lied one time or another, without it was Aunt Polly, or the widow, or maybe Mary. Aunt Polly—Tom’s Aunt Polly, she is—and Mary, and the Widow Douglas is told about in that book, which is mostly a true book, with some stretches, as I said before.”

  After Leona read that first paragraph she laughed aloud, as she would do many more times that day. At times she even caught herself crying, but mostly laughing. The only time she put the book down was to eat Christmas dinner. It was well past midnight when she finally closed the book and laid it down, having finished it all.

  “Wow!” she thought, “I’ve never read a whole novel in just one day.”

  Leona enjoyed it so much it became her favorite Mark Twain novel.

  Upon changing into her nightclothes and climbing into bed, Leona lie there with a smile on her face as she fondly thought about her first Christmas in Glenburn. Although the little girl was thrilled with all her gifts, and by the heart-warming image of her family enjoying Christmas together, there was one part of this Christmas, and those that would follow, that stood far above everything else: Murdock’s spellbinding rendition of The Night Before Christmas.

  Hearing her father read that poem to celebrate their first Christmas in Glenburn, in his deep baritone voice, made an endearing and lasting impression on the 8-year-old, sending chills of both excitement and anticipation through her bones. She remembered fondly when he spoke those awe-inspiring words for the very first time, and when, after the reading was done, he gave the book to her for safekeeping. Before putting it away, she tucked an envelope inside the back cover so it would never be lost. In it was a remarkable newspaper article that she found to be as inspirational as the book’s poem, and it was even more special because Hans was the one who gave it to her a few days before the previous year’s Christmas.

  Until this day she kept the envelope that held the amazing article tucked inside her Holy Bible, and it was kept in the top drawer of her nightstand, where all her most cherished items were kept. On the envelope Leona had written the words Dec. 22, 1917 … special gift from Mr. Hans Andersen of Norway, Europe … to Leona Bessie Haley of Bangor, Maine. However, before tucking it in its new resting place, she put a line through Bangor and wrote West Glenburn in its place.

  After the envelope was safely tucked inside its new home, Leona placed her father’s lone copy of The Night Before Christmas in her nightstand, amongst her other cherished books; and from that day forward it was to be the only book she kept there that did not exclusively belong to her. In spite of that, it became the most treasured of all the books that occupied her nightstand; and she often pulled it out, staring at its pretty red cover and thinking of her loving parents whenever she needed to be comforted.

  Other than those few occasions, that book stayed in her bookshelf until the moment came on Christmas Eve when Murdock once again asked his little girl to fetch it from its yearlong resting place. Without doubt, watching her father read that wonderful poem from the large shiny red book each year, while he and his wife sat peacefully in their rocking chairs, was the most special part of Christmas for Leona. And those moments would linger forever in her mind’s eye, long after her mother and father were no longer present in her earthly sight.

  Chapter 38

  The New Sled

  The Christmas gift that Leona got the most use out of, and definitely had the most fun using, was the new glossy wood-stained American Glider sled with beautiful blue-and-yellow decorative stripes and shiny red runners that seemed to slide almost frictionless on packed snow or ice. It was the perfect gift for the 8-year-old, one that would be used over and over throughout the coming winters. Although an occasional speedy toboggan ride down a snow-covered hill was exciting, there was nothing quite like the youthful exhilaration Leona experienced after jumping on her new sled and going “faster than the wind” on the snow-covered and sometimes icy roads near her home.

  After getting a running start in the Haleys’ long, slightly descending driveway, she could jump belly-first on the sled and slide straight across Ohio Street onto the Winter Fun Road. Then it was hold on tight as the sled darted a quarter-mile down the steep road to a wide valley, before coasting up a slight incline and slowing to a stop at the top of a small hill. Over that hill the road sloped downward again for another quarter-mile or so, although not nearly as steep as the first quarter-mile, before flattening out and coming to Broadway, another three-tenths of a mile further.

  It was at the beginning of the flat part that the Six Mile Falls Road intersected the Winter Fun Road. Usually Leona decided against sledding the full length of the Winter Fun Road because the final leg just wasn’t steep enough to provide the kind of sled speed and excitement she sought. So after traversing the first quarter-mile to the valley she would coast to the top of the small hill, and quickly turn around and slide back to the valley, coasting as far as she could up the steep hill before dismounting the sled and trekking back to her driveway to again experience the thrill of that much steeper part. Since that much used Winter Fun Road hill near her home had no name, Le
ona decided to call it Haleys Hill.

  —1—

  The first time Leona was able to use her new sled was the morning of the 26th. She had pleaded with her sisters to go sledding on Christmas day, but to no avail. First she asked Arlene.

  “It’s way too cold, Leona. I’ll go tomorrow if it warms up,” she offered.

  “What do you mean?” Leona queried. “It’s twenty, the sun’s shining, and there’s no wind.”

  But Arlene could not be persuaded; if there was one thing she had an aversion to, it was cold weather.

  “You’re such a sissy, Arlene,” Leona said.

  “Leona! Don’t go calling your sister names,” Margaret admonished.

  “But she is a sissy, Mama,” Lillian agreed.

  “I know, dear; just don’t go calling her that.”

  The girls laughed hysterically, causing little Wally to giggle, and Murdock to wink at his wife.

  “It’s just that I don’t like the cold, Mama,” Arlene said after she stopped laughing.

  “That’s all right, dear,” Margaret sympathized, “can’t say that I’m too fond of it myself.”

  “Lillian, will you go sledding with me?” Leona asked.

  “Sure, let’s go.”

  “Hold your horses, young lady!” her mother said. “Where do you think you’re going? Nice try, but you know I need your help.”

  “Darn!” Lillian responded.

  “Then I’ll go by myself,” Leona said.

  “Not on your life, Leona. I don’t want any of you girls sledding alone. Do you hear? The three of you can go sledding the first thing in the morning. Okay, Leona?”

  “Yes, Mama. It’s okay, I guess,” the extremely disappointed girl said.

  “But I’m not going if it’s too cold,” Arlene said.

  “Don’t worry about that right now, Arlene; from the looks of it, tomorrow should be fine. You know what they say: Don’t go counting your chickens before they’re hatched.”

  “That’s right, Arlene,” Murdock chimed in. “Don’t be putting the cart before the horse. Just take one day at a time.”

  —2—

  The next morning Leona awoke at 6:30 and ran downstairs to look at a thermometer that hung just outside the window above the kitchen sink. Her mother was already fixing breakfast.

  “Mama, it’s over twenty outside. It’s gonna be warm enough for Arlene to go sledding today.”

  “Yeah, by nine it should be close to 30, and there’s no wind for Arlene to complain about either. But I don’t think Arlene’s the one you have to worry about this morning. Getting Lillian out of bed is gonna be the real challenge.”

  Leona knew exactly what her mother meant. When she was little, Lillian was a typical youngster when it came to getting up early, but now it was different.

  “Nowadays it takes a herd of wild horses to drag your sister out of bed,” Margaret laughed.

  “I know, Mama, but I’ll get her up this morning, even if it kills me,” Leona said with unmistakable determination in her voice.

  And then she turned and ran toward the kitchen door, heading upstairs to wake her sister. As she did, her father walked into the kitchen and she ran smack into him, almost knocking him over.

  “Whoa, Leona!” he said. “What’s the rush? Did someone die?”

  “You might say that, Papa,” she said, rushing past him. “I’m on my way to wake up Lillian so we can go sledding. I want to start by 9:00.”

  “Good luck with that,” Murdock called out to his daughter. “Hey, Maggie, two bits says Lil will still be in bed at 9:00. And another two says she won’t be out the door until well past 11:00.”

  “Do you think I’m daffy, Murdy?” she asked. “I wasn’t born yesterday; I wouldn’t touch that bet with a ten-foot pole.”

  Not only was it hard to get Lillian up in the morning, but getting her going after she did get up was quite a challenge too; and Margaret knew that better than anyone.

  “You know, Murdy, I look forward to summer vacation more than the kids do. At least then I don’t have to wear myself out all the time trying to get Lillian’s butt off to school.”

  “Yeah, something must’ah happened to that girl when she reached puberty,” he replied. “When she was smaller she never used to sleep so late, or procrastinate the way she does now. My sister Georgie was draggy like that, but I’ve never seen anyone near as bad as Lillian. I sure hope Arlene and Leona aren’t that way when they get older.”

  “Oh, don’t even think that!” Margaret joked while rolling her eyes.

  —3—

  “Lillian, for God sake, it’s 7:30! Get up so we can go sledding,” Leona shouted upon entering her sisters’ bedroom. She saw no movement under Lillian’s blanket, but heard a soft moan. “Come on, Lillian, wake your sleepy butt up!”

  “In a minute,” her drowsy sister was barely able to utter.

  Although Leona’s shouts had little affect on Lillian, Arlene was another matter.

  “What time is it?” she asked while rubbing her eyes.

  “Seven-thirty,” Leona replied.

  “What’s it like outside?”

  “It’s beautiful. The Sun’s out and there’s no wind, so it should be nice and warm by nine.”

  Arlene rolled out of bed, grabbed her clothes, and headed downstairs in her pajamas to wash up. Before leaving the room, she looked at her sleeping sister and spoke to Leona.

  “Let some light in, sis. That should help. But don’t expect her to get up anytime soon.”

  Leona walked to the window that looked out over Ohio Street and raised the shade. The morning sun shined directly on Lillian’s bed; and, as if she were a nocturnal vampire terrified of daylight, she instinctively pulled the covers over her head.

  “Lillian! Get your lazy butt outta bed!” Leona shouted once more before heading downstairs for breakfast.

  An hour later, Lillian still wasn’t up, and Leona was becoming perturbed. Once again she went to her sister’s bedroom.

  “For cryin’ out loud, Lillian! It’s 8:30; get your sorry butt up! Arlene and I are done eating and we’re just waiting for you; so, hop to it!”

  There was no movement on the bed, so Leona walked over and pulled the blankets down. By now the sun was shining directly in Lillian’s eyes. She reached for the blankets and tried to pull them up, but Leona wouldn’t let her. The struggle with her young sister caused Lillian to waken enough for Leona to finally get her nearly comatose sister to speak; and she could almost understand what Lillian was saying.

  “Please go away,” the groggy girl mumbled. “I just want to sleep a little bit longer.”

  “Not on you life, Lillian. You promised to go sledding this morning; so get up, or else!”

  When Lillian was finally out of bed and walking downstairs to wash up, the scowl on Leona’s face was replaced by a smile. The same could not be said of Lillian. During the next half-hour she washed up, ate the oatmeal and toast her mother had fixed, and then went up to her bedroom again to get dressed. But another half-hour passed and she had still not come downstairs.

  “Lillian, you’re slower than death,” Leona said when she walked into her sister’s bedroom and saw that she still wasn’t close to being dressed.

  Because Lillian never changed her habits in the years to follow, the “slower than death” phrase would jokingly be used over and over by all members of the Haley household. Finally, Leona and Arlene managed to cajole their sister into getting dressed, and they were out the door before the clock struck 10:30.

  Murdock joked: “You should’ah taken me up on the bet, Maggie. I never, for one second, thought they’d get Lillian out the door before 11:00.”

  “I told you, Murdy: I wasn’t born yesterday.”

  —4—

  That morning Leona became hooked on sledding, much more so than
her sisters; although they too had fun and enjoyed the good-natured banter that the siblings invariably engaged in whenever they played together. Even while sledding, Arlene and Leona razzed Lillian about being so “draggy,” because she was always the last to walk back to the top of the hill after a successful, or not so successful, run to the bottom. Still, despite the razzing, Lillian and her sisters got a great deal of enjoyment from sledding in the days and weeks after that first Christmas; and their parents often joined in the fun. Margaret would take one sled and have Leona and Arlene sitting between her legs, and Murdock took the other with Lillian and little Wally sitting between his. Only after their children begged endlessly would the parents lie on their stomachs and allow their little ones to lie on top of them; however, for their children’s safety, no more than one at a time was allowed on top. Regardless of the method used, the children always screamed with delight as they speeded down the steep roadway.

  It was especially exhilarating for the children when their parents raced, and that was because the sleds—with runners polished as smooth as glass and waxed to perfection by Murdock—ran side-by-side almost all the way to the bottom of the hill until one or the other squeaked by for the victory. The kids would more often than not taunt each other all the way down, yelling: “We’re gonna beat you, we’re gonna beat you,” or “The last one down is a rotten egg.” Sometimes the parents would lose control of their sleds and one would accidentally bump into the other, causing it, and many times both, to careen into a snow-bank on the side of the road. The children often loved the crashes more than the ride itself because their parents would playfully cuss each other out and joke about whose fault it was, and then seemingly laugh forever when they did.

  The first time the parents’ sleds collided and they chided each other, Leona couldn’t stop laughing, and she prayed that their sleds would collide again. As it turned out, she wasn’t disappointed; four runs later the sleds smashed together and everyone ended up in the snowy ditch.

  “Damn women drivers,” Murdock yelled. “Where did you get your driver’s license, Maggie? At the Eagle’s Nest Gift Shop?”