Huckleberry Summer (Huckleberry Hill)

by Jennifer Beckstrand

  Aden stretched out his arms. “Want a hug, Mammi?”

  Anna squeaked in alarm and waved him away. “Now, Aden, don’t try anything tricky.”

  Lily pulled one of the blankets from the pile. “Here, put this around your shoulders so you don’t catch your death.”

  Aden reached out, but instead of taking the blanket, he grabbed Lily’s hand and tugged her toward the pond. “The water’s fine. Would you like to try?”

  Lily attempted to pull away from him as she pushed down that panicked feeling she always got when she contemplated doing something scary.

  Aden kept hold of her hand and chuckled. “Sorry. Just teasing. I would never be reckless with you.” He squeezed her fingers and rubbed his thumb along the back of her hand. Time paused as they both studied their clasped hands before Aden curled his lips sheepishly and released her.

  Clearing her throat, Lily unfurled the blanket, reached up, and wrapped it around Aden’s shoulders.

  His gaze pierced her skull. “Denki.”

  Pilot decided he wanted to share his bath. He shook himself from head to toe, sending water droplets flying over everyone. Anna and Felty both shielded their faces but didn’t seem to mind the extra shower.

  “Pilot!” Lily shouted. “Get away.”

  Pilot trotted back to the shoreline and shook himself again. Aden’s unruly dog was surprisingly obedient.

  “Aden, you’re going to catch your death of cold in those wet clothes,” Anna said.

  “Mammi, it’s July twenty-fourth, and it can’t be less than ninety degrees out here. I think I’ll be fine.”

  Lily didn’t know how Anna managed to be so prepared. She shook her head and pulled a gray knitted scarf from the picnic basket. “Bend over,” she said to Aden.

  He obediently leaned toward his mammi, and she wrapped the extra-long scarf around his neck three times. “There,” she said, patting his chest. “Much better.”

  Aden grinned and winked at Lily. That boy was completely inappropriate. She turned her face away, sure she didn’t fool anyone. Her ears were probably blushing too.

  Lily spread the largest blanket over the grass, taking care not to crush any wildflowers. It would make Aden unhappy if she crushed any wildflowers.

  Grunting and groaning, Anna and Felty both lowered themselves to the blanket.

  “Are you okay, Mammi?”

  “Jah, but you will have to help me when it’s time to go. I couldn’t get up by myself to save my life.”

  “Me either,” said Felty. “I hope neither of us has to go to the bathroom.”

  Aden set the picnic basket on the blanket. Lily knelt next to the basket and pulled the food from inside. Aden hesitated, glanced at his mammi, and sat down next to Lily, a move that sent a tingle of pleasure down her spine. She immediately sat up straight and banished that tingle straight out of her head.

  “I promise not to get you wet,” he said.

  She merely nodded and scooted a good three inches away from him. Dat would not approve of Aden sitting so close. And neither did Lily. She did not want to get pulled into one of his schemes, whatever they were.

  “This food looks fit for a king,” Felty said.

  Lily assembled a plate of food for everybody, and they ate as they watched two Amish boys on the other side of the pond try to launch their canoe into the water.

  They had their horse hooked to a wide, low cart with the canoe secured on top. They tried to back the horse with the cart into the water, but the horse didn’t want to cooperate. Walking backward into the water must have spooked him, because he whinnied and snorted and shook his head in protest as the boys tried to guide him.

  Aden turned to stone beside her. The muscles of his jaw tightened as he balled his hands into fists.

  He caught her staring and seemed to relax in an instant. Smiling reassuringly, he stood up and left his blanket behind. “I think I’ll go help those boys launch their canoe.”

  He marched around the edge of the pond in purposeful strides with Pilot loping alongside.

  Should she go help, or was this one of those schemes Dat warned her about? Lily took a deep breath because she suddenly couldn’t get enough air. Remaining safely on the blanket seemed a very good option.

  Before Aden could reach them, the horse and cart lurched backward. The cart glided into the water, pulling the horse with it. The horse protested as he lost footing and went into the water with the cart.

  Lily flinched. She had no idea the pond was so deep at that spot.

  The two boys called out in alarm, and Aden exploded into a full sprint.

  Felty, looking as spry as a seventy-year-old, leaped from the blanket. “We’ve got to help,” he said. He held out his hand to pull Anna from the ground.

  She waved him away. “Go. You two go. I’ll only slow you down.”

  Lily’s heart beat so fast, her chest ached. She’d much rather stay comfortably on the blanket with Anna. But as eager as Felty was, she could still get to the other side of the pond ten times faster than he could.

  Sure enough, when she stood and took a step toward him, he said, “Don’t wait for me. I’ll be along.”

  With the dread rising in her throat, she turned and ran as fast as she could toward Aden and the horse.

  Lily kept her eyes on the far side of the pond. The canoe floated off the cart, and the cart, still attached to the horse, began to sink. With the bottom half of his body already submerged, the horse bellowed as his front hooves tried to find purchase on the muddy shore. One of the boys grabbed the harness at the horse’s neck and strained to pull him out of the water. The other boy worked to unfasten the straps that secured the cart to the horse, but the horse thrashed about so violently that the boy couldn’t get a good grip.

  As soon as Aden reached them, he immediately set to work loosening the straps. He and the other boy labored on opposite sides of the horse. The horse seemed to lose footing with every attempt he made to climb out of the pond. The water soon rose to his withers, and still he sank.

  Finally, Aden and the other boy managed to release the straps that bound the horse to the cart. The horse, now with only head and neck above water, stopped sinking, but didn’t jump out of the water like Lily thought he would.

  She finally reached them. One boy still had his hands firmly around the reins, straining to pull his horse from the water, but the horse didn’t budge.

  “How deep is the water right there?” Aden asked, breathing heavily.

  “He should be standing on bottom,” one of the boys said. “I don’t understand why he won’t come out.”

  Aden sat down and took off his boots and stockings. “I think he’s stuck.” He tossed his boots onto the grass while Pilot took care of his socks by scooping them up with his teeth and piling them in the sand.

  Lily stared at Aden in disbelief. “You’re not going in there?”

  “Jah,” he said. “I think his hoof might be caught on something.”

  “He could kick you in the head and kill you,” Lily said, the panic growing inside her. “What if you drown?”

  Although concern clouded his expression, he flashed a smile. “Some things are worth taking the risk for, Lily.”

  She laid a hand on his arm as if to stop him.

  He winked. “I am a gute swimmer.”

  Why did he have to wink? The gesture muddled her thinking, and before she could formulate a convincing argument for his staying onshore, he splashed into the water and disappeared beneath the surface. Pilot followed him with a running leap. The dog’s head bobbed above the water as he swam in a wide circle around the horse’s dangerous hind parts.

  “Take care of him, Pilot,” she yelled.

  Pilot looked her way and nodded.

  Dogs didn’t nod. She must be going batty.

  Lily held her breath as if she were the one swimming in the dark depths of the murky pond. Would Aden be able to see anything under there? She dreaded pulling his lifeless body from the water after the hor
se had kicked him senseless.

  Lily’s legs couldn’t support her weight. She stumbled to the edge of the water and sat down, looking for something she feared she wouldn’t find.

  The horse kept at his frantic struggle, flailing his legs and bobbing his head up and down. He whinnied and groaned as the boys kept a tight hold on his reins.

  Aden had been under there too long. Lily’s mouth felt full of sawdust. What should she do? Should they find a phone and call the police?

  Felty finally made it around the pond and stood next to Lily as she stared into the water, willing Aden to appear.

  “He can hold his breath a long time,” Felty said. “He’s got the Helmuth lungs.”

  Lily was not comforted. What did she know of the legendary Helmuth lungs? She forced herself to breathe and tried to think clearly. What could she do?

  The horse made great waves as he suddenly shifted to his left, found a gentle incline, and climbed out of the water as easy as you please. Pilot, unmindful of his charge to take care of Aden, followed on the horse’s heels.

  “Where’s Aden? Where’s Aden?” Lily screamed. Wild with fear, she leaped to her feet and scanned the water. She almost gave in to the urge to jump in herself, though she couldn’t swim and Dat would sorely chastise her if she drowned. Her eyes stung with tears.

  Where was he?

  Finally, blessedly, praise the Lord, Aden splashed to the surface. He took a deep, gasping breath and then sputtered and coughed as he paddled his way to shore. He didn’t have to swim far before his feet found bottom, and he trudged through the muck toward her with a handful of gray yarn in his fist.

  The light-headedness threatened to make Lily sink to her knees. If Aden ever tried to kill himself again, she would have to remember to keep breathing while she panicked.

  Aden wore a delighted smile even though blood trickled from his nose. Coming to shore, he shoved the pile of yarn that used to be Anna’s scarf into his pocket.

  Lily’s overwhelming relief soon gave way to indignation. How dare he get hurt! She charged at him and pounded on his hard chest. “Don’t you ever do that again.”

  He grabbed her wrists before she could do any permanent damage—to her hands—and widened that aggravating grin.

  “It’s bad enough that you don’t have the courtesy to come up for air, then you have the nerve to get hurt.” Her voice cracked, and she stifled the sob that wanted to escape her lips.

  Aden was soaking wet, but he wrapped his arms around her in a surprisingly warm hug. She could feel his heart pounding against her cheek. “It’s okay,” he said soothingly. “I’m okay.”

  Lily let herself melt into his embrace and drew comfort from his strength. Why was she so upset? A boy this strong would never drown. A boy this strong could do anything. After a few seconds of bliss, she realized how soggy she was becoming and pulled away.

  Her face blazed with heat. Had she just let Aden Helmuth hug her?

  His eyes sparkled as he looked at her, still smiling. His stare unnerved her, as it always did. Averting her eyes, she reached into her soggy apron pocket and pulled out an equally soggy handkerchief. He took it and wiped the blood from his nose.

  Anna had somehow managed to make it to their side of the pond. Felty took her hand, and they both looked at Aden as if his standing there dripping and bleeding were an everyday occurrence.

  “The horse’s rear hoof caught on a piece of wire. He kept pulling forward and the wire was looped around the front of his hoof. When I got down there I realized I still had the scarf around my neck, praise the Lord. I wrapped it around his hoof and pulled back on it while moving the wire as best I could. It’s good the scarf was so long. He almost conked me in the head three or four times.”

  Lily caught her breath just thinking about it.

  “Once he was free of the wire, he jumped right out.” Aden pulled the yarn from his pocket. “Sorry about your scarf, Mammi.”

  Anna took what used to be her scarf from Aden and fingered the strands of yarn. “It looks like someone got carried away frogging, but my knitting has never saved someone’s life before. It’s a miracle.”

  “It’s a good thing you knitted it so well,” Felty added. “A lesser scarf might have unraveled instantly.”

  Anna nodded in awe. “I give all the glory to the good Lord.”

  Aden dabbed at his nose while he took up his disconcerting habit of staring at Lily. “You still look pale.”

  “I thought you were drowned when the horse came out and you didn’t.”

  He grinned. “I explored the bottom of the pond before coming up for air. The horse caught his foot on a tangle of baling wire. And there’s an old car down there.”

  Anna worked the fuzzy, soggy yarn between her fingers to determine if any of it was salvageable. “I’ll start on a replacement scarf today.”

  Aden finally quit staring at her when one of the boys drew his attention. They had led the horse away from the shore and tethered him to a tree, where the two boys squatted to examine the horse’s leg. Lily saw a minor smear of blood above the horse’s hoof where the wire must have cut into his hide.

  One boy stood and shook Aden’s hand, and Lily could hear him thank Aden profusely for his help. He should be grateful. Aden could have been seriously hurt. The boy pointed to the middle of the pond where his canoe bobbed lazily.

  Aden turned to Lily, shrugged, and flashed her an apologetic look. Her heart resumed its forceful cadence. “What?” she said.

  Aden came back to Lily and his grandparents and spoke directly to Felty, although Lily knew his message was for her. “Neither John or his brother Crist knows how to swim. I’m going to help them get their trailer and their boat.”

  “No, you’re not,” Lily said, not caring how bossy she sounded.

  “Oh, dear,” Anna said, furrowing her brow. “I don’t have any more scarves.”

  Aden finally met Lily’s eyes. “I know how to swim.”

  Lily folded her arms across her chest in a show that she wouldn’t budge. “You’re not risking your life for their canoe. It will float to shore eventually.”

  Aden didn’t take her concerns seriously. The corner of his mouth twitched upward. “I promise to keep my head above water at all times.”

  Lily gestured to Felty and Anna, hoping that including them would add weight to her plea. “And leave us here to die of anxiety?”

  Aden chuckled. “I’m not in any danger. And they need their canoe. Turn around and close your eyes. I’ll be back by your side before you know it.”

  She opened her mouth to give him the tongue-lashing he deserved when, without warning, he shrugged his suspenders off his shoulders.

  Mortified, she quickly turned her back on him. “What are you doing?”

  “I warned you to close your eyes,” he said, his voice bouncing with amusement.

  “It’s not funny,” Lily protested.

  “Keep your eyes closed. These trousers are as heavy as a bag of rocks. I don’t think I should go in again with them on.”

  Anna turned her back and stood next to Lily. “Such a dear boy.”

  Lily sorely wanted to contradict her. Aden was not a dear boy. He was a reckless, impudent troublemaker who took too many risks. Her nerves were stretched so thin she thought they might snap if she didn’t die of embarrassment first. Was Aden really only five feet away from her stripping down to his drawers?

  Terror, indignation, and mortification warred inside her. She was beside herself that Aden would put himself in such danger, but she couldn’t very well scold him about it while her back was turned and her face glowed red with mortification.

  She heard the splash indicating that Aden had entered the water followed by a massive splash that could only mean Pilot had followed him in.

  “Lily,” she heard Aden call. The sound of his voice almost prompted her to turn around. She thought better of it and stood like a stone with her eyes squeezed shut. “Lily, I am now swimming to the middle of the pond.
My head is above water, and that’s why you can hear me yelling.”

  He tempted her to crack a smile, but just in time she remembered her annoyance with him and folded her arms in protest. Let him yell all he wanted. She didn’t care.

  “I am now dragging the boat to shore, where I will hand the towrope to John. You will notice that my head is still above water.”

  Lily stomped her foot. He was the most insufferable tease.

  Anna patted Lily’s arm. Lily’s eyes were still closed, so she couldn’t see Anna’s expression. No doubt her face glowed with admiration. “Such a delightful boy.”

  Lily didn’t even grunt her disapproval.

  “Now I am going to tie a rope around the trailer bar so John and Crist can pull it out of the water. I might have to stick my head under a little to reach the bar.”

  Birdsong filled the silence for what must have been less than fifteen seconds, and then Lily heard another splash followed by Aden’s low, soothing voice. “I am now out of the water. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of an answer.

  “I am now attempting to don my trousers, but it is slow going. They are soaked. Now my shirt. It’s a little easier, although it’s always difficult to stretch a shirt over my massive chest.”

  It seemed that she would not be able to get him to shut up. A giggle tripped from her lips involuntarily.

  Oh, blast it all!

  She had been trying so hard to stay ferociously mad at him.

  With her eyes still closed, she covered her mouth with her hand to stifle any more outbursts. He sidled up behind her. She could feel his warmth before he touched her. Laying his hands on her arms, he leaned close and whispered, “Are you thoroughly embarrassed yet or should I keep talking?”

  His breath tickled her neck, and she trembled until she remembered to be mad. Deciding it would be safe to open her eyes, she whirled around and propped her hands on her hips. “Stop that.”