AT THE END OF A HIDDEN PATH
by
Margaret Marr
Wendy Brooks plopped down on the bottom step of her grandmother's two story farm house and blew out a mouthful of air, causing a stray lock of red hair to fly up in the process. She swatted at an annoying news bee and cursed the smothering heat of the dry, dusty town of Flatwoods, North Carolina.
"Go away!" She slapped at the bee again, hitting it with the palm of her hand. It sailed through the air and landed on its back, legs kicking in the air. "I don't imagine you have any good news to tell me anyway," she grumbled under her breath.
The truth of the matter was, she wanted to go back home, back to where there was a mall 5 minutes away, back to where there were food places fifty feet apart, where there were places to hang out at night. Heck, she'd even settle to being back to where she didn't have to go through the operator to call her boyfriend. Instead, she was stuck out in the middle of cow town where the nearest place to shop was a dinky little five and dime store forty minutes way. And food? Forget that! This place hadn;t even heard of McDonalds, let alone a five star restaurant. The closest thing to a hang-out was a barn called The Stomping Grounds. "Puu ... lease!" She rolled her eyes. She loved her grandmother, but eighteen was a little too old to be spending summers with her anymore.
She let out another sigh and watched the bee struggle for awhile. Finally, she pushed away from the steps, got up and flipped it back on its legs. The bee promptly flew away as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
Wendy decided to go back inside and try to call her boyfriend, Kyle one more time. It seemed he was never around anymore, and once Wendy could have sworn she'd heard him tell his mother to tell her he wasn't there.
"Are you trying to reach that nice young man again?" the operator asked in a syrupy, nasal voice.
Wendy rolled her eyes. She felt like she was in an Andy Griffith rerun. "Yes, please. I suppose you know the number by now."
"I sure do, sugar."
A few seconds later, Wendy heard the muffled ring along the line. No one picked up. She continued to let it ring until the operator came back on.
"Honey, would you like to try your call later?"
"That'll be fine." Wendy put down the receiver, feeling numb. Kyle was not sitting home on a Friday afternoon waiting for her to call.
Not conscious of where she was going, she ended back up on the steps, staring down the road, wishing with all her might she could shake the overwhelming feeling of isolation and loneliness that swept over her in a tidal wave of emotion. Her chest constricted, and she felt tears working their way up her throat, seeking her eyes, causing them to burn. What on earth was she going to do for the next three months?
Through her tears she caught a movement at the edge of the woods. She blinked and wiped her eyes. It was a little, blonde-haired girl. Where in the heck had she come from? Wendy wondered.
The girl giggled and covered her mouth with one hand. She was dressed in a calico, ankle-length dress; a bonnet hung loose down her back.
What on earth? Wendy took a step closer.
The girl giggled again, and motioned for Wendy to follow her. Then she darted off into the thick undergrowth.
Wendy hesitated, then shrugged. How much harm can a little girl cause her anyway? Besides this was the most excitement she'd encountered since she stepped off the bus in "Nowheresville" almost a week ago.
Wendy must have hesitated too long, because the girl came back through the woods and motioned for her to follow once more.
After a quick look back at the house to make sure her grandmother was still napping in the rocking chair out on the porch, she hurried after the little girl. To her surprise, there was a trail of sorts that wound down into the thick forest.
The girl had stopped, and was waiting half-hidden by the trunk of a tree.
"Hey, what's your name?" Wendy called.
The only answer was another giggle, and the girl darted off again.
Wendy couldn't think of anything to do but follow her.
The trail was covered with dead leaves and young saplings. It almost wasn't a trail at all, but Wendy could tell that someone had traveled it many times once, perhaps a lifetime ago. It looked almost like an old horse and buggy road, long out of use.
A tree limb came back and slapped her in the face. "Ouch!" She blinked and rubbed her eye. When she looked up again, the little girl had disappeared out of sight.
"Hey!" she called. "You need to slow down!" All that answered her was the sound of the creek, and the occasional chirp of a bird. She listened for the sound of leaves crunching under shoes, and her eyes skimmed the area in a full circle. When her eyes returned to the path in front of her the girl stood there, staring intently at her.
Wendy jumped and clamped down on her lip with her teeth to keep from crying out. "You startled me," she said, breathlessly.
The girl motioned for Wendy to follow her, with a look that said, keep up please, and dashed off down the trail once again.
It seemed like she had been following the girl for hours. She felt sweat trickle down between her shoulder blades, and her mouth felt packed full of cotton. If she walked through one more saw-briar, she was going to scream. Her legs already looked like she'd been hacking at them with a dull razor.
Just when she thought the trail was infinite, it ended. She saw before her a wide-open space with fields of flowers, green grass, and rows upon rows of tobacco plants. A tiny cabin sat in one corner. The little girl seemed to have disappeared in thin air. But none of this held her attention. What sat on the front steps of the cabin did.
The young man pulled up a blade of grass, ripped it to shreds and threw the pieces into a growing pile at his feet. Ever so often he'd stare down the gravel driveway with a wistful look on his handsome face.
Wendy caught her breath. He had to be the best-looking man she'd ever seen in her life. She slipped behind a tree and peeked out at him. His skin was brown from the summer sun, and he looked to be in his early twenties. His body was long, lean and muscular from hours of working in the fields. He was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans.
When he raised his eyes to look in her direction, she ducked behind the tree and held her breath. Had he seen her? Her heart hammered against her ribs.
"Hello?" he called.
Dang! He had seen her. What was she going to do now? She certainly couldn't stay hidden behind the tree. She took a deep breath and stepped into view.
"What are you hiding for?" he asked.
"I wasn't hiding," she denied.
"It looked like that's what you were doing to me. Or maybe perhaps you were spying?" He looked her up and down.
Wendy suddenly felt self-conscious. She had thrown on an old ratty pair of cut-off jeans and a Save the Earth T-shirt. Not exactly dressed to impress. But then, she hadn't figured there would be anyone to impress in Nowheresville.
His eyes rested on her lips, causing her face to burn. That was another bad thing; she hadn't bothered with make-up. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, which now had to look horrendous with all the strands that had pulled loose from the track she'd made through the woods following that little girl. At the thought of the girl, she looked around.
"Was that little girl your sister?" she asked.
The man frowned. "What little girl? Only me and my grandfather live here."
It was Wendy's turn to frown. "But I followed a little girl here. Do any of the neighbors have children?"
The man laughed sarcastically. "What neighbors?"
"I guess I'm a neighbor of sorts. Hi, my name's Wendy Brooks." She offered him her hand. "I live back up that trail." She nodded toward the path.
"Really? I didn't know there was a trail." Curiosity flashed through his blue-gray eyes, as he glanced behind her. Noticing that her hand was still extended, he clasped it with his. "Oh, sorry. My name's Adam Brent."
A bolt of electricity shot up her arm at the feel of his callused hand touching hers. For a moment she couldn't catch her breath. She swallowed hard. Kyle had never brought out this kind of reaction in her.
"So, what do you do besides chasing imaginary girls down hidden trails?" Amusement twinkled in his eyes.
Wendy laughed. Had the girl been a figment of her imagination? She didn't think so, but then again, who knew. "I'm spending the summer with my grandmother. I wasn't going to come this year, but since grandfather died three months ago my mother insisted that I come to keep my grandmother company." She shrugged. "So, here I am stuck for the summer."
Adam nodded. "I know what you mean. I don't look forward to this summer either, but I promised my grandfather I'd help with the tobacco before I went back to my last year of college." He looked down at his feet, then back up at her. "I know what would make it better," he said.
Wendy ventured a smile. "Really? What?"
"If you would go out with me."
"Go out? Where?" She laughed nervously. She couldn't believe he actually wanted to take her on a date.
"I don't know. Maybe we could try out that place called The Stomping Grounds. I'm not sure exactly what they do in there, but it's a start." He gave her a lopsided grin that sent her pulse into the red zone.
"Maybe they stomp," she suggested.
Adam burst out laughing. "Man, I'm already feeling better about this summer," he said, after recovering from his bout of laughter.
Wendy smiled. "So am I," she said softly.
Adam leaned forward and kissed her on the corner of the mouth. "It's a date, then?"
All Wendy could manage was a nod, and a slight giggle with her smile.
The sound of laughter caused both of them to turn in the direction of the fields. The little girl stood at the edge of the tobacco field. She waved, and disappeared between the rows.
Adam whistled low. "You weren't imagining her after all. Hey, that's something else you and I could do this summer!"
"What's that?" Wendy asked.
"We can try and find out who that little girl is." Adam looked in the direction the child had disappeared.
"That sounds like great fun. I bet she's a ghost." Wendy chewed on her lower lip in thought.
Adam chuckled. "I don't know if I believe in that ghost stuff, but anything's possible. We shall see."
Wendy smiled and backed toward the trail. "Well, I'd better get back before Grandma wakes up and wonders where I am."
Adam took her hand. "Will I see you tomorrow?" he asked.
Wendy nodded and reluctantly slipped her hand from his grasp before heading back up the trail.
Later that evening, Wendy sat on the front steps in the growing darkness. This time there was a feeling of excitement in the pit of her stomach. She'd just gotten off the phone with Kyle. Both had decided that it was best to go their separate ways. Suddenly, the summer didn't look so desolate after all.