Huckleberry Summer (14 page)

She couldn’t look at him, although she couldn’t bring herself to pull her hand away. “My dat doesn’t want me getting mixed up in your schemes.”

“Of course he doesn’t.” He nudged her chin with his finger until she looked at him. “But do you like me? Because I am wonderful crazy over you.”

She didn’t expect the sudden elation that flooded her body, making every finger and toe tingle. She pulled her hand from his grasp and wrapped her arms tightly around her waist to contain the feeling. She couldn’t give in to this. Aden was
not
a potted plant. Dat would fall off his chair if he knew what she was doing right now.

“It doesn’t matter.” Short of throwing herself into his arms, she didn’t know what else to say.

“Yes, it does,” Aden countered.

“I must honor my father’s wishes.”

“What of your wishes?”

She managed to look him squarely in the eye. “I never said I liked you in return.”

He deflated like a balloon as an uncomfortable and oppressive silence overtook them. He refused to look at her as he stood up for the last time. “We should get back.”

What would Dat say about the emptiness inside her?

She heard a rustling in the bushes to her left and expected to see Pilot leap out of the thicket, blissfully unaware of what had passed between Lily and Aden. At least Pilot would be cheerful on the walk home. Lily thought she might never feel cheerful again.

Lily stopped breathing as a black bear bigger than three Pilots lumbered out of the woods and plucked three berries from a bush with his wet, pink tongue.

Every muscle tensed in terror as Lily watched the bear, which was oblivious to her and Aden’s presence.

Aden slowly lifted a hand and gave her a signal to stay still. No instructions necessary. Fear paralyzed her.

The bear grunted and snuffled while stripping the bush of its light red huckleberries. Lord willing, it would get its fill and disappear back into the woods without even noticing them. That didn’t seem likely with the way Lily’s heart pounded like a full orchestra.

Aden reached his hand slowly toward Lily. Did he really think she was composed enough to take his hand, stand up, and walk away while the bear stood not twenty feet away having an afternoon snack? She shook her head slightly so the bear wouldn’t notice her. Aden’s gaze intensified. “Come on,” he seemed to plead with his eyes.

“I can’t,” she mouthed.

The bear suddenly snapped its head around and caught sight of them. It growled ferociously with a force more savage and threatening than Lily had ever heard. She instinctively clapped her hands over her ears. Aden yanked her hand away from her head, pulled her to her feet, and shoved her behind him.

The bear growled again and rose to its hind legs. Lily gasped. It stood almost as tall as Aden.

“Don’t move a muscle,” Aden cautioned as he kept his eyes glued to the frightening sight before them.

The bear growled and showed its yellow teeth.

“If he charges,” Aden said, his voice barely above a whisper, “run away as fast as you can. Do you understand?”

Lily couldn’t so much as nod. She knew her legs would fail her if she tried to run. Aden bent over and picked up a stick, nowhere near big enough to fight off an angry bear. It wouldn’t even do as a fetching stick for Pilot.

Lily thought she might die of panic as, without warning, the bear fell back on all fours and came at them at a speed that she would not have believed possible.

Aden lifted his stick. “Run, Lily,” he yelled, even as he stood his ground.

Her legs suddenly, unbelievably found their strength. Grabbing his sleeve, she pulled him back. She wasn’t about to leave him behind. She might as well have been pulling on an oak tree. Aden had sprouted roots.

As if in answer to a prayer she hadn’t had time to utter, Pilot came tearing through the trees, barking ferociously. He took a great leap and landed on the bear’s back. The bear whirled in a circle and forced Pilot to the dirt. Pilot regained his feet, bared his teeth, and attacked again. Lily wouldn’t have guessed Aden’s mischievous dog could look so deadly. The noise between the two animals was deafening. The bear lifted a great paw and swiped at Pilot’s nose. Lily stood breathless as Pilot dodged the sharp claws and clamped his jaws at the bear’s throat.

She felt pressure on her arm and looked down to see Aden’s hand clenched around her wrist. He pulled her but her feet didn’t move. He said something, but she couldn’t make sense of his words.

“Lily!” His voice finally broke through her stupor. “Lily, we’ve got to get out of here!”

Almost numb with shock, she nodded and let him half drag, half lead her up the trail to the house. He walked quickly but kept glancing behind him as if expecting the bear to chase them, or Pilot to follow.

The bellowing faded and Pilot’s barking traveled away from them. It sounded like the conflict had moved farther into the woods.

Aden picked up his pace until Lily had to run to keep up with him. His grip on her arm was painfully tight, as if he thought she might slip out of his protection if he didn’t hold securely.

Finally, the house came into view, and Lily had never seen a more welcome sight. Aden relaxed his grip but not his pace as they marched up the porch steps and burst into the kitchen. Aden stopped at the threshold, took a deep breath, and put his arm protectively around Lily. “Are you okay?”

“Jah,” she said, even as she felt her knees buckle beneath her. “What about Pilot?”

Aden still had that stupid stick in his hand. He laid it on the table before tightening his grip around her shoulders and leading her to the sofa. She sat, and he knelt next to her on the floor. “Can I get you a drink or a Tylenol?”

Lily sank into the soft folds of the puffy sofa. Could he do something for this overwhelming feeling that she was going to faint? “A drink might be gute.”

He went to the cupboard for a glass.

Anna and Felty came up from the cellar, giggling like teenagers. “I never agreed to no such thing, Banannie,” Felty said. He caught sight of Lily. “Look who’s back.”

“How were the berries?” Anna said, bustling behind the counter to give Aden a peck on the cheek.

“We left them there,” Aden said, filling a glass for Lily. His agitation showed in his every movement.

Anna tilted her head and tried not to frown. “They weren’t ripe?”

Aden hurried to the sofa with Lily’s water. “A bear, Mammi. We ran into a bear.”

Anna put her hand to her mouth. “Was he picking berries?”

“We saw a bear up there three years ago yet,” Felty said. “A black or brown one?”

“Black,” Aden said. “Pilot ran him off.”

“Probably the same one.”

“Are the berries ready to pick?” Anna asked.

Aden sat on the sofa and watched Lily take a few swallows. When he seemed satisfied that she wouldn’t melt into a puddle of tears, he jumped up and started rummaging through Anna’s cupboards. He pulled out Anna’s two large frying pans and without another word headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Anna and Lily asked at the same time.

“To get my dog,” he said, his voice steely with determination.

Lily’s heart flipped like a flapjack on the griddle. “Aden, that bear could kill you without even trying.”

Aden actually gave her a boyish smile. “You’re so cute when you’re worried.” He opened the door.

Her legs regained their strength, and she bolted to Aden and grabbed his arm. “This isn’t funny. I want Pilot to be all right, he just saved my life, but this is too dangerous. You aren’t going to be safe armed with two frying pans.”

“Black bears hate noise,” Aden said, leaning forward, chomping at the bit to be gone. “These are my best weapons.”

Lily felt the panic rise like bile in her throat. Her fear at the pond was nothing compared to how she felt at that moment. “At least take Felty’s hunting rifle so you’re not completely defenseless.”

“I don’t own a hunting rifle,” Felty said.

“I wouldn’t ever shoot it anyway,” Aden added.

Lily growled in frustration. Blast these do-gooders who wanted to save the planet! Right now, all she cared about was saving Aden. “Then let’s call the police.”

Aden shook his head. “They’ll call Animal Control. Then the bear’s as good as dead.” He extricated her fingers from his arm. “Lily, you can talk until you’re blue in the face—which you kind of are already—but I’m not leaving Pilot out there to fend for himself.” He squeezed her hand. “I’m a fast runner.”

“And a gute swimmer,” Felty said, trying to be helpful.

Lily gave up, even though the terrified part of her wanted to throw herself at his feet and beg him to stay. If that didn’t work, she could always grab his ankles and refuse to let go. Fear threatened to overpower her sense, so she decided to fend off the fear with anger. Anger made her feel like she had more control. She scowled at Aden. “You better come back safe or I’m never speaking to you again.”

He gave her a reassuring nod. “It is a deal.”

He looked ridiculous, ridiculous, running into the woods with a frying pan in each hand. Lily shut the door, too hard, and turned to see Anna and Felty staring at her.

“He’ll be right as rain,” Anna said.

Felty went so far as to give her arm a pat. “Nobody is better with the animals than Aden. He knows what to do.”

At which point, Lily spied Aden’s stick on the table and promptly burst into tears.

 

 

Lily wished for a cell phone, longed for a cell phone, would have done just about anything for a cell phone at that moment. She didn’t care if it was against the Ordnung. This raging anxiety would send her over the edge. Of course, even if she had a cell phone, it wouldn’t do her any good unless Aden had a cell phone and they got coverage on Huckleberry Hill, which was a pretty good chance they didn’t.

She’d abandoned the house over an hour ago and stood on the porch looking out into the woods in the fading light of dusk. This felt like when Aden went underwater, only a hundred times worse. At least underwater, she knew precisely where he was, and her terror had lasted mere minutes. But now, two hours after Aden had taken to the woods with a set of frying pans, she knew less than nothing. There was no rustle from the leaves, no distant barking, not even the sound of faraway pans being smacked together to give her hope. Had he no consideration for her feelings?

Was this how Dat felt ten years ago when he learned Onkel Zeke was missing? Had he paced the floor, sick with worry for his wayward brother? Had he spent the night in prayer only to learn by morning that Zeke had been killed in a training exercise? Dat had begged Onkel Zeke not to join the Army. Zeke hadn’t heeded Dat’s voice of warning, just as Aden hadn’t heeded hers.

To add to her distress, Lily thought about Pilot and how ungrateful she must be. She prayed hard that when Aden returned, he would bring that troublemaker with him. She couldn’t bear the thought that Pilot wouldn’t be back.

Anna came outside. “Supper is warm in the oven. Do you want to eat?”

Lily shook her head, not trusting her voice to remain steady.

“That’s what I told Felty. ‘She won’t come in until Aden’s back,’ I said.” Anna smiled in satisfaction. “Felty never believes my plans are going to work out, but I have an extra sense about these things.” She wrapped her arms around Lily’s waist.

Lily found the gesture immensely comforting. She, in turn, put her arm around Anna’s shoulders.

“I have never baked tofu before,” Anna said. “Aden stole both my frying pans. So if he doesn’t like it, it’s his own fault.” She smoothed back an errant wisp of hair from Lily’s face. “It does my heart good to see how worried you are for my grandson, but let me put your mind at ease. Aden knows how to handle a bear. He’s encountered one before, you know.”

In surprise, Lily studied Anna’s face. “He has?”

“Once he and his dat came upon a mother and her cubs. They both climbed trees until the bear lost interest. He came out with nary a scratch. He will be just fine.”

Lily didn’t know if this information made her feel better or not. Aden’s life had been in danger before? She felt sick with worry for something that had already happened. But she also felt better knowing that, of all the Amish boys she knew, Aden could best take care of himself.

It gave her a little bit of hope.

Felty stepped onto the porch and stood on the other side of Anna. All three of them stared into the woods. With so many eyes watching for them, Aden and Pilot would surely find their way home.

Felty began to hum a tune. His deep bass voice felt like a warm blanket around Lily’s shoulders.
“Pressed down, shaken together, running over, running over. When you give unto the Lord, He will give you more.”

To Lily’s surprise, Anna joined Felty on another verse. She improvised a lovely harmony as she blended her voice with his. Lily wondered if they sang together often. Lily didn’t mind singing, but she couldn’t join in. Her composure felt so fragile, she feared she might break into a million pieces if she opened her mouth.

A movement to her right caught her attention, and she turned her head to see Pilot plodding, not out of the woods, but up the lane on the well-worn path a thousand buggies had traveled before.

“Oh!” Her heart raced with relief and fear as she vaulted off the porch and ran to Aden’s dog. He stopped and stood at attention as she knelt down and wrapped her arms around his neck even as she swept her gaze down the lane. The tears trickled down her face. “Pilot, where is Aden?”

Pilot’s fur was matted with mud and his ears drooped as if he had no strength left to hold them up. She’d never seen it before, but Pilot did indeed look dog-tired. Keeping her eyes on the lane, she rubbed her hands over Pilot’s filthy fur, feeling for dried blood or moist wounds. Nothing that she could tell. A scratch marked his nose but didn’t look deep.