Short Story: My Summer Vacation

[Trebuchet]

Cassandra Johannsen

Sixth Grade English

Mrs. Castillo

My Summer Vacation

 

My dad owns the J Bar J cattle ranch and we also take guests in the summer. Usually these are fat old men or sometimes married couples with kids. This year was different. When the first dudes arrived Friday morning they were pulling a horse trailer of their own and they were two women! I watched them stop and get out of their SUV. One was a blonde woman with glasses. The other one was a blonde girl as tall as me with two braids down to her waist. I walked over to say hi. The woman introduced herself as Sarah and the girl as Line. I said that's an unusual name, and she told me it was short for Pauline. I thought they were mother and daughter but they said no they were just friends. Sarah said she was 36, and Line was 21. I've never met an adult my size before. Sarah and Line were from Norway! Norway is in Europe. They flew all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to ride horses on our ranch!

 

Pauline and Sarah stepped out of the big rented silver Suburban and Sarah looked around doubtfully at the picturesque ranch just north of the Lincoln National Forest. “I don't know, Line, it seems sort of small.â€

“Small? It is perfect! We wanted someplace out of the way so we could relax, did we not? And what could possibly be more out of the way than 'historic Lincoln County, New Mexico, where Pat Garrett lived and Billy the Kid died'?†She grinned enthusiastically as she quoted the tourist brochure and bounced on her toes, as usual a bundle of barely constrained energy. “And unless I am mistaken, here comes our welcoming committee.†The women watched as a pony-tailed girl of about twelve exploded out of the ranch house door and scrambled towards them across the graveled driveway.

“Hi! Are you the new dudes… er, I mean guests? I'm Cassandra Johannsen, but you can call me Cassie! This is my dad's ranch! What are your names? Did you bring your own horses?â€

The two women shared a looked of amusement before Sarah answered. “Hi, Cassie, it's nice to meet you. Yes, we're your new 'dudes.' My name is Sarah Richmond, and this is my friend Line Gråfeldr.†She extended her hand and the girl gravely shook it, then Pauline's hand.

“Lee-neh? That's a weird name!â€

“It’s short for Pauline.â€

“Oh, OK. Lee-neh? Am I pronouncing it right?â€

“That’s good.â€

“Sarah's not your mom? She's pretty old, like in her thirties! Almost as old as my dad. But you can't be more than a couple years older than I am. I'm twelve.â€

“No, actually I have nine more years than you. I am twenty-one years old,†Pauline replied. Pauline's slight European accent and precise enunciation confirmed her foreign origin.

“Hey! Thirty-six isn't 'old'!†objected Sarah.

“Where are you guys from?†asked Cassie.

“We live in Norway, but we travel all over the world. We are on vacation now; and I have always wanted to ride my horse on the open range.â€

“Cool! I've never seen a guest bring their own horse before. Let's get your horse unloaded and I'll show you the stables. Come on!†She ran over to the horse trailer and unlatched the rear gate. “Oh wow! An Appaloosa!†Cassie watched as Pauline expertly backed the spotted gray stallion out of the trailer, then looked him over appraisingly. “He's beautiful! Look at that deep chest! I'll bet he's fast! What's his name?â€

“Comanche.â€

“That's a good name! I have a horse too, his real name is ‘Lucky Y2K’, 'cause he's got a horseshoe shaped mark on his forehead and he was born in 2000, but I just call him Lucky! He's a registered Quarter Horse!†Cassie said proudly as her two guests began to wonder if she ever stopped to breathe. She let Comanche sniff her and gently stroked the spirited stallion's nose to calm him, then led him off towards the stables, singing happily as she went. Clearly the girl had a way with horses.

“Well, she's certainly energetic enough!,†exclaimed Sarah. “In fact, except for the auburn hair, she seems appallingly similar to someone else I know,†she observed darkly.

“What exactly are you implying?†Pauline asked with raised eyebrow, trying hard to keep a straight face.

“Oh, I'm not implying anything. That was clearly an explicit statement of scientific fact!†The older woman was often hard pressed to keep up with her best friend's nearly inexhaustible energy, but that was part of why they'd become so close. Left on her own, Sarah knew she tended to withdraw into her physics laboratory or the pages of a science fiction novel. But if Pauline thought her friend had been playing the Reclusive Geek too long she wouldn't hesitate to drag Sarah off to go swimming, horseback riding, or shopping. Sarah liked Pauline's joie de vivre and irrepressible enthusiasm. Pauline, on the other hand, admired the older woman's calmer nature and sense of purpose. Their relationship was more that of older and younger sisters than just friends.

“Do you think they'll have a gentle horse for me to ride?†Although Sarah often went riding with Pauline back in Norway, her riding skills didn't even approach her friend's. A spirited animal like Comanche was far too high strung for her to ride; Pauline by contrast rode her beloved stallion like they were two halves of a centaur.

“I am sure they will. Come on, let us get our gear unpacked.†She opened the rear door of the Suburban and started pulling out suitcases. Sarah shook her head in resignation. Saddled with two human dynamos for ten days, somehow she doubted this was going to be a restful vacation.

 

The other four guests arrived Friday evening and Saturday morning. They were all men. As usual the first day my dad assigned them all, including the two women, basic ranching tasks. That way he could see how well they worked and rode and what he needed to teach them.

 

Sarah was a pretty typical guest and learned ranching work OK. She liked to talk to me and play the piano with me after dinner. She didn't think the fact I liked math and science was weird at all. She said those were her best subjects in school too. When I asked what she did she said she was a scientist. When I told her I wanted to be a scientist too when I grow up she said that was cool. I liked her a lot. It was almost like having my Mom back.

 

Line didn’t stop with just learning to herd cattle and roping like the other dudes. She volunteered to do other work too, and it didn't matter if she was digging a fencepost hole, currying the horses, learning to repair a barbed wire fence, mucking out the horses' stalls, or tossing hay down from the loft, she acted as if doing ordinary ranching chores was the most fun she'd had in ages. After she left Dad said she was a better ranch hand than most of the men he paid to work. Pauline was also the first person since I was nine I didn't beat at chess. I found out later she was rated an International Grandmaster which means she's really, really good. She was also one of the most skillful riders I've ever seen. The only thing she didn't know was roping, and she picked that up really quick. She was more like a friend my own age than an adult even if it was pretty weird that she liked to do chores.

 

Richard Johannsen smiled contentedly as Cassie chatted merrily with the two young women Sunday evening after dinner. Since her mother had been killed in an automobile accident near Alamogordo almost three years earlier their house had been devoid of feminine influence, and had exacerbated what had already been a marked tendency towards tomboyishness on Cassie's part. But in three days these two young ladies – and they were ladies – had connected with Cassandra in a fundamental way her father simply hadn't been able to. Without being unfeminine in any way they had adamantly refused to allow themselves to be pushed around or manhandled either by the other guests or the ranch hands who worked for him. Richard couldn't imagine two better, if very different, role models for his young tornado of a daughter. Cassandra had even been spotted wearing a dress (undoubtedly borrowed from Pauline) for the first time since her mother's funeral. While Pauline GrÃ¥feldr was the only person he'd ever met who actually made his daughter seem slothful; Sarah Richmond exuded a sort of “eye of the hurricane†calm around her friend and his daughter which he found increasingly beguiling. When Cassie and Pauline ran out into the yard and started an impromptu game of tag, Richard and Sarah wandered onto the front porch and watched the sun disappear behind the Sacramento Mountains in a typically glorious wash of reds and purples, and he couldn't help admiring how striking his blonde dinner companion was in her yellow sundress. He grinned broadly as Cassie squealed in mock outrage when Pauline tagged her and thundered off in hot pursuit of her braided nemesis. “Your friend really likes to play with Cassie.â€

“She never really got to play when she was a child. She lost her parents when she was still a kid, but even before that she was working too hard. A Norwegian family took her in, and she still lives with them.â€

He nodded in understanding. “Cassie's mom died when she was eight, so I'm not surprised they've hit it off.â€

“This is Line's first real vacation ever. We've been friends for three years, but I must confess I've never seen her quite this… boisterous. I think they're a bad influence on each other.†Sarah shook her head fondly.

“She's a beautiful girl, but she's certainly quite a handful.â€

“Which one were you referring to?†The two thirtysomethings shared a mutual chuckle.

 

After a couple days of training the guests all knew enough to help the cowhands and my dad with the roundup. My dad doesn't normally let me ride the roundup, but I think this year he did because Sarah and Pauline were there. I was so excited that I'd be able to spend more time with my new friends! I hurried to get my sleeping bag and other gear ready. It normally takes about four or five days to round up and then move the herd fifty-five miles to the corral so we'd be gone just about a week. We finally rode out just after six o'clock in the morning Monday. It was cool outside so I wore a sweater under my denim jacket. Sarah was wearing a warm coat, but Pauline seemed fine in only a checkered flannel shirt. She had a really ugly brown hat so I gave her my tan Stetson with the braided horsehair hatband as a gift. It's probably hard to get good cowboy hats in Norway.

 

Cassie didn't have any particular duties to perform on the trail, so she alternated between riding around with either Sarah or Pauline and acting as a sort of gopher for the other guests and ranch hands. Not surprisingly she spent the majority of her unclaimed time riding with the two women. Late in the afternoon they reached the roundup camp. Except for Pauline all the guests were exhausted and saddle sore after nearly nine hours on the trail. Even the seemingly inexhaustible Cassie looked a bit wilted. Fortunately the chow truck had arrived hours earlier, so their tents were already set up and dinner was ready. A hearty meal of grilled steak, potato salad, baked beans, and corn on the cob reinvigorated everyone.

 

I chatted with Pauline and Sarah a lot while we rode to our base camp. When we finally got to camp I was pretty beat so Pauline took my saddle and gear off Lucky and curried and watered him for me. After dinner we sat around the campfire and sang songs and told stories. Dad played his guitar and Frank Gonzales had a harmonica. Sarah had a really nice singing voice. Pauline juggled seven rocks at once! I noticed my dad and Sarah seemed to be spending a lot of time together. When I mentioned it later to Pauline she just smiled and said “It is about time. For a brain, sometimes she can be pretty slow.†She wouldn't explain what she meant by that. I don't understand adults sometimes.

 

“She's very talented,†Richard observed as he and Sarah sat side by side watching Pauline juggle by the fire.

“You should see her ski sometime.â€

He laughed, then his expression turned serious. “I know who you are, Sarah.â€

“Excuse me?†Sarah turned to him in surprise.

“Dr. Sarah Richmond, recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics for proving the existence of dark matter. I've got the January 2004 National Geographic with you on the cover. When you first booked your visit the name seemed familiar, so when you arrived I pulled out my back issue to be sure.†His tone of voice was clearly admiring.

“Oh,†Sarah replied in a small voice. She hadn't realized it would be so simple to find out about her.

“I try to keep up with the outside world. This isn't the nineteenth century any more; we've even got the Internet out here. I've got a master's degree in animal husbandry and a B.S. in chemistry from Texas A&M.â€

Sarah flushed as she realized of all people she should know that surface appearances could be highly deceiving. It didn't help that he bore a more than passing resemblance to her favorite movie hunk, Viggo Mortensen, the Swedish actor from Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Pauline was already teasing her about it; the wretch. She looked at Cassie's father, suddenly acutely aware of how awful she must look after a long day of riding. Their eyes met and Sarah blushed even more deeply. In her limited experience most men seemed to find her intellect intimidating; she wasn't sure how to react to a man who clearly found it attractive. Not that the attraction was entirely one sided, she admitted to herself.

 

Near sunset on Wednesday we finally got hit with a thunderstorm. It looked like it would be a real beauty as it rolled up from the southwest past the Sacramento Mountains. The lightning and thunder were amazing even from miles away. Dad had all the outriders gathering the cattle herd in as closely as possible to our hillside camp. Herds always scatter during storms because the thunder and lightning frightens them. Getting them close together would make it easier to round them up again after the storm had passed. Right when it started raining lightly I saw one of our cows over by a narrow arroyo to the south of the herd. I recognized her as one who had recently calved, but I couldn't see her calf. I thought he might have fallen into the arroyo so I rode over to look. Sure enough her calf was bawling twelve feet down. He looked scared but OK. I thought of calling for help but no one was close so I decided to do it myself. I rode Lucky west about seventy yards to a steep slope and took him carefully down into the arroyo. There was already a foot of water at the bottom. I'd just gotten to the calf when it started to rain hard and I knew I was in big trouble if I didn't get out of there fast! I roped the calf and started pulling him towards the exit as fast as I could. The water was rising fast and was almost up to his shoulders!

 

“Where's Cassie?†Richard asked Pauline and Sarah anxiously. “It's getting ugly out here.†Indeed, the looming black storm clouds had made the early evening skies almost as dark as midnight. Deafening thunder and gusting winds made it necessary for them to all but shout to be heard even a few feet away.

“She is probably still helping pull in the herd,†replied Pauline as she finished pulling on her oilcloth duster. Sarah had been wearing a waterproof poncho all day as protection from the wind.

“I saw her about fifteen minutes ago. She was heading to the southeast.†Sarah said. She paused as a few drops of rain hit her cheek, then rapidly turned into a frigid downpour. “I think we'd better find her, and quickly.â€

“We'll split up. Sarah, you go east. I'll look southeast, and Pauline you take the south.†He briefly considered summoning a couple more of his hands to help, but just as quickly realized he didn't trust any of them more than he trusted these two women. If anyone could find her, they would.

 

The stupid calf couldn't get up the slope to safety by himself, and Lucky couldn't quite make it up with me on his back and pulling the calf. I lashed the rope around the saddle horn and dismounted. The water felt ice cold! I stood in the water and slapped Lucky's rear hard. He ran right up pulling the calf behind him. They were safe! Then I tried to crawl up the slope but kept sliding back down the slippery mud. The water was getting higher and it was really strong. If I couldn't get out then I figured I'd better find something to hold onto. About a hundred yards away I saw an old fir tree on the south side of the arroyo downstream with some exposed roots hanging into the arroyo and figured I could hang onto those. I knew I needed to hurry because the water was over my waist and my legs were getting stiff from the cold. I moved towards the tree carefully. The water almost swept me off my feet a couple of times but I was able to grab the roots a minute later and pull myself partway up out of the water. I was soaking wet and wished I'd worn something warmer than a denim jacket.

 

Pauline had ridden over the low hills towards the south for only fifteen minutes before she spotted Lucky and two cows huddled in the rain near a deep arroyo, but she couldn't see Cassie anywhere. She urged Comanche to greater speed. She rode up right to the arroyo's edge a moment later, and her heart lurched as she saw the raging torrent below. Fast moving bits of wood and drowned animals showed how powerful the current was. There was no sign of Cassie. Figuring there was no way the girl could have moved against the flood from where Lucky was, Pauline turned Comanche east and jogged along the north bank shouting Cassie's name. “Cassie! Where are you? Cassie!†She wouldn't stop searching until she found her young friend, but she was beginning to fear the worst.

 

Pretty soon the water had risen almost to my shoulders and I couldn't climb any higher. My arms and hands were sore and cramped from hanging onto the tree roots but I was afraid to let go for even a minute to relieve the ache. I was shivering so hard my teeth were chattering. Then I heard someone yelling my name. I turned my head and saw Pauline riding Comanche along the opposite bank of the arroyo. I'd never been so glad to see anyone in my life! I called her name and she saw me.

 

Just then Pauline heard Cassie. “L-L-Line! O-over h-here!†She pulled up Comanche and looked across the arroyo at a scrawny tree. Then she saw Cassie clinging to some of the tree's exposed roots, the water over her chest.

“Cassie! Are you OK?â€

“I'm r-r-really c-c-cold, b-but I'm all r-right!†The relief on Cassie's face matched her own, but Pauline could see the girl was in more distress than she was letting on. Unstoppable shivering was not a good sign.

“Hold on! I will throw you a rope!†Pauline dismounted on a protruding section of earth just across from Cassie and grabbed the thirty-foot-long lasso hanging from her saddle horn.

“O-k-kay!â€

Pauline swung the lasso around and threw the end right over to Cassie, but Cassie didn't move a muscle.

“What is wrong?â€

“I c-can't let g-go! My h-hands are t-too c-c-cramped!â€

Pauline could tell Cassie was on the verge of panic. Having been raised in northern Russia, Pauline recognized the symptoms immediately – Cassie was suffering from hypothermia. Her muscles were cramping up from loss of body heat, and her strength, coordination, and even mental facilities were also diminished. That meant she not only needed to be pulled out of the water promptly, she needed to be warmed up soon or she could literally freeze to death. “All right, Cassie! Just hold on; I am going to come get you!†She tied one end of the lasso securely to Comanche's saddle horn, then held on to the other end and took a short running leap towards the edge. Incredibly, her twenty-five foot jump landed her precisely at Cassie's position, and Cassie’s eyes widened in astonishment. Pauline grabbed one of the tree roots to hang onto. Pauline quickly pulled off her duster and helped Cassie put it on, grateful that they were the same size. She hugged Cassie closely for a few minutes to help warm her, then started rubbing the girl's hands and arms to warm them up and get some circulation in them. “OK, Cassie, honey, I am going to carry you on my back. I want you to wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight. Do you think you can do that?†When Cassie nodded, Pauline smiled. “Good girl!â€

 

Pauline tried to throw me a rope but I was too stiff to grab it. I told her I couldn't do it because my hands were cramped. She said she'd come and get me. A few seconds later she somehow managed to jump twenty feet across the arroyo to me! She gave me her duster and rubbed my hands to get some warmth back in them. Then she asked if I could hang onto her back while she pulled us back to safety. I said I could and so we started moving back across the stream. The water pressure swung us over hard against the north bank. I could hear Pauline grunting with effort as she struggled to pull us both up the rope against the powerful current. It was slow going but she was doing it!

 

The two young women were about a third of the way up the length of rope when a waterlogged old fencepost, traveling nearly twenty-five miles per hour with the current, struck Pauline squarely on her right shoulder. The sledgehammer-like impact snapped her shoulder blade like kindling, and she screamed in agony and released the rope clenched in her right hand. Although only semiconscious she somehow managed to keep her hold on the rope with her left hand, but any possibility of her climbing that rope to safety was now over.

 

Then I felt a thump and Pauline screamed! She let go of the rope with her right hand and I knew she'd been hurt somehow! I heard her coughing like she'd swallowed some water wrong. A moment later she asked me in a weak voice if I was all right. I said I was OK. Then she wanted to know if I was strong enough to climb the rope myself. I told her I didn't think so. She said I'd probably better try because she didn't know how much longer she could hold on to the rope with only one hand. I thought about that and told my friend I wasn't going to leave her.

 

Richard watched silently as Sarah came galloping down from the north. The expression on her face said she didn't have good news.

“I ran into Frank and he said was certain she wasn't up further north, so I thought I'd come help you,†she said.

“I was about to look south. Let's go!†The two riders turned their mounts and headed south at a trot. Ten minutes later a flash of lightning lit up Lucky and Comanche and the pair spurred their horses to a gallop.

“Richard, look!†Sarah shouted as they got close. “There's a rope tied to Comanche's saddle, and it's pulled taut over the edge!â€

“They may still be in the arroyo!†Richard replied, simultaneously feeling both terror and a faint glimmer of hope.

They hurriedly dismounted near Comanche. Richard flicked on his flashlight and looked carefully over the edge into the raging torrent six feet below. About ten feet away they could see Pauline and Cassie; up to their necks in the cold water. Cassie was clinging to Pauline's back, but Pauline was holding onto the rope with only one hand and it was obvious something was wrong.

“Cassie! Pauline! We're up here! Are you all right?â€

“D-da-a-ddy! I'm o-k-kay, b-but L-Line's hurt-t-t!†Cassie's face was pale and her lips were blue with cold.

“Hang on, sweetheart! I'm coming down to get you!†Richard shouted, then turned in surprise as Sarah reached over and stopped him.

“No, Richard. It's much too dangerous. I'll do it.†In the darkness he couldn't see her face clearly, but strangely it now seemed blacker than the night and her eyes appeared to be glowing with an inner light. He gasped in astonishment as another flash of lightning briefly illuminated her and he realized he wasn't mistaken – her entire body had turned totally black except for shock-white hair and glowing white eyes. She leapt confidently into the maelstrom below with an impact that made the very ground shake, and his jaw dropped as he suddenly realized who Sarah and her friend Pauline must be: Silhouette and Sil’f of MidGuard.

“I'm here, Line. I've got you.†The raging water broke against her ebon back as if it had no more force than a garden hose, and she gently picked up both girls and flew them up to rejoin Richard.

“I knew you would save me, Sarah. You always do,†her best friend mumbled weakly just before collapsing into unconsciousness.

 

A few minutes later Sarah and my dad came and rescued Pauline and me. The paramedics came and took us to the hospital in Roswell in a helicopter! I had hypothermia, which means my body temperature got too low. They put me in electric blankets and gave me hot lemonade to warm me up. Pauline's shoulder was broken so the doctors set it and put it in a big cast. We both stayed in the hospital overnight. Sarah and my dad fell asleep holding hands in our hospital room. We were real glad to go home the next day. All I wanted to do was sit in front of the fireplace and drink hot chocolate. I can't wait for my friends to come visit again!

 

 

 

Note: I first posted this story on the Hero boards in May 2006. This is a minor revision; mostly involving retconned names. (For you old-timers, yes, Sil'f is the character formerly known as Zl'f. I have retconned it so her name has always been Sil'f (Сильф), the Russian word for Sylph.)