Mosquitoes of Summer

by Julianna Kozma

  Dad and his friend Andrew took time off from work in May and flew to PEI to look at a shortlist of potential buys. There was a really scary house that for some reason Hannah’s parents simply adored. It boggled the mind how some parents think! When Hannah saw a picture of the house she shuddered at the thought of spending a single night there.

  It was an old Victorian in New London and the price, according to the adults, was just right. But in Hannah’s experienced opinion, the outside looked like a haunted house straight out of Goosebumps. The paint had faded a long time ago and the windows were all boarded up. They looked like eyes. Grass was waist high, the porch was sagging and the roof had big gaps in it. All that from a picture!

  “But it has character and the woodwork in the house is simply gorgeous and New London is one of the prestigious areas of the province and it’s not far from Lucy’s house in French River, and you’ll love it,” her parents gushed, eager to convince two very unwilling girls. Luckily, after an onsite visit, Dad broke the bad news. The interior walls were crumbling from water-damage, there was no septic system and no interior plumbing, just an outside well that might or might not have water.

  “That’s too bad – really,” said Hannah as she tried to console her parents. Oh-so-short pause. “So, did you find another house?”

  “Yes, but it’s a bit out of our original price range and it needs a lot of work,” said Dad. “But it’s in Darnley and on the same road we take to go to the campsite.”

  Hannah and Emily’s eyes opened wider as they continued to listen to the sales pitch.

  “We’d be in the area we love and know so well, and you would still be able to see all your friends that you met at Twin Shores last year. You can still go watch the movies and play chocolate bar bingo at the campsite. An added bonus is that you can continue your bottle collecting business.”

  Now this was more like it, thought Hannah. Last year Emily and Hannah decided to set up their own little business and began collecting empty beer, wine and pop bottles from the campsite. Lugging back bags and bags of glass empties, they would then redeem them at the local recycling depot in Kensington. The young entrepreneurs made over $200 last year.

  Long story short, the Darnley house was bought, papers were signed in June and Hannah was all packed for the July 14 departure date. She could hardly wait to get there.

  CHAPTER TWO

  ROAD HOGS

  “We’re not far from the bridge now,” Mom shouted over the rock music coming from the car’s CD player.

  Finally, thought Hannah. Twelve hours cooped up in a crowded car listening to Dad’s music was not her idea of fun. Dad just loved Pink Floyd, a group from “his era,” like ancient history. Hannah thought some of the music was cool, but other songs were a bit too weird. She definitely did not get the ones where the animals start making music.

  Emily was a U2 fan and unfortunately knew the lyrics to every song. The family had to listen to the Greatest Hits CD (and accompanying screeching) a couple of times before it was inexplicably “lost.” Emily usually woke up between Moncton and Confederation Bridge. One year she even missed the bridge part and Hannah laughed at her sister’s confusion. Not to mention the tangled nest of hair that strategically hid her face. This year looked like it would be a repeat performance.

  Confederation Bridge is the longest bridge in the world to cross ice-covered salt water. The 12.9 kilometer span has two lanes, and a speed limit of 80 kilometers per hour. Built in 1997, it links Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick with Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island. The Bridge replaced a ferry service that was established in 1917. For 80 years the three-hour ferry ride shuttled people and vehicles between the two provinces across the Northumberland Strait.

  Hannah had mixed feelings about the bridge. It was very exciting to see it in the distance as their car came closer and closer to the on-ramp. It meant that they were minutes away from the island. But the drive across was almost anti-climatic. Because their car was so low to the ground, Hannah had no view over the bridge. Concrete barriers lined both sides of the span and were too high to get any glimpse of the water. Ahead and behind were only cars. Bummer!

  Prince Edward Island is bordered by two large bodies of salt water. The south shore is fronted by the Northum-berland Strait, and on clear days you could spot New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on the other side of the water. Gentle waves lap this shore and people claim that the water is much warmer on this side of the island. The north shore, bordered by the Gulf of St. Lawrence, is a much rougher but more exciting body of water.

  At one point during the drive across, the bridge sloped upwards (so that boats might pass under it more easily). When the car got to this high point of the bridge, Hannah sat up on her knees in her seat to get a better look.

  “I see it, I see it!” she yelled. “Look at the red cliffs. And the water looks rough. There’s PEI! We’re there!” Whipping out her kiddie binoculars, Hannah scanned the far shores of the island, trying to get a glimpse of a lighthouse, a boat, or even Anne of Green Gables.

  “You know, before the two of you were born, Dad and I used to take the ferry across,” recounted Mom. “Back then, you had to line up in a big parking lot and wait your turn to get on. If you missed the boat,” she grimaced, “you had to wait for the next ferry, usually a few hours later.

  “And when you landed in PEI and drove through the welcome gate,” Dad added, “Anne of Green Gables would be there, suitcase and all, waving to everyone. It was magical. You knew for sure that you were going to have a great time on the island.”

  “How come she’s not here now?” piped up Emily, who managed to wake up from her nap just in time. Amazed, Hannah gaped at her sister, shocked that Emily was actually civil upon awakening. Usually it’s not a picnic, having to deal with someone who looks angelic in sleep, but is truly the devil when just woken up.

  “Anne must be busy in Avonlea now,” said Dad. “After all, she can’t be in two places at once.” Glancing at his watch, he continued, “Right now she is probably out with her friend Diana, and then she’ll be going to the ceilidh in the church. Oops, look, we’re over. Only another half hour or so and we’ll be in Darnley by five this afternoon.”

  As soon as the car touched solid PEI land, Dad changed CDs and started up Great Big Sea, a popular group of Newfoundland singers. Playing their music when on the island had become a tradition since time immemorial. Hannah loved listening to the jaunty Maritime fiddling. It always put her in a great mood; that is until Emily started singing along.

  As vehicles made their way off the bridge, the Morgans were greeted by huge signs advertising the Gateway Village of Borden-Carleton. The Village was specifically built for bridge users. Many tourists stopped off here to pick up maps and guide books. The Village also had many gift stores that provided everything an average tourist would require of the island. It was a one-stop shopping experience of all things PEI. Mud shirts, Anne dolls, sea glass, Paderno pots, red sand sculptures and Authentic Lobster Chips filled store shelves.

  In addition, there was a replica of one of the bridge pontoons, demonstrating the engineering feat required to build such a marvel. Hannah would have loved to stop off here and explore everything, but after such a long drive her parents were eager to get to their final destination. Regretfully, she watched as the car headed away from the south shore of the province.

  Driving along Trans Canada Highway 1, the family followed signs for Summerside. One of the larger towns along the south shore, Summerside boasted warm waters, but not many good beaches, according to Hannah. At least nothing compared to where they were going. However, it did have the all important things like McDonalds, Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire and Dollarama (Hannah’s favourite store because her money went a long way there).

  The car steadily made its way along the highway, passing Summerside and the Cavendish Farms Company. This local manufacturer produced various frozen food items, but Hannah’s favourite product was the best ever Flavour Crisp fries, made with
home-grown PEI potatoes.

  “Daddy, roll down the window. We want to smell the French fries. Look, there’s a blast of smoke. That means they’re cooking a new batch. Ummm! Smell that! PEI fries. Do you smell it Mr. Bean? This is your first sniff of the world famous fries. They’re the best vegetable in the world.”

  “And the only one you eat!” mumbled Emily as she continued to stare out the window.

  “What. Did. You. SAY?” Hannah’s eyes burned for a good fight.

  “Nothing,” quipped Emily, looking sickeningly smug. “Actually, I said that Beanie is eating your food.”

  Craning his neck beyond the point of looking good, Mr. Bean was indeed trying to steal some of Hannah’s cotton candy. “Up, up … hello Beanie butt!” screeched the green monster.

  They were now on Highway 2 and heading towards Kensington, the town closest to their house, and about 10 minutes from Summerside.

  “Are we stopping for gas?” asked Hannah.

  “Because I need to go to the bathroom,” squeaked Emily with a painful look on her face.

  “I need to go too,” added Mom. “Even though we are 15 minutes from the house, I don’t think I can make it.”

  With a dramatic sigh, Dad pulled into the small Esso station where he always filled up. Chatting with the old-timer who manned the gas pumps, Dad caught up on local weather information. Mr. Bean could be heard chatting up a storm in the back seat of the car, not pleased to be left alone. Meanwhile the girls made their way to the bathroom. Although it still smelled of gas and oil, it was spotless, and even sported dainty curtains on a high window.

  “This is what makes PEI so special,” sighed Hannah contentedly. “Even the public bathrooms are pretty.” Emily rolled her eyes at such gushy sentiment, but Mom laughed.

  Once back in the car, it did not take long to drive down Route 20 towards historic Malpeque. Hannah could never figure out why the sign said historic. She’ll have to do some research on the town and find out why it’s so special. Near Malpeque the car came to a crossroads surrounded by two churches and the Malpeque Community Centre. Turning right, they continued along Route 20.

  “I see the ocean … look, look!”

  “The waves look small.”

  “There’s a blue heron, sitting on a piece of wood in the bay.”

  “There’s a boat going out.”

  “Daddy, roll down the window. I want to smell the ocean.”

  Five minutes later, they turned left on Lower Darnley Road and, after driving a couple of kilometers more, finally pulled into the driveway of their new house. But where was the house? All Hannah could see was grass. Grass, grass, grass. When she got out of the car, she was surrounded by it. A sea of grass!

  “We need to call George to mow this,” said Dad. “Watch out for Emily. She might get lost in this jungle.” From far ahead and somewhere to the right came a faint voice. Emily had already cut a path to the front door and was jumping up and down, waiting for someone to open it. Mom and Dad quickly followed, eager to have a look inside.

  “So much for getting lost,” mumbled Hannah to herself. Grabbing the Bean Mobile, Hannah trailed after her parents towards her new house.

  CHAPTER THREE

  HOME COMING

  The house was blue! Totally!

  “We’ll call it The Blue Lobster

  “We’ll call it The Blue Lobster Cottage,” said Mom.

  “It’s the brightest house on this road,” said Hannah. “What’s it made of?”

  “Cedar shingles,” replied Dad as he searched his pockets for the house keys. “Two sides of the house are covered by the shingles, but the previous owners ran out of money and didn’t finish the rest of the house. The back and left side is covered by some kind of wood siding. We’ll have to paint it.”

  “No kidding,” said Mom as she squinted against the glare of the sun that bounced off the offensive siding. Or was she just trying not to be sick? Hannah wasn’t too sure. “It’s a pukey turquoise and I can’t stand it. It’s quite an eyesore. Did we bring our paint brushes?”

  Hannah rolled her eyes … again. That’s Mom. She needs to get things done now. No, more like yesterday! And they hadn’t even unpacked the car yet. Hannah strolled through the grassy jungle, looking up at the house. The house was a bungalow with a basement. The front had many windows, both large and small. There was one large picture window in the living room, two smaller bedroom windows beside it, a small octagonal opening in the mudroom, and another window in the kitchen.

  From the outside it looked like an average size house, but when she stepped inside, Hannah was pleasantly surprised at how large and open it was.

  “Wow, we can really move around in here,” she exclaimed as she made her way towards the back corner of the living room. “And here’s the TV, right next to Mr. Bean’s cage.” A moving van had already brought down the furniture for the house, as well as boxes filled with kitchen stuff, towels, toys and most importantly, Mr. Bean’s cage. What parrot had three homes? Talk about spoiled.

  “There you go Beanie.” After making sure Mr. Bean was settled in his new cage, Hannah and Emily looked around their new home. The kitchen, living room and dining area was one big open space. Mom loved that aspect of the house because it made entertaining much easier. Hannah thought that being able to see the living room TV from the kitchen and dining table was more critical!

  Off the living room were two doors, each opening up to a bedroom. They were quite big and comfortable, but the walls were still bare and needed to be plastered and painted. And there were no beds for the girls. According to Dad, that was another project. Hannah didn’t think it was such a big deal since they were going to sleep in the tent trailer that they used to camp in at Twin Shores, just down the road. She just loved that. It would bring back fond memories of her long-ago childhood.

  The bathroom opened up off the kitchen, and it was huge but ugly. Paint was peeling from the walls and ceiling, the sink cabinet was spray-painted a splotchy black, the plastic shower curtain was a map of the world (maybe Emily can learn something while taking a bath, sniggered Hannah under her breath), and worst of all, big black beetles lounged in the tub.

  “No way am I taking a bath in there,” stated Emily, her lips curled in disgust.

  “We’ll get rid of the bugs pronto,” said Mom, shivering as she quickly pulled the shower curtain closed. “Daniel, where’s the bug spray?” Funnily enough, she was one of those people who had no problems with snakes, mice or spiders, but she simply HATED bugs. Little did she know what was in store for her this summer.

  Whoever owned this house before Hannah’s family really liked blue – a lot. The kitchen cabinets were blue, the kitchen floor was blue, the bedroom walls were painted blue, some of the dishes were blue, and the horizontal blinds were blue.

  “And we brought blue sofas to match the house. We’re smart people, aren’t we?” quipped Emily as she ran around the bare uneven floors. “Look Mom, I can bounce on the floor. It’s like a trampoline! I love this house!”

  “Stop running and no bouncing,” yelled Dad. “These floors need to be reinforced before we do any gymnastics.”

  “I guess we have to finish the ceiling too,” said Mom as she looked up. “There’s a lot of work to be done here. Some of the walls look water damaged so I guess part of the roof leaked. There is also a big dip in the floor between the kitchen and the living room.”

  “That was where they originally had the stairs going down to the basement,” said Dad as he bent to examine the floor more closely. “I checked the basement and we’ll need to jack up the floor beams at that point. Simple job. No worries.”

  “What about the crack in the foundation?” asked Mom.

  “We’ll have to fix that too.”

  “And the leaking faucets?”

  Dad did not look too pleased. Time for Hannah to leave….

  “Can Emily and me ride our bikes down to the beach?” interrupted Hannah. “You said the movers left them in the shed
. We want to see what the ocean is like. Please, please, please?”

  Overjoyed that Mom and Dad gave in to their pleas rather quickly, Hannah and Emily made like bandits and pedaled down the busy road towards the beach. After about a kilometer, the girls arrived at their beloved Twin Shores campground. Riding through the front gates, they made their way down one of the two paved roads on site. Straight ahead they could see campers heading back from the beach, hurrying to make supper on camp stoves or open fire pits.

  “First one down is the winner,” yelled Emily as she dropped her bike near the two racks by the beach cantina. “Hannah, hurry up! You don’t need to lock up the bikes here. We’re in PEI!”

  After a year of being separated from her ocean view, Hannah’s first glimpse of the beach was always special, and she loved to savour the moment. Unlike her sister, she took her time to stroll down the boardwalk. She kicked off her bright yellow Crocs (still the rage), and lovingly dug her feet into the warm red sand. She closed her eyes and smiled.

  “This is heaven,” she sighed and made her way down to the water’s edge.

  “Let’s go in, Hannah,” cried Emily as she dashed over the first cresting wave and plunged under the water. “Ooohhh, this is amazing. The water’s so warm. It’s even warmer than the lake. And there’s no jelly fish. Come in Hannah! The waves aren’t bad. We should have brought our boards.”

  PEI’s north shore opens out onto the unpredictable Gulf of St. Lawrence. Hannah fondly recalled the many days last summer when the waves were so big people were cautioned to stay out of the water. On wild surf days the noise of the waves could be deafening. Heedless of rip tide warnings from the National Parks Services, many people still spent hours riding the waves on their boogie boards.