Shasta Summer

by Teresa Geering

  Shasta Summer

  by

  Teresa Geering

  Part of the 'Erasmus, Shasta & Merlin' series

  ISBN 1463574185

  EAN 978-1463574185

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

  'Shasta Summer' is published by Night Publishing which can be contacted at: http://www.nightpublishing.com.

  'Shasta Summer' is the copyright of the author, Teresa Geering, 2011. All rights are reserved.

  'Shasta Summer' forms part of the romance / fantasy series 'Erasmus, Shasta & Merlin' which includes the previously released 'The Eye of Erasmus'.

  All characters are fictional, and any resemblance to anyone living or dead is accidental.

  Book 1:

  The Enchanted Garden

  Chapter 1

  How many of us are given the chance to relive our past lives? Indeed, would we want to?

  Summer Backer was given just that opportunity.

  Born to Iris and George Backer eight years previously, an only child with bright red hair, she typically burned in the sun without factor fifty. There was a strong bond between Summer and her parents. This will hold good through her current life, and when she is required to visit her past life.

  The Backers owned a large rambling, five bedroomed property. A long stony drive led up to the front of the house, with beds of roses growing to the side. The back garden went on indefinitely, with neat orderly flowerbeds and a few popular trees planted here and there. Giles, the gardener, did all the heavy work, while Iris pottered around with her wooden trug picking flowers for the house.

  George owned two garden centres, one locally and the other in Holland. Each spring and autumn he took a trip over to Holland to see his manager, Henney, who ran the Dutch centre. All other business was dealt with by phone.

  The family’s lifestyle was completely idyllic and this summer was going to be no different except ….

  * * *

  It was the beginning of the summer holidays, and Summer was lying in the garden under the willow tree watching her mother pick flowers for the entrance hall of the house. A bee was buzzing close by collecting pollen and making her feel very sleepy. She rolled over onto her back and looked up at the sun through the branches of the tree. Mentally she started planning her sleepover that night with Holly, her closest school friend. In the distance she could hear the telephone ringing. Moments later her father came into the garden and was deep in conversation with her mother.

  “But, George, what will we do with Summer?” asked her mother in a raised voice, completely out of character.

  “Couldn’t she stay with your sister, May, in Shasta?” asked her father.

  “I suppose so, but May is so eccentric” her mother replied distractedly.

  Summer's curiosity got the better of her and, as she started to get up, her mother called out to her.

  “Summer, will you come here, please?”

  “Coming. What’s happened?”

  “Your father has had a phone call from Henney. There is a problem with some of this year’s plants and we have to go over.”

  Summer knew if her mother was going, it meant BIG trouble.

  “I‘ll give my sister, May, a ring. Perhaps you can stay with her at the cottage in Shasta. It might be a bit boring for you but I don’t see what else we can do. Holland will be even more boring for you.”

  “Do I have to go? Couldn’t I stay with Holly instead? I’m going to miss my sleepover and I don’t know Aunt May very well.”

  “I’m sorry, Summer, not this time. We don’t know how long we’ll be away yet. We can’t expect your friends’ parents to look after you at such short notice,” her mother said.

  With that, her mother went into the house and phoned her aunt. Summer had no choice - she was going. Aunt May would be delighted to have the company, apparently. The last time she had seen Summer was when she was still very small. At that time she had given her a doll that she had made herself. It was stuffed with cotton wool and had long blonde plaits made out of pale yellow wool and dungarees. When she got home she sat her on her bed and decided to call her Primrose. She usually took her with her when she stayed overnight with friends.

  Her mother didn’t visit her sister very often because she lived some distance away, but they spoke on the telephone on a regular basis. As Summer didn’t remember her, she had no idea what to expect, and what did 'eccentric' mean, she wondered.

  Holly’s parents were informed of the change in plans and a promise of a double sleepover was made once she returned, to make up for it. The rest of the day was spent packing suitcases. Time was of the essence and her mother was not only supervising her case but ensuring that her father had enough of everything. Her parents intended to drop her off at aunt May’s cottage, then get the ferry from Dover to Calais and drive on to Holland from there. With delicate care, Summer lifted Primrose off the bed and decided to carry her instead of packing her in the suitcase. She was getting a bit ragged now as Summer used to suck on her foot when she was small, but she still loved her dearly.

  The following morning it started to rain just as they were leaving. There wasn’t much traffic, so they reached the outskirts of the village by 11 o’clock. As they drove into Shasta, the rain suddenly stopped and Summer saw a rainbow in the distance which appeared to end in the garden of a cottage.

  “How strange” said her mother, “the rainbow seems to stop in May’s garden.”

  Summer began to feel unexpected excitement all of a sudden.

  Chapter 2

  They parked outside the cottage and, while her father was unloading her suitcases, she and her mother approached the wooden gate which formed part of a trellis archway. An abundance of red and white roses climbed from ground level to meet at the top of the trellis. The perfume was much stronger than their own roses at home. Walking through the arch and down the path, they passed many flowers on the way, all different varieties, some of which Summer recognised but she couldn’t remember their names. Nothing was in straight lines like their borders at home; the flowers just seemed to grow where they took a fancy. Above the door hung a wooden nameplate but Summer wasn’t tall enough to read it. Her mother lifted the knocker to announce their arrival and it came away in her hand.

  With an exaggerated sigh she laid it on the ground. “Typical of May,” she muttered.

  “What do you mean, Mum?” Summer asked.

  Still carrying on talking as if she hadn’t heard her, her mother said, “When will she get that fixed properly? The same thing happened at the last visit. Your aunt will always be a bit eccentric, I think”.

  There was that word again. As Summer was about to ask what it meant, the door was opened wide. A tall, thin woman, who looked a bit like a traditional gypsy, stood framed in the doorway. She was wearing a long flowing, very low cut dress that reached to her ankles. It was the type of dress Summer's mother would refer to as “quite disgusting”. On both her wrists were endless silver bracelets that seemed to jangle with every movement. Her black hair was in one long plait which hung over her right shoulder. Summer was amazed to see it reached down to her waist. The end of the plait was tied in multi-coloured ribbons. Although she was older than Summer's mother, she seemed to have a much younger face.

  “Hello, May” said her mother, “lovely to see you again,” and kissed her on the cheek.

  Aunt May returned the kiss and bent down to give Summer a hug. As she put her arms around her neck, Summer could smell her perfume which reminded her of the roses. Her bracelets rattled together and he
r bright brown eyes seemed to crinkle up into a smile.

  “Hello, my lovely, you and I are going to have such a wonderful time together. I see you still have Primrose, then”.

  “How did you know she was called Primrose, Aunt May, and why are you eccentric?” Summer asked.

  “Summer, don’t be so rude!!” her mother exclaimed in embarrassment.

  Aunt May just smiled, put her arm around her and took her inside the cottage.

  “Come, my lovely, let’s get you settled in. First, though, I think a nice cool drink is called for, then I will show you to your room when your parents leave.”

  Her father, having caught them up, put Summer's suitcases just inside the door, called out “Hello” to Aunt May, and walked with her mother and her through the kitchen into the garden. Summer noticed a black cat curled up in a large wicker chair in the kitchen. He was stretched out on patchwork cushions. As she passed, it opened its eyes and looked straight at her. Satisfied that she wasn’t going to disturb him, he yawned and went back to sleep. Summer's parents were already sitting down at a rustic table with four chairs around it. Summer sat in the swing seat which had just enough room for two. Aunt May came out carrying a tray with four tall glasses containing a yellow coloured drink that Summer didn’t recognise. She set the tray down on the table and brought Summer's drink over to her.

  “What’s this drink called, Aunt?” Summer asked.

  “Why, it’s lemonade dear,” she said surprised.

  “Our lemonade at home isn’t anything like this. It hasn’t got any colour really, and it’s fizzy,”

  “Ah, this is home made. I’ll show you how to make it, if you like”.

  “Yes, please,” Summer said.

  Suddenly Summer started to yawn. She had slept most of the journey, so why was she tired again so soon? Having finished their drinks, her parents decided to start their journey towards Dover. Kissing her goodbye affectionately, her mother yet again gave her the usual lecture about behaving herself and promised she would write newsy letters to her or phone from Holland. Her father gave her a kiss and a hug, and said while she was here maybe she could help her aunt with her garden; it would give her an opportunity to learn some of the names of the flowers. With an exaggerated wink at her aunt, he made his way to the car. Waving goodbye to her parents as the car turned the corner, Summer turned and saw that her aunt was making her way back down the path towards the cottage. Summer suddenly realised that she was muttering to the plants as she went past. When they reached the front door, she picked up the door knocker from where her mother had laid it and hung it back on the door again. Somehow it just stayed there, waiting to be used by the next caller.

  “Will you tell me the name of the cottage, please, Aunt. I’m not tall enough to read the name?”

  “Oh, it used to be called Primrose Cottage because there are lots of evening primroses growing here. I changed it to Rainbow’s End, though, because the rainbows always seem to end at the bottom of the garden by Faery Cove,” she replied.

  “Faery Cove?!!” Summer gasped.

  “Oh yes. Didn’t I tell you I had faeries at the bottom of my garden, child?” she replied in a matter-of-fact way.

  As Summer looked at her in disbelief, she started to yawn again.

  “I think I’ll show you to your room and you can have a nap. The journey must have tired you.”

  Aunt May picked up her two cases and showed Summer to her bedroom which was next to Aunt May's. To the side was a small bathroom. The only other rooms in the cottage were the sitting room and the kitchen which had a large wooden table in the middle with several chairs around it.

  Summer's bedroom was smaller than at home. There was a double bed with a patchwork cover on it which matched the curtains. On either side of the bed was a chest of drawers, and in the far corner a wardrobe. In the other corner was another wicker chair with lots more patchwork cushions. This was similar to the one in the kitchen that the cat was sleeping on.

  Summer also noticed that the ceilings seemed to slant down and meet the walls at strange angles. It wouldn’t do to be too tall as you would have to duck all the time.

  “Why don’t you lie down on the bed and have a bit of a sleep, Summer? It will make you feel much better.”

  As Aunt May pulled back the patchwork cover, Summer took off her shoes and curled up on the bed with Primrose. She seemed to snuggle down into it and it was so much more comfy than her bed at home. Aunt May pulled the cover back over her and drew the curtains together. Leaving the door ajar, she left the room.

  * * *

  As Summer started to drift into sleep, she remembered that her aunt had known the name of her doll without asking, It was also strange that the name of the cottage had been Primrose Cottage as well. Were there really faeries at the bottom of the garden, she wondered. Her mother always insisted she put her baby teeth under the pillow for the tooth faery. In the morning they had always disappeared and coins were left in their place. She was nearly nine now, though, and far too old to believe in them. Wasn’t she? All these thoughts passed through her head as she slowly drifted into a deep sleep.

  While Summer was asleep, her aunt came back into the bedroom. Very quietly she set about unpacking the cases. She hung some of her niece’s things in the wardrobe and put other bits in the chests of drawers. The cat padded into the room and jumped onto the wicker chair watching.

  In hushed tones her aunt said, “Hasn’t she grown into a lovely girl, Merlin? We will have to do something about that red hair, though. Even with sun cream and a hat she will burn in our garden.”

  Equally quietly Merlin agreed. “Maybe we could turn it blonde in time for Shasta Day. By the way, are you using my earthly name of Snoops while she’s here, May? And have you decided to tell her that I can talk? I get a bit fed up having to pretend with miaow this and that.”

  “I don’t know yet, Merlin. She’s only eight, so perhaps we had better wait awhile until she has met Abelia, the faery queen. In the meantime I think we will call you Snoops and don’t get grumpy because you have to act like a cat,” May replied.

  “I’ve been a cat for so many years now, when do you think I will turn back into human form again?” Merlin asked.

  “Maybe quite soon, Merlin,” she said.

  “Perhaps we should ask the Book of Erasmus later this evening.”

  With that, May walked silently out of the room followed by Merlin.

  Chapter 3

  Summer woke up the following morning unsure where she was at first. Although the curtains were drawn, the room was very bright which hinted at a sunny morning. She also noticed that she was completely under all the covers and was wearing her nightdress. Her aunt must have undressed her while she was asleep and, boy, was she hungry now. Summer could smell coffee which was at least a familiar smell to her. Father drank endless cups of coffee every morning. Her mother had tea, always made in a pot with traditional tea leaves.

  Stretching her arms up over her head, she climbed out of bed, slipped her feet into her slippers, and put on her dressing gown which had been laid on the bottom of the bed. As she walked over to the window to pull the curtains back, she was startled to see that the cat was curled up on the wicker chair watching her. Should she stroke it, she wondered. She took a chance and rested her hand on its head. With a quiet miaow, the cat, uncomplaining, uncurled its body and began to stretch. While Summer pulled the curtains back to let in the sun, the cat jumped down and waited for her, then walked out beside her into the kitchen. Her aunt was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee.

  “Good morning, my lovely, did you sleep well?” she asked in that lovely flowing voice.

  “Yes, thank you, Aunt May. I must have been very tired to sleep for so long”.

  “People often say that when they visit this village, child. Sit down at the table and I will get you a drink and some breakfast. You must be very hungry this morning.” Summer agreed she was starving.

  “Later on, we can take a
walk through the village and buy some more provisions. I didn’t have much time to ask your mother what your likes and dislikes are. Now, what would you like for breakfast, Summer? I have cereal with eggs and toast. Will that be alright?”

  “Cereal and some orange juice, if you have any please, Aunty.”

  Aunt May put the cereal packet, bowl and jug of milk in front of Summer, telling her to help herself.

  “I’ll just get the juice from the fridge. The spoons are in the cutlery drawer of the dresser.”

  Summer helped herself to cereal and milk, and used the teaspoon in the sugar bowl to sprinkle on sugar. Rising to get a spoon from the dresser, she heard her aunt talking to herself as she bent over the fridge. There seemed very little of anything in there as far as Summer could see, and certainly no orange juice. As she returned to the table, she heard the fridge door close. As she sat down down, her aunt came towards her with a glass of fresh juice. Summer couldn’t believe her eyes. Her face must have shown her disbelief because her aunt asked, “Is anything the matter, child?”

  “Oh… Err… no Aunt, thank you,” she said as she accepted the juice.

  The cat walked to and fro in front of May, rubbing his back up against her legs.

  “Yes, yes, I haven’t forgotten you. Maybe some tinned tuna fish this morning.”

  Hearing this, the cat began to miaow continuously.

  Having recovered from her surprise over the juice, Summer asked, “Is the cat a boy or a girl, and what is it called?”

  “It’s a male cat and his name is Snoops because he is always snooping around.”