by Unknown
“Sebastien, hey,” said Colin.
“Hey, backatcha,” the athletic boy replied, patting Colin’s shoulder. Sebastien turned to hug Meghan, but she kept her distance. He blushed slightly, but did not step any closer. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by his mother.
“Don’t run off, Sebastien,” she said, in a controlled, but quiet manner. “You need to help your father.”
“I know, mom,” he answered begrudgingly. He and the twins walked a short distance so they could have their own private conversation.
12
“I was beginning to think summer would never get here,” Sebastien said.
“It was a long year this time, wasn’t it?” agreed Colin. He continued without waiting for a reply. “There’s a caravan of Gypsies in the campground. Did you see any of them on your drive in?”
“Gypsies? No, I haven’t seen them. Where are they camped?”
“The next few sites over. You know, the ones with the permanently parked wagons,” answered Meghan.
“So they are the owners of those,” replied Sebastien.
“Have you met any of them?”
“No,” answered Colin. “And I do not intend to!”
“Oh, little bro, endlessly afraid,” teased Meghan.
Colin frowned.
“Not afraid,” he clarified. “Um, well, maybe a little afraid of you getting us into trouble again. And I am not getting grounded this summer!”
Meghan punched him in the arm.
Colin winced.
“I can see that you two have not changed a bit,” laughed their friend. Meghan forgot her tirade on Colin as blood rushed to her already flushed face, turning her cheeks even rosier.
A voice carried over to the trio.
“Sebastien, honey, it’s time to go,” called his mother.
“Let’s meet up in two hours, at the secret path,” he suggested, jumping back on board the motor home.
Meghan and Colin nodded their agreement. Sebastien gave them the thumbs up, which meant one thing: summer is officially here!
13
Two hours had not seemed like a long time to wait, but after mere minutes, the twins were already bored. Meghan kept busy by turning her room upside down in attempts to locate her lost black jacket. After finally locating it, she set up her sewing kit, outside, near Colin, and sewed on a new button. Colin attempted to read a book, but let his thoughts meander every few lines or so.
“Why do you keep trying to read that book?” asked Meghan, her eyes still on her sewing project.
“Huh?” Colin was not listening.
“You’ve started it like ten times and never even finished the first chapter,” Meghan said. “It obviously must not be very good.” She cut her thread and put the needle back in her sewing kit.
Colin put the book down.
“I guess I keep trying because it is the only book I own that I have not finished. I’ve read everything else I own at least five times over.”
“I will never understand your need to read books,” Meghan replied, shaking her head. Colin could think of a hundred different, and as equally amusing, replies, but decided it was not worth the energy to get in another argument with her.
Meghan arose to put away her sewing kit, when a rustling in the bushes between the twins' camp and the Gypsies’, stopped her in her tracks. Colin slid his chair back a few feet, not thrilled at the prospect of something in the woods he could not see.
“Oh, don’t be such a chicken, Col. It’s too high off the ground to be anything big!” Meghan thought she saw the shadow of something in the rustling bushes and stepped a 14
little closer. She sensed her brother’s opinion that getting closer might not be the smartest idea.
“I see… something,” she said softly, narrowing her eyes together, trying to focus into the bush. “Looks like a…” she fell backwards, yelping, as a bird flew out of the shrub, nearly missing a straight on collision with her face.
Colin tried to get a close look at the bird, his curiosity getting the better of him, even over the humor of his sister’s shocked face. As it flew away, he could see a spiky blue-gray crest, a long, black, sharp looking bill and a white underbelly. Colin tried to recall such a bird from his books and wondered what it was.
“I saw it in there,” insisted Meghan, regaining her composure. “I just couldn’t get out of the way in time.” She haughtily swiped dirt and pine needles off her skirt, gathered up her sewing supplies and pretended she was not the least bit surprised by what had happened.
“Sis, did you see any colors other than blue or gray?” Meghan turned from irritated to furious at once.
“Are you serious? I almost got my face torn off by a bird and you are asking me if I got a look at its colors?” She abruptly stormed off, disappearing inside the travel trailer.
“It didn’t even touch your face, you don’t have to…” he stopped and blocked her mind from hearing him. “Ah, why bother? She won’t listen anyway.”
Colin grabbed his book and followed his sister inside.
Nearly thirty minutes later she emerged from the bathroom, throwing her dirt covered skirt into the washer.
“Oh, wearing black again,” teased Colin, catching the slightest wink in his uncle’s eye.
“I’ll dress the way I want to,” she retorted.
15
Colin followed her into their shared room.
“I was kidding, Meghan. But even you have to admit that your clothes look a lot alike. And yet it takes you forever to get dressed.”
“And that shows how much you know!” she snapped back. “My outfits are NEVER the same. That is why it takes so long. For example, and like you would notice, but I have not worn my tall black boots in days,” she argued.
“And I just found this sweater yesterday. I lost it weeks ago.”
“Well if it all looks the same to me, I’d wager it looks the same to everyone else, too!” He knew that would infuriate her. “Besides,” he continued, “I can be ready in ten minutes, tops!”
“That is pretty obvious,” she snorted. “Talk about wearing the same thing every day. Khaki’s, loafers, and that ridiculous vest!”
“Ridiculous? What?”
His sister plugged her nose, pretending an unbearable stench had entered the room.
“I do not stink,” he sputtered, his face turning red with anger.
“That’s enough!” broke in a stern voice. “You two need to stop arguing and learn to get along,” scolded their uncle.
They stopped arguing, but a moment later, silently, Meghan shot a jeering thought to her brother.
“Another one for Meghan. Uh, huh. I rock!”
“I’m leaving,” called out their uncle then. “Got a small job to do. Shouldn’t take long.” He pulled his camp hat low over his face. “Please try not to spend the rest of the day arguing,” he pleaded as he stepped out of the trailer.
16
Arnon Jacoby was a fixer upper. He worked from camp to camp lining up jobs as they traveled. He had taken in Meghan and Colin after an accident claimed the lives of their parents, at the age of two. Having always lived on the road, he made the decision to buy a larger trailer and take them along on his travels. They had never questioned why their uncle chose this lifestyle, especially since it meant they did not have to attend normal school.
Although, from the stories Sebastien had told them, they guessed that Uncle Arnon was right up there with being one of the strictest teachers ever!
Meghan closed the door to their shared room, which hid a mirror, and put on her jacket with the new button.
Another perfect fix! She caught a side view of Colin’s face and sighed, jealously.
“I wish I had your eyelashes. Any girl would die to have those, you know.”
“Great!” he muttered.
“It’s the truth, Col.”
“I realize you are trying to be nice, Sis, but really, anything I have, that a girl would die to have, can
’t be a good thing.”
She shook her head in disagreement.
“It’s not a bad thing, Col, believe me. Girls would kill for those thick lashes of yours.” She took off the jacket tossing it back to the pile-of-black on the floor.
“Chore’s are all done,” she sighed. “You wanna go spy on our new neighbors?”
“Do I have a choice?” he muttered.
“You can’t hide it from me that you’re curious about the Gypsies,” she said.
Colin sighed.
17
She was right.
Again.
“Let’s not take all day about it. Remember Sebastien? We are supposed to meet him soon.”
“Don’t worry, it won’t take long,” she insisted, stepping out of the trailer.
“How many emails did you get from Sebastien over the last few months, anyway?” Colin asked daringly as he followed her. She did not answer him about the emails, but her cheeks now matched the color of her flame red hair.
One night, a few months back, Colin had accidentally discovered that Meghan had developed a crush on their shared friend. She had just finished reading an email from Sebastien, and before she had fallen asleep, let slip the words, “Goodnight, Sebastien. My love.”
Colin had laughed moronically all night long.
Colin was not sure if he had ever seen his sister as mortified, as the night he had discovered she had a crush on Sebastien Jendaya.
The twins pushed their way through the bush and tree filled divider, which separated the campsites, attempting to sneak a peek at the Gypsies.
There was a group of men sitting around a campfire playing strange looking guitars; their fingers moved at incredible speeds, playing music that was catchy, yet soothing, almost trance-like. They looked out of place sitting around a campfire dressed in their brightly colored shirts and winged tipped shoes.
“Nothing too weird to report here,” said Meghan, losing interest. They lingered a minute longer, when something too weird did happen.
18
Colin breathed in abruptly as he lost control of his body and could no longer move. Not even his gaze was under his control. His eyes penetrated another pair of eyes just on the inside of the Gypsy camp.
“Tell me what to do!” he cried silently.
“I don’t understand what’s happening,” Meghan replied, searching his thoughts in vain for something to help her understand.
Colin got a keen sense that someone could clearly see the two of them standing in the woods, spying. His face went white with dread as he saw the shadow of a figure get up and walk in their direction.
“I think I’m going be sick,” croaked Colin, trying to look away. His eyes or body would not budge. He remained frozen in place. Being caught spying was definitely not how Colin imagined meeting his new neighbors.
In the next moment, a shrill, screeching howl echoed above them, covering the twins’ arms in goose bumps and simultaneously releasing Colin from his statue-like imprisonment.
A sense of panic infiltrated the Gypsy camp, and within seconds, all had disappeared inside the closest wagon.
“How peculiar. It sounded like an owl,” said Meghan, her eyes searching the elevated pines. Meghan saw a shadow in Colin’s mind and faced the direction he was watching, but saw nothing.
A deep chill brought on a shiver.
After catching the glimpse of the shadow, Colin backed closer to his sister, perplexed at what had occurred. The Gypsy camp was completely deserted.
“What was that? I couldn’t move,” whispered Colin.
19
Meghan, already shaking off the strange occurrence, seized the opportunity to frighten her brother.
“I’m sure it was a Gypsy cuurrse, to puutt you under their controlll.”
“Ha ha, Sis, very funny,” he retorted, not falling for her attempt at frightening him. “Plus, did you notice that they all disappeared into one wagon?”
“Couldn’t have,” answered Meghan. “There had to be at least thirty people over there.”
“I saw it, and they did,” argued Colin.
“Maybe when you weren’t looking they all climbed out the back.”
Colin did not have time to reply.
“What are you doing in there?” a gruff voice whispered angrily from behind them. They both gasped and spun around. It was Uncle Arnon, who knew exactly what they were doing.
They wondered if perhaps he could also read minds, as he was often a little too good at knowing when they were up to trouble.
Arnon stood with his arms folded, waiting for an answer.
Colin let Meghan handle the hard part of answering, since he could do little more than tell the truth; which is not the point when caught in the act of something you know will make Uncle Arnon angry.
“We were listening to the music, Uncle Arnon.”
“The Gypsies are not outside, so what music?”
“They stopped playing and disappeared inside their wagons,” answered Meghan. “Or,” she continued, putting on her annoyed face, “if you want to believe the geek patrol, Colin insists they somehow all fit themselves into 20
one wagon, after an owl or something screeched overhead.
Spooked ’em pretty bad I guess.”
“Yeah, imagine being spooked by an owl when you’re camping in the middle of the Maine woods,” added Colin, unsure of his true feelings on the subject. He was also sure to send her a silent scowl for the little brother wisecrack.
Uncle Arnon gawked oddly into the sky, as if expecting to see something. He led the spying duo, by their shoulders, back to the trailer. The twins crossed their eyes at each other, questioning their uncle’s unusual behavior.
“I passed the Jendaya site on my way home,” he informed them. “They are not quite set up yet, so why don’t we have some lunch before you visit.” Meghan pouted in obvious disappointment, but begrudgingly made lunch. An hour later, long after they had finished lunch, the twins began to get the distinct impression that Uncle Arnon was stalling their departure, as he kept them busy doing piddly things around the trailer.
Finally, over an hour later, they noticed a few of the Gypsies were back outside, and once Uncle Arnon had seen this, he told them they could go.
“Behave, please!” he yelled after them. “Come Six o’clock, you be at Kanda’s fire pit.”
They raced across the road and headed into the woods to their secret path, leading to Sebastien’s campsite (which they had created over the previous six summers). Halfway through, they crashed directly into Sebastien.
“’Bout time! I was coming to find you two,” he said.
“Sorry, our uncle wouldn’t let us go. Besides, he told us you weren’t set up yet,” Colin said, catching his breath.
21
“I told your uncle to tell you I was finishing when he passed by.”
How strange, thought both twins in confused unison.
“We’re together now,” said Sebastien, blowing off the weirdness. “Whatdyawannado?”
“I’m thirsty, how ‘bout a tonic?” said Meghan. “We’re almost at The Little Shop anyway, and then we can hang at the lake.” They continued on the path, which veered off in two directions; one path lead to the Jendaya camp, and the second, to The Little Shop, which was in the middle of the Cobbscott Campground.
As the trio followed the pathway, an unusual and awkward silence fell over them. Colin sensed Meghan’s nerves stopping her from talking, something he rarely had the pleasure to witness. Can she really have it that bad over Sebastien? Colin hid the thought from his sister and decided to be nice, by breaking the silence.
“So, it must be nice that schools out?”
“Definitely,” agreed Sebastien, glad of the break in tension.
“What about your teams though?” Colin asked. Don’t you miss them in the summer?”
“I suppose a little,” admitted Sebastien.
In an artless manner, Meghan finally spoke.
“You
started telling me in an email about getting to state finals.” Even as she blurted it out, she sent a silent glare to Colin that implied, don’t you dare tell him or I will…. She continued seamlessly, adding, “How did that turn out?”
“Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to tell you,” and he excitedly went into a story of winning the final big game of the season. After discussing school and sports, Meghan was still abnormally quiet.
22
“Did you get a look at any of the Gypsy wagons yet, Sebastien?” asked Colin, broaching a new subject.
“No, not yet,” he answered.
“Apparently, they’re afraid of owls,” joked Colin. “They all ran into a wagon, after one screeched.”
“A wagon?” questioned Sebastien, not missing a beat.
“I’m sure my brother was seeing things, Sebastien. There were too many to fit into one wagon.” Meghan was annoyed that Colin was still insisting on this fact.
“That is what I saw, Sis.”
“Why don’t we go check’em out later?” suggested Sebastien, recalling how the twins’ arguments could escalate.
“You two will have to go without me. I’m not spying anymore,” announced Colin decidedly.
Sebastien, puzzled, asked, “Why not?”
“Something strange happened, that’s why.” For once, Meghan agreed.
“I guess it was strange, but still, it’s not worth quitting over.”
Sebastien waited for an explanation.
Meghan continued.
“Colin and I snuck into the woods to take a peek at the Gypsies, and I think someone caught us.” Colin shuddered at the memory.
“It was as if someone was forcing me to stay where I was. I was frozen in place. Then they all got scared by an owl screeching and ran away,” he added, reiterating, “into one wagon.”
“How would that be possible?” asked Sebastien.
23
“No idea. But even minus that point, our uncle also caught us. So next time, we would be grounded for sure,” frowned Colin.
“Nah,” said Meghan.
“You don’t think so, Sis?”
“Next time we won’t get caught, little bro.” Also remembering how Meghan’s use of the phrase ‘little bro’ could start a downward spiral in the conversation, Sebastien, thankful they had arrived at The Little Shop, sidetracked the twins.