Donners Bend

by Alexa V James

  Although it rained in Donners Bend every other day if not more, for the past five days it had not rained a drop. The people waited, but still neither rain nor clouds had appeared. Each morning they went out on their front porches, looked up to the sky, and called to their neighbors, “During the night?”

  “Nope,” was their reply, as they shook their heads back and forth, and the people would look back to the cloudless sky and wonder.

  Despite what one would think, they didn’t cherish those rainless days as they should. They didn’t go out for picnics, or ride horseback through the hills, or even take walks in the sunshine. They sat on their porches and waited. It wasn’t that they really wanted the rain that badly, it was just that they missed the normalcy it brought. Without rain, Donners Bend wasn’t Donners Bend.

  The people sat on their porches and they waited and they wondered. They wondered when the rainy days of Donners Bend would be back again.

  Jon and Ellie sat outside on the sixth dry night. Ellie sat on her porch on the second step to the ground with her bare feet stretched out in front of her and her hair tied up into a little ponytail on the top of her head. She always wished her hair would fall like Marcelle’s did, in beautiful wavy curls that always looked amazing, but no matter how she styled it, it always looked the same: short and wispy in that indescribable, light brown/blond color, but when she was with Jon, Ellie didn’t seem to really care what she looked like and she tied her hair up on the top of her head because even though it looked ridiculous for a lady to do, that was most comfortable.

  “I miss it,” said Jon. He was lying on the dry grass with his hands behind his head and his whitish-blond hair falling lazily into his eyes as he looked up to the stars. The sleeves of his blue plaid shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and his feet were bare as well.

  “Miss what?”

  “The rain.”

  “Why do you miss the rain?”

  He shrugged, “I don’t know.”

  The wind blew stray hair from her ponytail into Ellie’s face, but she blew them straight out again and sighed. The stars twinkled on the velvety black blanket of sky above them, but neither said a word. Ellie had read somewhere long ago that true friendship is when silence between two people was comfortable. She never felt more at ease than she did with Jon.

  “Maybe it’s just because I’m used to it,” Jon suggested, referring back to the brief conversation they’d had more than ten minutes before.

  “Maybe,” Ellie agreed.

  “Or maybe it’s because I like drama. My mother always said when I was a child I liked drama more than the ordinary. She said I’d prefer a thunderstorm to a sunny day anytime because I thought something interesting might occur in the storm. Sunny days were boring, I thought.”

  “Sometimes they are boring.”

  Jon nodded, “Sometimes they are.”

  The wind blew again and the leaves began to rustle. All was quiet and dark but the whistling wind and the soft light of the stubby candle Ellie had set on the top step. More than ten minutes had passed again before the silence was broken.

  “Jon?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I miss the rain too.”

  The next morning still not a drop of rain had fallen. At work, during an extended playtime, Jamie suggested Peter Pan and the children happily agreed. So at the moment they were dressing to fit their characters.

  Leah and Wesley put on boys pajamas to play the parts of Michael and John Darling. Leah also tied up her long blond curls so she could look more boyish.

  Ellie, wearing a simple blue dress as Wendy Darling, helped Gracie into her costume. Gracie wore a sparkly green dress and little green ballet slippers to play the part of Tinker bell. Her hair she pulled up into a bun and Ellie placed a little tiara on top. She also carried a simple wand and a little green pouch filled with sparkling powder, her pixie dust.

  Demi, though she was but a young girl, chose to play the evil Captain Hook. She wore a red jacket, a black pirate hat with white feather plume, and a “hook” covered her left hand. She smiled with a feisty grin when she’d finished dressing and gave a nasty, “Arghh!”

  And Jamie, last but not least, was back by popular demand as the boy who never grew up, Peter Pan. He wore chocolate brown pants, a crisp white collared shirt rolled up at the sleeves, and upon his dark hair was an emerald green cap with a red feather sticking out the back.

  Now, Wendy, Michael, John, and Captain Hook sat in Gracie and Leah’s bedroom, the setting of the first scene, in a little line on the rug. Even though Captain Hook technically wasn’t supposed to appear until later, Demi was included, and no one said a thing of it. Jamie stood beside an injured Gracie who lay on the ground. She liked to appear hurt several times during their little game so that she could act the part of a dramatic actress and everyone could bring her back to life.

  “Do you believe in fairies?” Jamie, as Peter, asked in a whisper to the group.

  They nodded in return.

  “Say quickly that you believe.”

  “We believe.”

  “Clap your hands if you believe.”

  All the children, plus Ellie, clapped their hands and Gracie rose from the ground, magically healed.

  “Every time a child says 'I don't believe in fairies' there is a little fairy somewhere that falls down dead,” said Jamie.

  The children gasped.

  But not more than a moment later, impatient Wesley, as Michael, asked, “Can we fly now, Jamie?”

  Leah nudged him, “His name’s Peter.”

  Wesley corrected himself, “Peter, can we fly now? Please?”

  “I suppose so.”

  Acting like the doubtful Wendy, Ellie asked, “But how can we fly, Peter? It seems impossible.”

  “All you need is a wonderful thought and a little trust and of course, a pinch of pixie dust. Tink?”

  Gracie pulled out her pouch and sprinkled a pinch of dust onto each of their heads.

  “Now close your eyes and think of the most wonderful things in the world,” Jamie instructed.

  As soon as their eyes had closed, Jamie took Wesley and Ellie grabbed Leah and they “flew” them through the air. Demi, wanting to fly too, began jumping on the bed and shouting, “We can fly! We can fly!”

  “Come on Tink! To Never Land we go!” Jamie shouted, heading out the door, “Follow me, Wendy! Second star to the right and straight on till morning!”

  They flew down the elegant stairway and out the door to the backyard, a.k.a. Never Land. There they went through many adventures full of pirates, mermaids, and Indians. Jamie continually amazed Ellie with his childish side. All the men she’d met his age, twenty-five, were far too busy being “gentlemen” to ever consider a little fun once in a while. It was strange to see so many sides to Jamie; Ellie had seen him as a pirate, a son thrown out of school, a smoking and dissatisfied love interest, a victorious fencer, a loved brother, and now, Peter Pan.

  She’d chosen to forget all about that little incident at Emily’s wedding.

  They were just in the middle of being forced to jump off the Captain Hook’s plank when Ellie felt a drop of water fall onto her arm. She ignored it, but a moment later it happened again.

  “Did you feel that?” she asked, turning around to face the angry Captain Hook. She turned to Jamie, “Peter? Is it raining?”

  “Don’t try to change the subject, lass!” Demi shouted. She poked her sword into Ellie’s back, “Off the plank with ye! I believe the gators are hungry today.”

  A drizzle of rain began to fall.

  “We need to fly back! Quick, Tink, some pixie dust!” Jamie ordered.

  Gracie did as she was asked and began running to the house; Leah followed.

  Jamie took Demi and Ellie grabbed Wesley as the rain began to pour from the many dark clouds that had suddenly swarmed above them. Within a moment all four were soaked.

  “A little wet, Wendy?” Jamie asked with a smile when they’d stepped inside.


  Ellie returned the grin, “Just a little.”

  “I’ve got an idea!” Leah shouted, “We can get into our jammies early and sip hot cocoa by the fire. Can we, Peter? Please?”

  “Don’t ask me, ask Wendy.”

  “Please, Wendy?”

  Ellie looked to Jamie, “I’ll take the girls and you take Wesley?”

  “Sounds like a plan to me.”

  Once all had slipped into warm pajamas, even Ellie, who wore one of Louise Rhodes’ nightgowns after Jamie pleaded with her to do so, they gathered around the fireplace in the parlor with a cup of hot cocoa for each and a plate of warm muffins. Wesley fell asleep instantly and Demi was also beginning to doze off. The two older girls were braiding one another’s hair.

  “It’s not letting up any, is it?” asked Ellie.

  Jamie, who was seated in an armchair in front of the curtains, took a peek outside and confirmed, “Nope. And I doubt it will anytime soon. The last time Donners Bend went so long without rain it ended up raining for three days straight.”

  “Really?”

  Jamie nodded, “I doubt my parents will be coming home tonight. It’d be too hard to take that long ride home from Rutherford in the rain.”

  The rain grew even harder and began pounding on the roof and windows. Ellie was surprised the children didn’t wake up. And then, it grew even worse as lightning flashed, thunder boomed, and a horrible thunderstorm began.

  “Maybe I should get home before it gets any worse,” Ellie suggested as she stood up with a worried expression.

  “You’re going home, Ellie?” Gracie asked in a small voice.

  “Well I’d rather go home now before the storm gets any worse.”

  “I’d advise against that,” said Jamie, “I doubt it’ll let up until morning.”

  “Then what are you suggesting?”

  “You can stay here!” Leah exclaimed, “We can have a slumber party!”

  “I don’t know, girls,” Ellie answered skeptically, “I should probably just return to my own house. I don’t know if it’d be proper for me to stay here for the night.”

  “Please, Ellie? It’ll be lots of fun,” Gracie promised, “And it’s not like you’d be intruding. We want you to stay.”

  “We promise you’ll enjoy yourself. We could build a tent like we used to do during stormy nights a long time ago. Remember, Jamie?”

  “I remember,” Jamie replied with a chuckle.

  “I’m sorry, girls. That sounds like a lot of fun but...”

  “I really don’t think you should be going home in this weather,” Jamie added, looking out from above his glasses as he read his paper.”

  “Well, if you all feel so strongly about it, I suppose I could stay...”

  With that said, there she remained until morning...

  Chapter 13 - Early Morning Actions

  All through the night the thunderstorm continued. As he had promised, Jamie, with the help of Ellie, set up a tent in the parlor by using clothespins to hang a few sheets from the couches and chairs. It wasn’t the best, but it would do. All the children brought in their blankets and pillows and set up sleeping areas inside. After much insistence, Ellie lay down between Leah and Wesley, and Jamie was between Gracie and Demi.

  Wesley curled up into Ellie’s lap as his brother pulled out a storybook and began reading them a story about a lonely, forgotten princess and the prince, who traveled through dangerous forests, sailed through rough seas, and battled evil monsters to rescue her. By the end of the story all the children had fallen asleep, and surprisingly, so had Ellie.

  “. . . So, they both lived happily ever after. The end.” Jamie looked around at his “attentive” listeners and gave a small smile.

  After tucking in all three girls and giving them each a goodnight kiss, Jamie took Wesley from Ellie’s arms and set him down into his own bed.

  “Goodnight, little man,” he said, ruffling Wesley’s dark curls.

  “Night, night,” Wesley replied before drifting back into dreamland.

  Then, Jamie gently pushed Ellie onto her own blankets and covered her up with a quilt. He was just about to lie down on his own blanket when he realized it was gone. The space set up originally between Gracie and Demi for him to sleep in had disappeared. Everyone had taken a little more space than intended, until there was nothing left for Jamie.

  He scratched his head and put his hands on his hips, trying to decide what to do. Finally, he grabbed a spare blanket and left the tent. He took off his glasses, and rested down upon the couch, before setting his green Peter hat over his face to block out any light. The continuous pounding of rain and blasts of thunder became a calming symphony and they soon ushered Jamie to sleep.

  Very, very early the next morning, Ellie woke when she felt the wriggling of one little body on her right side, and from the left side a snoring little girl stole what was left of Ellie’s blanket as she slept.

  Ellie yawned and stretched out her arms, looking around her dazedly. The first thing she noticed was that a corner of the tent had fallen down and was now set upon Gracie’s head. The second was that someone was missing. That someone was Jamie.

  Ellie yawned again and stood up. She couldn’t stand up all the way though, because the roof of the tent had caved in a little over the night. Carefully tiptoeing her way around the sleeping children, she left the tent and walked into the parlor.

  A smile crept over Ellie’s face as she spotted Jamie sound asleep beneath a navy blanket on the couch. She’d never seen him look as sweet and lovable as he did at that moment. He was like a gentle, angelic, little boy in a world of solitude. She couldn’t see much of his face though, for his green Peter Pan hat with its red feather sticking out the back was placed on top of one side of his face. He wore a pair of blue plaid pajama pants and a plain white t-shirt.

  Ellie crept across the cold wooden floor and took a seat on the rug beside the fireplace. She didn’t know how long she sat there, but she knew she’d heard the clock ring more than once, and it rang every half hour. Finally, as it struck for the third time, Jamie began to stir. The movement caused his hat to tumble down the floor and towards Ellie. Jamie began to reach for it, but then after seeing how far it had gone he changed his mind, closed his eyes, and began to drift off again.

  As he did, Ellie crawled over to pick up the hat herself and Jamie’s eyes opened once again. Seeing his eyes upon her, Ellie smiled. His thick, dark hair stuck up in random directions from a bad night of sleep, but it still looked adorable to Ellie. Even more when considering a night or two of missed shaving had caused a beard to begin growing around his chin. Although he didn’t smile back, Ellie knew he was content from the sparkle she saw in his slit-like brown eyes. He could barely keep them open he was so tired. After stretching his arms out lazily and scratching his mess of hair, Jamie looked back at Ellie, scooted closer to the back of the couch, and patted the empty space he’d made as an invitation to her.

  Without a thought to it, Ellie rose, set the hat on the ground, and laid down on the couch with her back to him. She felt him wriggle around a bit as he settled into a comfortable position and set down the other half of the blanket onto her. His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to his warm body, but she didn’t think much of it.

  Thinking back to that night later, Ellie always wondered why. She wondered why he had scooted over. Why she’d accepted his silent invitation. Why she didn’t even think about it an instant before lying down beside him, but most of all, why it didn’t seem strange to her. She never found any of the answers.

  All she knew was that she felt close enough to him to lie down beside him and that she didn’t see what was so wrong and improper about it. How could it be wrong when she felt so comfortable and safe under the protection of his arm?

  Jamie began to fall back into his deep slumber as though in a trance, but Ellie couldn’t sleep just yet.

  She turned herself around so that she could face him, but the small gesture woke him
again. Despite what one would think, even though Jamie was so incredibly sleepy, sluggish, drowsy, and dozy, he didn’t seem to mind. It didn’t matter to him because it was Ellie. His fingers slowly reached up and ran through Ellie’s soft locks. The world had been so completely quiet since Ellie had risen from her own bed, without talking or any other disturbing noise but the clock, but now Ellie wanted to break that tranquility. Just for a moment.

  Her lips opened and she was about to speak when Jamie stopped her as if he’d known her intentions before her mouth had even moved in the slightest. His finger gingerly touched the center of her lips and Ellie knew that all he wanted was to bask in this wonderful early-morning tranquility, not to talk of it, and no words to disturb its calm. She obeyed his silent expression and uttered not a sound. Jamie’s hand, the one around her waist, reached down and picked up the emerald Peter Pan hat.