Clicking Stones

by Nancy Tyler Glenn

  "What's that light you keep tossing in the air?" Morgan pointed to the stone in Erica's hand.

  Erica panicked. No one had ever referred to the light, only to the stone. Her jaw dropped. "You can see it?"

  "Of course I can see it." Morgan sounded annoyed.

  "Would you like to hold it?" Erica asked.

  Morgan plucked it from Erica's palm and began moving it in her fingers. "It feels like a stone."

  Erica's heart was beating wildly. "It is a stone," she managed to say.

  "What kind of stone makes a light like that?" Morgan examined it more carefully.

  "A clicked stone."

  Morgan looked puzzled. She returned it to her new friend.

  Erica reached into her pocket for her spare and handed it to Morgan. "Hold it up." When Erica tapped it with her own, Morgan cried out in amazement. Erica watched Morgan's delight with a kind of pride she had never experienced before.

  "Where do you find clicked stones?" Morgan asked.

  "You don't find them," Erica said with a new loftiness. "They're made from other clicked stones."

  "You mean you can make any stone do this?"

  Erica nodded. She told Morgan all about clicked stones.

  "What about these?" Morgan scooped up a handful of gravel.

  "I don't know, I've never tried it with anything so tiny." Erica held up one of the miniature stones. "Click me."

  Morgan tapped the tiny piece of gravel and it lit up like a diamond.

  Both girls squealed with delight. They clicked each of the pieces of gravel until they had a pile of tiny brilliant gems.

  While they were playing this new game, Jimmy Clark rode up on his bike. He stared at Morgan for what seemed a long time. Morgan returned the gaze, cool and unblinking, without curiosity. Finally Jimmy turned to Erica. "It's time for practice."

  "I'm busy," Erica retorted arrogantly.

  Jimmy muttered, "Girls!" He wheeled his bike around and rode off in the direction of the park.

  "He didn't see the light from the stones," Morgan said with surprise.

  "Hardly anyone can see it," Erica confided. "If you tell grownups about it they think you're a liar."

  Morgan stated flatly, "I think my mother and father could see it."

  Erica shook her head. "Raise your right hand and swear on your stone you'll never tell a grownup."

  Morgan raised her hand. "I swear never to reveal our secret of the stones."

  "If I do, my light will go out," Erica instructed.

  "If I do, my light will go out," Morgan swore solemnly.

  * * * *

  "Erica has been so much happier since you and Ted and Morgan moved here," Paula Demar told Donna, her new neighbor.

  "We're just thrilled that Morgan found a new friend so quickly," Donna said. "It was so hard leaving the friends she grew up with. We were worried about her."

  While their mothers were talking and drinking coffee, Morgan and Erica came in with their arms around each other, giggling, and climbed the stairs to Erica's room.

  "They play together so nicely," Paula said. "Ross and I were concerned. Her only interest was playing baseball. I don't think she's had her catcher's mitt on since you moved here."

  Donna Janus laughed. "Children change so fast. One day it's one thing, the next day it's something altogether different. Morgan just started a new hobby."

  "Oh, what is that?"

  "She's begun a rock collection." Donna smiled proudly.

  ~ Chapter 3 ~

  One of Dr. Ross Demar's first social responsibilities as the new head of the philosophy department was to entertain Swami Chichinanda, a guest lecturer from India.

  Paula complained, "What am I going to fix for dinner? Aren't they vegetarians?"

  "Don't worry about it," Ross calmed her. "Two Indian students have offered to prepare and serve the meal."

  Swami Chichinanda chattered and laughed in a high musical voice throughout the meal. Paula was nervous and Ross had a little too much to drink. But Erica was delighted with the dark, funny man.

  After dinner, as they relaxed in the living room, Paula turned to Swami. "You certainly have a way with children. I've never seen Erica warm up to anyone so quickly."

  Swami laughed in his tinkly voice.

  Erica looked at him shyly. "Would you like to see my room?"

  "Yes, yes, I would," Swami said.

  Erica led the way up the stairs, Swami and the two Indian students following.

  "It is a very nice room, yes yes." He laughed. The two Indian students smiled and nodded. Erica watched Swami's face and was ecstatic when his eyes darted to her basket of stones and widened to amazement. She skipped over to her basket and brought it to Swami. He pointed to Erica's special stone. "That one is very nice."

  Erica took her stone out of the basket and held it possessively. She indicated the remaining stones. "Do you want to play?"

  "Oh, yes, yes indeed," Swami Chichinanda giggled.

  "Pick a stone," Erica commanded excitedly, "and hold it like this."

  Swami slowly and deliberately chose a stone. Erica noticed that the one he chose was still partially illuminated.

  He held it up. With a flick of her wrist Erica tapped his stone, and the explosion of light caused the Swami to step back. He looked at his brilliant stone and then at Erica. Erica laughed gleefully and jumped up and down.

  Swami turned to the two students. "Did you see that?"

  They smiled nervously and nodded, but their eyes were blank. Erica held out the basket to the students and each of them obediently took a stone. The students held their stones as they had seen the Swami hold his. Simultaneously Erica and Swami clicked the waiting stones. When the room exploded with light, the child and the guru shrieked with laughter. The students laughed sympathetically, but their eyes were still vacant.

  "May I keep this?" Swami asked shyly.

  Erica grinned and nodded. Turning to the students she said proudly, "You may keep yours, too."

  When the foursome joined Paula and Ross in the living room, Swami and Erica were still giggling and the confused students looked uncomfortable.

  Ross took a long swallow from his drink. "I bet you've all been playing with the rocks," he said thickly.

  That night, long after Erica should have been asleep, she was sitting up in bed tossing and catching her stone. A grownup had seen the light. There was a wildness in her eyes.

  ~ Chapter 4 ~

  Erica was propped up on her bed reading Doctor Doolittle's Trip to the Moon, idly fingering her stone. Morgan was busy making intricate designs with lighted stones, occasionally taking one to Erica, saying "Light this one." Erica would absently flick her wrist and tap the fading stone. Morgan would then take the newly brilliant gem and place it strategically in her design.

  Paula Demar tapped on the door. "Time for bed."

  Erica protested, "There's no school tomorrow."

  "Well, just a little while longer," Paula agreed, "but if you want Morgan to spend the night again you have to go to bed when you're told."

  Morgan brought a small stone to Erica. "Light this one."

  Erica tapped it, and Morgan placed the radiating little gem on her ring finger and held it out for Erica to see. "Look, I'm engaged."

  "To a boy?" Erica said scornfully.

  "Not just any boy - Jesse, my stepbrother. He's ten years older than me and he is the best artist in the whole world."

  "You can't marry your brother," Erica said with authority.

  "We're not even related," Morgan explained. "Donna used to be married to Jesse's father, then she married Daddy after my mother died."

  "Anyway, if he's ten years older than you he's nineteen. He's too old for you," Erica concluded.

  "Erica, when he comes to visit tomorrow I want to show him my stone."

  Erica looked doubtful. "Nineteen is almost grown up. He'll think you're lying." She shrugged and picked up her book.

  Morgan pouted.

  Later that nig
ht the two girls were lying at the foot of the bed enjoying the brilliance of Morgan's final design. With the lights out the stones were dazzling.

  Morgan kissed Erica on the cheek. "I'm getting sleepy."

  "Me too," Erica said.

  The two friends climbed under the covers and fell asleep holding each other.

  * * * *

  Erica was practicing her flute when she heard the roar of Jesse's motorcycle. At her window, she felt a pang of jealousy when her best friend ran out and embraced the tall young man.

  The next day Morgan told Erica, "He couldn't see the light, but he didn't think I was lying."

  ~ Chapter 5 ~

  When Adlai Stevenson lost the 1952 election to Dwight Eisenhower, Ross Demar announced he was going to write a book. Each weekend he went to the cabin, taking a box of books from his study. By summer vacation his study was almost empty.

  In his absence Paula seemed to relax. When Ross announced he would spend the summer at the cabin Paula became quite cheerful.

  * * * *

  Do you think your mom and dad are going to get a divorce?" Morgan asked as they watched Ross load the furniture from his study into a rented trailer.

  Erica shrugged.

  Ross finished tying down the load. Paula stood in the doorway. Erica walked slowly to the car and opened the door for her father.

  "Thanks, Punkin." He smiled at his fourteen-year-old daughter.

  Erica threw her arms around his neck. Ross held her tightly. 'You be a good girl and mind your mother."

  When Ross drove off, the two girls went up to Erica's room.

  Morgan sat on the edge of Erica's bed and picked up a movie magazine. "If your parents divorce, which one will you live with?"

  Erica had been holding back her tears, but at Morgan's question she threw herself onto the bed and sobbed into her pillow.

  Morgan lay next to Erica. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean... Her own tears began to flow.

  Erica turned to Morgan. "Don't you start crying. It's bad enough already."

  The two teenagers lay facing each other. Morgan pushed Erica's hair out of her eyes and then let her hand rest on her friend's shoulder. Suddenly and without warning she moved her face toward Erica and kissed her on the mouth.

  Erica smiled and put her arm affectionately around her friend. "If my parents divorce I think I'll live with you."

  Morgan tightened her grip on Erica's shoulder and buried her face in the pillow next to Erica's neck.

  At the end of summer, Ross returned triumphantly, announcing the completion of his book Women in Philosophy. He mailed it to a university press.

  * * * *

  Erica and Morgan had few classes in common but always had lunch together, sometimes sneaking off campus to get a fifteen-cent hamburger and French fries at a nearby hamburger stand.

  One day Morgan brought someone with her. "Erica, this is Britt, she's in my art class. I asked her to have lunch with us."

  Erica was annoyed by the intrusion but decided to be polite. She smiled at Britt.

  Britt looked at Erica for a moment, then turned her attention to Morgan. "I thought we were having lunch together. Maybe you'll sit for me another time." She stalked off, her sketch pad under her arm.

  "What did I do?" Erica asked blankly.

  "Nothing," Morgan assured her. "It's just a misunderstanding. She said she wanted to sketch me so I suggested lunch. I guess she's shy about working with other people around."

  "Is that all? She didn't seem to like me."

  Later that week, as the two friends were walking home from school, they stopped in front of Erica's house. "I can't come over today," Morgan said. "I have some stuff I have to do."

  Erica was studying at her desk when she glanced out the window. Britt was walking up to Morgan's front door, her sketch pad under her arm. Erica was at first stunned, then angry.

  The next day Erica asked Morgan, "Why didn't you tell me Britt was coming over?" She mimicked her angrily, "I have some stuff I have to do."

  "You'd have been mad whether I told you or not. You don't like Britt. I just didn't want to have an argument about it." Morgan was exasperated.

  Erica was silent for a moment. "Have you clicked her?"

  Morgan held up her fading stone. "Does it look like it?"

  "Are you going to?"

  Morgan shook her head. "I don't think she's the stone clicking type. Besides, I only click with you."

  Erica laughed. She took out her own stone and tapped Morgan's. "We have a unique relationship."

  Morgan smiled and put her arm around Erica's shoulder. "I don't want you to be upset. Britt and I are working on a project together. I'll have to spend some time with her, but you're still my best friend."

  Erica was upset, and as time went on, disappointed too. It was stupid the way Britt seemed to hang on Morgan's every word and the way Morgan changed when she was around Britt. She acted like a dope.

  Then excitement came to the Demar household. Ross announced that Women in Philosophy would be published. He even spent one weekend at home to celebrate with his family.

  ~ Chapter 6 ~

  Erica was ecstatic. Britt had a job as a camp counselor and would be gone most of the summer. Morgan seemed her old self, relaxed and easy with Erica.

  They spent most of their days at the beach, sunning, body surfing and ignoring the boys who swaggered over. In the evenings Morgan usually sketched while Erica read or played her flute, and they would walk down to the local theater whenever a new movie was featured.

  Erica's happiness ended suddenly. Ross came down from his retreat, and after a few minutes of talking privately with Paula, took Erica out to a drive-in.

  "Punkin, a Hollywood producer bought Women in Philosophy. They want to make a movie of it."

  Erica's mouth opened in amazement. "But there isn't even a story there."

  Ross said sheepishly, "They're going to call it Plato's Mistress."

  The carhop came with trays of food. "You and mom are getting a divorce, aren't you?" Erica bit into the juicy hamburger.

  Ross looked surprised. He dabbed at the catsup on his plate with a French fry. "How did you know?"

  "It was no big secret." Erica stared at her milkshake. "Are you upset?"

  Erica shook her head. "I used to be. Now the only problem is who am I going to live with. I'm not choosing between you. You'll have to flip a coin."

  Ross laughed. "It isn't a decision I'd make by flipping a coin. There are alternatives. You could live with your mother or me, or you could go to a private school."

  "A what!" Erica yelped.

  "I always dreamed of sending you to a good school," Ross explained. "I never had enough money to do it until now."

  Erica looked past her father and bit her lip. She had spotted Britt's sarasota green Cadillac convertible turning into the drive-in.

  Britt wheeled the car into the space next to Erica. She looked up and saw Erica watching her. Their eyes met for a moment and then Britt turned her attention to her companion.

  Erica heard Morgan's soft laughter and watched her friend reach over and gently touch Britt's arm.

  "I... I think I'd like going to a private school." Erica's throat felt dry. She put her hands in her lap so her father wouldn't see them shaking.

  Ross was elated. He put the headlights on to signal the carhop. "Let's go tell your mother the good news."

  * * * *

  Erica's head was on the pillow she had wet with her tears and she was staring at the ceiling when she heard Morgan's familiar three-at-a-time steps coming up the stairs.

  Morgan never knocked. She burst into the room happily. "Hi, I was looking for you earlier today. Your mom said you were out with your dad."

  "I'll just bet you were looking for me," Erica said bitterly. She sat up. "I suppose Britt was looking for me too. You probably both drove all over town searching for me."

  Morgan turned ashen. "I... we were looking for you. Britt came home for a visit from camp. I told h
er I wanted you two to be friends. We were planning for the three of us to go to the beach together."