By the Creek

  Copyright

  Published by

  Harmony Ink Press

  5032 Capital Circle SW

  Ste 2, PMB# 279

  Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886

  USA

  publisher@harmonyinkpress.com

  http://harmonyinkpress.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  By the Creek

  Copyright © 2013 by Geoff Laughton

  Cover Art by Anne Cain

  annecain.art@gmail.com

  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 the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Harmony Ink Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Ste 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA.

  publisher@harmonyinkpress.com

  ISBN: 978-1-62380-297-4

  Library ISBN: 978-1-62380-298-1

  Digital ISBN: 978-1-62380-923-2

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Edition

  January 2013

  To Eli and Jakey, with all my love.

  Chapter 1

  DAVID HARPER rode the bus home from the last day of tenth grade. He should have been happy—school was out and he had the whole summer ahead of him. Three months ago, he’d even managed to get a job at the grocery store just down the street from the small house where he lived with his mother. But yesterday had been his last day at work, and as the bus rolled down the street, his classmates chattering at the top of their lungs, David sat in his seat silently, swaying slightly with each bump as he got closer to home. The bus stopped at the corner, and David got off. A few friends called to him, and he waved before descending the steps. The door closed behind him, and then the bus rolled away, leaving him alone to walk the last half block to his house, or, more accurately, to what had been his house.

  A rental truck sat in the driveway, and men moved between the house and the truck, carrying boxes. “They’re almost done, and then we can leave,” his mother told him as she checked things off on the clipboard she was carrying. His mother was really big on lists. She made them for everything: the groceries, work, and now the contents of his bedroom. David reminded himself to take a look at that list to make sure it didn’t have an entry for the stuff he’d packed days ago and hidden in another box that he didn’t want her to see.

  “Mrs. Harper, we’ll be done here in just a few minutes,” a large, overweight man told David’s mother. David slipped inside, past the guy. His belly hung over his belt, and he was carrying his own clipboard.

  The rooms were empty, and David wandered to what had been his bedroom, to find it empty as well. He stood in the center of it and wondered what this new place was going to be like. “It’s going to be fine, Davey,” his mother told him as she walked into the room. Standing next to him, she put her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. That was another of his mother’s things. She was a hugger. There were times when it was fine, like now, when they were alone. But there were times—like after his last concert at school, when she’d hugged him in front of the entire class—that it definitely wasn’t. “You’re going to meet new friends, and there will be a brand new school and a whole new town to explore.” She made it sound like some great adventure, rather than moving to a small town where everyone smelled like cows, or so he imagined.

  “Why do we have to move?” David asked, moving away from her. “I like my school and I finally made friends here after the last move.”

  “I know, but we need to move where my job takes me,” his mother explained for the millionth time.

  “But why do we have to go all the way to BFE? I don’t want to live next door to cows,” David grumbled, knowing it wouldn’t do any good, but he had to get it out there.

  “That’s enough,” she said firmly. “The last of our things are packed and we need to get going so we can be at our new house before it gets dark.” She walked toward the door and then stopped. “You know I didn’t have a choice in this, so we both need to make the best of it. Who knows? You might actually like it if you give it a chance.” And there was the guilt. He’d been waiting for it, and she’d just slipped it in there so easily. David knew he couldn’t really stay mad at her. She was getting a raise, and since they’d be living in the country, she had promised that he could learn to ride a horse if he wanted. “I’ll see you in the car in a few minutes.”

  David heard her walk down the hall, and he shuffled after her, turning out the light for the last time. As he left the house and got into the car, he kept telling himself they were only moving an hour away and he could still see his friends. David fastened his seat belt, and his mother started the engine and backed down the driveway. David watched out the window as his latest home faded into the distance, and he tried not to look forward with trepidation on what was to come.

  For almost as long as he could remember, David and his mother had moved every two or three years. His mother had started out as a sales representative for a cosmetics company after his father had died, and over the years, she’d moved up the ladder, but each change had come with a relocation to a new office. Up till now, that had meant changing cities, but now his mother was receiving a promotion to the corporate offices, and that meant moving close to their headquarters outside Ludington, Michigan. David had been there many times on vacation with his mom and he’d always wondered why anyone would locate their business headquarters there, but the founders obviously had, and now they were moving there. But to add insult to injury, his mother hadn’t found a house in town. Instead, they were going to live in the country, with cows, chickens, and God knew what else for neighbors.

  “It’s going to be great, Davey,” his mother told him, reaching over to squeeze his knee excitedly. He looked back at her and smiled with as much excitement as he could muster. He’d tried to be happy for her, but he really had no interest in moving. He’d been happy and he’d had a job that would have allowed him to actually get a car soon. Now everything was a mess.

  “I know, Mom,” he lied, turning back to look out the window as they got onto the freeway and headed north.

  They’d made this drive a number of times, the last one the time David’s mother had taken him to see the house she’d found. David had been appalled. The house was new and quite nice. He’d have his own room, of course, and there was a nice backyard that opened up to a large field, but the house was way out of town, and by his estimation, there was nowhere he could go unless he had a car. His hope of getting one anytime soon had been cut off when he’d had to quit his job. David sat quietly, stewing over what he was leaving behind. It simply wasn’t fair.

  “You can talk to me,” his mother said after a while, but David didn’t feel like it. She didn’t really want to hear what he had to say, so he continued riding in silence, lamenting what he was giving up.

  His mother exited the freeway south of Ludington and traveled the country roads with the moving truck right behind them. David tried to follow where they were going for a while, but then gave up and stared out the window, looking at nothing.

  “What’s that?” David asked as they turned onto what he recognized as the road their house was on. He was looking in the distance at a grouping of simple buildings. “They look sort of old-fashioned, like something from Little House on the Prairie.” As soon as the words crossed his lips, he wished he’d kept his mouth shut. Yes, he’d s
een the show in reruns, but he didn’t want anyone to know it.

  “There’s an Amish community out here,” his mother explained, like he actually knew what that meant. But rather than ask, he figured he’d find out, so he rode and watched. Eventually the car slowed, and they turned into the driveway of what was to become their new home. As soon as the car stopped, David had his seat belt off and was out of the car. He waited until his mom unlocked the house, and as soon as the moving truck had been opened up, David began hauling things inside.

  He worked for a while, mostly carrying the stuff he could find for his room. The sun was close to setting when he stopped and leaned against the side of the truck, looking over the field. As he watched, David saw a kid who looked about his age walking a horse along the far edge of the field. He wondered why he was dressed in black on a warm day like this, but lifted his hand to wave nonetheless. If he was going to live here, David figured he might as well make a good impression on the neighbors, and if this was someone his own age, maybe he had a chance to actually meet someone so he didn’t have to spend the entire summer sitting around with only his mother for company. The kid stopped, and David could tell he saw him, but after a few seconds, he continued on. “Jerk,” David mumbled before bouncing off the side of the truck to find something else to carry into his room.

  “Who’s a jerk?” David’s mother asked, and he stopped at the top of the ramp, looking across the field to where the kid was leading his horse toward the road. “What did he do?”

  “Nothing,” David said, turning away to pick up one of this boxes.

  “He’s Amish,” his mother explained as she picked up a box as well. David shrugged and began walking down the ramp with his box.

  “So? That’s no reason to be a jerk,” David countered.

  “Amish people keep to themselves. They don’t interact with the ‘English’, as they call us. They also don’t use electricity, cars, phones, and most modern conveniences.”

  “Then how do they get around?” David asked as he stopped walking and watched the kid and his horse cross the street.

  “Horse and buggy,” she told him. “They live simple lives, largely away from the rest of the world. They farm, and I’m told they are great carpenters. There’s a bakery at the far edge of the community, just a mile or so from here, that makes great bread and rolls. I had some the last time I was here.”

  “Why would they do that?” David asked, still tracking the kid and his horse. David had no idea why he was drawn to them, but he couldn’t seem to stop watching them.

  “It’s part of their religion,” she said before continuing on into the house while David watched the kid until he disappeared from view on the other side of the road. This was just perfect. They’d moved out to the country with very few neighbors, and the ones they did have would stay away from him because of their religious views. Wonderful—he’d get to spend the summer alone, for sure. David turned away and continued into the house. The sun was starting to go down, and if they didn’t get the truck unloaded, he’d have to do it tomorrow.

  David worked for the next hour alongside the movers, getting the truck emptied. By the time they were done, it was completely dark and the last items had been hauled inside by the glow of the light over the garage. As soon as they were done, his mother thanked the movers, and gave them what looked like a tip, and they took off, leaving David and his mother amidst a sea of boxes and half-placed furniture. “Let’s get something to eat,” his mother pronounced, and David’s stomach rumbled.

  David stepped outside to wait for his mother and stared across the street at the group of buildings, their windows lit with a faint glow that David figured probably came from oil lamps. David wondered what they were doing tonight and imagined them sitting on benches around a rough table, the women sewing while the men whittled or cleaned their rifles. As his mother said, he probably watched too much television. He heard his mother come outside and close the door behind her, and David opened the car door and got inside, watching the glowing windows until they disappeared from sight.

  Chapter 2

  DAVID sat on the front steps looking across the yard. He was as bored as he could ever remember being in his life. They’d moved into the house three weeks ago, and he had absolutely nothing to do. His mother was at work, and she’d left strict instructions about what he could and couldn’t do. They’d already unpacked everything, and David had spent the past two days watching television, but there was no cable and they only got three stations, so basically television really sucked. He’d gotten his mother to take him to the video store earlier in the week, but he’d watched all the movies already, and she hadn’t had time to take him back so he could get more. Standing up, David shut the door and decided to walk across the field to the line of trees and see what was there.

  The summer sun was warmer than he’d expected, and David wished he’d brought something to drink by the time he was halfway across the field. He thought about turning back, but continued forward, eventually reaching the line of trees that bordered the open field. Turning around, he looked back at their house, which seemed so small and low on the land, before walking beneath the cool shade of the trees.

  He hadn’t gone far when he heard the sound of water, and it wasn’t too long before he came upon a small stream that meandered and gurgled over and around rocks in a shallow ravine. With nothing else to do, David looked up and down stream before deciding to follow the flow of the water and see where it led.

  The ground near the stream was squishy, but there seemed to be some sort of path, so he followed it, climbing over fallen trees and across grassy spots where the trees parted. Eventually he came to a spot where the stream deepened at what David figured was on old-fashioned swimming hole. The stream widened and for a short time appeared deep and almost still, with a large flat rock on the other side and a fallen tree running along his side of the stream. David sat on the log and took off his shoes and socks, then dipped his feet into the surprisingly cool water. He sat for a while, listening to the breeze, and he was about to get up and start heading back when he heard something or someone approaching. God, he hoped there weren’t any bears out here. For a second he sat still, unable to move as fear gripped him.

  Managing to get his brain working, David pulled his feet out of the water. He’d started tugging on his socks and shoes, getting ready to run, when a boy appeared from the woods on the other side, near the rock. David nearly dropped his shoe into the water as he stared silently at the black-haired boy about his own age staring back at him from across the swimming hole. David had known, deep down inside, that he was different from the other boys. For as long as he could remember, he’d dreamed and fantasized about other boys. At school, he’d heard the guys talking about girls and which ones were pretty or hot, but they did nothing for him. Now, show him pictures of strong legs and a handsome chest, and he couldn’t seem to pull his eyes away. Instead of girlie magazines under his mattress, he had men’s underwear catalogs. All through school, David had dreaded gym class, afraid something would happen and he’d get a stiffie in the showers or something equally embarrassing. He’d had a lot of friends, but they were mostly girls. Staring at this boy with dark hair, deep blue eyes, and what looked like the palest, softest skin he’d ever seen made David’s mouth go dry and his breath hitch.

  “What are you doing here?” the kid asked gruffly, and like the popping of a soap bubble, David felt the momentary spell that had settled around him burst. “Y… y… you’re not supposed to be here.” The kid looked around like he was expecting a group of marauders to burst from the woods at any moment. Then, without waiting for an answer, he turned around and began walking back toward the trees.

  “Gosh, you’re rude,” David said, and the kid stopped and turned back around.

  “But you aren’t supposed to be here,” the kid said again, this time with more curiosity. “This is where we come to swim, and….” The kid looked confused and unsure of himself. He kept looking to
ward the trees and then back at David.

  “I’m just sitting here,” David said. “It’s hot.”

  “But Mr. Gregorson gave us permission to use the swimming hole.” David heard disappointment in the kid’s voice.

  David and his mother’s nearest neighbors, other than the Amish across the street, were Mr. and Mrs. Gregorson. They also owned the field next to their house, and presumably the land with the creek and the swimming hole. “You can use it. I won’t stop you,” David said before standing up.

  “But….” The kid seemed at a loss for words. “I can’t swim around strangers. It’s against the rules.” He looked in the direction of the Amish settlement and then back at David. “I should just go.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll leave if that’s what you need. I was about to walk back to the house anyway.” David turned and started back along the path. He kept turning around to see if the other boy was still there, and each time he looked, David saw he hadn’t moved and that he was staring back at him. David waved, and then the path turned and the kid disappeared from sight. David walked down the path and considered sneaking back to watch him swim, but that seemed rather creepy, so he continued on, wondering what the kid would look like. Would he wear some sort of bathing suit? Or maybe he would swim naked. David was almost curious enough to go back, but went back to the house, letting his imagination take over.

  IT RAINED for much of the rest of the week, but every night, when David closed his eyes, he kept seeing the face of the kid by the swimming hole. He also found he didn’t need to pull out the catalogs from under his mattress, because none of the men pictured in their pages fired his imagination like the Amish kid he’d briefly met. David kept picturing what he’d look like when he took off his blue shirt. There were many times when the kid was in David’s room with him. David imagined his milky skin when he took off his shirt, his strong legs and narrow hips as his black pants tumbled around his ankles. David rarely got past the sight of his imaginary lover turning around to show David his perfectly round butt before David came all over his hand. Lying in his bed, listening to the rain, David wished it would stop so that he could go back to the swimming hole. On Friday night, he fell asleep with that wish on his lips, and when he woke in the morning, the rain had indeed stopped and the sun shone in all its glory.