Being an eight-year-old boy in 1960 is anything but exciting. I lived with my Mom, Dad and five-year-old Sister in a small mining town in the southwestern United States. It was quite a bit different back then, kids were everywhere. They roam the neighborhood without a care in the world. So it was with me...
I would get up in the morning, grab a bowl of cold cereal, and head outside. I lived the carefree life of a child in a society long gone. We didn't need toys; we had rocks, dirt, sticks, and water. I even had use of my brand new 'Red Ryder' BB gun, with parental guidance of course... I wasn't allowed to carry it about town until I was ten, but I digress from my story.
It's a beautiful Saturday in the middle of May. Only two weeks of school left. But today, unlike most weekends I'm going with my best friend Steve's family on a guided tour of a ghost town, several old homesteads, and a tree that's nearly 1900 years old. These localhistorical sites are located on Federally protected lands. Hence, very few people are allowed into this area because of its historical significance.
I'm up at the crack of dawn as usual. Since it's Saturday, I'm watching cartoons on our brand new Black & White television. Mom is already up making me a sack lunch, and cooking me some breakfast instead of my usual cold cereal.
When breakfast is ready, I have to eat at the table, which pisses me off immensely.
Dammit I'm missing my cartoon show. I love 'Bugs Bunny' and 'Roadrunner'. But Mom is a stickler for eating at the table. So for about ten, pain filled minutes I eat at the table.
But before I can head back to the TV, Mom chases me into my bedroom to get dressed for the day.
My wardrobe consists of blue jeans, white shocks, a pair of Keds tennis shoes, and a gray t-shirt. Plus my ever present 'Clark Kent' black frame eyeglasses. I started wearing them in 1st grade. Ever since, I've been designated the weird kid, geek, nerd... or whatever you wanted to call the ugly kid with thick coke bottle lens, horn rim glasses, and my Mom's buzz cut. I was the tail end of many jokes.
I'm not sure my best friend Steve would have picked me out of a group of peers, but our Dad's were fishing / hunting buddies, so I got a best friend by default. At about 7:30 am, Steve's dad drove up in their old blue and white Ford pickup... complete with gun rack and a 30-30 Winchester. Steve's older brother Ron was in the front seat, but Steve was in the back.
Mom shooed me out the front door; with a wave, leaves me with the Beck's. I climbed into the back of the pick-up (yes... riding in the back of an open pick-up bed was totally legal), and sat down beside Steve with my back against the cab.
The trip to the access gate was about a twenty minute drive. Steve and I amused ourselves playing an invigorating game of 'paper, rock, scissors'. Instead of a punch in the arm, the winner got to 'titty twist' the loser. I was ahead 10 to 8, when we decided to quit... our nipples were getting sore.
We got to the access gate about fifteen minutes before the Forest Ranger arrived to let us all in. The process was simple, follow him and stop at each historical site. The time to explore the site would depend on the relevance and size. This didn't matter to me at all... I was just along for the ride and my friend Steve.
The ghost town was first and was nothing but a group of old dilapidated miners' shacks. To the adults this was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Old film and Polaroid cameras blazing away, they took plenty of pictures. Steve, Ron and I just ran around climbing on everything. I did find an old square headed nail, which I put in my pocket. Other than that it was wasted on us kids.
The next two stops were a couple of old homesteads from the first ranchers in the area. These stops were shorter and only lasted about 15 minutes. The last stop was the best of the bunch. There were a couple of short circular hiking trails and the star attraction the 'Great Tree'. This was a very old cedar approximately 9 feet in diameter, standing 70 feet tall, and 1900 years old. I kinda knew what a year was, but a thousand of those were beyond me.
No matter, the tree was really cool, standing there looking most impressive to an eight-year-old boy. In addition, there was a lovely little creek that ran burbling along right beside the tree. Creeks mean frogs, tadpoles, and minnows to catch. But Steve and Ron wanted to go with their father on the short hiking trails. Our whole group decides to make the big tree the place to rendezvous.
I finally talked Steve's dad into letting me stay and play in the creek. As the different family groups wander off on their short day hikes, I move down the sandy bank to the creek bed. Like many creeks in the southwest it's pathetically anemic. But to me it's as wide as the Mississippi. It's really only about eight feet across and about six inches deep. But there are plenty of tadpoles, the big green ones are young bullfrogs; the smaller black ones a type of ground toad that inhabits this area of the lower Rocky Mountains. There are also several types of minnows. I haven't a clue if they're a fry, or an adult animal.
Again, that doesn't matter to me, I'm eight years old. I quickly take off my shoes and shocks, roll up my pants leg, and wade out into the cold mountain fed water. I squat down trying to catch the tadpoles with my hands. After several vigorous minutes of trying, I haven't caught a single one.
That's when I hear a soft peal of mocking laughter, barely audible above the quiet gurgling of the creek. I look about, but there's no one around. I stand up and look over the top of the sand bank, but again no one's there. I'm about to squat down again, when the soft laughter repeats itself. The girl's laughter is coming from the branches of the tree above me, and not someone on the ground.
I walk out of the creek onto the sandy bank, and look up into a denser patch of the flat fan-like green cedar leaves. Nothing... no movement, no more laughter... nothing! Then I see them, a pair of large yellow eyes staring out at me from the denser shadows of the cedar leaves.
Like most Mexican stand-offs, someone has to give in, and blink. The large yellow eyes don't, but I need to. As quick as a wink, or in this case a blink, the large yellow eyes are gone.
Damn I nearly won that one, but the yellow eyes beat me fair and square, “Okay you won the staring contest. Are you going to come out? If you know how to catch the tadpoles will you show me... please!” I ask simply.
The yellow eyes suddenly appear in exactly the same place they had been... she merely opened her eyes.
Her soft laugh is almost musical, “What that over eyes? Yews hear Eva?.” she asks back.
Self consciously, I reach up to push my black horn rims backup on my nose, “Uuumph, these are my new glasses. I broke my last pair during recess, playing tag. Larry stepped on them by accident!”
Her large yellow eyes blink slowly, “Eva help catch tada polees. Yews take glasses off... pleases?” she adds politely.
No big deal to me, I reach up and take my glasses off. Things go blurry the instant I do... I hear a rustling noise above me, then the feather light impact of someone jumping out of the tree to land about three feet in front of me.
I can kinda see her fuzzy form in front of me, “Better!” she quickly says, “Glasses, ugly black things on yews face!” she finishes.
I figure it's okay to put them back on so I do. There in front of me is a girl maybe a year or so older than me. She's very pretty as girls go. With dark red hair pulled back in a braid, a polished stick is holding it in place. Her face longish, and those over sized yellow eyes are the predominant feature to her attractiveness. Her nose and mouth are small, but her wide smile, bright with small even teeth. Her skin is a light brown from the sun. Last, her body is long and willowy. Lean firm muscle ripples just beneath the skin, as she moves a bit closer.
What surprises me the most is her clothing. She only has a piece of tanned soft leather covering her private parts. No shirt, just that piece of leather. I've seen my sister topless lots of time. Her chest is not as flat as Beth's, there are two small cone shaped peaks of flesh widely spaced on her chest, with dark brownish nipples. I guess this is some type of swimsuit without a top. My sister does that all the time, so I guess it's a girl thing.
I hope she has some more clothes somewhere, or she'll be in trouble when her mom and dad come back to pick her up. Beth is always getting in trouble when she runs around without a top... especially if we're outside. Something about ladies don't go around topless outside the house. I don't understand all that stuff, I run around without a shirt all the time and no one cares.
She's watching me intently, as I stand there in front of her. She seems to be waiting for something.
So I finally asked her, “Hi, my name is Wally! What's yours?”
Her smile gets even bigger and brighter, “Aah, maa... me name Eva!” she stammers out.
“Eva... that's a pretty name. How old are you?” I hesitate watching her get even closer to me, “I'm eight-years-old. Are you going to show me how to catch tadpoles, or not?” I ask again.
She's right next to me, her yellow eyes looking through the thick lenses of my black horn rims. Eva blinks very slowly and I feel her... like inside my head, falling into the depths of my pale blue eyes searching for something. I'm not sure she found anything, but before she backs up a step, Eva reaches out to touch my t-shirt pulling it close to her nose. Taking a deep breath, she gives me another sweet smile.
It's then I smell her as well, Eva smells like a handful of juniper berries, fresh from the tree. Strong and clean like outside on a sunny day, or the fresh smell of a pine forest right after it rains. Simply perfect!
“Come, show Wall-E catch, aaah tada polees!” she confirms in a high pitched voice.
With that we walk down to the creek and wade out into the cold water. Eva looks about until she finds a shallow spot filled with tadpoles. Following behind her, I get another surprise, as she bends over, before squatting down... Eva isn't wearing panties. I can see the smooth skin perfection of her privates. They look the same as Beth's, only on an older little girl.
Eva is one strange girl, to go around in a bathing suit with a front only. I've never seen that kind of swimsuit before... Damn, Eva is pretty weird for a girl, that's for sure. I just hope she hasn't been pulling my leg about catching tadpoles.
I wade over to squat down beside Eva. Her head turns towards me, with another of her perfect smiles. Reaching forward Eva gently taps the smooth surface of the water. As she does the water ripples out in a constant series of rings, like she's dropping little pebbles over and over again into the water. With each gentle tap, I hear a slight throbbing noise pulse through the water. Almost like the croaking of a bullfrog at night, under a star filled sky.
“Okay Wall-E! Watch Eva catch tada polees.” she purrs happily.
Eva holding her hand just under the water, soon fills with the smaller black tadpoles. As
they squirm and trash about in her hand, Eva laughs at their antics. The sound of her
laughter is like the pleasant babbling sound of water flowing over rocks in a fast flowing
stream, almost magical.
Smiling from ear to ear, “Wall-E try caught tada polees!” she instructs, taking my hand. As she does her finger nail accidentally scratches the back of my hand.
Hand in hand, we both put them palms up into the cold water. Soon the miracle of the tada polees is repeated. My hand, her hand are filled with the little black tadpoles. Even the
big green bullfrog tadpoles are right behind the little black ones. All trying to get into our hands.
What a wondrous delight this is turning into. I'm squatting in the creek, side by side with Eva, catching tada polees. The simple timelessness of that moment was lost on me for many years.
Our time together ended only moments from then, when Eva smallish pointed ears perked forward towards the trail heads leading into the meadow beyond the big tree.
Her muffled cry of anguish is nearly deafening, “Eva sorry Wall-E... others come back!” she moans again.
Eva quick as a snake stands and darts up the sandy bank. I had no way to match herspeed, but I caught up with her a few moments later.
Turning towards me, Eva closes the distance between us, until her long lean body is against mine. Pushing my black horn rims out of the way, she quickly kisses each of my eyes, as I close them. Seconds later, the warmth of her soft lips touch mine for just an instant, then she's gone.
I open my eyes, pulling my glasses back down, to see her jump back into the tree. Eva,
looking down at me, “Member Wall-E! Yews special! Pleases member Eva...” she pauses looking back down the path and the voices coming from that direction.
“Others no see Eva! Only special boy... Wall-E see.” she calls, scampering out of sight further up the tree.
Less than a minute later, Steve, Ron, and their dad walk back into the clearing beneath the big tree. I'm still looking up for Eva. She's very near the top laying along one of the wide branches. Her face is a mix of unhappy emotions. Those large yellow eyes are gleaming moistly from the tears that are running down her cheeks. She frowns down at the others who've broken the spell between us.
I suddenly feel very alone, knowing our short time together is over.
Still looking up, I watch her for as long as I can, before my friend Steve walks up to look into the 'Great Tree' with me. Eva has turned her head away... she knows what's about to happen.
Steve looked up, “Hey, Wally buddy! What are you looking at?” he asked, scanning the canopy of branches and juniper fronds.
“Hi Steve, I was just watching my friend Eva.” I tell him casually, still watching Eva.
“Who?” Steve asks quickly.
“Eva... the girl in the tree. She up on that large branch to the left. Man... Steve, that girl can really climb a tree! Fastest girl I've ever seen.” I told my friend.
Steve, to his credit, gives the tree another going over, before he laughs out loud, “Wally... buddy, there's no one in that big ass tree.” he points to the branch where Eva is lying quietly.
Ron, hearing his brother laughing at me, runs over to see what's so funny. Steve was still laughing, “Ron... Wally thinks there's a girl up in the tree!” pausing he points to Eva's branch, “Right there on that large branch to the left!”
Ron looked carefully, “Wally you're nuts, boy... There's no girl in that tree. You suddenly brain dead or what!” he chides, joining Steve in laughing at my expense.
Soon we are surrounded by people pointing up at the tree and laughing at me. Eva turns her head towards me one final time, mouthing the words “Sorry... Wall-E!” The abject sadness in those yellow eyes haunts me for many years to come, as I turn away from her.
Downcast, alone, ashamed, and humiliated by my friends. I put my shoes and shocks back on, before walking slowly down the path towards the pick-up truck. Everyone one else stays to eat their sack lunch in the shade of the old juniper tree, while I climb into the back of the truck for a good cry.
A little later, the rest of the group slowly filters down the path from the 'Great Tree'. Everyone gets into their pick-up trucks, or Willy jeeps. Steve gets in the front with Ron and his father. As we drive down the dirt road away from the tree, I hear a high pitched wail of shared loneliness. Never looking back, I start my long road to forgetfulness. My wish then, and for many years was to forget about Eva and the horrible trip to the 'Great Tree'.
For the next part of this story, see Locutus2366: The Great Tree Part2: When Dreams Become Real.