When Leona got out of bed on the morning following Jill’s funeral, she walked into the living room and saw Mrs. Jensen rocking in Margaret’s chair, staring out the window toward her home on the hill.
“How are you feeling today, Mrs. Jensen?” she asked.
Mary slowly turned toward Leona, as if to say something, but words would not flow from her mouth, only tears from her eyes. Leona understood how she felt and said no more. Mrs. Jensen stayed with the Haleys for almost a week before she was able to return to her own home, and even then the Haleys saw to it that she was not left alone. For the next two weeks they took care of her as best they could. Every day Margaret and Leona walked to Mary’s house, often bringing fresh milk, eggs, homemade bread, fruits, vegetables, and other foods with them. They cooked meals for Mary and helped clean her house to make things easier for the grieving woman. After two weeks, however, Mrs. Jensen realized that she could no longer bear living alone in her lonely house, so she decided to move to Bucksport to live with an older sister. The day she was leaving, Leona walked up to Mrs. Jensen to say goodbye and to give her something.
“Here, Mrs. Jensen, this was Jill’s.”
“But, Leona, that’s the friendship locket you gave her. Thank you for offering it to me, but you should keep it. Jill would want it that way.”
“Are you sure, Mrs. Jensen?”
“I’m more than sure, dear. I have enough memories of Jill to last me a lifetime, and I’ll have Frisky with me too. Jill loved that cat more than life itself, almost as much as she loved me; and she loved you just as much, Leona.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Jensen,” she said, and then the somber teenager quickly walked away before the woman could see the tears coming into her eyes, the locket grasped tightly in her hand.
For almost a month after Jill’s death Leona suffered deep depression over the loss of her best friend, and from the overwhelming grief that she knew Mrs. Jensen was suffering. Nothing that her parents said could alleviate the pain she felt inside. Her pain and depression would likely have continued unabated the rest of the summer had it not been for a marvelous revelation she received in a dream.
—1—
Leona’s dream began as the previous ones had. She was riding on her magical comet and, after scanning the Earth to visit more places she had only read about, Leona came back once again to Glenburn. This time, instead of lingering on her own home, her attention was drawn to the green-and-white house in the distance: Jill’s now empty home. When she started to feel sad, something in Leona’s sub-conscience directed her gaze to a house in another part of Maine. There she saw Mrs. Jensen sitting at a breakfast table, talking and laughing with a woman who was about her age, maybe a little older.
“It’s nice to see you laughing again, Mary.”
“Thanks, sis. It’s hard to believe that I can still laugh after what happened to my baby. In fact, sometimes I feel guilty about laughing, or when I have moments where I’m not thinking about Jill and actually catch myself feeling happy. It makes me sad to think that I could actually enjoy myself for even a second with my daughter gone.”
“That’s only natural, little sister. I experienced the same thing when my husband died, and I’m sure you did too.”
“Come to think of it, you’re right,” Mary said. “I forgot all about that. I guess losing a loved one is the most difficult thing in life to deal with.”
“There’s no doubt, Mary. It took me over two years to start to feel normal again after Henry’s death. How long did it take you to get over Albert’s?”
“Two years sounds about right. Fortunately, I had Jill to help me get through it. And thank God I have you this time.”
After listening to the conversation between the two women, Leona realized that Mrs. Jensen would be all right after all. But the teenager still could not get Jill off her mind, so in an attempt to find something to cheer herself up she returned her attention to the comet. The first thing she did was look toward the Jensen’s house, or where it was supposed to be. It wasn’t there, so she started to turn away. But a voice inside told her to look again, and when she did she saw a beautiful mist where the house should be. Then the mist faded and the tip of Jill’s house appeared over the tops of the trees. When Leona realized that Jill was no longer there, she felt more depressed than ever.
“What’s the matter, Leona? You look so sad.”
“Grandma! It’s so good to see you again,” she said to Eunice, who was standing near her path. “I’m sorry I’m not more cheerful, but I lost my best friend this summer.”
“Well, Leona, maybe I can help cheer you up. Turn around and look over there.”
Eunice was pointing over her granddaughter’s right shoulder, and when Leona turned in that direction she saw a skinny young girl with long blonde hair walking toward her on the comet. She was coming out of the back woods; and, as she got closer, Leona saw that it was Jill.
“Jill! Where have you been? I’ve missed you.”
“I was on my way here. It takes a while you know,” Jill answered in a mellow, calming tone. “Besides, I needed to visit someone first.”
Leona realized that she had never heard her friend speak that serenely before. It had always seemed to her that Jill was either agitated or excited about something. Then Leona noticed a small kitten in Jill’s arms and realized that it was Frisky. She had not noticed it at first, until Jill was only ten feet away, and suddenly she realized why: The kitten was almost transparent, with a slight yellowish glow emanating from its body.
“Jill! What’s wrong with Frisky?” she asked.
“Nothing, Leona, he’s perfectly healthy.”
Leona did not understand, but there were many things she did not understand about this magical place. She just decided to accept things as they were and enjoy the marvel of it all with her friend.
“Why don’t you two go play for a while, and when you come back I’ll have some milk and cookies waiting for you,” Eunice said.
“Okay, Grandma. Let’s go, Jill.”
The two girls ran toward the shade of an old maple tree where Eunice had a Cribbage board all set up.
“Now we can finally play our Cribbage game,” Jill said as she and Leona sat down.
Before they began playing, Leona took the locket Hans gave her from around her neck and gave it to Jill. After finishing the game of Cribbage the girls frolicked in the fields, went for a refreshing swim in the comet’s crystal clear Kenduskeag Stream, and talked for what seemed like hours before they took Eunice up on her offer.
“Leona told me your cookies were heaven, Mrs. Carver,” Jill said, “but I never dreamed they would be this heavenly. They sure are tasty.”
“Well, thank you, dear. I do my best.”
Leona awoke from the dream, no longer feeling sad for Mrs. Jensen or for herself. Thanks to her dream, only one of many she would experience involving her magical comet ride, she knew that Jill was okay and that soon Mrs. Jensen would be too. Of course, Leona also knew that Mrs. Jensen would never be as happy as she was when her daughter was alive, but she would find the strength to live on, and someday Jill and her mother would be reunited. Knowing that made Leona feel much better. And, just as comforting to Leona, the pain that she suffered in the weeks after Jill’s death was gone. It was replaced by a sense of peace within her. She still missed Jill, but she knew that her best friend was happy, riding through the heavens on Haley’s Comet, playing with Frisky, and enjoying both the wonders of the heavens and the Earth.
“Those awful boys may have taken Jill’s life,” Leona thought, “but they couldn’t take her spirit.”
Then she reached for the locket she kept around her neck and smiled when she found that it was no longer there.
—2—
In addition to her reassuring dream, Leona was thankful for one other thing that helped keep her mind occupied that summer. It was the telescope that Charlie Berry had given to her. With that telescope and the astronomy book given to her by Miss Hutchinson as a guide, she eagerly searched the heavens every night, spending most of the time viewing the Moon. Even though it was an inexpensive amateur telescope, Charlie Berry’s gift allowed her to see things that she could not have even imagined. The first time she saw a crater on the Moon was amazing to her young mind, and she had her old friend Charlie to thank for that. Not only did he give Leona his telescope, he took the time to show her how best to use it, just as he had promised.
“I think I need more help, Mr. Berry. Will you show me how you search for stars?” Leona asked after walking to his cabin in late July, more than a month after Jill’s death.
“You betcha, Leona. You come back tonight at eight and I’ll take you somewhere special, so you can see the stars better than you ever thought possible.”
“Where’s that, Mr. Berry?”
“You’ll see. Now scoot along home before your mom gets worried.”
Leona arrived back at Charlie’s cabin right on time, with her telescope tucked safely in her arms. He was in the process of gathering his gear.
“Are you ready to go, Leona?”
“Sure am. How far is it?”
“About a mile. Down by the stream.”
The two walked briskly down the Stream Road until they came to the Kenduskeag Stream. Then Charlie turned left and walked along the stream for about a half-mile, with Leona at his side. Before long the woods beside the river became so thick that they had to veer to the left and walk in an adjacent field. As a result, Leona could not tell if they were still following the river or not.
“See that tall pine up ahead, Leona?” he asked.
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, that’s where we turn off to get to my favorite spot. There’s a secret path that leads to a clearing by the stream and it’s a perfect spot for a picnic, or for swimming, or even for fishing. But most of all it’s the ideal place for viewing stars. Now don’t you tell anyone else about this place, okay?”
“You don’t have to worry, Mr. Berry. I’ll keep your secret. But isn’t this Mr. Tyler’s land?”
“Yup. But don’t you worry your little head about that. He told me to use it whenever I wanted to, for whatever reason. In fact, he agreed to let me buy a couple of acres here whenever I wanted; and I plan on doing just that.”
“You mean he doesn’t think you’re crazy?”
“Nope, but he’s only one of a handful around here that don’t. Actually, he and I get along real well. His son took one of my classes at Maine. By the way, Leona, a couple of weeks ago you said your Aunt Maude was almost due; did she give birth yet?”
“Yup, last week; a boy. That’s seven now.”
“Wow! How many cousins do you have now?”
“Let’s see, there’s Margaret, Hazel, Woodrow, and Edward; those are Aunt Mae’s. And Marion, Olga, Pauline, Paul, Lloyd, Raymond, and baby Norman are Maude’s. And who could forget Uncle Bill’s son. I’m not sure if I should count Cousin Bill or not; he’s adopted. Anyway, I guess that’s twelve cousins in total.”
“A dozen cousins, huh?” Charlie joked. Then he saw what he was looking for and said: “We’re here, Leona.”
They had come to a large pine tree that marked Charlie’s secret path. They turned right and made their way for about a quarter-mile through heavy forest vegetation until they came to an opening near the south bank of the stream. The clearing was about ten square feet and contained nothing but green grass, surrounded by evergreens on three sides and the stream on the other. Along the way Charlie pointed to natural landmarks that he used to find the way along a barely visible path worn into the ground. Leona doubted that she would have recognized it as a path if she had stumbled upon it by chance. Even if she had, walking it wouldn’t have been much fun, because every so often they had to crawl on hands and knees to duck under the branches of trees. Leona realized that most people would perceive it to be an animal path anyway, so Charlie’s secret spot was undoubtedly safe from prying eyes.
“Believe it or not, this here is where I watched Halley’s Comet in 1910,” Charlie said. “I knew enough back then to look for a site near a river where there would be no lights to obscure my view; and this is the place I found. It took me a while though. And, believe it or not, this spot is the real reason I decided to move to Glenburn when I retired from the University. I just happened to stumble upon it when I took my class on a field trip. Of course, back then the vegetation wasn’t nearly this thick. It didn’t take me long to realize that it was the perfect place to gaze at the stars. The river runs almost exactly west to east here, so if you look straight across the river you have an unobstructed view looking due north. See those seven stars up there, Leona? They’re called the Big Dipper.”
“Yes, I know, Mr. Berry. My Papa taught me all about it when I was little.”
“When you were little, eh. Then, I suppose you know about the Little Dipper too,” he joked.
“Yeah,” Leona said softly, raising her eyebrows.
“How about the North Star?” Charlie asked.
“I remember Papa telling me about it, but I’ve forgotten exactly where it is.”
“Well then, let me show you. See that really bright star at the very tip of the Little Dipper’s handle. That’s Polaris: the North Star.”
“You mean, that one?” Leona pointed and asked.
“Yes, that’s it. It’s almost exactly in line with the North Pole, so sailors often use it to navigate.”
“That rings a bell. Papa must’ah told me about it too. But I didn’t remember that it’s part of the Little Dipper. Maybe that’s why I always had trouble finding it all these years.”
“If you have trouble I have an aide that will help you find the North Star; and then, finding the Little Dipper will be a piece of cake. All you have to do to find Polaris is to extend the two stars at the front of the Big Dipper’s pan. They’re almost exactly in line with the North Star. See how far those two stars are separated? The North Star is about four times that distance from the dipper.”
“Now I see it! You’re right; that’s real easy,” Leona said. “And, son of a gun, there’s the Little Dipper.”
“And over there is Venus,” Charlie said while pointing toward the western sky.
“That one, right?” Leona asked, pointing just above the horizon in the direction Charlie was looking.
“Yep, that’s the one all right,” he said.
“Since it’s always so bright, that’s one star I have no trouble finding. I see it out my bedroom window almost every night, before I go to bed,” Leona told her old friend.
“Yeah, some call it the brightest star in the sky, Leona; but it isn’t, because I’m sure you know that it’s a planet, not a star. Now, let’s set up your telescope and look at Venus and the North Star up close. Bring it over here and set the legs of the tripod on these three rocks. The front one has been here for a long, long time; maybe since time began. But the two in the back were set there by me when I first moved to Glenburn, just so I could have a nice solid platform for my telescope. It took me a while to find two big rocks with flat enough surfaces. And it took forever to dig the holes, and even longer to get the rocks leveled. It was worth it though, ‘cause having a good solid platform to sit a telescope on is the key to watching stars.”
“Did you make that chair too?” Leona asked when she saw Charlie place a short eighteen-inch diameter log on the ground, one that he kept hidden just inside the woods.
“Yup. I cut it to be just the right height for looking through the telescope. It may be a little low for you, but it should do the job.”
Leona set her telescope’s tripod on the three level rocks and then watched as Charlie looked for the North Star through its eyepiece.
“Here, take a look,” he said to the 14-year-old.
“Wow! It’s so bright,” she said after peering at the North Star through her telescope.
—3—
Although Leona had used her telescope hundreds of times before that night, Charlie showed her how to properly set it up to get the most out of it. She spent over three hours with him learning the ins-and-outs of astronomy and marveling at the wonder of it all, especially when she was finally able to view the rings around Saturn. As hard as it was locating stars with the small telescope, it was even more difficult keeping it steady enough to see their details when she did find them, even with the tripod sitting on the hard rock surface. But a trick Charlie showed her made that much easier, and from then on using the little telescope only added to Leona’s excitement and heightened her desire to be an astronomer.
“I can’t wait ‘til I can explore the heavens using a huge telescope,” she told her father when she returned home that night. “And I can’t wait until 1986 when Halley’s Comet returns.”
“Hold on there, young lady,” he said, “1986 will be here soon enough as it is; you don’t need to wish it here any sooner. Let your mother and I enjoy a few more years on this Earth.”
When her father said that, Leona was forced once again to acknowledge that her parents wouldn’t be around forever.
“You’re right, Papa. I’ll stop wishing for time to go so fast. In fact, I think I’ll start wishing for it to go by a tad slower from now on, so I’ll have you and Mama around for as long as possible. I wouldn’t want to miss out on any of your tall tales.”
“Thanks, sweetheart. That makes me feel ah heckofalot better,” he teased. “And that should make you feel much better too, ‘cause you’ll get to enjoy your youth for a mite longer. Believe me, there’s no need to rush into adulthood. You’ll find that it comes soon enough as it is.”