Summer's End Read online

  She wrote,

  I hear things. I sense things. I see things. I’m not alone.

  and,

  Is it not enough that the monster took my sister? Why is he allowed to stay?

  and,

  My sister, my sister, my sister, oh God, how is this so?

  The final two pages in the journal had raised Jacob’s curiosity more than any other. On the second last page, Albruna wrote about the basement:

  The sight of the monster’s medical equipment in that dark and dirty dungeon made me physically repulsed. Who knows what he did down there? I never want to find out.

  and,

  The most curious thing. One of the walls. It shimmers, like a thin layer of oil glistening on hot pavement. So fine and delicate that my eyes almost didn’t see it, and when they did, my rational mind didn’t believe they had seen anything at all. But it was there.

  and,

  That’s where I first saw Tresa, standing in that shimmer. Not in front of it, mind you, but in it, actually in it. “Come, sister,” she said to me. “Step into the Black Sea. It’s lovely in here. We can be together. We can live forever.”

  and finally,

  I was in a daze, like a dream. I almost stepped through. But then Tresa’s eyes narrowed, her skin grew pale and blood spread across her stomach. I ran. I heard footsteps trail me, but I didn’t look back.

  On the final page, Albruna had written,

  I went back. I couldn’t stay away. It was like my sister was calling me somehow. I don’t understand it. I went straight to the basement. I stood before the shimmer, what Tresa called the Black Sea. I don’t know what I wanted at that moment. To join her in there? To see her one last time before saying goodbye forever? I still don’t know.

  She came through the wall. I knew she wasn’t real but she looked real. How else do I say this? She looked like a real, physical thing in a world of mist and shadow. She beckoned me. I took a step forward. I wasn’t thinking. I wasn’t in control. She smiled and reached out to me, but then her smile fell. My chest began to burn and I thought I was having a heart attack. It took me a moment to realize it was the chalcedony pendant I wore around my neck. I removed it from under my shirt. It grew hotter in my hand. “You cannot bring that,” my sister said. In that moment, her face had changed. She was no longer my sister. She looked different somehow. I took a step backwards, broken free from the trance I had fallen into. I quickly left while my sister yelled at me to return. As much as I wanted to be with my sister, I’m not done with life yet. I haven’t been back to Summer’s End since.

  I don’t know how much longer I can resist. Even as I write this I feel the pull.

  That was the last thing Albruna had written in the journal, and it had given Jacob plenty to think about. Tresa had been young, beautiful, healthy and rich. She lived in a dream home on her own island and gave back to the community by helping her husband’s young patients in their home. And yet, nothing Jacob had learned about her led him to believe she had known much happiness during her short, tragic life. The one thing she wanted more than anything — children of her own — had not been granted to her.

  He had a family. It might be small, but Jacob knew that didn’t matter. He knew his mother loved him fiercely, and he loved her in return. They might not live in a large house like Ichiro’s family, and his mother might need to work at The Hot Plate well into her retirement age, but that didn’t matter either. They had each other.

  The moon was bright and round in the sky, just a few slivers shy of full. Jacob leaned against the family-room couch and stared at the stars outside. When he was younger he used to spend hours staring at the night sky, wondering what was out there. Was there life on other planets? When did the universe come into existence? How big was it? When would it all end?

  He loved those big, unanswerable questions, even from a very young age. They were grand and mysterious. They made him feel small but also part of something bigger, and that gave him comfort. More than anything, staring out into space made him feel lucky that he had his mother, that he wasn’t alone in the world. And so, whenever he felt bad that his father was … wherever he was, he’d gaze into the celestial heavens and lose himself for an hour or two. When he emerged from his nighttime daydreams he always felt a tiny bit better than he had before.

  “You want some dessert, sweetie?” his mother asked, gently rousing Jacob out of his thoughts and bringing him back to the present. He was no longer an eight-year-old boy staring at the stars but a fourteen-year-old thankful for what he had. “Some ice cream, perhaps? I’ll crumble some Oreos on top.”

  His mother’s voice sounded distant, as if only a small part of Jacob’s soul was on earth while the rest floated amongst the constellations.

  “No, thanks. Not really hungry.”

  His mother crossed the room and sat down on the couch beside Jacob. She touched his forehead and looked deep into his eyes with a twinkle in her own.

  “Mom, what are you doing?”

  “Checking to see if you’re sick. That’s one of only two explanations I can think of that would make you turn down ice cream.”

  Jacob tried to hold back a smile but failed. “I’m not sick.”

  “Alien abduction, then. What have you done with my son, Pod Person?”

  “Mom, stop!” He pushed her playfully and laughed. “Did you know that in Japan they have octopus ice cream?”

  Jacob’s mother looked up at the ceiling and licked her lips as if magically conjuring the flavour of octopus ice cream. “You know something? That doesn’t sound half bad.”

  “Yes it does! It sounds full bad.”

  “I’d try it,” she said with a shrug. “Japan, eh? Did Ichiro tell you about it?”

  Jacob nodded.

  “You’re still upset that he’s moving away.” It wasn’t a question.

  Jacob nodded again.

  “I understand,” his mother said. “Saying goodbye to a friend is never easy. Have you told Ichiro how you feel?”

  “A little, I guess.”

  “He’s probably feeling the same as you.”

  “I know,” Jacob said. He thought back to the beginning of summer break. He and Ichiro sat facing each other in Scarlet Sails, drifting in the middle of Sepequoi Lake. They’d just discovered Summer’s End for the first time and had decided to make the most of their remaining time together. That was seven and a half weeks ago.

  And now, the summer was nearly over, like a droplet of water nearly dried up in a drought.

  “We promised each other,” Jacob said, “back in early July, that we’d make this an epic summer. And it has been. Not in the way we anticipated, but it’s been great.”

  His mother smiled at him sympathetically, as if she could guess the gist of what he meant. But how could she know? She couldn’t. No one could.

  “I know he’s moving and there’s no stopping it,” Jacob said, “but I still don’t like it.”

  “You don’t have to, and that’s okay. My parents and I moved to Ottawa when I was in my last year of high school. Do you think that was my idea? Of course not. And I’m not going to lie: it was pretty terrible leaving all my friends in the middle of the school year. That was hard enough, but when I got to my new school I had a really tough time fitting in. But I got through it on my own, knowing it was only a few months and then I could get out of there and go to college or get a job. None of my classmates would remember me after a few years had passed, and I’d made peace with that. But then, at graduation, as I stood to receive my diploma in front of the entire graduating class, I tripped on my robes and fell off the edge of the stage. I flashed everyone on my way down. I doubt many people forgot me after that. They’re probably still talking about it in Ottawa. That’s part of the reason I moved back here.”

  Jacob’s mother trailed off as if she had forgotten where she was and who she was talking to. Her cheeks reddened furiously and she gave her son a look that was half apology, half embarrassment.

  Jaco
b couldn’t help but laugh. “Great pep talk, Mom.”

  “I’m not very good at this, am I? I guess what I’m trying to say is I understand what you’re going through because I once went through it too.”

  “I’ve never flashed anyone.”

  “You’re young, give it time.” His mother smiled. “I’m here for you, Jake. Always have been, always will be.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I know.”

  “And,” she said, drawing the word out, “my parents were there to see my scandalous show onstage, and I guess they felt really bad for me, so they bought me my silver necklace with the green gemstone. After I sold my wedding ring, it became and still is the only piece of jewellery I own.” She shrugged. “So, silver lining.” She chuckled. “Silver lining, silver necklace. That’s a good one.”

  She gave him a wink, opened a book and began to read.

  Jacob turned back to the quiet stars, beacons of light in a sea of black. They were peaceful, soothing and put his mind at ease.

  So many mysteries out there, he thought.

  “Mom?” Jacob asked, pulling his gaze away from the stars and back into the closeness of his family room.

  His mother looked up from her book. “Yes, Jake?”

  “I love you,” he said.

  They hugged.

  “I love you too. Now, how about that ice cream?”

  “As long as it’s not octopus.”

  “You’re in luck. We’re fresh out.”

  Black clouds rolled across the sky, blotting out the stars.

  * * *

  Jacob tried not to stare at the clock. He had turned off the TV a little after ten o’clock. All the news channels were tracking a big storm the meteorologists expected would hit the Muskoka region sometime during the weekend. On his desk, his neglected ice cream bowl was filled with goopy sludge. Oreo crumbs floated on the surface like a layer of dirt.

  Crick-crick-crack.

  Jacob flinched and looked at his bedroom window, where the sound had come from. It had sounded like an animal trying to get in, but his bedroom was on the second floor.

  Crick-ca-crick-crick-crick.

  There it was again.

  He slipped out of bed and crossed the room, slowly, and felt a little silly. Why was he hesitating? What did he expect to find outside in his backyard? The Kalapik? Dr. Stockwell?

  Hiding behind the wall beside his window, Jacob pinched the curtain and slowly peered around it.

  There was someone in the backyard. Hunched over and rummaging through his mother’s garden. A dark, shadowy figure hidden in the night.

  Jacob wondered if it could be a homeless person scrounging for something to eat. There weren’t many homeless people in Valeton, but who else could it be?

  Jacob had nearly decided to wake his mom and call the police when the figure stood and looked straight at him. He felt his heart seize. It was too late to move or hide. Standing in the light of his room, Jacob had definitely been seen.

  The figure dropped a small handful of rocks and wiped his hands on his pants, then raised his hand in greeting. Jacob’s eyes continued to adjust to the difference in light between his room and the backyard. Details in the figure’s face sharpened and came into focus.

  It was Ichiro.

  Jacob unlocked the window and slid it open. “Ichiro?” He couldn’t keep the surprise out of his voice. “Is that you?”

  “Hi, Jake.”

  “What are you doing here?” He turned and looked at the clock. “It’s nearly midnight.”

  “I know. Can we talk?”

  “Of course.” Jacob quickly glanced over his shoulder in the direction of his mother’s room. “Wait there. I’ll be down in a minute.”

  After closing the window, Jacob grabbed the black journal and quietly crept down the stairs. The back door uttered a small, weak creak when he opened it. Jacob hoped it hadn’t been loud enough to wake his mother.

  A howl of wind streaked through the backyard as soon as he set foot on the grass.

  “What’s up?” Jacob asked. “Why are you throwing pebbles at my window in the middle of the night instead of texting me?”

  “My mom confiscated my phone.”

  “Why?”

  “Never mind that. I’ve got to show you something.”

  “And it couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”

  “No, it couldn’t wait until tomorrow. Can I borrow your phone?”

  “Sure.” Jacob took it out of his pocket and handed it over.

  “Thanks.” Ichiro took it and noticed the journal Jacob had brought outside. “What’s that?”

  “I’ll tell you after. You’re the one who came to my house in the middle of the night, remember? You can’t just build up the suspense like that and then not deliver. Show me what you want to show me.”

  They sat on an old, unused swing set that had rusted in a back corner of the backyard for years. Flakes of peeling paint clung to the metal frame. Under their weight the swings squeaked and squealed.

  “I’ve been doing some digging the past few days,” Ichiro said as he typed quickly on Jacob’s phone, “and I’ve found some things.”

  “All on your own? I’m impressed.”

  “You’re not the only one who can pretend to be Sherlock Holmes. Turns out I’m pretty good at sleuthing too.” Ichiro smiled.

  Jacob returned the smile and decided not to mention that Sherlock Holmes had solved all his cases without the use of the Internet and a smartphone. “What did you find?”

  Ichiro went to the Valeton Public Library’s website. “I tried to find newspaper articles about missing kids in Valeton. I thought maybe I’d find some pattern or something. But I couldn’t find anything on Google. Nothing! It’s like all the newspapers outside of Valeton don’t even know this town exists.”

  “That’s weird,” Jacob said. “You’d think missing-child cases would show up in other newspapers, especially since there have been so many disappearances over the years.”

  “And I didn’t find anything from the Valeton Voice either, even though I could’ve sworn I remembered there being articles in the paper about Colton.” Ichiro smiled again. “Ask me what I thought of next.”

  Jacob rolled his eyes but gave in to his friend’s request. “Whatever did you think of next?”

  “Something Rio had said the first time we visited the library. He told us he was working his way back in time, digitizing the Valeton Voice, and that he had only made it to 1955 so far.”

  Jacob laughed, genuinely impressed. “How did you remember that?”

  “Back in time? 1955? Hello? McFly? Anybody home? I immediately thought of Back to the Future, and how could I not remember that? Didn’t you?”

  Jacob shook his head. “Let it never be said that a life devoted to pop culture is a wasted one.”

  “So I signed up for a card — Rio got all misty-eyed — and returned home to log into the local history database. Turns out, um, you don’t actually need a card to log into the database. But on a side note, did you know you can use your card to borrow video games … for free?”

  “Yeah, of course.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I borrowed Kill Screen the day I got my card but still haven’t figured out how to beat it even though I’ve been playing it all week. That’s kind of why my mom took away my cellphone. No technology for a week.”

  “Back to the database,” Jacob said, eager to get his friend back on track.

  “Yes, right, the database. I typed in a few key search terms, and sure enough, I found articles about missing kids. A whole bunch of missing kids. In fact, I found a case of a missing kid every four years. Starting with Colton and going as far back as the Valeton Voice has been digitized.” Ichiro handed the phone over to Jacob. He had bookmarked articles in his personal account, and Jacob scrolled through them, reading the headlines.

  Local Boy Missing

  Valeton Girl Disappears without a Trace

  Authorities Unsuccessful in Search for Missing Boy


  Mother Blames Daughter’s Disappearance on Legend of the “Kalapik”

  On and on and on. Jacob felt sick to his stomach and had to stop scrolling.

  “It’s like the doctor is on a schedule or something,” Ichiro said. “Like he needs to kill every four years with surgical precision, if you’ll pardon the pun.”

  “Precisely every four years. That means …”

  “That he’s going to kill again before this summer is over,” Ichiro said, finishing Jacob’s sentence.

  A hollow silence stretched between the boys as they stared at the ground. A gust of wind threatened to push Jacob off his swing. He planted his feet and gripped the chains a little tighter. The metal was cold.

  “We have to stop him,” Jacob said. And if I stop Dr. Stockwell, maybe that will set Colton’s soul free.

  “How?” Ichiro asked.

  “I’m not sure, not yet.” Jacob held up the journal. “But I think there’s a clue in here that will help. Mrs. Cannington gave it to me.”

  Jacob’s phone dinged. Hayden had texted him.

  Dad’s in a mood. Can we come over?

  “It’s Hayden,” Jacob told Ichiro. “I think they might need somewhere to spend the night.” He sent Hayden a quick reply.

  Of course.

  Ichiro’s here.

  We’re in the backyard

  * * *

  The twins arrived in record time, leading Jacob to believe that their father’s “mood” was especially bad.

  “I think he had a bad day at work,” Hayden said. “Came home with a black cloud over his head. Went out to the bar and we didn’t want to be there when he returned.”

  “I’m not going back for the whole weekend,” Hannah said. “It’s better to let him cool down completely.”

  “You can stay at my house tonight,” Ichiro said. “If we use the basement entrance my parents won’t even know you’re there until I tell them in the morning. Don’t worry, they’ll be cool with it.”

  “Thanks, man,” Hayden said. “Will your parents be okay if we stay over two nights?”