Farewell Summer by Ray Bradbury Read Free Book Online

gone.
    Doug yanked down the shade so Time could not blow through the screen.
    The clock light shone on the sidings of the house like a mist breathing on the windows.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
    â€˜Boy, I just heard the craziest things.’ Charlie strolled up, chewing on a clover–blossom. ‘I got me a secret service report from some girls.’
    â€˜Girls!’
    Charlie smiled at how his ten–inch firecracker had blown the laziness off his pals’ faces. ‘My sister said way back last July they got old lady Bentley to admit she never
was
young. I thought you’d like
that
news.’
    â€˜Charlie,
Charlie
!’
    â€˜Burden of proof,’ said Charlie. ‘The girls told me that old lady Bentley showed some pictures, junk and stuff, which didn’t prove nothin’. Fact is, when you think on it, fellas, none of these old ginks look like they were
ever
young.’
    â€˜Why didn’t
you
think of that, Doug?’ said Tom.
    â€˜Why don’t
you
shut up?’ said Douglas.
    â€˜I guess this makes me a lieutenant,’ said Charlie.
    â€˜You just moved up to sergeant
yesterday
!’
    Charlie stared hard at Douglas for a long moment.
    â€˜Okay, okay, you’re a lieutenant,’ said Douglas.
    â€˜Thanks,’ said Charlie. ‘What’ll we do about my sister? She wants to be part of our army – a special spy.’
    â€˜To heck with her!’
    â€˜You got to admit that’s great secret stuff she turned in.’
    â€˜Boy, Charlie, you sure
think
of things,’ said Tom. ‘Doug, why don’t
you
think of things?’
    â€˜Darn it!’ cried Douglas. ‘Whose idea was the graveyard tour, the candy, the food, the chess pieces, all
that
?’
    â€˜Hold on,’ said Tom. ‘The graveyard tour, I said that. The candy, yeah, was yours, but I gotta tell ya, the food experiment was a failure. Heck, you haven’t said anything new in a coupla hours. And all the chessboards are full of chess pieces again and those old men are busy pushing the pieces – us – around. Any moment now we’ll feel ourselves grabbed and moved and we won’t be able to live our own lives anymore.’
    Douglas could feel Charlie and Tom creeping up on him, taking the war out of his hands like a ripe plum. Private, corporal, sergeant, lieutenant. Today, lieutenant; tomorrow captain. And the day after?
    â€˜It’s not just ideas that count.’ Douglas wiped his brow. ‘It’s how you stick ’em together. Take this fact of Charlie’s – it’s secondhand. Heck,
girls
thought of it
first
!’
    Everybody’s eyebrows went up.
    Charlie’s face fell.
    â€˜And anyway,’ Douglas went on, ‘I’m puttin’ ideas together for a real bang–up revelation.’
    They all looked at him, waiting.
    â€˜Okay, Doug, go on,’ said Charlie.
    Douglas shut his eyes. ‘And the revelation is: Since old people don’t
look
like they were ever kids, they never
were
! So they’re not humans at
all
!’
    â€˜What
are
they, Doug?’
    â€˜Another
race
!’
    Everybody sat, stunned by the vast sunburst caused by this explosion, this incredible revelation. It rained upon them in fire and flames.
    â€˜Yes, another race,’ said Douglas. ‘Aliens. Evil. And we, we’re the slaves they keep for nefarious odd jobs and punishments!’
    Everybody melted with the after–effects of this announcement.
    Charlie stood up solemnly and announced: ‘Doug, old pal, see this beanie on my head? I’m taking my beanie
off
to
you
!’ Charlie raised his beanie to applause and laughter.
    They all smiled at Doug, their general, their leader, who took out his pocketknife and casually started a philosophical game of one–finger mumblety–peg.
    â€˜Yeah, but …’ said Tom, and went on. ‘The last thing you said didn’t work out. It’s okay to
say
the