managed to get my hands in his. He slowly turned around so we were facing each other. He undid my helmet and let it drop to the ground. I sat still, not being able to move. He got off the bike with my hands still in his. Then he pulled me up and lifted me off the bike.
“Shrimp, are you ok?” he said with a concerned look. I, untruthfully, nodded but he seemed to believe me. I could feel him relax. He scooped me up and carried me to the shimmer, a lake, and sat me down on the grass. Then he lay back and looked up at the sky. He put his arm out for me to lay my head on. I slowly leaned back and lay down looking up into the sky with him.
“It should start any moment now,” he said.
I wondered what he meant. What should start? The sky was clear; the stars were twinkling.
I suddenly heard a whizzing sound coming from the woods and sat upright. It got progressively louder and I shot a worried look over my shoulders.
“It’s just Harry and Maria,” Kellan said as another bike pulled out from the trees and screeched to a halt. They waved and started walking toward us. Both wore leather. Maria came over to me and dropped a bag to the ground.
“Phew, that’s a really long ride! Can’t say that I enjoyed the last bit. I hope the showers are worth it. Dad said that we would probably not see much due to the moonlight. It may have been better to wait for the Orionids,” she mused.
“Well, no reason we can’t come back here for the Orionids. I think they’re supposed to happen around the nineteenth this year. We’ll see them at the Ball,” said Harry.
I had no idea what they were talking about. Orionids , what was that?
Maria nodded at Harry and said, “We may not have a perfect night for those either. I brought some binoculars. Not sure how much they’ll help though. More importantly, I brought some snacks!” She proceeded to empty out her bag of goodies on the grass. She sat down next to me. Harry sat down behind her putting his arms around her. We started munching on the sandwiches. I couldn’t tell what mine was. It tasted like ham and cheese, delicious.
Harry suddenly jerked and pointed to the sky, “There’s one!”
We lay back on the grass with our eyes scanning the sky. I could barely make anything out. I squinted and thought I saw a film of light move quickly in the sky. I tensed up. That must be one. My first shooting star! I was thrilled and grabbed Kellan’s arm in excitement. Another one flew by! Now that my eyes had adjusted and I knew what I was looking for, I was spotting them more easily. I saw another three.
“Amazing isn’t it?” Harry asked.
We lay gazing at the sky for a long while but I didn’t see any more.
Maria got up first and said, “That was better than I had expected, but I’ve got to get home now or my mom will kill me!” With that she pulled Harry to his feet, laughing as she nearly fell on top of him doing so. She gathered her binoculars and with a wave started walking toward the bikes.
“You guys coming?” Harry asked.
“In a while,” Kellan replied.
“Did you tell him yet, Shrimp?” Harry asked, as he got ready to go.
I frowned at him, annoyed.
“Tell me what?” Kellan inquired.
I shook my head, “It’s not important.”
Harry heard me and chuckled. “Later kids, drive carefully and have her home soon.” He took off after Maria. We watched them get back on the bike and disappear into the woods.
Kellan looked at me quizzically, “So?”
I suddenly felt a tremor beneath me. It was barely noticeable, but definitely a tremor.
“Did you feel that? What is it?” I shrieked.
Kellan laughed, “What’s up with you, Shrimp! That’s just one of the October shivers. Did you think it was a quake?”
“No,” I muttered sheepishly. “Of course not.” We lay watching the sky for a while longer. I didn’t see any more shooting stars but I did feel some tremors. October shivers, whatever that was all about. I started thinking about the hockey
C. J. Cherryh
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