Issue date:
May 16, 1997

Summer Stampede

By Jessica Gladin-Kramer
Orange High School, Hillsborough, N.C.

It was one of those summer days when you'd give about anything to be in water. The air was still damp, and Georgia's clothes stuck to her and made her itch. She would have been swimming in the pond, but Daddy was at work and Momma was busy. So, instead, she was siting smack in the middle of the back field with little old Mariah, who was whistling her little heart out. Georgia could see Momma out in one of the pastures feeding the sheep, who crowded about her in a great big swarm.

"Stop that whistling, 'Riah," she whined when she began to get a headache from it. "Show off."

Mariah's 3-year-old face crumpled for a minute, and then she threw grass at Georgia and flopped backwards in the tall dew-covered summer grass that itched Georgia's legs in the worst way. Georgia was just jealous of Mariah, because little sisters were not supposed to learn to whistle before their 6-year-old sisters did.

Georgia giggled and looked at Mariah, remembering how, just weeks before, the girls had been flower girls in their second cousin's wedding in New York. Georgia had been right nervous, and had quietly walked down the aisle when the time came, sprinkling the feathery petals on the floor with shaky fingers. Little Mariah, behind her, walked fast and sure, and dumped all her petals in one spot. The whole crowd had giggled, but Georgia knew that wouldn't be all from her outgoing little sister.

Well, who knows a sister better than her sister? Sure enough, while the ceremony was going on, Georgia stood still and quiet, listened to the preacher talk, and had watched the beautiful bride with admiration. She thought maybe all would be OK, until Mariah had begun to get a tad fidgety. She gave her a sharp nudge and fierce look, but little Mariah only nudged her back harder. Then she puckered up her lips and started to whistle.

Georgia almost couldn't blame her. After all, her whistling had just been accomplished, and Mariah was quite proud of it. But she was about to cry as she noticed the pause in the preacher's sermon, and she quietly slipped an arm around her sister and placed her hand on her mouth to quiet her. Mariah was quiet the rest of the ceremony.

Of course, in the end, Mariah was the one who got all the attention and praise from the grownups, though Georgia felt she had done a much better job than her sister. But she was used to it, and gave Mariah an affectionate pat.

"Georgia. Is Daddy gonna take me swimmin' when he gets home from school? Is he?"

"Daddy doesn't go to school, 'Riah, and if he takes you he's gonna take me, too. You know that. Anyway, I hope so. Are you hot?"

"Mm hmm. I hope he brings me a popsicle, George."

"Mariah! Don't call me that. What if I called you a name? If you do it again I'm gonna tell Momma to take Lamby away. You'll never, never ever get her back. Not ever." Lamby was Mariah's treasured lambskin.

"You do call me names. You call me 'Riah.' An' I hid Lamby so nobody's not ever gonna take her away, you can't trick me, Georgia!" Mariah's voice crept up to the whiny tone.

Georgia ignored her sister and looked out for Momma, who was still out with the sheep. She thought she heard distant thunder, and lay back beside Mariah and looked up at the sky, which was a brilliant blue. But she still heard thunder and sat up again and frowned, her ears alert.

The next thing she knew, she heard Momma shouting over to her. "GEORGIA!!! Get Mariah inside, now, HURRY! GO, Georgia!" She was running down toward the pasture, desperately trying to open the wide metal gate. Georgia stood up in alarm.

"Why? What's wrong?!" she called to her mom. "Momma! What's wrong?"

"Just MOVE, Georgia, now!" Momma hollered back. "Just do what I say!"

A million things flashed through Georgia's head in an instant. A tornado? No, there were never tornados, but ... what? "Why, Momma?" she called again, scared to move, or do anything. The rumbling sound got louder. She turned and ran for the porch, leaving little Mariah still sitting on her bottom.

Once she got to the porch, she turned around, and almost fell back down. All of a sudden what looked like a cloud of animals turned the corner around the house, running in a huge stampede. There must have been 30 of them, and Georgia could see cows, calves, horses, bulls (bulls?!), et cetera. She watched in awe as they ran, until she noticed where they were headed.

Straight toward little Mariah. Fear rose up in Georgia's chest, but before she could even yell out, there was Momma, running towards Mariah like an angel, running faster than Georgia had ever seen a grown woman run. She ran faster than that herd of animals towards her younger daughter, and in what seemed like a split second before the animals would have reached Mariah, grabbed her up and ran with her, out of the path of the cows and horses, all the way to the porch, where she sat her down and ran ahead of the animals, trying to herd them off so as they'd run straight into the open pasture. It was beautiful. Georgia watched in fear and amazement as her mother rounded the cloud of animals off, and as they ran, almost as one, right into the pasture, just as planned. She tore her gaze away and stared up at the driveway from which the animals came, just in time to see a beautiful, fairy-tale white horse round the corner behind the others and head for them. "Look, Momma, look!" she cried out, and her mother opened the gate once more to let the pretty horse in.

As her heart began to return to its normal pace, Georgia grabbed Mariah's hand and pulled her into the house, where they watched Momma through the window as she ran to different pastures, arranging the animals and closing gates. Then they watched her some more as she came inside without speaking to them, snatched up the telephone, and said, "Hello, Mr. Robertson? ... Yes, this is Rachel Walder, your neighbor ... thank you, I'm just fine. Listen, are your animals loose? ... They are?" Momma smiled at Georgia and Mariah. "Yes, well they're here, they're just fine, they came running down our driveway, and I just put them up in our pastures for now, until you can come get them. ... Fine, that'd be just great. I'll see you." Momma hung up the phone and hugged the girls, and then went out to wait for the neighbor to come pick up his animals.

Georgia felt she had to sit down, so she did. Her heart still felt funny, and she couldn't believe a herd of wild animals had just come tearing down the driveway straight for her little sister. She couldn't believe how brave Momma had been, running in front of the animals and saving Mariah. Georgia began to get a little bit tearful, thinking how scary it had been. She looked fiercely at Mariah through her tears, swallowed, and said sternly, "Do you see why you should never be bad, Mariah? See what you made happen?" Mariah's eyes got wide and wet. "If you're ever bad again, another cloud of animals is gonna come get you, and Momma might not be there next time. You better not be bad, 'Riah.' " Mariah started to cry, and Georgia joined her. Mariah was the first to dry her tears, and as Georgia sat crying on the floor, she puckered her lips and gave a feeble whistle. She licked her lips and started over, whistling "You Are My Sunshine." She gave Georgia a watery smile.

Georgia smiled back weakly, and puckered her lips just like her sister. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a shrill whistle came out, instead of just bubbly air. She stared wide-eyed at Mariah, and the sisters smiled. Then, hand in hand, they went out to pet the beautiful white horse.

Each of these students receives a $75 gift certificate for books or software. Sponsoring teachers get $50 gift certificates.