Before Summer Ends (On Hold)

Before Summer Ends

     C H A P T E R    O N E 

                             Aviary had entered the small village of Portwood much sooner than she had hoped. Portwood was nothing more than an over-populated sea-side town, looped on two sides by a tangle of woodland and singled by a vast web of sanitary fisherman lakes.

                                           Perhaps that was one of the reasons as to why Aviary was so greatly disordered about the situation. It hadn't exactly been on her bucket list to pack up and leave her childhood settlement and depart to a completely new village just over two states away.

                                  It had apparently been considered by her foolish guardian – her loathed uncle whom she hadn't shared more than three words with since she had met him for the first time little over a month ago – and the bomb had been dropped on the third day of summer vacation.

                                 It wasn't that Aviary had expected her uncle to downright abandon his life back in Portwood for her and she had accepted that she would probably be sailed there for a fresh start at some point, but never had she predicted it would be so soon after the death of her parents.

                                    The dull town of Portwood passed Aviary's window hastily and Aviary took note of the ancient looking buildings which were lined in rows behind the wide sidewalk. A small book store was positioned tightly between a modest candy store and endearing coffee shop.

                                "Most of these stores have been 'ere since my youth." Rodger shoved one of his burly hands into the pocket of his shabby jeans and tightened the other on the steering wheel as he easily winged through the adequately appealing streets.

                 Aviary glanced at her uncle in surprise. It wasn't often her uncle decided to communicate – and it certainly wasn't frequent for him to commence a conversation.

                        "I think I'll check out that book store sometime." Aviary cast her curious regard to the other side of the street as she awaited a response. A beautiful, exquisite stretch of lake ran below a stumpy dock which was linked to the upper-street by a shabby breakout of marble stairs.

                                      Concealing the lake was a vast majority of altered fisherman boats and running prior to the lake was a cunning frame of wooden docks. Shielding the lake from behind was a thick, complication of woodland which wrapped around the lake scenically.

                                                        As Rodger continued to hurl through the rough, sandy tracks the village soon became indistinct and soon Aviary could see nothing but an obscure outline of an isolated house in the hazy, verdant build-up of hills on either side of road.

                            "We're almost there. I took the long road; I thought it would give you a little more idea of what the village is like." Rodger confessed as the battered truck skidded around an edgy corner. Rodger scratched his reddened neck nervously as the truck grew closer to the house. Rodger hadn't a single child and he certainly didn't know a thing about raising a sixteen year old girl, but he was determined to try his best and welcome Aviary as much as possible.

                              A small grin curled the corners of Aviary's lips. She hadn't expected her uncle to do that for her. Perhaps she was judging him too quickly – she barely knew him and so far despite his lack of communication he seemed to be endeavouring various attempts to grow some sort of relationship between them both.