Four Days to Hold a Summer

When Olivia stepped out through the school’s main doors and onto the front steps… Oh! For the last time that school year! That felt fantastic.

At that moment, the sun was shining through a gap in the clouds, as if inviting her into an adventure. Birds were singing somewhere nearby, as if cheering her on. Five years of elementary school were over, and soon she would be turning thirteen. It meant SOMETHING to her. Thirteen was the age Gabe had never reached…

And now… entering middle school meant more freedom, more choices, more control over her time, and parties with friends - real parties, not hanging around with parents or older relatives.

Liv had many plans. Some were already written down in her SECRET notebook; others were still only in her head. The next day, Abigail had invited her to the amusement park near the river, and later that week Olivia was planning to go shopping with her mom in the city center. Besides, very soon they were going to visit her grandpa on the coast.

It was exciting!

Well… some plans actually worked out.

But now it was the end of August. The end of August! There were only four days left before the new school year. She wished summer would never end. That wasn’t enough!

Liv was sitting on her bed, hugging her knees. Moonlight spilled through the window, and cicadas were singing in the yard. She felt frustrated and tired, but she didn’t want to sleep. Johnny had invited her to hang out the next day. He had returned from summer camp a few days earlier. Last spring, they had become friends after he saved her from a scary dog in the park. She wanted to meet him and talk to him. But that would mean giving up half a day or more.

And there were so many things on her wish list!

How was she supposed to fit a whole summer into four days?

She left her room hesitantly and went downstairs to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of juice. A small light in the living room was still on.

“Mom?” she called, heading there, not even sure what she wanted to say next.

“Yes, darling,” came the answer.

Her mom was sitting on the couch, reading a book. Olivia sat down beside her.

“Did your summers fly by this quickly too?” she asked. “I mean, the summer was good. But…”

The corners of her mouth lifted as she remembered Grandpa’s stories by the campfire.

“But school is so soon.”

Her mom’s eyes sparkled with mischief.

“I used to go almost crazy when it was time to go back to school,” she said, making a funny face on “crazy.”

Liv giggled.

“But you were so into learning. You said you liked school!”

“I did, actually. But nothing compares to summer, right?” She winked at Liv with a sly smile.

“Were you also into book hunts?”

“No, not really. Not until I met your father. He was the real book-hunt fan.”

“Oh, yes,” Olivia said, and the warmth in her face faded a little. “I miss him so much. And Gabe.”

A shadow crossed her mom’s face.

“Me too, darling. Your brother would have loved to see you turn thirteen. He always said older kids should know where they are going, not just chase everything at once.”

“He was kind… and smart… and he was my best friend,” Liv said.

“But you know what?” Mom turned to her. “They are always with me. With us. I can feel it.”

She gave Olivia that warm, unmistakable smile that only she had.

“I would love to feel that too,” Liv said, hugging her mom.

She hugged Liv back, still holding the novel. The bookmark slipped from between the pages and fell to the floor with a soft sound.

Mom picked it up. It was a picture taken a month earlier.

“Remember?” she asked.

The deep evening sky and the glowing surf instantly brought back vivid memories.

“Of course!” Olivia exclaimed, taking the picture.

Grandpa had prepared that book hunt for her. And the last clue - the word “evening” - had completed the puzzle:

The hill above the bay this evening.

Olivia had proudly reported her discovery to him. Then they had gone there together, taking only water and flashlights. It turned out to be just a fifteen-minute walk from the house.

When they reached the hill, breathing in the salty freshness of the air and looking out over the bay, the sight took Liv’s breath away.

The surf was glowing with a gentle blue light, as if the water held a secret life beneath the surface. Tiny sparks of light seemed to frolic in the waves, spilling out, fading, and then suddenly flaring up again from nowhere.

“What is this?” she had asked.

“The mystery of life,” Grandpa replied. “And if you use your imagination, you may see that the trails of light are showing the way to the bottom of the bay - to somewhere hidden. Maybe even to a mermaid kingdom.”

Olivia had smiled.

“You’re kidding! I’m not that little!”

But for a second, it had seemed to her that he was right. Beneath the dark water, faint glowing paths really did appear to lead somewhere deeper down - to the entrance of a hidden kingdom.

They talked a lot on their way back to the house. But later Liv would remember only one thing:

“When the world grows darker,” Grandpa had said, “many people become anxious and lose their way. But sometimes darkness is where hidden hope begins to shine. It has been there all along, waiting to show us the way.”

"Like the North that’s always there... my dad used to say that” - Olivia remembered.

Grandpa chuckled softly and stopped, looking at Liv in the Moonlight. "Yes, like the North." The warm kindness of voice make her skin tingle.

“It was amazing,” she said, coming back from the memory and gently running her slender fingers over the glowing surf in the photo.

Then she smiled to herself, kissed her mom, and said, “Good night.”

When she entered her room, she went straight to the desk to find her own copy of that picture.

While looking through her notebooks and papers, she found an old note.

Was it from some old book hunt?

She couldn’t quite remember.

It read:

Top shelf, third from the left, page 12, fourth line, words 2 and 7.

For a moment, she thought it would not work. The note was too old, and maybe the books had been moved a hundred times since then.

But still, she reached for the book of adventure stories in that exact place.

Page 12. Fourth line. Words 2 and 7.

Drawer. Round.

Olivia frowned.

There were only two drawers in her desk. In the top one, there was not a single round thing. She opened the bottom drawer and pushed aside an old sketchbook, loose papers, small boxes, postcards, little gifts, and notebooks.

The picture of the glowing surf was there too, lying among all those things.

But at the very bottom… there was a compass.

Dad’s gift.

She had completely forgotten it was there.

She picked it up and held it in her hands.

For a second, the room felt strangely quiet.

“The North is always there,” she remembered him saying. “Even in chaos. Even when everything seems to mislead you. It is there - and you can find your way.”

She sighed. She had promised Johnny. It was right to meet him tomorrow. And the wish list… She would think about it later.

In her dream, Liv waved goodbye to her dad and stepped into the warm water, sparkling in the morning light. She went deeper and deeper and soon found herself walking beneath the surface.

Tiny lights played around her, whirling and gliding.

She did not need to breathe down there. Somehow, the water felt like home.

A mermaid who looked a lot like Abigail greeted her and invited her into the secret kingdom. They drifted deeper, watching coral gardens and playful fish all around them. They talked and talked. The water held them gently, almost as if it cared. Then the mermaid said something to Olivia.

Something important.

That feeling was all that was left when Liv woke up to gentle sunlight filling the room. For a few seconds, she wanted to slip back into the dream. She tried to force herself to remember the mermaid’s message.

But it was gone.

Liv stretched lazily and got out of bed. Her gaze fell on the bedside table.

The compass.

Had she put it there? She was sure she had left it in the drawer. Mom? But why? When she picked it up again, she realized it was covering another piece of paper, folded several times.

She unfolded it and read:

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Page 4, bottom line, second word from the right. Then Chapter One, line 2, word 4.

Olivia was puzzled. This shouldn’t mean anything. Unless her mom wanted to play? But she never did.

Olivia remembered where the book was. It took her a minute to find the words:

listen to sister

“To sister?” she asked herself. “Maybe it means a cousin?”

She had two girl cousins. Which one?

Her phone buzzed with a notification.

“Hm,” she thought. “Who could it be so early?”

As she swiped to unlock the phone, she saw a voice message from Bella, her cousin who lived in a neighboring city.

Had Mom arranged it? Unlikely.

She tapped the button.

“Hi, Liv. How are you doing? If you have a chance to meet Johnny, ask him about that riddle he asked me at camp. It was cool - something about a road - but I’ve forgotten it.”

Olivia knew they had been at camp together that summer.

Everything that was happening was weird and… kind of magical.

The wish list was on the table. Long and important. And time was running out.

She sighed and went to the bathroom.

During breakfast, Liv tried to find out whether her mom had arranged this book hunt. Her mom only raised her eyebrows and gave an innocent shrug, as if she knew nothing.

Well, Olivia thought, if it had been her, she wouldn’t say so anyway…

As Liv stepped off the bus at the park entrance, Johnny was already waiting for her. He greeted her with a wide smile, waving excitedly. They did their secret fist greeting, as always, and headed inside.

“Let’s go!” he said. “I found a really special place here!” He pointed in that direction.

Johnny was always open and talkative. He shared all the stories from camp, including some funny ones with Bella and their other friends.

“Have you ever seen a meteor shower?” he asked suddenly.

“No… not really,” Olivia responded.

“We had such a show one night at the campfire!” Johnny’s eyes were sparkling. “Sometimes there were several shooting stars at once. Can you imagine?”

“Wow! I had some night talks with my grandpa, but we never saw anything like that.”

Johnny was eager to hear all about her adventures.

“Here,” he said eventually.

After a short climb, they found themselves on a huge rock above the park lake, with a great view below.

“That’s magnificent!” Liv exclaimed. “When did you… find this place?” She tried not to sound too impressed.

“A month ago, before I left. I’ve really wanted to show it to you since then.”

“Actually,” he said, opening his backpack, “take this.”

He gave her a sandwich and took out another one for himself.

“I’ve got cola too,” he added, and handed her a small bottle.

“That’s so kind of you,” Olivia said, pleased.

They shared all their stories.

She even wanted to tell him about the mermaid dream and a strange book hunt, but hesitated.

“Did you finish your summer wish list?” she asked him eventually, watching the swans gliding on the surface of the lake.

“Honestly, I did.”

“But how? I still have such a long way to go.”

“How many items do you have?” he asked, drinking his cola.

“Forty-three. It’s kind of a magical number. If you add the digits up, you get seven.”

“Wow!” He looked astonished. “That’s so… a lot! I had around ten.”

“Oh, that’s why!” Liv smiled.

“You know, Bella didn’t have a wish list at all.”

“No way! That’s crazy!” Now it was her turn to be surprised.

“Actually, I got a voice message from her this morning. She wanted me to ask you a question about some joke or riddle. I’d better let you listen.”

She handed him her phone.

“Aha!” he said after listening. “She liked it! I adapted it all by myself. Check this out!”

He struck a theatrical pose:

The more you take, the more you leave behind.

Lose track of us, and to your past you’re blind.

Who are we?

“Hm…” Olivia paused.

“Take your time,” he said generously, with a satisfied smile.

“Days?”

“Wrong, but… it makes some sense.” He gave her a sly look.

“Months?”

“No way. Not that kind.” He waved his hands as if brushing it off.

“Sandwiches!” she laughed.

“Do you give up?”

“Sure.” Liv looked intrigued.

“It’s about footsteps. That’s what connects our whole way from the past to the future.”

Olivia froze as if she had seen a ghost. “Repeat it… please.”

“Why? Well… It’s footsteps… They connect everything from the past to the future.”

A final part of her dream came back to her in all its clarity, as if she were dreaming with her eyes open:

“Don’t count your footsteps, Olivia,” the mermaid whispered. “Feel them. When you cherish each step, the hidden magic inside you begins to wake. That is your compass. Remember: in darkness or chaos, hope still shines. But only a quiet heart can feel where the compass points. You already have enough.”

“I already have enough,” she whispered, as if hypnotized.

“You’re a genius!” she said, turning to Johnny, her voice full of excitement.

“Am I?” He looked surprised.

“Can I hug you?”

“Oh, hm… I suppo…”

She gave him a hug and then shook his hand. “Thank you! You made my day!”

Johnny looked totally lost.

“But what happened?”

“The mystery of life,” she responded happily, using her grandpa’s phrase.

And she told Johnny the whole story.

“Awesome!” he said. “Maybe you’re kind of a ghost whisperer? Or a mermaid whisperer? And how could this whole book hunt have happened? I don’t believe your mom arranged it.”

“I don’t think so either. It’s not like her.”

She paused for a while.

The phone buzzed with another text from Mom:

“Shouldn’t you be back by now? Where are you?”

“Maybe we should go.”

“Yep. Let’s go,” Johnny responded, jumping to his feet.

“Actually, sometimes I believe I hear whispers,” she continued as they headed back to the park gates. “Who knows? But the only whispers I heard for sure were the ones when my mom was talking secretly on the phone.”

“It’s not good to listen in,” Johnny said, pretending to scold her.

“I didn’t. I just heard. It sounded like someone had asked her out. But she always refused, quite emphatically. She said Dad was her only love.”

“Cool!” Johnny looked impressed.

“But what now? What does this magic tell you?”

“I have enough already. Sometimes it’s good to cherish the past and… the present.” She gave him a kind smile. “I may reconsider my wish list. And school is not the end. Right?”

“Sure. It might just be the start of a new adventure. See?”

He pointed to the sky, where awesome pink clouds were glowing in the sunset.

When Olivia arrived at school on the first day of the new term, she knew that her dad and her brother were there with her. In her heart. And they were happy for her.

“Hi, Liv!”

Abigail came up behind her and caught her in a hug.

“Hi!” Olivia hugged her back.

I should definitely talk to her, she thought. Maybe Abby had her own piece of the puzzle.

“Hey, guys!” Johnny approached them with his bright smile. “Ready for the next adventure?”

And he opened the main door.