89-A

Wind blew through the valley, hot and dry. No one ventured out during the day, for fear of facing what felt like a furnace.

It did not help that there was no rain. None. Not even a drop in over 15 years. All their water was imported, and therefore a commodity of high value.

The townspeople would watch the weather reports as all their surrounding towns would be getting flooded, the storms would stop in a 60-mile radius around them.

The mayor had brought in scientific experts after expert in every field, after a while he brought in priests, then witch doctors and shaman. Mayor Jhenkins even consulted a feng shui expert. Their answers became increasingly frustrating.

It had been over a year since any experts had come out, more than likely due to the town's budget being dryer than its land.

Verde valley had been lush and green, a thriving agricultural community until the droughts. Old Crazy Bonnie down the street kept going on and on about the solstice ritual, that the whole town needed to perform it. She always gave me funny looks.

When I asked about it, Dad had said it was a bonfire where people threw things from their childhood into the fire and asked for some spirits blessing.

He shook his head and ruffled my hair as he tossed the rest of his packs in our old beat-up truck, he was going to be gone for another 2 weeks. I hated these work trips; he went over to coal mesa county for work. There was not any work here in Verde, it had not been for a while and so dad had to take what he could get.

"Alright 89A, Get Tracy if anything goes wrong while I'm gone. I love you honey, I will be back soon." With that he got in the pickup and left.

I blew out a breath, Tracy was our neighbor and Dad's childhood friend. I knew he was nervous...He had used my nickname. I was nervous too. Well, I needed to get back to my homework. Ever since Mom had passed, 4 summers ago, it was just Dad and I and we were determined to make her proud in our own ways. A wind kicked up out of nowhere and set Mom's Seaglass chimes on our porch to tinkling, as if Mom were saying "I'm here, I'm with you. Keep going". I turned and went inside the house, locking up and steeling myself for all the advanced class homework that I had signed up for.

At some point in the night, I had fallen asleep and was pulled out of my slumber by the loud rumble of a motorcycle speeding down my street. I whipped my head up too fast and the textbook that had served as my pillow fell off my face to thunk onto our wooden floor.

No one had a bike in town, not since Uncle Norm had sold his to keep his mortgage. I got up and went to bed, I would ask at school in the morning.

The next day passed by too quickly for me to ask about the strange bike. As luck would have it on my way home, I stopped by Kurts's general for a few essentials, marshmallows, and chocolate, and there at the front is a red Harley parked in Kurt's spot.

I did my shopping and headed to the register, Kurt ran his store by himself even though he was pushing 70, Standing behind the counter and chattering away with Kurt was a stranger. He was a little shorter than Kurt and had jet black hair and chubby cheeks that said he didn't even know what a drought was.

"89, Smores again?" Kurt wiggled his eyebrows and gave me a broad smile.

I grinned back, Kurts smiles were infectious "Best part of being on my own. I get to pick dinner!"

He laughed "too true. Hey, this is my nephew, Pete. Pete's from the big city, and I think about your age. Think you could show him around, I will have my hands full with paperwork after I close today?"

I blinked at Kurt "Sure, not much to see though" I shrugged.

Pete blinked at me and seemed a little shocked.

"Well now, that's true but it's nice to be familiar with where you're going to be spending your summer. Since you're nice enough to do me a favor you can have your goods on the house today and you can use my truck." Kurt winked at me.

I stood gaping as he pulled the keys from under the register and tossed them to me. Kurt must really want his nephew out of the way. Wonder if the kid was getting on his nerves that badly.

Kurt turned to his nephew "Well Kiddo, go on ahead with 89 and see the town, be home by dinnertime or Cheryl will have a fit"

Kurt turned to me" Ida you can keep the truck for a few days. It is fine. and you are always welcome to have dinner with us...if you ever get tired of smores, that is." He grinned again and I mirrored his expression. Meanwhile Pete already had his apron off and was grabbing his jacket.

"You're not going to need a jacket." I felt my brow furrow in puzzlement.

Pete's eyebrows rose and then he looked a little sheepish "oh, I didn't even think about it. I never go anywhere without it."

I nodded "come on, let's start this guided tour"

He smiled and started walking to the main doors, I followed his strides and we fell into an easy rhythm. We were both silent once the oven-like air hit us as we opened the doors.

In the parking lot, I found Kurts green puck up with ease, opened the door and tossed my backpack in, Pete climbed in the passenger side and closed the door.

As I started it up, he looked at me and asked "Why does Uncle Kurt call you 89? You are Ida Birms, right?"

I felt a little put off by that "yeah, how did you know?"

"I went through the advanced placement summer school listings and your name and picture were one of the few there"

"Interesting hobby you have there." I was weirded out.

Pete shook his head "it's not like I'm a weirdo. My folks said that if I get one more speeding ticket, I am going to be here till I graduate. I took a boatload of advanced placement at home and wanted you to see if there was anyone here that I could study with. Uncle Kurt mentioned you to my parents before they sent me out here. They all wanted to make sure I would still be social while I was here and not use it as an excuse to stay in my room and read all of the time."

Now I got it. Pete and his family had decided that he needed a friend. Well, it would be nice to have somebody to study with and Pete seemed ok. He had to be cool, I had spied the latest edition of my favorite graphic novel- Thunder City- in his inner jacket pocket.

"Well Pete, I'm Ida. Everybody calls me 89. And if you're cool enough to read Thunder city then you're cool enough to hang out with in my book."

He grinned "saw that hunh"

"Yep"

Over the next week, Pete and I spent time together a lot. So much so that he ended up talking to Crazy Bonnie about the solstice ritual. Which he decided to ask about while we were studying that afternoon.

"Dad never said anything about it. And Mom just mentioned a few tidbits." I crunched down a smore.

"I spoke with Bonnie for a while. It does not need you be the whole town, even just 2 people will work if they want the drought to end badly enough. What do you say? It is worth a shot?"

I mulled it over "yeah but it would just be you and me. And you are not from around here and you do not have any childhood possessions on you?

To which he held up a button "from my first bear when I was a baby."

I looked at him warily "your awfully prepared for somebody who just learned about this"

He looked away "okay fine, I got the speeding ticket on purpose. Truth is, I have been looking into this local legend for a while. There are different ones specific to each area, we have our own back home. I started researching when I was little because of Uncle Kurt.......if the drought doesn't let up, Uncle Kurt is going to be in big trouble."

"What? My jaw had dropped open and was just hanging there.

He looked back at me "want to give it a shot?"

I debated for a moment and then nodded "I will go grab a stuffy or something and you get the fire started in the backyard. Matches, lighter fluid are in the cabinet by the mugs and dry sticks are everywhere."

"Got it"

We went to accomplish our missions and met back up in the yard. Pete had the fire burning bright when I came out.

"Ready?" Pete asked

"Yeah. Here we go."

"Wait what's that? " He nodded at the postcard I held in my hands.

I felt a wave of nostalgia sweep over me again "you asked me why everybody calls me 89, well its short for my middle name- 89-A. Its where my mom found me one night while she was out driving. She and Dad had had a fight and she needed to clear her head. Then she found me wandering along the side of the road. I did not talk so she wrapped me up and took me back here with her. She always said I was her little miracle. This is the postcard that she got for me so I would remember to believe in miracles."

When I looked at Pete he was in tears "wow. Are you sure?

I nodded. Pete nodded and then we held hands and chanted the verses. At the very end we threw our offerings into the flames.

The fire expanded and then a chilly wind blew through. The heaviness in the air that I thought was just my imagination burst like a soap bubble.

Pete and I blinked at each other, then we shook ourselves and he poured some water on the fire remnants just in case.

"Ida, let's go visit where your mom found you. It only seems right."

I considered. "Yeah, ok, your right."

We piled into his uncle's jeep and headed for 89-A.

As we drove, we talked about comics and this and that until I came to a screeching halt as something started moving in the road.

It was so pale a tiny that I thought it was a bird or something.

On closer observation, I realized that it was a small child.

I pulled over and jumped out of the car, Pette hard on my heels. Thus, it had to be a coincidence. I also made a note to call highway patrol when we got back, people better not be just dumping their kids out!

I called what I assumed was a little girl, she was frail and thin with a curly mass of white hair on her head and watery blue eyes. She just sat all huddled up and blinked at me

.

I approached with my hands up and told her that I meant no harm and was here to help. Pete had Kurts's emergency blanket from the truck on the other side of me in case she ran.

I made it all the way to her, she stood and motioned that she wanted up, I picked her up marveling at her lack of weight and she fell asleep in my arms. I looked around for tire tracks or something to indicate how she got here, there was nothing.

Pete came up and wrapped her in the blanket. He drove back to town as I held her on my lap.

I did not blame the kid for sleeping so hard, the stress and shock of it all would have been too much for anybody to handle.

As we drove back in, it was pouring rain all over our town. Pete and I swiftly turned to look at each other. It had worked!

The next week passed, and Pete and I took turns taking care of Mazy, she would not talk so we named her that (after Mazy Star, her song Fade into You had been playing when we found Mazy that night) for now. It rained all week. There were doctor visits and state worker visits, but nobody took her from my care. She was a calm little thing.

When Dad got back, I told him everything. He did not bat an eye, just picked Mazy up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. In a way, it made him feel like our family was complete - Mazy filled the hole that grief had dug into my father and his heart.

Dad found work at home again, and Verde Valley prospered. Pete and I spent time together, studied and took care of Mazy.

Crazy Bonnie stopped me one day as I was heading to school.

"Thank you, Ida."

I smiled confusedly "Sure Miss Bonnie...for what"

"For bringing home the guardian and taking good care of her."

"What?"

Bonnis sighed and sat back in her rocking "the bonfire is only part of the rite. The spirit that it raises will come in a helpless form- sometimes a wounded or sick animal and sometimes a small child or a pregnant woman...it tests us to see if we are worthy by how we treat it in its guise of weakness. If we show kindness, then it will rain. 15 years ago, after the ritual, a drunk and self-involved man came upon a small child in need of help. He drove away, and we have had drought ever since. He stopped the rituals once he became mayor out of guilt."

"Mayor Jhenkins?!?" I gave a strangled gasp

Bonnie nodded "Ida, you were the guardian before Mazy. "

"That is not true. I would have brought rain. I prayed so many times!"

"The reason that the ritual needs to be done every 5 years is that once the vessel has been here for 5 years it becomes a part of our world and stays corporeal. It loses its skills and gains a mortal life. Just like you did sweetie.