Argonauts of Summer

Chapter One: Southern Fireflies

Summertime in the south was a sight everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. The heat during the day, the cool thick breeze during the night, and the answers to all life's great mysteries… if you were lucky.

Friends made the summer even better. They could make watching paint dry fun. That's all you need in life. Something to do, and someone to do it with. As long as you have that, you'll do fine.

The Summer in the south had It's dull moments too. Summer school for some, Summer jobs for others. But If you were lucky, you had friends doing the same thing to pull you out of a dull mindset.

The weekends would help you in times of need. No school, less chores, less jobs, and more free time. Go to the lake, river, drive-in's, theaters, parties, picnics, and even the old fort in the woods built from spare wood from all over town.

Whatever it was that you did, the summer will always be the time of your life you’ll miss the most. You'll have your moments later in life, but as a child, the summer is your life. Take the time to enjoy it while you can, because once it’s gone...

June 7th, 1982 First day of vacation.

The first Monday of June had Earl "Ace" Flynn off to a slow start. Having awoken at three in the morning and not being able to complete his daily rituals, had him cranky. His short hair was aloof from sleeping and his breath could still catch fire from the whiskey he consumed the night before.

Earl was on vacation. Took two weeks off from the custom boat shop he ran in town. His first act on vacation was to spend time with his son, Jason. They were to build themselves a river boat. One that was modeled after a pirate ship. Jason came up with the idea, but given that he is only 8, there wouldn't be much of a choice in projects for the Summer.

Earl opened the door to Jason's room. The wood floor creaked as he made his way to the bed. Softly and with a smoked rasp, Earl called his name. "Jason... c'mon son." He tugged on his covered up shoulder. "Time to go. Get up and ready, I'll get breakfast started."

Earl stood as Jason slowly stretched his way out of the covers. Jason went flat after throwing his blankets to the ground. As he rubbed his eyes to clear the sleep away, Earl called out from the door. "We need to hurry so we don't wake mom. S'ko. "

Jason tossed in his bed for a minute before finally pulling himself away from the grasp his bed had on his body. For the next few minutes he struggled to get his jeans and tank top on. Bed head in tow, he made his way to the kitchen Where his dad had already begun to consume a bowl of corn flakes. "Just cereal today." Earl let out between spoonfuls.

Nodding back and forth as he tried to take a bite of his cereal, Jason finally came to as his father snapped his fingers in front of his face. It took them both another few minutes to down the rest and throw the bowls into the pile of dishes already leaning in the sink. Jason finally had his shoes on as he hopped out of the front door letting the screen slam shut with a final creak of the hinges.

They both pulled all of the wood that Earl had acquired over the last month into his trailer bed. "Get the tool box and I'll grab the rest." Earl motioned back to the garage. Jason struggled with the box before loading it into the back of his dad's red pickup at the same time Earl was able to get the rest of the supplies in.

It was nearly four in the morning when they hit the road. The sky was still dark and the street lamps still lit the way into town. Jason was one of the only kids in his group of friends that didn't live in town or in the nearby suburbs. They still had a bit of a drive to get to the lake though.

The town was small and had small businesses, It's bank, a park, two schools, plenty of liquor stores, and of course, your neighborhood bait and tackle shop. The gas stations even had the signs that aged and nobody changed them because it would ruin the authenticity of that small town feel. The suburbs were built just outside of town in 1980 and housed most of the workers that came from out of town to work at the new mill put in the same year.

It brought with it jobs, without harming local businesses. It didn’t add to Earl’s customer base dramatically, but there was a good enough increase in custom jobs. The lake and river became busier during the early summer days which meant more boat time.

Jason held his head against the passenger side window as the small bumps in the road rattled his teeth. He watched the houses as they were leaving town wondering If Phil and Harold were up yet. All the lights were still off except for a few porch lights here and there.

Earl glanced over at his son while stopping at a cross traffic stop sign. No other vehicle on the highway except for a few trucks. "Almost there, bud." Earl assured his son before stepping on the gas.

Five had hit Earl's pocket watch as they reached the dirt road that led to a small bank of the lake that Earl's father had owned and passed down to him. Earl built a small boathouse on the six acre spot he had. That Monday was the day he added a boat to go inside the dock.

The lake was fairly large and had several run-off rivers that headed south. Summer was when the lake and rivers were filled with kids and adults living out their days on earth. But this day was for a father and son.

They unloaded the wood and supplies and began working on their boat. The plans laid on the trailer bed with a couple of rocks holding it down as they nailed it all together. The frame was up by six in the morning, when the sun began to burn shadows into the ground beneath the trees. The breeze was gone that day.

It took them until noon to fully finish the frame and the layers. Earl wiped more sweat off his brow with a red rag. "You ready for lunch, Jason?" Earl coughed hard into his hand before wiping his jeans turning them slightly brown. Jason looked up from sanding the rim and nodded to his father in reply as he watched him hide his palm.

Earl pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket and smacked the bottom. "Let's go to town and grab some burgers." He lit up the cigarette. "Been craving one for about a week now." His lips held onto the stick as he talked.

"Dad." Jason spoke out as he was stepping down from his step ladder.

"Yeah." Earl replied while lifting the gate to his truck.

"Can we stop by and see If Harold is home?" Jason asked as he was pulling himself into the truck cab.

Earl stopped as he was entering. With one hand on the rolled down window and his eyes on the lake, he took another drag of the cigarette and got into his truck that read “Iolcus - Custom Boats and Accessories” on a faded decal smacked on the large part of both doors.. "Sure." It wasn't a disappointing reply, but it was there, sitting at the back of Jason's mind, that he had slightly angered his father.

"We can call it a day and come back tomorrow to finish the mast and sail." Earl started the truck. "Painting it can wait." They backed out of the woods without the trailer and headed back into town. Jason held his gaze away from his father for the rest of the trip back.

June 8th, 1982 Second day of vacation.

The following morning Earl began his routine at five. Awake and not dragging his feet. He felt more alive. It took him until 6 to finish his daily needs and get breakfast started. Eggs and Bacon with a side of toast for himself, his wife who was just getting up from their bed, and for Jason, who was still passed out in his bed.

Judy Madea Flynn. A blond beauty two years younger than Earl. She filled out into the kitchen with her pink robe and hair drawn into a pony. "Morning, sweetie." She became a stay at home mom three years back, once Earl took over the store. Judy's father left the store in Earl's name before he passed.

Earl finished the last plate and sat it down on the wooden table. "Didn't feel like cutting up potatoes." Earl said as he pulled Judy's chair.

"That's Okay. Thank you for making breakfast." She sat in her chair. "Jason isn't up yet?"

"No. He stayed up a little late last night. Kept going on about a movie coming out Friday." He replied as he moved down the long shag carpeted hallway. He stopped at the second door and knocked. "Jason." His calm raspy voice was loud enough to drag Jason's soul away from his dream.

"I'm up!" Jason panted nearly out of breath. He pulled himself from his bed and drug himself to the kitchen table.

"Good morning, Jason." Judy greeted her son with a smile on her face and a piece of toast in her hand.

They all sat and ate their breakfast together for the first time in a few weeks. "Jason, does Harold still want to help with the boat?"

"No, he said he had to help his mom in town today." Jason replied with the last bit of egg going into his mouth.

"Well, give me your plate and go get dressed." Earl commanded as he stood up from the table. His hand reached out to Judy's plate as she was staring at Jason. "Babe..."

Startled, She looked up to Earl. "Sorry, honey." She picked her plate up and handed it over to him. "How long will you two be out today?"

"Maybe home by five." Earl turned to the sink. "We should be able to test it in the water today." He placed the plates in the sink and finished his tea he had sitting on the counter.

"Well, I'm going to sleep a little longer today. You boys have fun, and be careful." Judy stood, kissed Earl, and left for their bed.

In no time they were on the road to the boat. Earl seemed to be in a better mood because the radio was on the entire way.

"And that was Bobbie Sue, by none other than the Oak Ridge Boys." The radio spat out. "And now for a little Jerry Reed." It continued as an electric guitar began to be picked. " Well, I guess it was back in sixty-three When eating my cooking got the better of me So asked this little girl I was going with to be my wife..."

Jason would only glance over to his father every so often to see a slight smile as they drove.

The mast was installed, bolted down, and the ship was ready to slide out into the water. They held on to either side of the trailer and eased it into the waters edge. It splashed down and started to float away before the rope holding to the bank caught it. The noon sun cast out over the lake and brought with it a slight breeze. Earl felt it on his face as he took a deep breath. "You ready to get in?" He said with hidden enthusiasm.

"Yes, sir!" Jason called back as he waded into the water.

Earl grabbed the rope and untied it from the anchor post he made a few Summers back. "Jason, get out of the water and get into the boat house." Jason nodded with disappointment. "I built the dock for a reason."

Earl let himself into the cool water and began to swim around to the front of the dock while guiding the boat. Jason stood above the water and grabbed onto the boat as it closed in. "Hold on to the boat tight, son." Earl let out while bobbing underneath the water slightly. Jason held onto the boat as Earl climbed up onto the dock and tied the loose end of the rope down.

"Alright, get in and wait for me." Jason listened closely and did as he was told. The boat rocked a second time as Earl put his foot in while letting the rope go. With his other foot, he kicked away from the dock. It swayed back and forth until they both got settled.

They looked at each other as the wind began to pick up. "Pull it." Earl hastened as Jason let out the small sail. The boat began to float even more away from the dock and fly with the wind.

"Yeah!" Jason screamed. Earl stood up with a hunch and made his way to the small helm toward the captains quarters. It was too small for a man, but perfect for Jason and his friends.

"This is just a test run. We'll have to fix any problems with it tomorrow." Earl tilted the helm to the left and made sure the steering was properly secured. He then began to rock the boat back and forth to see how well it held up against moving about.

"Dad, what time are we coming out tomorrow?" The boy said as he held onto the edges of the boat.

"After we get some of your friends, we can head out here by noon." He looked up and down the mast looking for cracks, observing the bolts and metal work, and watched the deck for any obscurities. "That'll be the real test."

They stayed out in the water until it started to get dark. The sun was gone and the stars began to appear. Millions of stars could be seen from the very low light level near the lake.

"Dad, look!" Jason exclaimed as he pointed at small blinking lights along the bank of the lake. "Fireflies!"

"Quite a lot of them tonight." He turned the boat back toward the dock. "Remember, Jason. If you ever find yourself in the dark and you've lost your way, look for the fireflies." Jason glanced back to his father as Earl's gaze never broke the line of the dock. "They will guide you home."

The fireflies began to flicker in unison. "Whoa!" Jason shouted as they neared the dock with cicadas singing with the lightning bugs.

"Some say, If you see a large firefly, you gain luck for years." Earl went on with mysticism.

"How big does it need to be?" Jason asked with curiosity.

"As big as a house." Earl quickly responded.

"Nuh uh..." Jason declined to accept the truth of his father's words. Earl grabbed hold of the dock as Jason got out of the boat to tie it up.

"Let's head home, buddy. " Earl pulled himself out of the boat. "Remember, first thing in the morning, gather up your friends at the house before noon." It didn't take long for them to finish up and make it back home that night. Dinner was just getting to the table as they walked through the door. Summer was great.

June 9th, 1982 Third day of vacation.

Jason rode his bike to Harold's first thing in the morning. Philip lived down the street so Harold also grabbed his bike for the trip. From there they headed out to the twins house closer to the market in town. Cas and Paul. The twins were a year younger than the rest of the boys, but that didn't stop them from becoming best friends.

Noon came around and they had finally reached the lake. Wheeling in as Earl finished patching a hole in the side of the boat. His truck was on with the radio blasting from the rolled down windows. "Dad! We're here!" Jason screamed as he dropped off his bike and let it crash into the leaves on the ground. The other boys followed suit.

"You boys go ahead and get in. We need to test the weight out." Earl called back from the dock. The rest of the day was filled with jokes and horse play on the boat. Earl took the boys to the river for a bit until it started getting dark.

The boat held all the boys and Earl. No more holes appeared. It was ready to be painted. After the boys helped Earl get the boat back, they swam and played on a rope swing by the lake until suppertime.

June 10th, 1982 Fourth day of vacation.

"Dad!" Jason tried to wake his father. Earl shrugged himself awake.

"Jason." His raspy voice called out. "You boys..." Earl turned over as Judy was getting out of bed.

Jason sat on a chair next to the bed while trying to keep the jeans on the back of it. "Are we still going out today?" He asked his father.

Judy walked over to Jason and motioned him out of the room. "Your father isn't feeling too well today." She held onto his shoulder as they entered the kitchen. "He wants you to take your cart and your bike and paint the boat with your friends."

"Okay." Jason replied with little hesitation.

"He'll meet you down there when he is feeling a little better." Judy went on as Earl continued to cough inside the room.

Jason and his friends gathered at the boat that Earl had placed back onto the trailer and up on the bank while they swam the day before. They had the paint and brushes in Jason's cart and were ready to paint.

"Jason." Paul called out as a large brush went flying. Jason looked up just in time to catch it. Paul passed the rest out to Phil, Harold, and his brother Cas.

"So, how are we painting it?" Cas asked.

"Brown. The trim will be blue." Jason stated.

"That's it?" Paul put in.

"A yellow swirled stripe down the middle?" Jason replied.

"What about the sail?" Harold also asked.

"We can save that for last. Maybe my dad will come up with something." Jason pulled out a paint can and began to put on a thick dark brown coat on the Hull. The others soon joined in.

The day quickly came to an end. The boys were tired and covered in paint. Fireflies began to pulse along the river bank as they gathered everything back in Jason's cart.

"So, are we going to get to take it out tomorrow?" Cas asked everyone.

"That new movie comes out tomorrow!" Harold exclaimed. "We should go see it!"

"I'm sure my dad wouldn't mind. I don't think he'll be feeling well enough to come out anyways." Jason replied. He hopped onto his bike. "Let's go before we miss supper."

They boys saddled up and rode off back to town.

June 11th, 1982 Fifth day of vacation

Earl was gone before Jason woke up around 7am. Jason looked around the house for him but figured he left for the store. “Mom! Is dad gone?” He asked as he walked down the hallway for their room.

Judy peered out from her room after finishing getting dressed. “Yea, hun. He left for the boathouse earlier. Said not to wake you because he heard you were going to see a movie today with your friends.”

“Yeah! It’s a new sci fi movie about an alien and a kid.” Jason explained before heading back to his room to get his clothes on for the day. “I’m going to go over to Harolds so we can get snacks for tonight.”

“Please don’t get in trouble for bringing your own snacks.” His mom worried she would need to come to the theaters later to get him out of trouble. Her face wasn’t pleased as she watched him walk away.

Later that day…

Earl finished lining the sail to the mast of the ship and tackling all lines and pulleys. He stood back a ways as he let the sail flap around with his bright blue colors and a white owl depicted on its surface. Down on the front of the ship, the name of the ship was painted in grooves made by Earl. The Argo sat on the water, gently moving back into the dock house as Earl pulled her in.

Earl’s cough came back on his way to his truck. His fit lasted a little longer than usual but he was able to stay on his feet. His truck started up with a single key turn and he was on his way back home to see his wife.

Meanwhile, Jason and his friends were on their way to see the 6 o’clock showing of E.T. at the local movie theater. Snacks hidden away in their clothes, they bought their tickets, high fived, and made their way inside. It was a night the kids were going to remember for years to come and they all knew it.

This summer was going to be the summer they sailed their first ship together. They were going to start a river delivery service for the rest of the summer and upcoming weekends when they get back to school. Jason had plans to lead them into the rest of the summer for the rest of their lives.

Earl had lowered the volume to his radio as the sun was going down. He glanced over to the sunset as he cruised along the frontage road just off the highway. Earl had plans to try for another kid when he got home. His wife had no idea, but she was about to get romanced like it was the last time they were to see each other. Earl and Judy had been trying for another pregnancy over the past few months but couldn’t seem to get it accomplished.

Earl began to cough again as his rasping became crisp. A pain in his abdomen shot him into a hunched pose as he tried to hang on to his steering wheel. The coughing became louder and harder as he began to swerve around the road. Earl’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he saw blood streak across his left hand after a painful bout of coughing. He looked up but was too late, blowing through a fence and sliding down a slope. Earl’s truck glided into a wheat field as he continued to regain control of his truck while trying not to cough.

After finally stopping his truck, the sun was set and only the lights from the truck lit up the area he carved into the field in front of him. Earl pulled on the handle from the outside and fell to the ground, still in pain and coughing. He would gag every few coughs. Earl got to his feet for a short moment only to fall back to his bottom and hit his back to his truck. The chime from his door nearly drowned out the slight buzz around him as fireflies began to pulse into existence along the edge of the field.

Suddenly and without warning, his whole area became daylight. An unknown source created a large beam of light around him and his truck as he tried to shade his eyes with his blood soaked hand. Earl couldn’t see what was above him but he could feel his body getting lighter. It was time for him to go. Earl thought of only one thing and it was that angels have come for him after his illness got the best of him.

His body began to lift from the golden field. His truck shifted to the center of the light but not lifting from the ground. Earl went limp as he ascended to the heavens above. His eyes weeping, mouth and hands covered in blood, Earl had left this world.

It was close to 8 when the kids were released from the movie. They jumped for joy as they had all loved it. High fiving and trying to recreate scenes and mis-remembering lines from the movie. Jason stuck his finger out and pointed and moved towards Phillip gutturally letting out “Phone home!”

The boys laughed together as they headed for their bikes. “Hey, you think your dad finished putting the sail on?” Paul asked.

“I don’t know. I didn’t see him this morning.” Jason replied, releasing his kickstand. “I’m sure he did. He left early this morning.”

“Can we go see it?” Cas interrupted.

“Do we have any flashlights?” Jason looked at Cas.

“I have two in my bike bag.” Harold chimed in with a smirk.

“Well, I don’t see why not. We will have to hurry though because I told my mom I’d be back by 9:30.” The other boys looked at Jason with an odd look but shrugged it off.

It didn’t take long before the boys were along the highway heading to the lake. With Jason leading the pack with his one flashlight and Harold pulling up the rear, they were making great time. They only had to slow down and take an alternate route when they came up on bright red and blue lights. A firetruck and a few police cars lined a broken fence that guarded a wheat field. The boys couldn’t get close enough to see what happened so they kept on riding to see the boat.

“The Argo?” Cas asked. He ran his hand along the grooves and paint while Harold held his flashlight still.

“It must have some deeper meaning?” Jason looked a little disappointed in such a odd name.

“Well, he carved it in, so no matter if we paint over it, ‘The Argo’ is still going to be seen.” Cas put in.

“It’s a fine name. I’m sure no one else on the river is going to have it.” Paul aimed the other flashlight at the sail as they all stood back to view the new symbol of their ship.

“An owl? The Argo…? Is the owl’s name Argo? I don’t get it.” Cas felt defeated.

“I’ll ask my dad when I get home and call you guys in the morning.” Jason held the door to the dock house for the other boys motioning for them to come out. “Let’s head back to town now. I don’t want to be too tired.”

Jason pulled into the yard of his house and let the bike drop onto the grass. He didn’t see his father’s truck in the driveway but didn’t seem to take full notice. “I’m back mom! We stopped to see if dad worked on the boat again.”

“That’s nice, hun. I’m in the kitchen. Are you hungry?” Judy replied.

“No thank you.” Jason kicked off his shoes. “Have you seen dad? I wanted to ask him about the name he put on the boat.”

“No, I figured he was coming back with you but he might have stopped in town.” Judy placed the last dish into the drying rack as she turned off the sink.

“Oh… well I think I’ll ask him in the morning. I got tired from riding back from seeing the boat.” Jason headed to his room and took off his shirt before laying face down in his bed, nearly hitting the headboard.

June 12th, 1982 First day of Denial

The next morning, Jason awoke to murmuring in the living room. He could hear what sounded like whimpering. Drowsy and rubbing sleep from his eyes, Jason put on his shirt from the night before. His first yawn of the day was interrupted by the sight of his mom holding her face in her hands and the officer at the door completing a sentence. “...couldn’t locate his body nor a sign of struggle.”

Jason shook his head as he started to put together what was going on. He began to back down the hallway toward the back door. The officer looked away from Judy and down to Jason. His mouth opened to speak but it was too late. Judy pulled her hands away just in time to see Jason bolting out the back door with tears in his eyes.

Chapter Two: Falling Leaves - Coming soon...