Green Ghosts

Summer sun shined on the valley, deep green and in full bloom. Mountains were endless waves that followed us, the sun peering over the horizon. Slowly, as we got off the interstate, the woods enveloped us, trees covered the sky. Birds flew from tree to tree, squirrels scampered about the forest floor, the woods were thriving. My moms’ sedan slowly wound through the endless roads leading to the cabin. Back in the woods by the river, the brown cabin hinted at its age. It was solidly built and stood firm on the ground it occupied. It had been in my mom's family for at least 80 years. It now belonged to my Gran. We visited her there for 3 weeks in August every summer when I was a child.

Gran had retired 5 years prior, she was a well-educated woman and had done well in the tech business. I was so proud of her. Not everyone had a grandmother who was the boss of a large company. She was a leader, a trailblazer, when I grew up I wanted to be like her. After retiring, she sold her apartment in the city and moved to the family cabin full time. No one had understood why she picked the old cabinet to retire in. She said it brought her peace being there. Widowed for 10 years, she mostly kept to herself except for her close family. Despite being well off financially she was content living a modest life on the lake.

She was feeding her chickens when we arrived that morning. Hair braided, dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt when we arrived.

“There are my kiddos,” she said with a huge smile.

My brother started on a ramble about everything we saw on the drive down, then on what his school year was like, then anything else he could think of, my little brother was never quiet. Gran stood there beaming down at her little grandson, listening patiently to everything he had to say. Mom gave her mother a quick hug and went about unloading the car.

Mom never seemed to like visiting Gran. She loved her, that much could be seen, but they weren’t close. Mom took us to see her every August but did in a manner that you thought she was doing some household chores. She didn’t care for it but she always made sure it was done. Mom and gran had fought over her marriage to my dad. She was head over heels in love with him and left college her senior year to marry him and have me. Gran never liked him and told mom that he would never make a good husband. He ran off with his law partner when I was ten. We never saw him after that, we would each get a check at Christmas every year. Mom was left to raise us on her own. She would often have to ask Gran for help, which was difficult for her.

My brother and I loved visiting her, it was like going to our own special summer camp. We would build a campfire and make smores, swim, and fish, and pretty much got to do whatever we wanted. It was a lot of fun for two kids who didn’t do anything during the school year but study.

That evening a huge storm came to the lake. The heavy downpour of rain went on for hours. Thunder shook the cabin while lighting put on a show for all the outdoors. I sat at the bedroom window in awe of the show mother nature was performing outside. The rain eventually slowed and left the skies thick with energy. After the rain stopped I decided to get a bag of chips from the kitchen.

Mom was asleep, exhausted after a long day. My little brother played Nintendo in the living room.

Gran was sitting on the front porch calmly watching the sky. Curious to see what she was looking at, I stepped outside. She was looking up across the lake, at the mountains on the horizon. Lights shined along the top of the mountains, glowing green lights were visible in the nights’ sky. Emeralds dancing across the sky in broad strokes.

Gran noticed me, she pointed out the lights in the sky explaining, how the red sprites turned into the green glowing lights before fading.

“Your grandfather loved meteorology, he would go on for hours about the atmosphere and how it worked.”

“ Gran, how come you don’t talk about Grandpa? Don’t you miss him?”

“ Oh yes, dear. I loved your grandfather very much, I wish I had more time with him. I was a busy woman. I was so involved in running a company and our childrens’ education, I forgot to make time for the most important person in my life. When I finally got to a place where I felt I could relax and spend time with him, he became sick. He died in months, he was gone and I all the money in the world could do nothing to change it.”

“ I am sorry Gran, I guess I forgot, it seems so long ago.”

“ To you, it was long ago.” Gran smiled

Gran looked deep in thought for a minute then spoke.

“ The time I spend with your brother and you is precious to me. I won’t be here forever, one day this old cabin will belong to your mom, I want you to have good memories of our time together.”

I didn’t know what to say. I was 15, I never thought about death.

“ I will always have good memories of you Gran, I love you.”

We sat together on the porch till late that night, the significance of that small moment never left me.