Lost in the Berry Patch
A modern berry picking story for the August Stories From the Heart berry picking topic
Nathan quickly walked to the saskatoon patch along the creek, just north of the farmyard. Some of them were starting to get dry and he wanted to get as many as he could before they were done for the year. The sun was beating down on him. The warmth felt good. He thought about taking his henley off to get some healthy vitamin D through more sun exposure. Then he reasoned that he would also be more exposed to insects and the branches of the bushes. The shirt stayed on.
He listened to the sounds around him. The hum of the cicadas was loud. Their summer hum was usually loud. This year it seemed like it was even louder. The sound was summer. A comforting sound.
Nathan had thought about bringing a bucket but decided to just go and eat his fill. Elizabeth was away for a quick trip visiting the children and grandchildren who lived in Edmonton. She was taking the granddaughters shopping. He had a meeting yesterday that he couldn't get out of or he would have gone with her. Now he was just taking care of the garden and a few animals on their small hobby farm while she was away. Thankfully, they had picked some saskatoons before she left and there were pies in the freezer and jam on the shelf in the cool room in the basement.
That night while talking with Elizabeth on house phone, Nathan realized that he had lost his mobile phone. After hanging up with Elizabeth he looked around the house and the yard. He called his number letting it ring. But he didn't hear it in the yard or the house. The thought crossed his mind that maybe he had lost it in the saskatoon patch.
The next day he decided to call Elizabeth and see if she was able to call his mobile phone in about 10 minutes. He could be in the saskatoon patch then and would hear his phone.
Of course, Elizabeth was willing to help her love out. She set her phone timer for 10 minutes and then called Nathan. It didn't even ring before it went to voicemail. She tried again. She sent a text. She tried for 20 minutes. There was no response from Nathan. It looked like the phone battery had died and the phone was lost for good. They would have to get Nathan a new mobile phone.
That Friday Elizabeth came home and they were happy to be reunited. They weren't apart often. But even these few days seemed too long.
Over the weekend, Allie came to visit with her family. She had been married to Harper Tucker for 21 years. They started their family after they were well established in their careers. Once they started having children they came quickly! Colleen was 12, Glen and Sarah were 10, and Mattie was 8. It was nice to have them in nearby Grande Prairie. They usually spent time after church together. Whether it was out at the farm or the Tucker home on the outskirts of the city.
The adults cleaned up and talked after dinner while the children were playing outside. Half an hour later they were back making a big commotion. No one could tell what they were saying. Elizabeth used her teacher's voice to gain control so the children could be understood. The adults were surprised and delighted when Colleen brought Grampie's phone out from behind her back!
Nathan didn't need to get a new phone after all!
So this happened to my dad right after the berry picking topic was announced. He had me call when he would be out in the saskatoon patch and there was no reply. We thought the phone was lost forever until the children of a visiting family found it. I had wanted to write about picking saskatoons and the very loud sounds on a summer day. The first paragraph started in the proper WCTH time. But when my dad had this experience I knew the story was going to have to be a modern one!
This simple story isn't high quality. I am only an amateur writer and wrote all but the first paragraph in one evening. I hope others will be brave and share their short Stories From the Heart, too.