Kate did not get her chance the next day. In fact, it was quite a few days before she and Kevin got back to Great-grandmother’s house, and even then they didn’t have a chance to do anything with the window other than clean it. Great-grandmother was what she called, “a little under the weather.” In fact, she was sick for more than a week, and not up for the rather lively company that Kevin and Kate provided, for several days after that. When the children were allowed back to Great-grandmother’s house, it was on the condition that they be useful and do chores to help get Great-grandmother’s house back in order for her.
First the children tackled the outside jobs. Their father had taken care of the mowing; he did that anyway. But the gardens were full of weeds, so the children spent an entire afternoon weeding. Then they picked the ripe vegetables, although Kevin was all for just dumping the peas in the garbage and saying that they were over-ripe and rotten. Kate, who liked peas, vetoed that idea and then collected every one that she could find just to spite him.
While they were working the children talked. They didn’t fight, either, which was quite a change from the last few weeks. They agreed that what they were doing just wasn’t working, and that all they had really found was trouble. “And I’m tired of getting in trouble,” said Kate. She was thinking about the old metal detector of her uncle’s that she had unearthed for Kevin to use in the yard, and the trouble they would have explaining the holes she planned to have him dig.
“And did you see the way Great-grandmother’s neighbors are starting to look at us?” replied Kevin.
“Yeah, I know. That grumpy lady across the street, Mrs. Haley, actually asked me when we were going to stop messing around outside and bothering people and sit inside and play video games or watch T.V. like normal children.” Kevin shook his head. “Like Mom and Dad or Great-grandmother would let that happen.” Mom wouldn’t even let them spend more than a few minutes on the computer and she always said that the only way she would allow video games in the house was over her dead body. She wasn’t big on letting them watch T.V. either.
“Well, on the bright side, if she says that to Mom or Great-grandmother, maybe we can get some video games or more T.V. time!” Kate said cheerily.
“Fat chance.” Kevin laughed.
“Yeah,” Kate agreed and giggled.
When they brought the basket of peas in to Great-grandmother for shelling, she was standing at the window. Her hands were pressed against it, one to the blue pane. She turned when she heard the children, sadness showing in her eyes.
“Are you feeling okay, Great-grandmother?” Kate asked.
“Yes, darling, just a little tired. I’ll just sit down and shell these peas while you two tidy up a bit.” She smiled and then added mischievously, “There are more than enough here for you two to take some home for dinner!”
Kevin made a face and Great-grandmother laughed. “You know, peas were a favorite of your Great-grandfather’s. I always planted extras so that I would have plenty to put up for the winter so he could enjoy them year round.”
Great-grandfather had died before the children were born and they always enjoyed hearing about him. So while Great-grandmother shelled the peas and the children dusted and vacuumed, Great-grandmother told them stories.
When Kevin and Kate were done, and ready to go home, Great-grandmother went downstairs to find a scrapbook she had promised to send home with the children for their mother. The children looked at each other, and Kevin grabbed the footstool and dragged it over to the window. “Just one quick look,” he whispered, and Kate nodded.
The children climbed up carefully, side by side, and looked out the blue pane in the big window.
Right away, they noticed something strange. In the blue window, it was autumn. They could see the drifts of leaves on the ground under the bare trees. The front flower beds were full of fall flowers. There was a chair out there, too, that the children didn’t remember seeing before. As they watched, a man with a cane walked into the yard. But before they could see who it was, they heard Great-grandmother coming up the stairs. Quickly, they got down and put the footstool back where it belonged. By the time Great-grandmother came in with the scrapbook wrapped up in protective plastic, they were busy packing up some of the peas to take home for dinner – or rather Kate was. Kevin was making faces at the peas and trying to flick them into the garbage can.
The children ran down the front walk carrying the scrapbook and container of peas. Kate happened to look back. Great-grandmother was standing in the window, looking through the blue pane. Kate stopped and nudged Kevin. He turned to look too and then said to Kate, “She looks like she’s crying.”
Kate answered, “I know.”
As they walked home, they talked about what they had seen through the blue pane. “Do you think it was showing us something from a long time in the future, instead of different choice stuff?” Kevin asked.
“Maybe,” Kate said doubtfully, “But why would that make Great-grandmother cry?”
“I don’t know. But at least we know now that she knows about the window.”
“Yeah. But you know, really, how could she not know about it? I think we were fooling ourselves when we thought she didn’t.” Kate shrugged. “But I still don’t want her to know that we know. Especially now that she was crying.”
“But why?” asked Kevin.
“I don’t know. Let’s just wait, okay?”
“Okay. I wonder how you get it to show different times?” The rest of the walk home, they discussed ways to get the window to change the time it showed.
That night, after the dinner, which included the peas that the children had brought home (Kevin tried to hide his under his mashed potatoes), the children’s mother sat down with the scrapbook they had brought home from Great-grandmother’s house. “Do you two want to look at this with me?” she asked as she took the large book out of its plastic wrapper. “It has pictures from Dad’s and my wedding, and lots of other stuff from around that time. Great-grandmother has always been so wonderful about keeping all of this stuff together. I tend to put it in a box, but she makes it beautiful.” Mom patted the sofa on either side of her. Kate came right over. Kevin wasn’t really interested, but he came anyway. It was fun to see what his parents looked like when they were younger.
The first part of the book had Kate ooh-ing and ah-ing over things like the wedding dress and the bride’s maid dresses, but when they got to pictures of the reception, Kevin sat up and took notice.
“Mom, who’s that?” he asked, pointing to an elderly man in one of the photos.
“Oh, dear, that’s your Great-grandfather.”
“But it doesn’t look like that picture of him Great-grandmother keeps in her front room…” Kevin was puzzled.
“Yes Mom, are you sure?” Kate added. “Maybe it’s one of his brothers or something. Look, he’s lots skinnier than Great-grandfather was. And he has a beard.”
“No, that was how he looked not long before he died. He had been very ill for a long time, and he lost a lot of weight. He grew that beard because he said it just took too much energy to shave anymore. In fact, we moved up the wedding just so that he could be there.” Kate and Kevin traded glances over their mother’s lap. The man looked like the man they had seen in the yard, through the blue window pane.
Kate bounced up and grabbed Kevin’s arm.
“I take it you’ve seen enough for one day?” Mom asked dryly, raising her eyebrows.
“Yes-thank-you-come-on-Kevin-let’s-go-play!” Kate said, all in one breath. She and Kevin raced upstairs where they could talk.
“So it must show the past, too, then, instead of just what might happen?” Kate said as soon as they reached her room.
“Yeah – I wonder if it shows the might-have-beens, too, like it does for the future,” Kevin mused.
“Maybe. Maybe that’s why Great-grandmother was crying. Maybe she saw what it would have been like if Great-grandfather was still here.” Kate looked sober.
“Tomorrow we’re supposed to help Great-grandmother clean house again. Let’s see what we can figure out then.”
“Yeah, okay.” Kate looked troubled.
“What’s the matter, Kate?”
Kate shrugged. “I don’t know. It just makes me sad to think about Great-grandmother crying at the window like that.”
“Yeah, me too. Let’s see what we can find out tomorrow.” said Kevin.
- She Wolf (c) 2008
