Uncle Jim's Farm

Uncle Jim’s Farm

Thunder rattled the windows, the whole house shook. Tammy sat straight up in bed, a peaceful night ruined by the sudden and unexpected storm. Startled, she looked out the window, lightning danced across the sky followed by more house shaking thunder within two seconds. A wicked storm flew up the mountains a lot quicker than the weather man had predicted. There wouldn’t be any more sleep until this all passed over.

She grabbed her robe and headed for the den. “I might as well read a book for a while.” Tammy turned on the table lamp and curled up under her favorite afghan that her father had made for her, grabbed her book and found her page. She hoped and prayed that the power would stay on tonight. She didn’t want to be stuck in the total dark with this storm raging all around.

Tammy started the new chapter and read quite a while before the front shifted and started to move on. Tammy lost herself in the story, relaxing bit by bit. By the time the thunder was just a rumble in the distance, Tammy’s eyelids were so heavy, that she didn’t even realize she was drifting off.

She remembered this path. She couldn’t have been more than five, the last time she walked here. She’d come to Uncle Jim and Aunt Edith’s house to visit her Great Grandmother. She crossed the old wooden bridge heading toward the old farm house. Tammy thought it shrunk over the years. It was hardly wide enough for a small car. How on earth did she (with Uncle Jim’s help) drive that big tractor over it?

Bill, the old mule, grazed in the field. He brayed when Tammy walked up to the fence. She petted his muzzle, and fussed over him like she always did. Bill loved the sugar cubes that Tammy always seemed to have in her pocket. “Sorry fella’, I didn’t pack any sugar for you today.” Bill kept nuzzling at her jeans pocket. In frustration, Tammy stuck her hand in her pocket to prove to Bill she didn’t have any sugar cubes for him. She was shocked to feel three sugar cubes. She held them out, staring at her hand. Bill made quick work of that treat. Tammy remembered how Aunt Edith always gave her three sugar cubes every time she would go to see Ol’ Bill.

Tammy began to feel the memories of her childhood swell and envelope her. She left Bill in his field and crossed the path to the spring house. She opened the gated door. There was the bucket to drop in the spring. The square depression filled with cold water bubbling up from the spring cooled the spring house, and provided refrigeration to the farm house before electricity was ‘piped-in’ as Uncle Jim would say.

She reached up in the rafters for her glass. Who would have thought it would still be here? She kneeled down on the rocky ledge and dipped her glass into the cold water. She guzzled it down like she hadn’t had any water in years. It was just as sweet as she remembered. Uncle Jim always did have the best water, even if you did have to go get it and take it to the house. Maybe that is what made it so good. Tammy replaced her glass in the rafters and checked inside the back half of the spring house. She laughed when she peeked inside to find three watermelons cooling in the water. She grabbed one and headed off to the main house.

Tammy felt like a child again, with one of Uncle Jim’s watermelons for afternoon snack, nothing could beat that. Uncle Jim won year after year at the county fair for the best watermelons in the county. He grew them in the middle of the sugar cane field every year. Nothing on earth was sweeter than his watermelons. She laughed as she remembered Uncle Jim’s story about her grandpa eating his seed watermelons, two whole watermelons, in one sitting no less. Oh the gluttony.

Tammy rounded the curve and was met by the biggest black dog. According to Great Grandma, without her glasses, he looked just like a bear. He truly did, old Blue. His coat was so black, it looked almost blue. He was a gentle soul, never met a stranger, everyone that came to the house was a friend. Before she could catch her breath, he was on his hind legs, front paws on her shoulders giving her the biggest ‘I’ve missed you’ kisses any dog could plant on anyone.

“Aww, Blue! Get down, baby! I’ve missed you too!” She put down the watermelon and gave the dog a big hug and rubbed his belly. He still had that tickle spot, as his leg beat the air almost as hard as his tail was sweeping the dirt on the road. Once Blue was satisfied with his belly rub, he was ready to escort Tammy to the house.

She walked up the sidewalk, past the iron wash pot and fire pit. Tammy recognized the tractor motor in the distance. She ran up and put the watermelon on the porch table, then headed out to the hay field. The hogs must have thought she was Aunt Edith. They started pitching a fit when she passed the sty without leaving anything in the trough for them.

Uncle Jim must have heard the ruckus. He stopped the tractor, stood up and faced the pigs’ sty. He waved at Tammy, that big smile on his face, his long lanky body towering above the hay and tractor. He sat down in the driver’s seat and headed back toward the fence where Tammy was waiting. The hay smelled just as good as it did the day she and Uncle Jim had mowed the field on the big red tractor. She was thrilled to death to see Uncle Jim.

“What are you doing here, girl? It’s not time for you to come.”

“What? But…”

“But nothing, it’s not time, Tammy, you’ve got to go back.”

“But…”

Tammy’s husband, David stumbled into the den, having slept through the entire storm. He realized that she would be in the den. He thought his snoring probably did her in again, and she went to the den to get some peace and quiet. “Morning, Sunshine!” he called, rubbing his head as he turned the corner. He stopped short, Tammy was slumped over in the chair, pale as a sheet, she didn’t move. David ran to his wife’s side, “Tammy, wake up honey. Darling, please wake up! Come on Tammy, come back to me.”

Tears started flowing from Tammy’s eyes, “Uncle Jim, why? …What?.. Wake up?... “Uncle Jim faded slowly before her eyes, encircled by a light, vanishing into nothingness.

Tammy felt so heavy, so groggy, “David, what is going on? Why are you shaking me so?” She struggled to open her eyes, the fields, the farm, the animals, and the barn all gone, just a fleeting memory. David rocked and held her close. She had scared him to death. Tammy was back. That was all that mattered to him.

“It’s alright baby, you’re back home now,” David whispered as he rocked her, comforting her. “Tammy? Who is Uncle Jim?”



Word count 1213

Amay, kph