Fragments of Summer

By Morgan J. Manns

I flipped another page and blew out a surprised breath. Wow, that chapter had gone fast. Action-packed and a main character with depth. This book was most definitely a page-turner—the perfect summer read.

Discovered in the beach’s Grab-‘N’-Read Library—a wooden box on a pole buried in the sand—it surpassed the usual finds that beachgoers left behind. It also wasn’t covered in greasy fingerprints—a nice bonus.

A cacophony of gulls called overhead as I paused to admire the book cover—an inky black tome with a gilded title: Mystery. The simplicity of it made me smirk.

The beach bustled with life, teeming with families laughing and splashing in the surf. A group of teenagers dove in the sand at the volleyball court while couples holding hands strolled the length of the beach. Every one of them soaking in the July sunshine.

Shifting on my towel, I let the sun warm my back. Leaning the book against my woven beach bag, I breathed deeply and started back in.

“Gabriel opened another cardboard box and sighed. Unpacking was not how he wanted to spend his summer. He reminded himself that being here meant he’d be closer to her. Closer to—”

My phone vibrated. A text from my mother: “Sarah, come to the cabin soon. BBQ with the Watsons tonight.”

I groaned. The Watsons, whose son once thought it funny to hide a wriggling frog in my hair, had recently bought a cabin across the bay. Despite it being ten years, the memory clung to me like a leech. I hoped only the parents would be coming.

Opening my book again, I figured I had time to finish the chapter…

***

As the bonfire crackled under the starry sky, my parents’ laughter mingled with that of Mr. and Mrs. Watson’s. I’d tuned out their conversation long ago and excused myself to the screened-in gazebo to read.

“He began walking toward the light of the cabin…”

Thankfully, the Watson boy hadn’t shown up. He was working late, stocking shelves. I twirled my ponytail, thankful.

Lost in the pages, I swooned over the protagonist with his black curls and elaborate plans. “He advanced up the steps, knowing she’d be there…” And then, amongst the distant chorus of croaking frogs, a voice broke the night.

“Good book?”

Startled, I shot my gaze toward the screen door. Strong features illuminated by lantern light, a guy about my age grinned.

“Sarah, right?” He creaked the door open.

My heart raced—he knew my name? As I glanced toward the bonfire, realization hit, and I relaxed. Of course, the Watson boy. But he was nothing like I remembered. Gone was the lanky kid; he had grown into his height, muscles filling out his frame.

“Yeah, and you’re…” Heat rose into my cheeks as my mind drew a blank.

“Gabe,” he offered, shifting a book under his arm.

Glimpsing the familiar gilded title, I almost gasped. “We’re reading the same thing!” I turned my copy toward him, smiling.

He arched an amused eyebrow, sliding a chair closer. “Apparently so.”

We dove into an easy conversation about where we found them—mine, at the beach. His, at his work—and then he asked, “Is your copy missing chapters too?”

It was my time to raise an eyebrow.

He brushed a black curl from his brow and began flipping pages, pausing briefly at the start of each new section. I quickly realized the chapters were all odd-numbered. 1, 3, 5…

“Where are the even-numbered chapters?” I asked, confused.

He closed his book with a soft thud. “Who knows. Misprint?” He nodded toward mine. “Yours like that?”

“No, I…” My voice faded as I hastily thumbed through the pages. My eyes widened.

“…Only even chapters.” But the story flowed so seamlessly. It didn’t seem to be missing anything.

“Well…” He leaned closer. “It’s a good thing we met up; I’m dying to know what I’ve missed out on.”

I zeroed my focus back onto the book. “Well, the main character, Gabriel—”

“Gabriel?” He stiffened.

And that’s when I realized the boy sitting across from me shared the name of the main character in my book. Gabe—short for…Gabriel.

“Yeah…” I said slowly, “Gabriel is vacationing with his family, searching through cottages, trying to track down the mysterious girl appearing in his dreams…” I faltered as a shadow flickered across his expression before disappearing.

He laughed, shaking his head. “Well, my book’s main character is a girl who’s dodging a ghost from her past. The foreshadowing is shaky, but I’m thinking they’ll meet up again soon.”

I furrowed my brows, trying to piece it together. “So, each of our books holds a unique perspective? Yours a girl, and mine, a boy?”

He nodded. “I guess that’s why, even with the missing chapters, it doesn’t feel like we’re missing any content.”

A marketing ploy? I wondered. Both books are required to piece together the mystery?

“Wait.” He flipped to the first pages of his book and began reading aloud. “With dazzling blue eyes and hair blacker than night, her looks were that of a classic beauty.” He eyed me. “Sounds a lot like you.”

I brushed off the compliment, unease snaking through me.

Huddled together, we began comparing the books, finding that the characters lived eerily similar lives to our own. But when we tried flipping to future pages, the books fractured further.

“They’re jumbled, like they’re written in Latin or something,” I said, perplexed.

We both stared at each other, the night swallowing the silence.

What did this all mean?

Mrs. Watson’s voice carried from the fire, causing us both to jump. “Gabriel, your father and I are heading back. Are you coming?”

Goosebumps raced across my skin as the letters shuffled and rearranged themselves, the newest sentence mirroring Mrs. Watson’s words.

I barely heard Gabe’s response as a breeze raced through the gazebo, fanning the pages back to the book’s dedication.

Life is a mystery. Embrace yours, Sarah.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Morgan J. Manns is a speculative fiction writer who firmly believes that the world needs more stories filled with magic and wonder. Captivated by the realm of intricate world-building since composing her first fantasy tale at the age of ten, she now ventures beneath the endless Canadian prairie sky with her supportive husband and two hobbit children, all while eagerly contemplating her next literary creation. While her current occupation is that of an elementary school teacher, her dream job will always be dragon rider, soaring through the skies of her imaginings.

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