The high gray sky stretched overhead. Thick gray clouds, ready to release all the moisture that had built up over the past two months, were rushing by in the headwind. Quite an unusual kind of weather for summer. Huge trees flashed past, like a vast impenetrable wall rising along the road. The dense thicket of the gloomy forest, leaving behind an air of mystery, seemed to lure the travelers passing by.
I watched the whole scene through the car window.
As if throwing off a heavy burden, they dropped me off in some backwater village at my grandmother's place. The village was completely unremarkable, not only was there no cell service, but the nearest town was a couple of hours away by car. Surrounded on all sides by towering trees, with no youthful amusements whatsoever, I was left completely alone.
There were almost no children my age, since all the adults, except for the elderly, had moved with their families to big cities. If you did see any kids playing outside, they were usually the same as me - those left here for the summer holidays. But for some reason, they decided to bring me here at the end of summer, not at the beginning, as is usually the case.
The wooden house stood in the center of the small village. Just as I stepped inside, heavy rain began outside, and I spent the rest of the day with my grandmother.
Not long ago, we had celebrated my 14th birthday with my friends. Nothing special, of course — they just patted me on the back with their congratulations, and we spent the rest of the day at a computer club. Still, that was much better than sitting alone in this remote place.
For several days, I helped my grandmother with chores, and in my free time I read the old books lying around the house, since there was nothing else to do here. That's how I grew fond of reading.
Grandma told me that she and Grandpa used to love reading all sorts of books and sharing their thoughts about them. I don't remember my grandfather very well. He passed away when I was still very little. I often saw Grandma looking through the same book over and over again, the one Grandpa had loved so much. "When I take it in my hands and start reading again," she once told me when I asked if she ever got tired of rereading it, "it feels as if I'm transported back in time, where he's sitting next to me, smiling in that way only he could." Whenever she talks about Grandpa, a smile automatically appears on her face, and she seems so happy, remembering the times they spent together.
As a result of my rural life, I began waking up in the mornings before the sun had even risen over the horizon, before its incredibly bright rays could wake every sleeping creature. The sound of birds singing became a sort of alarm clock for me. I would lie there with my eyes open, listening to their song until the room grew bright enough.
One day, while I was once again helping Grandma with the chores, she suddenly said "You must be quite bored spending all your free time helping me around the house. This little village is so dull. There are barely any kids your age here. It would be nice if you had at least one friend here."
"Not really, I've gotten used to it. The noisy city gets tiring anyway. At least here I can be useful to you, and it's healthy, too."
I wasn't much of a complainer. Whatever happened, I accepted reality as it was. Quite a strange trait for a child, but I just didn't like wasting energy on fussing. Most likely because of that, I rarely got into conflicts and almost never argued with my friends. In fact, I can't remember ever having a fight with them.
"You're quite clever for your age," Grandma said kindly, in that typical tone of the elderly, adding her characteristic light chuckle. Though she was old, she looked much younger than her years. "There's a lake not far from here, with a beautiful view of nature. You should go for a walk there sometime. I'm sure you'll like it. Just be careful, please. Don't make an old woman like me worry for no reason."
"Alright, I'll check it out one day."
After that, we talked a bit more about all sorts of little things. Along the way, grandma explained how to properly care for different plants.
When we finally finished the chores, we went back into the house, had dinner, and then I settled down with a book I'd recently started but I fell asleep without making any progress, as if someone had flipped a switch the moment I opened it.