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❛ ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴄɪᴛʏ sʟᴀᴄᴋᴇʀs ꒱


❝ A SMILE THAT LIT
THE NIGHT SKY ❞

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"'You, me, Cory. Feeny's cottage. This weekend.'"

"Hello to you too, Shawn," Juliet answered after the boy had finished speaking.

"'I'm serious, Julie. We've got his keys.'"

"You stole his keys," she corrected him mildly as she flipped a page in her book.

"'Borrowed. There's a difference!'"

"Took without asking. Stealing," the redhead said, amused.

"'Look, this guy goes out of his way to make my life miserable. Here's his way of making it up to me.'"

"Shawnie, we can't just— just break into his house."

"'We've got his keys. We won't break in.'" There was silence as the girl debated. "'C'mon, Julie. We can send Cory on an impossible errand and then it will just be the two of us. And I won't even mention Montacute.'"

"You just did," she pointed out, though she knew why. Shawn still didn't agree with her continuing to see Jack and he rarely went a day without trying to talk her out of it.

"'Well, starting now.'" 

She sighed and placed her book down on the bed next to her before she flopped over on her back to stare up at the ceiling. "Fine, but when we get caught, it's your fault."

"'If we get caught.'"

"When," she answered with a grin.

🌎🌎🌎

At school the next day, Shawn handed Cory and Juliet their tickets. "Three bus tickets to paradise."

"And the weather report?" Juliet prompted him.

"Fresh blanket of snow on the mountains."

"Alright, Shawn. Not to put a damper on our plans or anything but you know, it occurred to me in a moment of clarity that we don't ski," Cory said.

"Hey, we don't learn but we go to school don't we?"

"Speak for yourself!" the redhead protested.

🌎🌎🌎

The mountain temperatures were far colder than Juliet had expected and she was relieved when the helpful ranger finally announced that they had arrived. "Well, here you go."

"Hank 'oo," Cory said though chattering teeth.

"Hank 'oo 'herry 'hunch," Shawn added, not much better as they closed the cottage door.

"Little chilly for you city kids," the ranger observed.

"Little bit," the curly-haired boy agreed.

"Uh, thanks for the ride, Officer— uh. . ."

"Ranger. Ranger Mark," the man answered.

"How old are you?" Cory asked.

"Which one of you are Feeny's children?"

The trio answered simultaneously: "oh, (s)he is."

"Well, I am," Cory pointed to himself.

"We all are," Shawn tried to fix it too.

"We're siblings," Juliet chimed in.

"We're cousins," Shawn answered at the same time. "Uh, brother-cousins."

"No need to explain, son. I'm from mountain people myself," Ranger Mark reassured them.

"So, Ranger Mark, how far is the nearest ski lodge from here?" Juliet asked.

"Oh, about two miles."

"Manageable. And how far if you're walking?"

"Two miles."

"Two miles?" Cory repeated.

"Hey, lighten up, Cor. It's only a mile each," Shawn told him.

"You kids be sure to keep your windows and doors secured at night. You wouldn't want to wake up in the morning with a skull full of Grady's axe," Mark said.

"Is that what you guys call really bad headaches up here?" Juliet wondered hopefully (otherwise, she didn't like the sound of where this was going.)

Mark laughed before he sat down, prompting the three to do so as well as they removed their hats. "Legend has it that years ago, a man brought his beautiful bride to Grady Pines and she fell in love with a young ski instructor. The husband went crazy with jealousy and hacked them both up before he took his own life. Now, the locals will tell you every year that psycho returns to the mountain to wreak his bloody revenge."

"Uh, I got a question," Cory said, "if the psycho took his own life then how can he come back?"

"Huh."

"That's why you don't see many rangers on the Tonight Show," Shawn muttered.

"Anyway, do you kids know how to turn on the electricity?" Mark asked as he stood.

"Oh, please. I think we know how to flip a switch."

"Well, good. I gotta go. I'm watching a video with my buddy Moose."

"Is that another ranger friend of yours?" Cory asked.

"A moose can't be a ranger," Mark said flatly before he left.

"Do you believe that? 'Turn on the electricity?'" Shawn mocked him.

"Oh, I know. What kind of city Mama's boys does he take us for?" Cory agreed as he flipped the switch. No lights came on.

"Pretty spoiled Mama's boys," Juliet answered.

🌎🌎🌎

They next made a trip to the ski lodge though their efforts resulted in them returning to Mr. Feeny's cottage in a couple of hours.

"Well, that was the worst two hours of my life," Shawn complained, "I can't believe the ski lodge was closed."

"Yeah, you'd think Ranger Mark might have mentioned the fact that there's no one else on the mountain," Cory agreed.

"There wasn't even any snow," Shawn added.

"Yeah. What about that, Shawn?" the curly-haired boy asked, "you told me the weather report said snow in the mountains."

"They did. They said the Rocky Mountains were blanketed with fresh powder."

Juliet slapped her hand to her forehead and groaned. "The Rockies— I— Cory, explain." She waved a vague arm towards the boy.

"Shawn, we're in the Poconos! Far from the Rocky Mountains!"

"Oh, you mean that's the name? I thought it was a description. You know, like chewy nougat."

The redhead gave him an incredulous look and sighed before she went to sit on the couch as Cory continued to complain: "that's great, Shawn. No power, no lights, no heat. What are we gonna do?"

"Okay, okay, lemme think. Lemme think," the boy answered as the lights turned on. "Cory, either the lights went on or I just got an idea."

"Somebody's here," his best friend whispered.

"Who?" Juliet asked from the couch.

"With our luck a dead psycho axe-murderer."

"You mean Grady?"

"No, I'm thinking Pooh Bear," Cory sassed, "of course Grady."

The door began to rattle prompting all three of them to leap into action. Shawn grabbed a fire poker and Cory went for the broom. Inexplicably, a baseball bat embedded with nails at one end sat next to the broom. Despite her surprise that Mr. Feeny owned sports equipment (especially one like that), Juliet wasted no time in selecting the bat as her weapon. Once she returned to the group, Shawn yelled, "okay, you dead psycho axe-murderer! Let's see what you're made of!"

The door opened to reveal Mr. Feeny. "Alright, I'm here. Time to belly up to the excuse table."

"Mr. Feeny, you've got no right trespassing on your own property," Shawn said, causing Juliet to roll her eyes.

"Mr. Matthews, you're up."

"Actually, Mr. Feeny, my parents are on their way up and we just rushed ahead to straighten up the place," Cory tried as he fixed his broom the right way.

"That's a bald-faced lie."

"Every word, sir."

"Miss Capelwood?"

Juliet opened her mouth but nothing came out so she closed it again, shaking her head. Shawn answered for her: "it's not her fault, I coalesced her to come up here."

"Coerced, Shawnie."

"Right."

Mr. Feeny hmphed and said, "so, you three snaked the key from your parents and snuck up here to have a good time."

"That's a bald-faced lie, Mr. Feeny," Shawn repeated, only to be whacked by Cory. "It worked when he said it!"

"You know, Mr. Feeny, I thought you said you never used this place anymore," Cory stated.

"I came to pack it up so I could sell it," their teacher explained.

"We'll take it," the curly-haired boy answered.

"Hey, now you're trespassing," Shawn pointed out.

"I don't even hear you anymore."

"Look, Mr. Feeny, before things get too out of hand why don't you just call our parents and they can come pick us up?" Cory suggested.

"This late? Uh-uh. No, we're stuck here 'till morning, like it or not."

"How many beds are there?" Shawn asked.

"One," Mr. Feeny answered.

"I'll flip you for it," Shawn said as he took out a quarter. "Call it in the air."

As he tossed it up, Mr. Feeny grabbed it and slapped it on the back of his hand. "You lose."

🌎🌎🌎

After dinner, Mr. Feeny placed his bowl in the sink while Shawn sat at the table and breathed on his spoon before he put it on his nose. "Time me, Cor."

"Uh, Mr. Feeny, can I borrow your watch?" the boy asked.

"No," their teacher answered, clearing the rest of the plates before placing them near the sink where Juliet was washing them. "Thank you, Miss Capelwood. What is he doing anyway?"

"He's trying to beat his previous record. Seven and a half hours," Cory answered.

"Mr. Hunter, have you ever considered what seven and a half hours of schoolwork would do for your history grades?" Mr. Feeny asked.

"Mr. Feeny, the spoon trick brings pleasure to others," he replied before the spoon fell off his nose.

"Do you enjoy doing that?"

"Yeah, why? What do you do up here for fun?"

"I read books," the man answered, "care to join me?"

"Y—"

"Oh, right, and if you jumped off a bridge I'm supposed to do that, too?" Shawn asked, interrupting the redhead.

Mr. Feeny handed Shawn another spoon. "Here, go for the gold."

Once he'd walked away, Shawn asked, "man, what is his problem?"

"I think it's your problem, Shawnie," Juliet told him.

"What are you talking about? He's the one that hates me."

"No he doesn't, alright? Feeny's not a bad guy. I mean, you know the British. A little stiff but once you get beneath the surface—" Cory explained.

"There's still more Feeny," the dark-haired boy cut him off, "Cory, a guy like him is never gonna understand a guy like me. We are complete opposites."

"So are we, Shawnie," the redhead pointed out.

"But we showed them," the boy answered.

"Exactly," Juliet agreed, "you should give him a chance."

"Okay," Shawn agreed, "I'll give him a chance."

He stood and walked over to the couch. He glanced over at his two best friends before he asked, "Mr. Feeny, why do you hate me so much?"

"I beg your pardon?" Mr. Feeny asked.

"I want to know why you hate me so much," Shawn said as he sat down.

"Is that what you think?"

"Yeah, I mean, you're always getting on my case."

"Well, if by that you mean I'm always trying to get the best out of you then yes, I'm always on your case. But. . . I certainly don't hate you."

"You see, Shawn?" Cory said.

"It frustrates me to see such a charismatic young man with so much unfulfilled potential."

"Yeah, I got you. So I'm just another one of your hopeless students," Shawn sighed.

"And I suppose I'm just another stodgy old principal."

"The stodgiest."

"What do you know about me, Mr. Hunter?" Mr. Feeny asked. Shawn paused, causing him to chuckle. 

"Oh, like you know anything about me," the dark-haired boy shot back.

"Well, let's see. Shawn Patrick Hunter. Son of Chet and Virna. Born in Ohio, lived in Oklahoma. In and out of five schools before he was twelve," Mr. Feeny answered.

"You memorized my transcript."

"Oh, and you love a musical group named. . . Counting Crows."

"That's not in my transcript."

"Do you know that much about all your students?" Juliet asked.

"Some more than others," he answered as he stood up. "Well, maybe we could finish these dishes?"

The trio stood up as well with Shawn saying, "well, if you know everything about me you must know I hate doing the dishes."

Mr. Feeny chuckled again. "Good try. Come on."

Juliet picked up the dish cloth as she let the two boys take over the washing of the dishes. "So, Mr. Feeny, tell us something about you," Cory suggested.

"Well, those closest to me would say that I also dislike doing the dishes," he said, "so, children, I give you the sink."

The redhead stood at the ready while Shawn grabbed a sponge and Cory picked up another rag, hoping to get the 'easy' job. When he did, Mr. Feeny's watch fell into the sink.

"Oh, look out— my watch!" Mr. Feeny exclaimed.

"Oh, no problem, Mr. Feeny," the boy said, digging his hand in the sink. "Got it, got it," he pulled the plug out and all of the excess water drained away. "Had it. Um, sorry."

"Wh—" Mr. Feeny stopped, looking upset. "Well, it's nothing but a thirty-year-old watch. About time I got another one, I suppose," he said softly before he walked upstairs and closed the door.

🌎🌎🌎

Juliet found that she couldn't sleep due to still feeling guilty about loosing Mr. Feeny's watch, so she got up in the middle of the night and found a flashlight. Once she'd turned it on, she peered down the sink drain to see if there were any shiny objects. She was so lost in her search that she didn't hear Shawn approached from behind and she jumped when a hand landed on her arm. After turning to see who it was, she said, "oh, you scared me. I thought you were Grady."

Shawn grinned. "No, just your best friend. What's wrong? How come you're not asleep?"

Juliet sighed. "I just can't. I feel awful about Mr. Feeny's watch. It looked like it was important to him."

"Julie, you heard the man. It's fine, he needs to get a new one anyway," Shawn answered dismissively. "Come on, let's get some sleep."

He gently grabbed her hand and led her over to the couch before he prodded her towards the opposite side. "Shawnie?" she asked, confused.

He shushed her and whispered: "lay down, like this." He pointed to the end they were closest to. "Put your feet here."

Still puzzled, she did as he said and sat horizontally on the couch. The boy grabbed a couple of blankets and returned to drape them over her with something else apparently in his hand. "Wh—"

He shushed her again and sat at the opposite end where her head was. "Now lie down," he instructed her. The redhead turned slightly pink as she realized her head would be in his lap, but he didn't seem to mind as he set the object he'd been holding on the arm of the couch. "C'mon, Julie."

Steeling herself slightly, the girl leaned down and rested her head very carefully on the boy's legs, causing him to sigh. "You can relax, y'know. You're not gonna get any sleep all tense like that."

Eventually, she did try to loosen up and close her eyes, finding the boy's legs surprisingly comfortable. She only startled a little when she felt a gentle tug on her hair as Shawn began to run his fingers through it, making sure to be careful of the knots. Juliet tried to stay awake to enjoy the feeling more but she found she was just too relaxed and dropped off into a deep, comfortable sleep.

As the girl's breaths slowed, Shawn looked down into her peaceful face and was surprised by how still it was. He'd never really thought about it before but she was just so. . . animated during the day that he never really noticed what it was like when she was still. Her features smoothed out and her shoulders relaxed as if a great weight had finally been lifted off of them. He studied how her eye lashes gently rested on the top curve of her cheeks and the gentle slope of her nose. He saw how her lips were quirked in a faint smile as if, even in sleep, she was still happy.

Instinctively and before he could stop himself, the boy moved one of his hands to place it against the side of her face to cup her cheek carefully. He hadn't expected a reaction but he sucked in a breath of surprise as the girl shifted to turn towards his hand as if she enjoyed it being there. The sign of trust sent his heart pounding in his chest and he exhaled when he realized he'd been holding his breath. Slowly, so as to not wake her, he gently moved his thumb against the soft skin of her cheek in an affectionate gesture, causing her to shift in her sleep.

After a few more peaceful moments of looking at the slumbering girl in his lap, he finally removed his hand from her face to prop open the book he'd found and began to read. It was some time later that Cory broke the silence. "What are you doing?"

The boy was standing up to get a better look as Shawn answered quietly, "I'm reading, and keep your voice down."

"W—" the curly-haired boy started, before he saw the redheaded girl asleep in his best friend's lap. He grinned. "How'd you manage that one?"

"Shut up, Cory," Shawn answered as he kept his eyes on the book's page.

"No, really."

Ignoring the actual reason for the statement, the dark-haired boy replied, "this book was the one Feeny was looking at. It's some kind of diary."

"Shawn, you're reading Feeny's diary?" Cory exclaimed, forgetting to be quiet. "Are you crazy? Are you nuts?" He moved closer to read over his friend's shoulder. "Are we in it?"

"Would you be quiet?" Shawn whisper-snapped, "you'll wake her. Anyway, he just knew so much about me, I wanted to find out some stuff about him. Do you know he used to come up here with his wife?"

"Yeah, I knew that," Cory admitted in a softer tone.

"Man, I didn't even know he was married. Listen to this: 'December 18, 1961. I called in sick so Lillian and I can sneak up here for a three-day weekend.'"

"Ha! Feeny cut class," the boy laughed.

"Mr. Feeny, you rebel," Shawn agreed before he continued: "'I suppose my students will miss me but every now and then you have to break the rules.'"

"Sounds like you, Shawn," Cory said.

"He's more like me than you think. December 19, the next day. 'Lillian and I never made it out to the slopes. No regrets.' Feeny, you dog."

Cory took the journal. "Let's see here. 'February 14, 1965. Lillian and my fifth anniversary. Still no sign of the slopes. In the evening, we exchanged gifts. As I lifted the wristwatch out of its box, the glass on the watch face caught Lillian's reflection. A smile that lit the night sky.'"

"His wristwatch," Shawn said as he glanced down at the sleeping girl in his lap.

The curly-haired boy finished reading the entry: "'that watch will keep time but for a moment in time, but her smile will reflect in its face forever.'"

Shawn looked up. "Cor, we gotta do something."

🌎🌎🌎

Juliet woke to a foul stench and immediately covered her nose as she sat up. "What the—"

Shawn was standing in the doorway to the cottage, dripping wet. "Hey, Mr. Feeny."

"Oh my god, you're dripping on the rug and you reek," their teacher said in response.

"Sorry, but you're septic tank's a lot deeper than it looks."

"Alright, that does it. I've tried to be patient but this nonsense has gone far enough," Mr. Feeny snapped, placing the box he'd been holding down.

"Look, Mr. Feeny, before you get mad—" Cory started.

"I'm already mad. Now, I don't want to hear another word out of you three until we get back into the city."

"Mr. Feeny," Shawn said as he held out the lost item.

"My watch?" their teacher asked, taking it from him.

"Hope it still works," Cory told him.

Mr. Feeny cleaned it off carefully with a napkin as he commented softly, "never thought I'd see this again." 

"We, uh, figured it meant a lot to you, being your anniversary watch and all," Shawn answered.

"You read a book, Mr. Hunter?"

"Guess I did."

"Well, good for you. I want to thank you two. Well, now, before we get into the car, why don't you take a dip in the lake and get cleaned up?"

"But it's, like, twenty degrees out there!" Cory protested.

"We'll freeze," Shawn agreed.

"Take a sweater."

🌎🌎🌎

After the trio was finished being scolded by Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, Shawn walked Juliet home by their familiar route. They mostly spent the time in silence until the redhead finally broke it. "Shawnie?"

"Mmm?"

"Why did you save Mr. Feeny's watch?"

He glanced over at her before he shrugged. "It was important to him."

"No, really. You had to have a— a real reason— not that that isn't one—" she tried to explain, earning an amused smile from the boy. He wrapped a comfortable arm around her shoulders. 

"Well," he started slowly, "it was important to him since it was a gift from his wife and I was just thinking that if a dumb kid knocked something that important to me down the drain, I'd want him to go fetch it."

Instead of walking with her arm against her side like she usually did, the redhead took the boy by surprise and looped her arm slightly above his waist to give him a sideways hug, though her arm didn't drop once she had. "For the record," she said, "I'd want that not-so-dumb kid to fetch it for me, too." 

[written dec. 2020]
[edited may 2022]