Seven Days In Shenandoah

Author's Note:

This is my entry for the 2024 Summer Lovin' contest. The idea came to me, strangely enough, at a funeral. An elderly member of my choir, Tom, passed away earlier this year, and during his funeral service, one of his children told the story of how he and his wife first met - they'd grown up singing in their church choir together. They had a beautiful, full life, but their childhood together was the idea seed for this story. The characters aren't based on them since the story takes place in the present, but I nonetheless owe them a debt of gratitude and dedicate this story to Tom's memory.

If this story had a theme song that captured its general vibe, it would be John Denver's "Annie's Song." All characters engaging in sexual activity are 18 or older.

As a side note, I haven't figured out how to respond to reviews (if that's an option), so I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who provided feedback on "Northern Exposure." I really appreciate the encouragement!

***

Seven Days in Shenandoah

How long had Adam Henderson been in love with Ivy Warren? It was difficult to say. He honestly couldn't remember a time when he

hadn't

been in love with her. His understanding of what "love" meant had evolved over the years as he'd grown from a gangly boy into an eighteen-year-old young man, but his feelings for her had always been there. They'd been born only two months apart and had grown up going to church and school together. They'd even been baptized on the same day, and Adam's earliest memory was of chasing her around the church nursery and trying to wipe paste on her dress.

Ivy had been there for him through the highs and lows of his young life, from academic achievements and athletic triumphs to struggles with bullies and even a death in his family. She had a way of engaging with others that made anyone she was talking to feel like the most important person in the universe. She was outgoing, witty, and kind. She was his best friend. And he was ridiculously, stupidly, butt-crazy in love with her.

And now, he was finally going to tell her.

Maybe.

He might still chicken out, just like he'd done at her eighteenth birthday party. And at their senior prom. And at their graduation. He had an extensive track record of dropping the ball on this particular issue. The level of urgency now was greater, though: they'd be heading off to college in the fall and he didn't want to miss his chance. They'd both be attending the University of Virginia, but it was a big school and Adam knew that it wouldn't be long before some other guy picked up on how amazing Ivy was.

Adam was jolted from his thoughts as the bus hit a pothole.

"Sorry about that, guys!" Reverend Tom Hall called back from the driver's seat. The young assistant rector of St. Luke's Episcopal Church was one of the three adults chaperoning the parish youth group's annual summer camping trip.

"I keep saying you need glasses, Father Tom!" Alex Perry, one of the twelve youth group members along for the trip, teased him.

The priest chuckled. "I'm not ready to concede that battle to Father Time just yet. I'm only thirty-four."

Adam felt the seat depress slightly and lit up with a smile when he saw that Ivy had moved a few rows up to sit down next to him.

"What do you think the odds are that we blow a tire before we get there?" she asked him, her brown eyes twinkling with amusement.

He took a moment to think about it before grinning conspiratorially. "I'd say about even."

Ivy cocked her head and gazed at him thoughtfully. "You cut your hair," she observed.

Anxiety immediately took over Adam's thought processes. He'd gotten his dark blonde hair cut the day prior, shorter than he normally wore it so that he wouldn't have to worry about it again for a while. He ran a self-conscious hand through his shortened locks, knowing that he cared entirely too much about what Ivy thought but unable to help himself.

The wave of relief that washed over him when she smiled had an almost physical force.

"It suits you," she told him, running her own hand through it. "You look nice."

Feeling her hand in his hair almost set Adam's entire body afire. His brain worked overtime trying to suppress any obvious reactions that might tip Ivy off to how she was affecting him. Mostly, he was trying to prevent all the blood in his body from flowing southwards. Ivy had such a powerful hold on him and she had absolutely no idea.

She leaned back against the seat and Adam immediately missed her touch. "So Adam, you going to perform in the world-famous St. Luke's camping trip talent show on Saturday?" she asked him, already knowing what his answer would be.

He shook his head. "You know I never do. I'd be way too embarrassed."

"You're too shy for your own good sometimes," she commented.

He gave her a lopsided grin. "Maybe I'm just not all that talented."

"Oh please," she scoffed. "You and I both know that's bunk. I actually cried when you played

Le Cygne

in the senior orchestra concert because it was so beautiful."

Adam blushed, always a bit uncomfortable being complimented. He didn't much like being thrust into the spotlight, so it had been a challenge for him to play the solo cello part in that movement of Camille Saint-Saëns'

Carnival of the Animals

. Seeing the girl he adored moved to tears by his performance had made the whole experience worthwhile, though. He had considered telling her after the concert that he loved her and was thinking of her as he coaxed the romantic melody from his cello strings, but he had, as usual, lost his nerve.

"Pretty sure my parents would kill me if I brought my cello out into the woods and damaged it somehow," he pointed out. "Cellos aren't cheap."

Ivy gave him a warm smile. "True. You're incredibly gifted, Adam. I just wish you'd let more people see it."

He wanted to point out that

her

opinion was the only one that really mattered to him, but he kept that thought to himself. "How about you?" he asked instead. "You going to wow us all with your beautiful voice again?"

She chuckled. "That might be overstating my abilities, but I did bring my guitar along so I'll probably do something."

Unlike Adam, Ivy thrived in the spotlight. She didn't seek it out necessarily, but when it fell on her, she enjoyed using it to bring joy to those around her. It was one of the seemingly infinite number of reasons why Adam loved her.

The bus turned off of the interstate and onto Skyline Drive, the road that led to Shenandoah National Park. The Blue Ridge Mountains rose imposingly to the east and the valley gently sloping down toward the Shenandoah River was dotted with small farms and verdant stands of forest. Sunshine streamed down through the leaves of the trees along the road and the blue sky seemed to stretch endlessly overhead.

Inspired by the beauty around him, Adam began to hum the tune of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" quietly to himself.

"See, this is what I mean," Ivy commented. "You have such a lovely voice and yet you never want to sing in front of people."

"I sing in groups, like in the choir. And I sing in front of you sometimes," he countered, thinking back to the many rounds of Rock Band they'd played in his basement over the years.

She waved a hand dismissively. "I don't count."

"You do, too!" he insisted. "You know you're my favorite audience."

The sunlight shining through the bus windows illuminated the little flecks of copper in Ivy's irises as she smiled. Adam loved how expressive her eyes were, how they sparkled when she laughed and widened when something surprised her. He could get lost in them but didn't dare, lest he be unable to find his way out again.

Before long, they entered the park and pulled to a stop at the visitors' center. Father Tom hopped off the bus to go register with the rangers while everyone else sat tight. Once the administrivia was handled, the group headed off to their assigned campsite. It was a beautiful hollow nestled amongst a grove of trees that looked older than Moses. A stone fire pit surrounded by log benches sat in the middle, and Adam felt himself looking forward to the marshmallows he knew they'd inevitably roast over it.

The campers unpacked their gear and began pitching their tents. Some were sharing with friends, but Adam had brought his own, preferring the privacy. He set it up a few feet away from Ivy's.

As afternoon faded into evening and the sun began to set, everyone gathered around the fire pit. Father Tom and his wife Noelle, the church organist and leader of the youth group, stacked up logs and kindling. When all was ready, Father Tom struck a match.

"Let there be light!" he declared dramatically as the kindling caught and the campfire grew.

Noelle passed out hotdogs and metal sticks upon which to roast them. Reverend Martha Wallace, the parish rector and third of the adult chaperones, said a blessing before the campers skewered their hotdogs and held them out over the now roaring flames.

Adam loved a good flame-roasted hotdog and had three before deciding he was full. Marshmallows and smores followed, as he'd predicted, as did a smattering of hymns and campfire songs that random members of the group would start up seemingly out of nowhere. Everything about the scene was laid back and cozy.

"Anyone have any good campfire stories they'd like to share?" Mother Martha asked once darkness had fully fallen. "Maybe something a little spooky?"

"Yeah, I've got one," Alex piped up.

Adam rolled his eyes. Alex had been in the same class as him and Ivy and was a loud, boisterous sort of fellow. They got along alright, and Adam even considered him a friend, but his need to constantly be the center of attention could be grating at times. He'd been their football team's star wide receiver, the male lead in most school plays, and the prom king to boot. He also liked to flirt with Ivy, which automatically brought him down a few notches in Adam's book.

Alex leaned in theatrically and gazed around the circle. "There is a being that lurks in these woods. Hikers along the Appalachian Trail have reported seeing it for years. My cousin Jeff came across it just last summer and barely made it out of the park alive."

"Was it a bar of soap?" Sage Myers quipped sarcastically. Alex's older cousin Jeff had somewhat questionable hygiene habits.

Alex glared at Sage, clearly annoyed with them for disrupting the spooky mood he was trying to craft. "No. Now people always say that if the woods suddenly go quiet, you need to get out of there right away. Jeff was hiking not far from here last year and he suddenly noticed that it was eerily silent. No birds chirping, no animals rustling around in the brush, nothing. It was a cloudy day and looked like it was going to rain soon, so he started walking faster. Suddenly, he heard this staticky music playing off to the side of the trail. He thought it was kinda weird, but maybe someone had just dropped their radio or something. But then he heard someone shouting for help."

Next to Adam, Ivy cocked her head and watched Alex with a skeptical look on her face that indicated she'd heard this story before and wasn't buying it in the slightest. Adam smirked to himself.

"Now Jeff's a good guy," Alex continued. "So he went off toward where the shouts were coming from. But then he got to a clearing and saw a sight that made him stop in his tracks. There, standing among the trees, was a tall, thin, rotted-looking figure. It was at least forty feet tall and was dead still, like it was trying to blend in with the woods. Instead of a head, it had two huge loudspeakers that were blaring a looped recording of someone crying for help. Jeff turned around and ran for his life. He could hear pounding footsteps behind him, getting closer and closer. Just when he thought he was done for, he reached a road and flagged down a passing car. He told the driver to floor it. When he looked out the back window, he could see the monster still chasing them down the road a bit before turning back into the trees. Jeff made it out that day, but there are reports of people vanishing without a trace in these woods every year. So let this be a lesson: If the woods go silent, get out. And whatever you do, never stray off the trail."

There was a moment of silence before Sage scoffed loudly. "Come on, dude. You just ripped off Siren Head. Everyone knows that story. It's like one of the most popular creepypastas."

Alex glared at them. "Then let's see you tell a better scary story," he snapped, miffed that his spooky tale hadn't gotten more of a reaction from his fellow campers.

"Oh snap, it's on," Ivy whispered to Adam. Her breath against his ear made him shiver.

Sage smirked, taking Alex up on his challenge. "Fine, I will. Once upon a time," they began dramatically, "there was a boy. Now this boy suffered from a rare condition. Every day, he went out and annoyed everyone around him, for he fed off of their irritation like a vampire. Attention was his lifeforce, and if people weren't constantly looking at him and thinking about him, he would wither and die."

Several people around the circle snickered quietly, knowing where the story was likely going.

"Now one day," Sage continued. "The boy went camping with a group of people in the woods. They grew tired of his antics and in the middle of the night, they dragged him out of his tent, took him away from the campsite, and tied him to a giant oak tree. They left him there, and he slowly withered away as no one was paying attention to him anymore. Some say you can still hear his haunting cry of 'hey guys, watch this!' when the wind blows from the north. And that, my friends, is the legend of Alex Perry."

Laughter erupted around the fire. Even Alex chuckled a bit.

"As a public service announcement, I feel I should say that tying people to trees is very definitely against the rules for this trip," Mother Martha pointed out, unable to suppress a grin.

As the evening wore on, Father Tom read to the group from a book of classic poetry. Adam noticed a slight weight on his shoulder and saw that Ivy had dozed off against him. Her long brown hair fell across her face and fluttered gently with every breath she took. She looked angelic, and Adam would have happily sat there all night just to let her keep sleeping. As the priest began to read Lord Byron's "She Walks in Beauty," Adam found the words most fitting:

"She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;

Thus mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies."

When Adam's head finally hit the pillow that night and he drifted off to sleep, he thought of the girl sleeping a mere five feet away and wondered if she ever thought of him in the stillness of the night.

And there was evening, and there was morning - the first day.

***

"Holy cow, what a view!"

Adam couldn't help but agree with Noelle's take on the scene that lay before them. Tired and sweaty, the youth group had just reached the rocky summit of Old Rag Mountain. The rolling hills of Appalachia and the Shenandoah Valley spread out far below them like a lush emerald carpet. It had taken them three hours - and a decent amount of whining from certain parties - to reach the top, but Adam determined that it had been well worth the effort.

The group milled around, taking pictures of the scenery and eating the sandwiches they'd packed for lunch. Adam sat down next to Ivy on a large boulder and took a bite of his BLT.

"Gorgeous, huh?" she asked rhetorically.

He nodded and swallowed the food in his mouth. "Definitely. It actually makes me feel really small."

She eyed his six foot frame. "Seeing things from an even greater height than usual makes you feel

small

?"

"Small, like insignificant in the grand scheme of things," he clarified. "Not necessarily unimportant, but just a tiny piece of a very big world, you know?"

"Yeah, I get what you mean." She grinned at him. "Anyone ever tell you you're way too deep for an eighteen-year-old guy?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You'd rather I talk about nothing but football and fart jokes?"

"No," she giggled. "That version of you would totally suck. I like deep Adam."

Ivy lay back on the boulder, staring up at the sky and missing the blush that crept up Adam's neck. Composing himself, he leaned back as well.

"I feel like I could just fall into the sky," Ivy observed, gazing up at the vast ocean of blue above them.

He hummed his agreement, enjoying the peaceful moment they were sharing.

A smirking face suddenly blocked his view.

"You looking for UFOs there, Henderson?" Alex quipped.

"Nope, just zoning out," Adam replied, trying not to get too annoyed at the interruption.

Alex chuckled before turning his attention to Ivy, who had sat back up upon his arrival. "Beautiful up here, huh, Ivy?"

She smiled at him and nodded. "Mhm. Definitely worth the hike up."

"Not too hard of a hike," Alex mused, pretending to stretch but really just flexing his muscles. "Now Mount Washington up in New Hampshire, that was a real hike. I made it up there in about four hours, though, which is a pretty good pace."

"Wow, that's great! Well done," Ivy congratulated him. She was the sort of person who always celebrated her friends' achievements, even when said friends were decidedly unhumble about them. It was a trait Adam admired, even as he thought to himself that Alex would make great time descending the mountain if he tripped and rolled all the way down. He mentally scolded himself - Alex may have been cocky, but he wasn't a bad person.

Any regret Adam felt over his uncharitable thoughts evaporated at Alex's next words, however.

"You want to walk back down with me, Ivy? I saw a really pretty waterfall on the way up here that I know you'll love."

Oh

hell

no

, Adam thought to himself. He fought to keep his face neutral and not give any hint of how badly he wanted to punch Alex right in the face at that moment. He knew he had no claim over Ivy, however, and didn't want to come off like a possessive jackass.

Ivy seemed to consider Alex's offer for a moment. "You know, I think we should probably stick with the group. We don't want to wander off the trail and get lost."

Adam silently cheered.

"Yeah, you're right," Alex conceded. "I guess that's wilderness survival for dummies, right? Don't split off from the group."

"Besides, we don't want to take any chances," Ivy continued, her eyes twinkling with mischief. Adam had seen that look before and knew she was about to land a zinger. "After all, Siren Head lives around here. At least according to your cousin Jeff, right?"

Adam hadn't thought it was possible for him to fall even more in love with Ivy, but he somehow managed it just then.

Alex laughed, taking Ivy's jab in stride. "Alright, you got me there."

"Remember, Alex," Ivy teased him. "We can't split up, we can't go off into the woods to investigate mysterious noises, and we can't go off the trail. And if the woods go silent, we have to get out."

"That's horror movie survival for dummies," Adam added with a grin.

"Adam would know, too," Ivy backed him up. "He's an encyclopedia of horror movie tropes and trivia. We can all benefit from his wisdom."

Alex smirked. "Well, next time there's a zombie apocalypse, I'll be sure to give you a call, man."

So saying, he wandered away to chat with Ellis Bowman, a junior who'd played with him on the football team.