Connections

It was a summer unlike any other in my short life. The holidays had just begun and we were looking for something interesting to do. Our father Tom had left a few days earlier and would be gone until Labour Day. He was on a Canadian Coast Guard vessel analyzing environmental changes taking place in the Arctic. Lana, our mother, had recently given us permission to call her by her first name, as our father already had, but was unhappy our birth certificate names, James and John, wound up with the typical variations of Jim and Jack. It wasn’t for not trying on her part. But I told her, everyone at school calls me Jim and it’s the same for Jack. ''I know he only just turned ten, but it’s the way it is.'' As Lana would be busy with her new project, we knew there would be opportunities to do things without too much interference. Editing children’s books was her job, so once the project’s deadline was established, she worked the hours she wanted to and did it at home. Lana once told me how her mother chafed at being stuck in the house, wanting more than only full responsibility for a brood of five. She said, ''the children came regularly as my mom wouldn’t use oral contraceptives, but more on that when you’re older.'' After much consideration, as each of us kept nixing the other’s suggestions, we decided to dig a hole in our large but rather empty backyard. The weeping willow, planted by the previous owners took center stage, with a few marigolds along our neighbours’ property lines adding a bit of colour. ''It will be so neat,'' Jack said. ''Who knows what we’ll find,'' I added. ''If nothing unusual, at least we’ll get a chance to see the different layers of soil that I studied in science this year at school.'' The finish line wasn’t clear, but we knew two months before school started again would give us time to go as deep as we wanted. * * * The first couple of days went well. It had rained a fair bit recently, but the ground was dry and not too hard. We took turns digging and then watching each other. -2- I reminded Jack that we had to throw the dirt a fair distance because if we didn't, later on the piles would be too close to the hole and the earth could fall back in. There’s no guide book, but what we’re doing is pretty simple. He was taller and stronger than I was at the same age so I knew he could do it. When, after a week, the shaft on our only shovel broke hitting a rock, we were in trouble. There were gardening tools, but we knew we’d never get anywhere using them. ''I’d ask mom about buying one,'' I told Jack, ''but she’ll probably say we should wait until dad returns. You saw her reaction when we told her about digging the hole. I’m sure she only agreed because it was easy to keep an eye on us.'' ''That means the dig is over, doesn’t it.'' ''Not if we can borrow a shovel. I know that Mr. Grainer has one. I saw him using it in the front yard when he was planting flowers in the springtime.'' ''I don’t know if that's a good idea. He’s a funny guy, at least that’s what people say.'' ''I know Jack, supposedly that’s why his wife left him recently. But we don’t have a lot of choices, do we?'' I added, ''we’ll go together. He can’t be that strange, we never see the police or anybody like that going to his house.'' Waiting on the front steps for Mr. Grainer to come to the door, my confidence began to slip away. What if he is a weird person? Opening the door wide, with a big smile on his face, he said, ''what can I do for you fellas?'' My brother quickly jumped in. ''Uh, we’re digging a hole in our backyard and want to see how far we can go.'' ''I see! And what have you discovered so far?'' ''Not much, but we have a problem,'' I replied. ''Our only shovel has broken, and our father is away, so we don’t think we can continue unless we are able to get another one.'' ''Are you looking to borrow a shovel from me?'' Simultaneously, we said ''yes, and we know you have one.'' -3- ''You said your own shovel broke, so how do I know it won’t happen to mine?'' As we looked at each other, I suddenly chimed in, ''our shovel already had a crack in it, so I don’t think you have to worry.'' ''That sounds like a reasonable response. ''I only have one question for you boys. Have you seen many bugs during the digging so far?'' Jack proudly informed Mr. Grainer, ''we’ve found earthworms and white grubs.'' ''Do you know what the grubs become?'' I think our blank faces made it clear to him that we didn’t have a clue. ''Do you want to know what happens?'' ''Yes we do'', Jack said emphatically. ''Ok, come with me.'' Uncertainty gripped us as we followed him into his house and eventually a bright sunroom, where, to our amazement, there were tables with hundreds of beetles in separate mounting boxes, each a different species. ''Now boys, you’re not likely to find many of these during your digging, but beetles are our friends. They reduce insects and weed problems. As well, some species can fly. ''They are also good indicators of the biodiversity in our area. I know that’s a big word, but it simply means all living things and how they connect. We are all on the same planet, so it’s how we live together. ''I know looking at beetles is no match for a summer blockbuster film, but there are thousands and thousands of species of beetles that have been found and probably that number or more that haven’t been discovered. ''What I have is just a tiny, tiny part of the beetles everywhere and I have been collecting them for thirty years. ''You may not know the name Charles Darwin, but you will learn in a science class how important he was to our understanding about how species change. He too was very fond of collecting beetles.'' -4- Jack, who was especially impressed with the collection, said, ''you are a lucky man Mr. Grainer. You are retired and have lots of time to do what you like. Nobody tells you what to do. I’d trade places with you if I could, so I wouldn’t have to go to school.'' With a broad smile on his face, he replied, ''it’s true, I have lots of free time, but you have a long life in front of you. More and more change will take place in the future and you boys will be a part of it. That’s very exciting! ''I remember the feeling of not wanting to go to school. In my case, there was a bully who was particularly mean. He liked to make fun of me because I collected all sorts of insects. I wasn’t like him. However, I learned things in school that have helped me throughout my life. ''You both are doing something many people would think was strange, but you are doing it anyway. That takes courage, so I’m happy to lend you the shovel.'' As we were going out the front door, he said, ''I’d like to see the hole when you are finished, how it looks and how deep you go.'' ''You bet Mr. Grainer,'' Jack declared with much enthusiasm. * * * The following morning, the neighbour on the other side came over and with a scowl on his face told us,''you are kind of close to our yard. Just make sure you don’t throw any rocks or soil on my lawn. We work hard to keep it beautiful. ''It’s none of my business but digging a hole seems like a dumb idea. Why don’t you build something that you can keep. ''I saw that your shovel broke and you borrowed one from, as we call him, boring Mr. Grey.'' We were undaunted by the criticism, still feeling the excitement the conversation with Mr. Grainer had engendered. The next week saw a fair amount of rain so progress slowed. Fortunately, there hadn’t been a deluge so removing the water was done fairly easily. The work was tiring, but it wasn’t a job, so we were usually quite willing to do the digging. We regularly measured progress and each time it was ten centimetres deeper, we let out a loud whoop together. After a couple of weeks, the hole was fifty centimetres and we kept the original diameter of a metre, not wanting it to get too narrow. -5- At this depth, we had begun to hit clay, common to the soil in the area, and the digging was a lot harder. * * * The open field behind the houses on our street meant people often walked past the property. Father had intended to erect a fence but the summer project in the Arctic precluded that possibility. The annual summer fair was of much interest to us and it was starting in early August, only two days away. We especially liked going on the rides and as many as possible, but the cost ended up reducing the number. Late that morning, I was digging while Jack had gone to get some lemonade in the house. ''What are you doing?'' came from a voice that caused me to look up. I saw a man who looked like he was in his early twenties standing near the edge of the property line. ''Are you digging for gold?'' the smiling stranger asked as I climbed out of the hole. ''No, my brother and I are seeing how far we can go and hoping we find something interesting or valuable.'' ''Do you go to the fair and do you like going on rides?'' he asked suddenly. ''If you do, I can offer something you would find valuable.'' As Jack returned with the drinks, the young man said, ''I work for the company that owns the rides. We are setting them up now.'' ''Wow, that's pretty neat,'' Jack replied excitedly. ''Because I work there, I get passes for free and I usually try to sell some of them cheaply to people who may not have a lot of money, but who really like the rides.'' We immediately showed interest, and the man, who told us his name was Pat, said, ''if you like, I could sell you $50 worth of rides for only $20.'' As we looked at each other, there was immediate agreement that this was a great deal. -6- ''I’m on my way to work, so I can’t stay long, but have a look at the booklet and you’ll see that it’s a really good chance to go on lots of rides. As you probably know, tickets are two dollars each and there are twenty-five of them.'' Quickly checking, we agreed and I said to Jack and the seller, ''I have a twenty dollar bill that mom gave me for all the yard work I did this Spring. I was saving it for the fair, so this is great.'' As I retrieved the money, Lana was on the phone, so I didn’t bother to tell her the good news. It was at the end of the day that we shared the wonderful deal with our mother. It didn’t take her long to inform us that the so-called tickets were a fake. ''Look closely,'' she said, ''and you’ll see printed on the back, these items are for advertising purposes only and do not entitle the bearer to use them on any of the rides we offer. ''The person who sold them to you glued a note on the cover indicating they were tickets''. It was a tough night as I lay in bed crying at times and being simultaneously angry and feeling stupid for buying something worthless. I kept thinking of my grandfather who often told us you get what you pay for. I did my best to maintain interest in digging the next few days. And when I went to the fair with Lana and Jack I kept looking for the cheater, but of course never saw him. * * * With the approach of Labour Day, Jack and I decided the hole would be finished when we reached 120 centimetres, or just about four feet as I told my mother who still did measurements in feet and inches. We were now using a step ladder to get in and out, so it was less fun. As the hole got deeper, we put up a couple of signs warning people about it, and at the end of each day, placed some boards over it. Lana said it was somewhat like putting a fence around a swimming pool. A little after mid-August, we arrived as usual around 9:00 a.m. for our daily work session, after having reached 110 centimetres the day before. We always liked to do our digging, as much as possible, before it got too hot in the afternoon. We heard what sounded like a small animal whimpering and saw that the boards had not completely covered the opening. We lifted them and saw a squirrel at the bottom of the hole. Jack and I were really concerned and he ran to the house to get our mother. -7- Lana came quickly and using the ladder carefully climbed into the hole, soon realizing the animal was more scared than hurt. Using a fishing net she had sent me to get in the garage, she carefully scooped the squirrel into it. My mother then handed it to me and I quickly let it out on the grass. As it scampered away, Jack and I gave our special whoop. * * * We were close to completing the job at the end of a hot August day and thought it would be done the following morning. A couple of days earlier, I had asked Lana if she would take some photos. The nineties, a new decade, would begin in January, which coincided with my twelfth birthday, and we decided to put a time capsule into the hole. Leaving a marker with today’s date, we both wondered what amazing things might happen, especially in outer space. The next day the venture came to an end. We were excited by the idea that hundreds or maybe a thousand years later, someone might find our metal box. We put the negatives from the pictures Lana took, as well as a book we each wrapped in plastic and a note that Jack and I wrote about ourselves that we had laminated. As promised, Mr. Grainer came and looked at the hole when we were finished. His wife joined him and offered us some cookies she had made to celebrate our accomplishment. Mrs. Grainer told us she had been away for a few months as her mother needed help after a fall, but was really glad to be back home because she had missed her husband a lot. As our father would be returning in three days, we started to refill the hole the following morning so it would be done before his arrival. This was a lot easier and we often laughed throwing the soil back in. * * * We were really excited about seeing him, thinking little of the new school year that would begin very soon. After returning from the airport, we all sat in the living room next to my father’s unpacked suitcases, and he said, ''I understand you boys were very active this summer working together on a special project, so why don’t you tell me about it.'' Jack was excited that Tom was showing so much interest. He really enjoyed telling him that the hole was almost as deep as he was tall. ''I could barely see out when I was standing in it.'' -8- Tom laughed when I told him we only found a plastic bag with a comb in it at about 50 centimetres and an old bicycle wheel at just over a hundred. Then he said, ''who knows what people in the future will think about you boys when they find what you’ve buried.’''