Garmann’s Summer

Garmann’s summer will soon be over. The grasshoppers are singing, and the three old aunts are coming to stay. Garmann closes his eyes and thinks of black slugs, itchy mosquito bites, and starting school.

He opens his eyes again and looks at the apple tree. The branches are like crooked fingers pointing to the sky. Soon it will be autumn.

Every year the aunts come for a few days, bringing rheumatism, hernias, and almond tart. They arrive by boat from another time, always with a package for Garmann.

Garmann is almost as tall as the aunts, even though he is only six years old. Every summer the aunts shrink a bit in the sun, thinks Garmann. Soon they won’t be able to see over the grass.

A ladybug flies in on the wind and lands. on Garmann. It has six black spots on its back. Daddy says ladybugs bring luck. Garmann makes three quick wishes before he hugs the aunts. They feel soft and pillowy against his cheek.

“You are so thin and pale,” the aunts say with a smile.

“Thank you. You too,” Garmann says with a bow.

Before he has undone the paper, Garmann knows what is in their soft package: a knitted hat with a pom-pom on top. Not a black hat with a Batman patch, as he wanted. Garmann gets the same present every single year. Now he has six hats with pom-poms. The same number as the spots on the ladybug.