The Summer Child

Daniel was the summer child. He was found by the farmer in the July of 1936, sitting in the middle of a meadow on the outskirts of the village. Nearby was on a sack in which there were some carrots and a jar of strawberry jam. He was a big fat baby sitting upright, playing with his dirty toes and giggling. The farmer called him Danel, local dialect for the runt of a litter of pigs.

It was not apparent where he came from and no amount of notices in the local paper, or postcards in the post office window could bring forth a parent. The local copper knocked on doors in all the villages within a 10 mile radius but no one was forthcoming.

After a week or so with the farmer Danel was taken to stay at the vicarage, and then spent a bit of time with the pub landlord. Between them the village took it in turns to feed and clothe him as he grew like a giant rhubarb.

Danel became a gentle young man, big and strong but not very bright. He went to school but never managed to learn much. He spent most of his time in the class room colouring with the crayons. He loved their colours and their waxy smell

Every summer in July the villagers went back to the spot that he was found in case someone should come to claim him. Over time it became the traditional village summer picnic.

In the summer of 1956 when Daniel was 20 he went on a mystery tour to Cheddar caves. The caves frightened him. When the guide told them about people living in such places and doing cave paintings with soot and blood, Danel started to cry. He couldn't stand to think of people living in the dark and not having crayons. He ran out of the cave and was only found 2 hours later in the local park bandstand, sitting playing with his toes. He made the coach late and the vicar told him off.

In the hot June of 1976, a woman appeared in the village. No one knew her. They all wondered if she was Danels mum come for him. She stayed a few days in a room above the pub and left without saying anything. Danel never even noticed. As far as he was concerned everyone was either his mum or dad, brother or sister.

Danel never married and he never owned a house. He lived with whoever had room for him. He never had a job but worked hard for whoever needed him. He had few belongings and never learned to read.

In the summer of 2016 aged 80, he sat quietly at his picnic. It was a warm day and peewits flicked across the downy farmland. Daniel watched the jammy faced children play. He watched the old people laughing at their own jokes and fanning themselves. Having known nothing of the internet, mobile phones, sat navs or computers, Danel looked at the tracing paper trees in the lowering evening light, giggled and took one last jam sandwich.

Feedback