Farewell Summer ~ Ray Bradbury - Marimarister

―So long, Charlie,‖ said Tom.
―You know something,‖ said Charlie, turning back toward his friends, as if he‘d suddenly
remembered something important. ―I been thinkin‘. I got an uncle, twenty-five years old. Came
by earlier today in a big Buick, with his wife. A really nice, pretty lady. I was thinkin‘ all
morning: Maybe I‘ll let them make me twenty-five. Twenty-five strikes me as a nice medium
age. If they‘ll let me ride in a Buick with a pretty lady like that, I‘ll go along with them. But
that‘s it, mind! No kids. It stops at squalling kids. Just a nice car and a pretty lady with me, ridin‘
along out toward the lake.
Boy! I‘ll take about thirty years of that. I‘m puttin‘ in my order for thirty years of being
twenty-five. Fill ‘er up and I‘m on my way.‖
―It‘s something to think about,‖ said Douglas. ―I‘m goin‘ in the house to think about it
right now,‖ said Charlie. ―So, when do we start the war again?‖ said Tom. Charlie and Douglas
looked at each other. ―Heck, I dunno,‖ said Doug, a little uncomfortably. ―Tomorrow, next week,
next month?‖ ―I guess." ―We can’t give up the war!‖ said Tom. ―Heck, we‘re not giving it up,‖
said Charlie. ―Every once in a while we‘ll do it again, huh, Doug?‖ ―Oh, sure, sure!‖ ―Shift the
strategy, identify new objectives, you know,‖ said Charlie. ―Oh, we‘ll have wars okay, Tom,
don‘t you worry.‖ ―Promise?‖ cried Tom, tears in his eyes. ―Cross our hearts, mother‘s honor.‖
―Okay,‖ said Tom, lower lip trembling. The wind whistled, was cool: it was an early autumn
evening, no longer a late summer one. ―Well,‖ said Charlie, standing there, smiling shyly,
looking up from under his eyebrows at Doug. ―It sure was a farewell summer, huh?‖
―Sure was.‖
―Sure kept us busy.‖
―Sure did.‖
―Only thing is,‖ said Tom, ―it didn‘t come out in the papers: Who won?‖
Charlie and Douglas stared at the younger boy.
―Who won? Don‘t be silly!‖ Douglas lapsed into silence, staring up into the sky. Then he
fixed them with a stare. ―I don‘t know. Us, them.‖
Charlie scratched inside his left ear. ―Everybody. The first war in history where
everybody won. I can‘t figure it. So long.‖ He went on up the sidewalk, crossed the front yard,
opened the door of his house, waved, and was gone.
―There goes Charlie,‖ said Douglas.
―Boy, am I sad!‖ said Tom.
―About what?‖