The Summer of the Swans

Charlie lies awake in bed, a common problem of his. Earlier in the evening, he sought help from both Aunt Willie and Sara, wanting to fix a missing button on his pajamas. Distracted by the TV, Aunt Willie assured him that she’d fix it the following day. Sara preemptively discouraged him from asking for help as she was busy re-dying her shoes with Mary. Her orange shoes became a dark reddish brown in a botched attempt, a color she hates even more than the initial orange. Defeated, Charlie went to bed—but is unable to take his mind off his lack of button. He picks at the buttonhole until the fabric frays, ripping a hole through the entire pajama top.

Still awake at one in the morning, Charlie recalls the swans and their calming presence. He sees a neighbor’s white cat in the bushes outside, and though he knows it’s a cat, the flash of white reinforces his current desire. Charlie sneaks out onto the porch and waits for the swans to appear. When they don’t, Charlie decides to find them himself. When he walks to the front gate, he stops, aware that he’s not supposed to go past it. It occurs to him that the confusion of daytime is somehow connected to the gate, but with the night being quiet, he’s no longer concerned about going off on his own. He attempts to follow Sara’s path from earlier that afternoon—but takes a wrong turn.

Charlie grows worried when he doesn’t recognize any of the landmarks leading to the lake. Frightened by the sound of barking dogs, Charlie runs and stumbles through rough vegetation—cutting and scraping himself, and losing his slipper, until the sound dissipates. He covers a considerable distance before colliding with a barbed wire fence; he cuts himself once more and follows the fence until he reaches a break, passing through and continuing farther into the hills. Charlie is able to relax a little, but as he treads further and further into unfamiliar territory, his distress returns, and he trudges on in tears.

When Sara wakes up the following morning, she looks in the mirror and laments her choice to cut her hair before joining Aunt Willie for breakfast. Aunt Willie asks Sara to wake Charlie, but the girl finds his bed empty. Unconcerned, Sara returns to the kitchen, complaining about both breakfast and the new “puce” color of her once orange shoes. When Sara is again instructed to find Charlie, she realizes he isn’t in the house. Sara assumes he’s in the yard while Aunt Willie is convinced something is wrong. Recalling their trip, Sara thinks he went to find the swans. Still unconcerned, Sara sets out for the lake, recruiting Mary along the way. The girls reach the lake and discover that Charlie isn’t there. Sara is now convinced that the situation is far more serious than she anticipated.

Aunt Willie is on the phone with a friend when the girls return. When Sara and Mary report their findings, Aunt Willie dials the police and files a report: She insists that Charlie’s intellectual status renders him at significant risk, above what might be the case for a neurotypical 10-year-old. The guilt-ridden woman reflects on a promise she made to Sara’s departed mother, one to protect Charlie in particular. Sara insists that Aunt Willie can’t possibly watch Charlie every waking moment, but she insists that nothing is more important than her nieces and nephew, drawing a connection between her ignoring Charlie the night before and his sudden disappearance. As they wait for the police to arrive, Sara is still convinced that Charlie meant to find the swans. While looking for a picture of Charlie for the police, Aunt Willie comments that he’s wearing his watch in one of the photos. Sara recalls how someone once stole the watch, but Aunt Willie insists that it simply went missing; in turn, Sara insists that her classmate Joe Melby took it. Mary recalls Sara taping an insulting sign on Joe’s back in retaliation. Mortified, Aunt Willie compares Sara to her late husband who was also inclined toward revenge. Aunt Willie reminds Sara of the time she sprayed a neighborhood girl with a hose; Sara says the girl called Charlie a slur and that she’s thoroughly satisfied with her actions.

The police arrive to begin their search. Sara overhears Aunt Willie call the children’s father Sam; Sara comments that he won’t come. Aunt Willie defends her brother as the girl doesn’t truly know him. Sara feels that her father’s absence began with Charlie’s childhood illness—which occurred not too long after her mother’s death. The man spends most of his time working in Ohio, only returning to West Virginia for the occasional weekend. Aunt Willie finally reaches Sam, and Sara goes outside to get attention from Boysie. Aunt Willie joins her and explains that she told Sam not to come right away as there’s little he can do; Sara reiterates that her father won’t come. Aunt Willie scolds Sara for speaking so harshly about Sam and advises that she appreciate her father while he’s alive, being someone who lost her own. Sara replies with “I’ve already lost him” (75). Aunt Willie explains that Sam supported his family when their father died, and now he works to support his children and sister. Unmoved, Sara leaves with Mary to search for Charlie herself.