One Magical Summer

[Coopsgirl]

Part One

“We’re here. Wake up” Mary heard a voice say as she opened her sleepy eyes. “What?” she asked as she tried to wake up. “We’re here” the young woman sitting next to her said again. “Where’s here?” Mary said looking around seeing she was sitting on a bus with a lot of other women who looked to be in their late teens and early 20s. “At the park. You must have been in a really deep sleep” the chipper woman said as she rose and got her bag from the overhead rack. She handed Mary a bag too and they got off the bus and lined up while another woman wearing a ranger uniform called their names. “Molly Hanson” the ranger said as the woman next to Mary answered to her name. “Mary Hatten” she said moving to the next name. “Is there a Miss Hatten here?” she said again after no answer. “Here” Mary said still trying to figure exactly where she was and what she was doing there.

She had gone to sleep the same as every other night and while she was prone to wild, imaginative dreams this one seemed so real as she could hear the birds chirping in the tall pines and smell the sweet scents of the outdoors wafting by on the breeze. Judging by everyone’s clothes, she guessed it to be the early 1920s. Mary was a rabid old movie fan and her favorite decades were the 20s and 30s. She loved not only the movies, but the clothes, music, and overall culture of that time immensely. ‘I must be dreaming’ she thought to herself as the ranger continued to call the roll. “Welcome to Yellowstone National Park ladies” the ranger said with a smile as another woman handed each of them a small booklet. “I want to extend my congratulations on becoming the park’s newest crop of rangers. We hope you’ll enjoy your summer here and leave with many happy memories to cherish for the rest of your lives. Now if you’ll all follow me we’ll get you through orientation.”



As the girls followed along, Mary looked through her booklet. When she saw the date, 1921, she was stunned at first and then she began to giggle. “What’s so funny?” Molly asked curiously. “I’m just excited” Mary said not wanting to explain the real reason for her outburst. “Me too” Molly said. They stopped when they approached a large building that was made in the log cabin style. The girls were instructed to sit down as the ranger gave them more details about what they would be doing throughout the summer. They were very excited and when they were allowed to go into the bunkhouse to find their uniforms and assignments, they ran in like a pack of wild dogs. Mary found her bed and an envelope sitting on top of a stack of crisp new uniforms. She ripped it open and when she saw Tour Guide – Bus Trail, she became giggly again. Molly ran over to see what job Mary had gotten and when she saw the huge smile on her new friend’s face she was anxious to hear what it was. “I’m a guide on the bus tour” she said giddily. “That sounds fun.” “What are you doing?” Mary asked. “Swimming lessons for kids. That’s what I asked for” Molly replied. “I don’t know about you, but I’m can’t wait to see some of the boys. My sister did this last year and she just couldn’t stop talking about how handsome and nice they were” Molly explained. “I hope they are as good as I have them pictured” Mary said, having one particular young man in mind.

They were given an hour to get unpacked and settled before lunch. Mary went into the large dormitory style bathroom and she had to do a double take when she passed by a mirror. She was 30 but her reflection showed a much younger version of herself at about 18. Her normally curly blonde hair was fashioned into the waves popular at the time and she smiled to see herself this way. Once into their uniforms and ready to go, they all followed the path down to the mess hall that was shared by both the young men and women. Molly and Mary got their tray and then sat down at a table with a couple of other girls and happily chatted away as they ate. “I was telling Mary about how my sister was here last summer and she said the guys were really cute. She was right” Molly said as they all concurred that out of the young men they had seen so far, they were a very nice looking bunch. Mary scanned the crowd for the man she was sure would be there since they were in the Montana side of the park but she didn’t see him. “Do you think this is all of them?” she asked trying not to sound too disappointed. “No, there’s another group that came in before us” Betty said as she ate her sandwich. Mary was relieved at hearing this and once they had finished their lunch they broke off into groups according to their jobs.

Mary joined the other young ladies who would be the tour guides while the men drove the buses. They were each given a booklet describing the information they were to give and the spots they were to point out while on their routes. “Now ladies if you’ll find your bus, we’re going to spend the rest of the day doing some practice runs” the man said as they walked down to the road where the small buses where lined up. Mary was to be on bus number four and when she found it there was no driver. She looked around and then decided to get in and sit down in the little seat behind the driver that was for the guides. She was leafing through the booklet when a young man got on.

“Did you think I wasn’t coming?” he asked jokingly. For a minute the sight of this tall, lanky man rendered her speechless. She had seen pictures of him at this age but they were all in black and white. Now here he was, in glorious living color and less than two feet from her. “Frank Cooper” he said extending his hand. “Mary Hatten” she finally responded with a big smile as she shook his hand.



He smiled back at her and then sat down and started the bus. “Is this your first time here?” he asked. “Yes. How about you?” “No, I came last year too. I’m from Helena, where are you from?” “Austin.” “Texas?” he asked as she nodded yes. “You’re a long ways from home” he said as they turned off the road and onto their route.

“Here’s the first stop” he said as they pulled over. “The tourists can get out here and take pictures” he explained as she read in her booklet what the spot was and what she should say about it. She ran through the speech and then they started up again. “I hope I can remember all this.” “All you have to do is memorize the main stuff and then just repeat it in your own words. I know most of it so if you get stuck just let me know.” “Thanks” she said still in disbelief at the wonderful dream she was having.

[Coopsgirl]

Part Two

“How’d it go?” Molly asked as she and Mary sat down for supper. “It was great. Frank, the guy driving my bus, is the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.” “What’s he look like?” “He’s tall, around 6’3”, and he’s got blue eyes and they seem to sparkle, they’re just mesmerizing” she said drifting off. “So while all the tourists are watching the scenery I guess you’ll be watching Frank” Molly joked. Mary laughed weakly knowing that her dream may end at any time. When she lay down that night she guessed that this beautiful dream was finally about to end and she tried not to fall asleep but eventually it overtook her.

The sound of someone blowing reveille on the bugle slowly brought Mary around. She rubbed her eyes and stretched trying to wake up. When she realized this was not the sound of her alarm clock, she sat up suddenly and looked around to see she was still in the bunkhouse. She didn’t know what was going on but she was too happy to care. After breakfast she was walking down to the bus trail and she saw Frank just up ahead walking alone. She yelled out to him and he stopped and waited for her to catch up. She was proud of herself so far for remembering to call him Frank since it would still be several years before he would take on the moniker he would be world famous as.

“Good morning Mary” he said politely as they walked along. “Good morning Frank” she said with a smile. “You shouldn’t slouch. Be proud of your height” she said knowing that when he was in his teens he would walk hunched over to hide the fact that he was taller than everyone else, even the teachers. “Just a bad habit I guess” he mumbled as he straightened up. When they got to the bus he opened the door for her and then they started it up and went down to pick up their passengers.

Mary flubbed some of the information she was supposed to give but Frank helped her and after the first two or three tours of the day she began to get the hang of it. Their last group consisted of students from a nearby high school and Mary noticed a few of the girls smiling at Frank and giggling. One of them motioned to Mary and then whispered a question in her ear as they were headed back to the drop off point. She went back to her seat and then got close to Frank so he could hear her. “Would you take a picture with some of these girls when we get back?” “Why do they want a picture with me?” he whispered totally stunned by this request. “They think you’re cute. Will you do it?” “Okay” he finally agreed unsure of why anyone would want a picture with a gangly thing like him who was just all arms and legs. Mary turned around and gave a thumbs up to the girls who giggled as they got their cameras ready. “Okay, big smiles now. On the count of three everybody say ‘Yellowstone’. One, two, three” Mary said as all the girls yelled ‘Yellowstone’ and then smiled as she snapped their picture. They did this several times until Mary had taken pictures with all the cameras they laid at her feet. One girl reached up and gave Frank a kiss on the cheek and then ran as they went back to their school bus.

“That was embarrassing” he said as Mary laughed knowing this was only the beginning of a life filled with fan adulation and requests for autographs and pictures. “You gotta expect that looking like you do” she said as they drove back to the bus barn. “I’m nothing special” he said genuinely believing that. “You’re beautiful inside and out. Maybe you’ll see that one of these days.” Mary realized she was probably gushing over him a little too much so she sat back in her seat and turned to look out the window. “You really think so? I mean, you hardly know me” he said. Mary tried to hold the laughter in at the line about hardly knowing him. She’d read every bio about him, knew all his films backwards and forwards and had collected enough articles and clippings about him to fill up four large scrapbooks. Even though he passed away 16 years before she was born, she felt like she did know him, or at least she knew what kind of man he was and she both respected and loved him very much. “Yes I do. Sometimes you just get feelings about people and I can tell you’re a good guy” she said with a smile as she leaned forward and patted his shoulder. She was surprised at her own boldness but she knew this must be a dream and she had to make hay while she was still sleeping, so to speak.

He didn’t know what to say. Barely 20 years old he had yet to become the ladies man he would be after reaching Hollywood. Right now he was just shy Frank Cooper who barely knew how to talk to girls. He had only recently finished high school after an auto accident a few years ago that resulted in a badly broken hip and leg caused him to fall behind. He felt awkward being so much older than everyone else so he didn’t go out on many dates.

“You want to go for a walk before supper?” he asked after they parked the bus. “I’d love to” she said as they started down one of the hiking trails nearby. They walked together silently for a few minutes until Mary tripped over a rock and Frank grabbed her arm to stop her from falling. Goosebumps formed all over her body at his gentle touch. “Are you alright?” he asked letting her go. “Yeah” she said trying to catch her breath. “I think you’re beautiful too” he said out of the blue as he looked down at the ground. Mary smiled up at him and then took his hand and held it as they walked down to the lake and sat by the shore watching the sun reflecting on the rippling water. “It’s so pretty here” Mary replied as she gazed in wonder at the beauty of the park. “What made you want to come here?” he asked. “I’ve always wanted to see more of the country and this sounded like a fun adventure. Why’d you come?” “I love being outdoors. I don’t know what I want to do yet, but I hope I can always spend a lot of time outside. I think I’d go crazy cooped up in an office all day.” Mary knew of his deep love for the outdoors and that once he had become an established star, he had time for hunting and fishing trips built into his contracts. She wanted to tell him how amazing his life would turn out to be but she guessed she better not.

“I bet you know how to skip rocks don’t you?” “Sure” Frank answered. “Will you show me?” He nodded that he would then he helped her up and they found some flat rocks which were perfect for skipping and he took one of them and flicked it into the water and they watched it skip four times until it sank. “That’s so cool!” “Are you cold?” he asked confused by her use of the word. “No, I mean that was really neat” she said adjusting her slang to better fit the time. “Now you try it. Just kinda flick your wrist gently.” Mary did but her rock just sank into the water without a single skip. “Here, like this” he said standing behind her and holding her hand to show her the motion of how to do it. Mary was sure she was going to faint being this close to her ideal man, her hero. She’d had more dreams than she could count of him before but this one seemed so different. It felt like he was really there and his warm breath on the back of her neck just couldn’t be something in a dream.

Frank felt her sigh deeply as he stood close behind her and mustering up his courage, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. She turned to face him and he gave her the sweetest, nervous smile. She smiled up at him and he bent down and quickly kissed her lips. When he pulled back he did that cute nervous chuckle like she’d heard so many times from the screen. It was so sweet and endearing, not to mention irresistible. She put her arms around his shoulders and he put his around her waist and they kissed again. “I haven’t been out with too many girls” he said as she rested her head against his chest. “You’re doing just fine” she said holding him tight.

They walked back down the trail holding hands until they got within sight of the mess hall and bunkhouses. It was alright if a little summer romance bloomed but the rangers frowned on any public displays of affection. “I want to introduce you to my friend” Mary said seeing Molly and some of the other girls she had become friendly with heading towards the mess hall. She made the introductions and they all sat together to eat. Frank couldn’t help but feel good to be surrounded by so many pretty girls. They had only been there a couple of days so everyone was still getting to know each other and the tables were filled mostly straight down the line with the young men and ladies keeping to their own sex. Jim, one of Frank’s friend’s from the summer before, came over to take advantage of the situation. Frank introduced him and he sat beside Molly who smiled at him during the rest of the meal.

After dinner Jim and Frank walked the girls back home and after saying goodnight, proceeded down the trail to their bunkhouse that was just around the bend. “You were right, Frank is a doll” Molly said as they were getting ready for bed. “He’s a good kisser too” Mary confided. “You let him kiss you!” “I sure did and given the chance I’ll do it again” she said as they giggled. “I’d let Jim kiss me too” Molly said as they walked back to their beds and went to sleep.

[Coopsgirl]

Part Three

The next morning when Mary found she was still at the park, she began to feel a little worried. Was she dreaming or had something extraordinary happened to her? If she was really here, back in 1921, surely her friends and family were frantic with worry wondering what happened to her. Frank met her outside the mess hall after breakfast and as they walked to their bus he could tell something was wrong. “Are you getting homesick?” he asked. “A little.” “It’s just four weeks. It’ll go by like that” he said snapping his fingers. “I hope it doesn’t go too fast” she said as she came to the realization there was nothing she could do so she may as well enjoy it.

Mary had never been in this part of the country before and it was just as beautiful as she imagined it to be. So far Frank also proved to be just like she had imagined. He was a little shy and could be very quiet when in a big group but he had been quite talkative and animated the evening before when just the few of them ate together. Even at this young age he had the quiet, calm, in control presence about him that she and millions of others had admired over the decades from the silver screen.

No one requested pictures with Frank today and Mary teased him about it when the day was through. There was going to be a weenie roast that night and after they got showered and dressed Frank, Mary, Molly, and Jim all went together. “Here’s a good stick” Jim said handing it to Molly. “Be careful, don’t burn it” Frank said as Mary’s hot dog was beginning to look charred. “I like ‘em a little burned” she said with a smile. Later Mary couldn’t help but laugh out loud at how many hot dogs Frank had eaten. She knew he had a monstrous appetite but to see it in person was too funny. “Where are you putting all those?” she asked him as she poked at his ribs. He laughed as he pulled away since he was ticklish.

After all the hot dogs were gone, Frank took Mary’s hand and led her into the woods just out of eye shot of the others. “To not have been out with many girls, you sure are a fast worker” she joked as they sat down beneath one of the tall pine trees. “When I see something I like, I go after it” he replied as he kissed her neck and then behind her ear. As she reclined her head Mary could see millions of bright stars high above the towering trees. “Look at all the stars” she said excitedly as Frank also looked up at them. “They’re beautiful” he said as he put his arm around her shoulder. They were both familiar with the constellations so they took turns pointing out different ones until they heard Molly and Jim whispering for them to come out since it was time for bed.

“So what were you two doing out there?” Molly asked as they got ready for bed. “Nothing, just looking at the stars” Mary said with a grin. “What were you and Jim doing?” “Just looking at the stars” she said with a big grin as they laughed.

When their first free day came, the group of four went into the nearby town and spent the day window shopping and walking around taking in the sights. Mary collected old movie magazines and she felt like a kid in a candy store when they went into one of the shops and saw a display of them. She had a couple that were in near mint condition but it was nothing like one that was brand spanking new. She recognized Norma Talmadge on the cover of Photoplay, one of her favorite magazines to collect, so she bought it. She was used to paying $20 to $40 a magazine so it was a welcome change to only lay out a quarter for this one.

They decided to have lunch at one of the little diners along the main street and afterwards they walked to the park and sat down under the shade of a big oak tree. In 1921 it would still be a year until the scandal involving Fatty Arbuckle and Virginia Rappe as well as the still unsolved murder of director William Desmond Taylor which effectively ended the innocent early days of Hollywood. As Mary flipped through the magazine she could see how the styles were beginning to change from the proper Gibson girl era to those of the jazz age. The flapper culture and style wouldn’t begin to come into vogue for another couple of years, but the beginning of the movement was evident.

“Do you like movies?” Mary asked Frank. “I haven’t seen too many but I guess I like them alright” he said very nonchalantly as he folded his arms behind his head and leaned back against the tree trunk. “Which ones have you seen?” “Some Fairbanks and Chaplin. I like ones with Bill Hart and Harry Carey too.” Mary wasn’t surprised that he liked the Western stars and she wanted so badly to tell him that when he began his career it would be in Westerns and he would be compared to Hart. He would also become friends with Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford and would attend parties at their Pickfair estate. “Doug and Mary make the most beautiful couple” Molly said dreamily. They had only been married a little over a year and they were the toast of not only Hollywood but practically the whole world. Unfortunately their relationship would burn out by the mid 30s and end in divorce but today they were still happy, and so was Mary.

The next day a fire broke out in one section not too far from their camp and all the male rangers were called to help put it out. Their female counterparts stayed behind and since it wasn’t in the area where Frank and Mary worked, they went about their routines as usual. After their work was done, Mary went to wash her uniforms and while she was hanging them up to dry she saw Molly running towards her in a panic. “Did you hear what happened?” Molly said out of breath. “No, what?” “A couple of women were sightseeing and they went over the edge of a cliff and it killed them.” “That’s terrible.” “That’s not all. The lady rangers decided they couldn’t wait for the men to get back to get the bodies because they didn’t want any animals to get to them so they asked for a volunteer from the boys to do it. Nobody wanted to and finally Frank volunteered.” Mary wasn’t surprised that out of all those young men Frank stepped up to do the dirty work no one else would. She was getting to see first hand just how similar his real character was to the many characters he immortalized in the movies.

She went down to wait for him by the boy’s bunkhouse and after about an hour she saw him coming down the trail, dirty and soaked with sweat. She ran to him and hugged him. “You’re gonna get dirty” he said. “I don’t care. I’m so proud of you.” He figured she must have heard about what happened. “I just did what had to be done” he said as she let him go and they continued on. “Yeah, but you’re the one who did it” she said holding his hand. “I’m gonna get cleaned up and then you want to take a walk?” “Sure” Mary said.

Hand in hand they walked down the trail to their favorite spot by the lake. As a star he had a reputation for being rather tight lipped and she found young Frank to be no different. They found a good spot under a shade tree and sat beside each other holding hands neither one saying a word. Instead they just listened to the sounds of the world around them.

[Coopsgirl]

Part Four

“The dance should be fun” Mary said about the event scheduled for that evening. “Yeah, I’m not much of a dancer though” Frank joked. “I’ll bet you’re better than you think.” Mary, Molly, and some of the other young ladies spent their free time that afternoon putting up decorations in the mess hall and moving the tables and chairs out of the way. Promptly at 7pm Frank and Jim met the girls outside their bunkhouse and walked with them to the dance hall. “You look nice” Mary said to Frank as he was wearing a suit. “He didn’t want to wear it but I told him he had to” Jim joked. “You look pretty too” Frank said pretending to ignore Jim. They had a good time dancing to the fun, peppy music the band played and there was cake and punch too. “This is the best summer I’ve ever had” Mary told Frank as he walked her home that night.

Mary slapped at the alarm clock to get it to stop ringing. The sun hadn’t risen yet and her room was still dark as she opened her eyes and stretched. “Oh no” she said disappointedly as she realized she wasn’t in the bunkhouse. She got up and got dressed and ready for work. All through the day her mind drifted back to her dream that had seemed so detailed and real. When she got home that evening she sat down at her computer and typed up all she could remember about that lovely dream.

“Wake up. Mary, wake up” Molly said shaking her friend who was sleeping right through reveille. “I’m up, I’m up” Mary said. “I’m back!” she shouted surprising Molly. “Back from where?” “Oh, I was dreaming that I was home and I wanted to be back here” she explained. As she got dressed and ready to meet Frank and Jim for breakfast Mary guessed that this was indeed a beautiful dream but she had never had one like this before. She had picked up exactly where she left off the night before and she couldn’t wait to see what the rest of it would bring.

“You seem especially happy today” Frank noted as he and Mary walked down to their bus. “I am. It’s a beautiful day and I get to spend it with a very nice young man” she said smiling up at him. “So I guess me stepping on your foot last night didn’t turn you against me” he joked. “It was only once and it didn’t hurt.” That day on one of the tours a handsome young man with a muscular build, blonde hair, and green eyes was flirting with Mary. Frank didn’t like it but he couldn’t be rude to the paying customers so he kept his mouth shut. Mary knew that Molly liked guys with blonde hair and so that evening when the foursome was having supper Mary told her friend about the man on the tour. Jim teased her acting like he was jealous and Molly told him that even though he had black hair she still liked him.

After they ate Mary and Frank slipped away to their favorite spot down by the lake. The sun was sitting low on the horizon and shining its golden orange rays onto the water’s still surface. They walked along the trail the circled the lake hand in hand. “Do you like blondes too?” Frank asked trying not to sound jealous. “Not really. I like tall, lanky guys with dark hair and light eyes. Do you know any like that?” “I know one” he said with a sweet little smile as they continued their stroll.

[Coopsgirl]

I haven't forgotten about this story I just haven't had a chance to finish it yet. I hope to get it done maybe this week if I don't get too busy.

[Coopsgirl]

Part Five

With each day that passed Mary couldn’t believe what a beautiful dream she was having. It seemed so real and Frank was exactly what she had imagined a young Gary was like from all she had read about him. He was sweet and a bit shy and very knowledgeable about all things outdoor related. As the time neared for all the “honorary rangers” to go back home Mary grew sad knowing that soon her dream would be ended.

The night before they were to leave for home Mary and Frank sat together with Jim and Molly and all these other young men and women as they had a big cookout and sang songs around a campfire. As they walked back to their bunkhouses Mary and Frank held hands and talked quietly.

“I know we probably won’t see each other again but I won’t ever forget you. You’re one of the nicest girls I know” he said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You’re one of the nicest boys I know and I won’t forget you either. I promise.” She reached up on her toes and gave him a kiss and then walked inside and went to bed.

The next morning Mary woke up back in her 21st century world and she knew there would be no more dreams of Yellowstone. She was a little sad but it was one of the nicest dreams she’d ever had and thinking about over the next couple of days made her smile. After work a few days after the dream she checked the mail on her way home and found a package waiting for her. “It must be my magazine” she said excitedly. Once inside she open the envelope and saw it was indeed the old movie magazine from 1931 that she had bought from an online seller a little over a week ago. There was an article about Gary in it and she flipped through it until she found it. On the third page of the article she saw a picture that made her gasp and she dropped the magazine. She picked it up and found the page again and looked more closely this time at the photo of a young Gary with a group of other young men and women from one of his summer’s spent working at Yellowstone. To his left were Molly and Jim and to his right was a young woman who looked exactly like her. Mary smiled at the picture as tears of happiness welled up in her eyes.

The End

[itsadogslife]

What a nice story. You know parallel universes do exist and sometimes they say when we wake up and what we have seen in a dream feels real and familiar it is because we actually experienced it in a parallel universe (not in body but in spirit). There are a lot of things in this universe and beyond our comprehension that we can't quite understand...yet and I find them fascinating.

[Mrs. Cooper]

Mary was a rabid old movie fan

Haha, that reminds me of our early, early stories. "The girls are running around wide eyed, nearly foaming at the mouth at the sight of Gary in a bathing suite."

[Mrs. Cooper]

In 1921 it would still be a year until the scandal involving Fatty Arbuckle and Virginia Rappe as well as the still unsolved murder of director William Desmond Taylor which effectively ended the innocent early days of Hollywood.

I wish I had a brain like yours, Angie, haha. You're like a walking wikipedia!!

[Coopsgirl]

I definitely know my old Hollywood trivia! Also your comment about my "rabid" line cracked me up!!