Chapter 5 - Tasks

“Well, you love studying, don’t you?” asked August. He smiled at Leo. 

Leo remained emotionless and didn’t answer August. 

“Uh, can I read your note? ” asked August again. 

Leo passed his note book to August and passed the page to Jane. Leo’s handwriting was as special as himself.

Jane read the note: 

OAK TREES (August 1st)

Flourishing season: summer

Trunk: thick, straight, with rough surface, longitudinal cracks, and a brown bark

Leaves: oval, with lobed edges, in the summer sun they have a vivid dark color, a tough texture, and a shiny surface

Adaptability: can root in all kinds of soils (even in poor places)

So, the Summer Logo is a green circle with an oak tree inside. 

“Wow, ” gasped Jane. She didn’t even understand some of the words.

Jane suddenly remembered something. The tasks! I went here with Leo to do tasks, She thought. 

“What are the tasks?” asked Jane. 

“Here is a piece of paper of tasks,” said August, smiling, “you can read it with Leo. ” He took out a piece of paper with sentences in a beautiful font. Jane held the paper and read silently: 

TASKS

1. GO TO THE CITY OF THE SEASONS

2. HAVE THE END-SUMMER PARTY

3. GET MRS. FALL AND SEPTEMBER ( MR. SUMMER AND AUGUST SHALL GO BACK)

4. GET TO THE SMALL TOWN

5. GO BACK TO THE CITY OF THE SEASONS

6. GET OCTOBER

PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN THE JOURNEY!

“What is the City of the Seasons? Where is it? What does it do?” asked Jane.

“Of course, its job is to help everywhere to turn into different seasons,” said Rachel very quickly. “There are six princes and six princesses that they stand for different months and they help doing this too. Prince August is one of them, you know. We’re all called the Season Changers. I’m pretty helpful for the summer part of this—even if I didn’t get the Young Season Changer Prize for three years. Alas!”

“Yes,” said August. “We do these tasks to change the seasons, but please be quieter.”

“Oh, do we have to do all these tasks on our own?” asked Jane.

“No. We’ll do it together. This is obvious!” yelled Mr. Summer impatiently. 

“I can’t wait,” said Jane eagerly. 

“We’re already doing the tasks!” said August.

Out of the front window, there were two high mountains far away. On the tops of the mountains, there was white snow just like little white hats for the mountains. 

“Are we going into those mountains?” asked Jane.

“No, we are going between them,” answered August. 

After an hour, they were already bumping up to the gap between the two mountains. The path became rockier and rockier. There were giant rocks beside the path. Pine trees, apple trees and oak trees were standing upright. 

“This path is too steep,” said one of the driver boys. His dark eyes glittered behind his black oval glasses. His light brown hair was bushy and curly. He had very red lips and a pink face.

The path is too steep, thought Jane. “What’s your name?” She asked the boy. 

“Derek,” he answered, proudly. “My name’s Derek Black. I love the City of the Seasons. I’ve heard that the City of the Seasons’s in a huge castle, but I’ve never been there before—oh, have you read the book ‘Season Guards’? It’s a story about the castle, and you know, it’s fantastic. You should read it. But ‘The Keen Summer Changers’ by an Australian woman’s worth to—”

“Why do you wear glasses?” Jane chimed in.

“Nearsighted,” murmured the boy, “I’ve read too many books before. This is my first time driving now.”