How Summer Lost His Socks (part 2)

Michael knew Summer would soon be asleep because he always put on his sleeping socks and sang to himself just before he closed his eyes. And even though it seemed somewhat peculiar to Michael to go digging for clocks in the woods, he promised he'd come on the following day to help with the harvest anyway. He did that too, just the way that he said. He even brought his friend Megan along just in case it was actually true. But as it turned out he didn't find out if it actually was, because when they got there Summer was still asleep.

"He does that, you know," Michael explained and he worked very hard to wake up Summer. Megan did too, but no matter what either was able to do, nothing at all seemed to work.

"Maybe we'd better just call for the Windman," Michael suggested.

So they called the Windman song together and Whoooosh! The Windman came.

"What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Summer's fallen asleep," Megan told him.

"We'd tell you to blow him away anyway even though he's asleep," Michael said. "But we can't send him off without wild clocks and we don't know where any grow. Could you tell us maybe?"

"No," said the Windman. "But I'll bring you back Fall, he'll know."

So whoooosh! The Windman flew up into the air and then Whoooosh! He blew away. A few moments later Whoooosh! He returned, carrying Fall along too.

"Are we ever glad to see you," Michael said and he explained to Fall all about how Summer had fallen asleep without harvesting the clocks.

"How will we find them without his help?" Megan asked.

"That'll be simple," said Fall with a grin. "Today is the day they get harvested, so they're easy to spot. It's the equinox."

"The equinox! What's that exactly?"

"It's the day when all the wild clocks get ripe and their bells start to ring," Fall explained. "They grow underground so the sound's hard to hear, but if you listen you'll know where to dig."