As you read these stories you will experience Key West, the Keys and the Caribbean. The stories span the time of the early 1800’s to 1969. bkranich.wixsite.com/bobkranich
The Stowaway
(Excerpt 5)
Stowaway is a cute fictional story about a mischievous little girl who is not happy because her grandfather is called to work on Saturday and can’t take her fishing like he promised. She takes matters into her own hands:
“Grandma, that was a great breakfast!”
Robin was being especially nice this morning…because she was up to something. Eight years old, she was a tomboy through and through! She was petite, and her reddish-brown hair barely came to her shoulders. But do not let her debonair disposition and sweet looks fool you!
Her grandmother Dolores and grandpa Norman were raising her and her sister, Sandra. Dolores thought for a brief moment, hum, Robin is being especially nice this morning…but then let it pass.
“Grandma, can I go over to Mary Jane’s and play today? I’ll come back by supper time. It’s only a couple blocks away.”
“Dear, you have to get permission from Mary Jane’s mother.”
“Grandma, I already did. Don’t you remember? Last night when we were at the grocery store and we saw Mary Jane and her mom, I asked permission then.”
“Ok honey, but make sure you are home in time for supper.”
“Thank you, Grandma,” Robin said as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed her grandma on the cheek.
Robin ran through the house to her and her sister’s room. Her sister was nowhere to be seen, but water was running in the shower. Her sister always finished her meals much before Robin, and then left the table.
Robin thought...the coast is clear. She grabbed her little purse, popped open the piggy bank, took out a handful of change and dropped it in her purse. Out the front door she went.
“Bye Grandma, I love you!” she said as the door slammed shut.
Robin happily skipped down the sidewalk, right past Mary Jane’s house. A block later she thought to herself, here is the street I need to take. It will bring me to North Roosevelt Boulevard. It is the one next to our school, and there is a push-button that stops the cars. I can then crossover that busy street. The street had some older houses on it, and Robin thought the red-pink flowers on those trees were really pretty.
Robin’s plan she had conjured up was working. Her grandpa had promised to take her fishing in his motor boat today…but then the Navy base called him for some special work. After all, he was the base paymaster. She didn’t know just what he had to do. It was something about a holiday coming up. But she thought, it wasn’t fair! He had promised, so she was going fishing by herself anyway!
When she came to the corner, she could see that the boulevard was very busy both ways with cars. Tourists, she thought. She pushed the button, and shortly the white hand in the light across the street beckoned her as all of the cars on Roosevelt Boulevard came to a halt. Wow, she thought that was great!
Once across she could see her destination. About a block to the right were the charter boat docks. She had seen them lots of times while driving to Key West with her grandparents. She had also read the signs:In this area there was room for cars to pull in and park, a very wide sidewalk, and then wooden docks and piers. There were small office shacks, wide areas with game fish weighing scales, and all types of fishing boats.
FISHING FULL AND HALF DAY
Robin walked along with the gaping tourists. There were fishermen, deck hands, and captains standing about the area. She came to a shack with a sign. She tried to read it and then remembered what her teacher had said. Sound it out.
CAPTAIN JACK’S DEEP SEA FISHING
There is the word cap, I know it, Cap...tain.
Jack, I know that word Jack. One of my friends at school is named Jack.
Ok, Captain Jack
De...ep
Sea, and I know sea, it’s water and
Fishing, that’s what I want to do!
Let’s see;
“This place will do,” she said out loud. Now just how do I get on that boat? Then a man came out of the shack wearing a brimmed white hat with an important looking emblem on it, and boomed out, “We’re ready to load!”
The people started to form a line heading towards the pier where a large boat was tied up. Robin saw a middle-aged couple holding hands in line and she got behind them, staying very close. When the three of them got up to, and passed by the check-in point, the captain looked down at her suspiciously.
No comments:
Post a Comment