WONDERBOAT
By A. Marie Kaluza
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
Acknowledgements
This book would not be possible without the support and generosity of my blog viewers and readers like you. Thank you. Special gratitude goes out to my friends and family members who have continued to believe in me and who make my life grand and full of inspiration; you are all loved beyond measure, thank you. Hats off to the adventure.
And hats off to the Muse. Whatever and wherever you are.
WONDERBOAT
The sky was blue, and it was a near perfect day but Ameesha hardly noticed. With adept prowess and instinctive, lightning fingers she tapped out message after message after message on her iPhone screen, falling into the groove of plings until at last she punched out her last text, merely stating, Ttyl. I hate my family. This paddle boat thing is dumb.
A final flourish of her hand and her smartphone went dark. Scowling and begrudgingly, she passed her one and only lifeline that could have saved her from the oncoming onslaught of boredom to her mother, who plucked it from her grasp with no small shortage of pleasure and pocketed it. Ameesha looked blankly over her mother’s shoulder, and with no shortage of displeasure, frowned as she watched her younger sister, Nargis, and Grandpa shove the decrepit looking paddle boat from off the sandy lakeshore into the murky water. To her mother she turned.
“Do I have to do this?”
“I think it will be good for you. You and your sister could use some time away from all those screens - .” her mother began.
“Yeah,” Ameesha interjected, her annoyance unvarnished, “Fine. Whatever. But do we have to take Shammi with us? I mean, he’s just going to be a drag. I hate watching him.”
“He’s your little brother and he wants to come. So yes, you have to take him with you. Here.” Her mother handed her a large, neon orange life jacket, which only made Ameesha’s scowl deepen. “Don’t whine. You will wear this and you will definitely make sure your sister and your brother wear theirs.”
“Mom, these things suck.”
“And they’ll save your life if something should happen - ”
“It’s a paddle boat, Ma. What could happen?”
“Ameesha! Ameesha!” Her brother zoomed over to her, bubbling with excitement, “I saw a frog, and it was doin’ like this thing with its legs!” furiously Shammi began pumping his arms, “So I went to touch him, and he went flying way up in the air, and splashed into the water! When we’re in the paddle boat, we should race him!”
Ameesha, more defeated than ever, looked woefully at her mother, who only smiled.
“Okay! That’s it!” Her grandpa called. “Everything’s all set. We got your track phone in case of an emergency, lunches packed, got your sunglasses, extra lifejackets, some coats in case the weather turns, got a pair of binoculars, got a net here in case you guys see some fish or something else that you like - ”
“Can I bring my dinosaur?” Shammi asked, holding the large, blue triceratops up to his grandfather’s bespeckled face, and pressing the tail down the plastic creature let loose an electronic roooaar.
“No! No, please!” Nargis complained, Ameesha just as verbal coming up behind her. “I hate that thing! It’s so annoying! Come on, Grandpa Om, please no.”
“Alright, alright.” Their grandfather began, waving his hands to calm the rising tide. “Let’s not make a mountain from a molehill. Shammi, how about you leave that here this time, and I’ll watch him for you.”
Sad, but accepting, Shammi handed over his prized possession, Grandpa Om taking it gracefully and with care, and then lovingly, he tussled his young grandson’s moplike hair. “Atta, boy.” He said. Nargis and Ameesha both looked at each other, relief washing over their faces.
“Alright now!” Their mother said eagerly and with chipper tone, “Everyone into the
boat! While the weather’s still nice and the morning young!”
Nargis and Ameesha both sloshed into the cold water, a large shiver jolting up Ameesha’s spine, making her squeak. With Nargis and Grandpa Om holding the boat, she climbed up into her seat, her butt hitting the hard plastic and immediately she felt the cold and wet, and frowned. With Grandpa Om holding the boat steady, Nargis heaved herself up (with some difficulty) and plopped down in the seat next to her sister. In unison they put their feet upon the pedals below them, and Nargis smirked at her sister, her thin brows raising slyly, and energetically see began pumping her feet, as water bubbled and splashed out the back, drenching her grandpa and sending a small shower upon her and her sister’s backs.
“Haha!” Nargis laughed mischievously.
“Nargis, stop! Ugh! Shammi’s not on the boat yet cut it out!” Ameesha reached over and stomped on her sister’s foot.
“Girls, behave yourselves! Wait until Shammi is on the boat and your grandfather out of the water.” Their mother pressed.
“It wasn’t me!” Ameesha declared defensively. She turned to her sister, who had said nothing, but merely stuck out her tongue sneeringly. “ Moooom! ” Ameesha called.
“Now cool your jets.” Grandpa Om stated as he heaved Shammi into the back of the paddle boat, checking his life jacket for absolute infallible snugness. “Once you’re out on that water you’ll have plenty to do and complain about.” He kissed his grandson on the head, who whirled in his cubby-like seat, and looked pleadingly at his grandpa.
“Grandpa Om, can I please take my dinosaur?” He said softly, “I promise not to bug Ameesha and Nargis. Please?”
“Here,” gently Grandpa Om reached into his soaked breast pocket, and pulled out a necklace with a large, gold pendant, “How about you take this instead?”
Wide eyed, Shammi clutched the chain in his small hand, bringing the pendant close to his face. There a golden turtle met his gaze, with a piercing jade eye. “... Cooool.” Shammi breathed.
“Now that’s Chuck.” His grandfather said. “He’s a very special turtle. You look after him, ya hear?”
Shammi smiled. “Sure, Grandpa.” And deftly he slipped the chain over his head and around his neck, taking the pendant between his fingers and gazing at it.
“Okay!” Grandpa Om called, making his way out of the steely water and back to the shore. “You kids have a good time! Be careful! And don’t take off those life jackets.”
“We won’t!” Nargis called back, and again in unison she and Ameesha slammed their feet on the pedals and both together began pumping furiously. With Ameesha at the rudder, and their mother and grandfather's voices bidding them all farewell, in the shunkshunkshunk of the paddle boat and the lap of the wistful water the three slowly headed out into the blossoming green and still blue of Drummond Lake, the sun pale and creeping into the splotched sky. With the clouds fluffy and just so, and the wind absent, Nargis and Ameesha made quick time, pedaling swiftly, Ameesha keeping them all hugging the shore. But as the day wore on, and the two girls becoming more emboldened by their detachment from the world, Ameesha cranked the rudder and the trio of voyageurs charge headlong into the center of the lake, joking of being pirates on the High Seas. The lake, however, was much bigger than it had appeared, and after a couple hours of constant paddling the two girls called it quits, propping their feet up and letting the boat idle, leaving the young pirates floating and drifting easily in the heart of Drummond.
Ameesha sighed, head back and gazing up at the sky, feeling unusually relaxed. She thought leaving her phone behind would have filled her with anxiety, which it had, for a time, but after all the paddling and steering and fending off her sister and brother’s bad pirate puns, she found herself too tired and exhilarated to be anxious. The sun burned white behind a thi
ck cumulus cloud, and she squinted as she watched what looked to be a pair of Canada geese soar over, the crosslike shadows honking as they flew.
“I’m hungry!” Shammi proclaimed.
“Me too.” Chimed Nargis.
“And that makes three of us.” Ameesha said, swinging her legs down into the boat, sending them all rocking slightly on the cobalt blue. “Let’s freaking eat!”
Nargis gave a woot as Shammi reached into the back cubby and pulled out the small cooler their grandpa and mother had packed for them. Together they divvied up among them the loofahs and packs of fruit snacks, and with some persuasion Ameesha managed to convince Nargis and Shammi to split an orange soda while she steadily sipped her Sprite. Having drifted slightly closer towards the shore, Ameesha had Nargis drop the anchor, Nargis looking down into the water, seeing long weeds