PIRATES' DEMISE!
By: Yvonne Remington
Copyright 2013
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This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author's imagination and used fictitiously.
Another wind-up and a fast pitch sent the pebble-sized stone skimmed lightly over the calm summer lake. The lanky but agile young boy stood on the rocky terrain of the beach with one foot planted on a piece of driftwood, steadying his balance. He paused long enough to pick up more stones giving him an uninterrupted pace to his pitching.
At the early age of nine and three quarters, Peter’s only dream was to be part of major league baseball when he grew up and practiced whenever possible. He spent hours with the bat and glove he received as a present from his parents last Christmas. He would rather practice baseball than anything else in spite of his parent’s academic desires for him. He had a marvelous capacity for math and they wished he would take more interest in furthering his studies.
Peter's twin, Paul outranked Peter by eight minutes, a fact that Paul used to his advantage whenever possible. A strawberry birthmark at the base of Paul's hairline distinguished the mischievous duo. This birthmark identified the boys at birth and still used occasionally when the duo played pranks on the family or other children.
The lengthy hot humid days of summer made the Herrington boy's summer vacation uneventful and long. The same boys that waited impatiently in May for school to end now found each day more boring and unbearable.
The brothers were within shouting distance of their mother and their summer cottage. The cottage had been in the family for years, but only used on a regular summer basis in the last few years now that the boys were a little older. The cottage sat on the rim of Lake Ocklawaha. A large lake in a chain of several other large lakes in the area and frequented by sportsmen from many miles away.
There had been little conversation between the twins on this lazy summer afternoon. Peter lay comfortably against the large oak tree on the lakes shore absorbed in a Mark Twain adventure book. He finished the last page put down the book and signed: "Boy, that Huck Finn sure was a lucky dude."
"How do you figure that?" Paul lost his concentration, stopped his stone throwing to squat down near his brother, and gave him his full attention. Peter perked up, shifting his body and sat straighter against the tree trunk. Zeus, the shaggy stray dog that adopted the boys the summer before, lay nuzzled against Peter's leg. The dog’s head dangling over the boy's lap, taking advantage of every available pet that came his way. Zeus shifted his body to compensate for Peter's sudden movement.
'No parents nagging him all the time, no-one tells him what to do. He didn't go to school and he didn't have an annoying older sister to make his life miserable."
Peter made mocking sounds that sounded like their older sister, Meg's annoying voice.
"What more could a kid ask for?” Because the impulsive Peter took an unplanned fishing, trip the week before and neglected to tell his mother, he lost the privilege of leaving the family property until their father arrived for the weekend. Their father worked in the city and joined the family on Fridays. There were no other children vacationing nearby to invite to their cottage so both boys felt the pangs of the restriction. Their boredom grew like a 3D monster from one of Peter's adventure books.
Peter and Paul Herrington were identical twins in every respect. One would not leave the other one behind, no matter what.
"I've got an idea." Paul's eyes sparkled and his grin spread across his face.
"Remember that neat raft, inside the old boat house, down by the abandoned Bates property?" He didn't wait for a reply. Paul's eyes grew large and his mouth opened to a perfect circle.
"Let's get it out and put it on the lake. It needs a few minor repairs and it will be seaworthy."
"Uh, Ua, no way! You think you're in trouble now. Mom and dad would have our hides. Don't forget, when you get punished I have to suffer too."
The two remained deep in thought with an uneasy silence engulfing their surroundings. . Peter broke big twigs into little twigs and Zeus turned over on his back wanting to have his belly rubbed.
Neither boy spoke until, without warning, Peter sprang to his feet and declared:
"Come on, I can't take this any longer!"
Paul jumped up looked at his brother and knew they were about to have their curfew extended for the rest of the summer. The two dashed towards the old abandoned boathouse about a quarter mile down the beach.
"Last one there is a rotten fish" declared Peter. Mrs. Herrington had enrolled the boys in swimming classes the year before at the local high school but Peter had skipped more classes than he attended and forced Paul to secrecy. It was not like Peter to disobey his mother's commands, however Peter has taken a liking to a redheaded girl that had moved into town and he escaped whenever he could to be with her. He told Peter he thought he was in love.
They found the derelict remains of the raft last summer near the end of their vacation in one of their explorations. They had their reservations about disturbing it at that time, but discussed plans for what could be done with it if they had some tools. Slightly winded, upon reaching the boathouse, the boys rested and began plotting how to repair the craft.. Zeus formed a shadow several steps behind the mischievous duo, waiting for a command..
Based on the overgrown grass and overall neglect, it was obvious to the boys: the boat house had not been invaded by humans since their last visit, With a great deal of effort and what little muscle they could find, the two brothers dislodged the rusty door and exposed the aged raft. There were cobwebs everywhere. It was hard to breathe from the smell of mildew and dust. They found a hammer, an old rusty saw, a set of screwdrivers that had rusted from lack of use and a pile of rope that looked very usable.
With the few tools, they found in the boathouse, they secured the boards and nails the best they could. They sat back and admired their work and were proud of themselves.
Inch by inch they scooted it to the edge of the water. They stopped to catch their breath and take a short rest after a long series of grunts and groans. Peter spotted some weathered boards leaning against the boathouse wall. "Look, we can use these as oars for their journey.
“That’s about all we can do without more lumber and nails. But, I think it will make a great journey on the open sea. What do you think?" Paul was more confident than his twin.
“I don’t know, Paul, we might want to stay near shore until we are sure how well it holds up.”
“Not a problem. Let’s give it a maiden voyage.” Without hesitation, they pushed the raft into the water and summoned the a reluctant Zeus to jump on board, then climbed onto the raft themselves. The makeshift oars were used to push clear of the beach and start them on their journey.
"This is a great day for a sail, aye mate?" Roby roared in mock pirate style.
"Sure is captain." The sun was high and when they started out on their adventure, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
Only moments into their maiden voyage, the clouds gathered in large gray clusters and the wind swirled the waves on the lake, tossing the unstable vessel.
"I believe there’s a mighty str
ong wind over yonder, mate.” Paul pointed to the sky.
The wind continued rocking the raft violently. The inexperienced pirates ignored the warning and continued rowing.
'It's nothing. It will pass before it gets to us." Peter didn't want to appear worried but he had no intentions on giving up his adventure.
The increased winds continued the rocking motion, torturing the aging joints of the raft. The two boys looked at each other and began to sense danger. The waves increased and the clouds grew darker until the skies opened up and spilled their bulging contents onto the voyagers. Zeus lay motionless, whining in fear and waiting for his orders to abandon ship.
"What do we do now?" Paul knew that the raft would not take much more punishment but he could still see the shoreline and felt he could swim if need be.
Peter, who looked to his older brother for guidance, shouted over the thunder.
"We'd better head for shore."
Peter repeated his command over the thunderous noises that resounded from the clouds. The words barely escaped his lips when the raft gave way and separated into many pieces.
The boys and Zeus tumbled violently into the water. The waves beat against the three of them hampering their attempts to reach shore. Peter, due to his inability to swim, was making no progress. Zeus would not leave Peter while Paul maintained a steady progress towards the distant shore. Zeus, doing everything he could to keep Peter's head above water, but they were both tiring quickly. All that remained of the raft was a porous board that Peter clung to with all his strength.
Paul continued to fight the waves with his long breaststrokes. The shore was growing larger and he kept swimming. Without giving it a second thought, he believed if he could get to old man Bernard's cottage down the beach from their place, he could get help. The old man (in reality he was more middle age than old) wrote novels and rarely went out during the day. The cottage he lived in was for working and removing the city distractions. His wife, Martha, spent the day in her garden out of love for the flowers also so as not to disturb her husband's work. She always spoke to the boys when they passed and sometimes had fresh baked treats for them.
Exhausted, Paul finally reached shore; he turned briefly towards the water but could not see his brother. He knew there was no time to waste. Without allowing himself to catch his breath, his legs started again in motion until he found himself at the Bernard's door.
He banged on the door and shouted above the thunder. "Please help me!"
The writer was not far from the door when he heard the muffled sounds. Mr. Bernard answered the knocks reluctantly, due to the storm. The writer mumbled as he opened the door. The retired army captain did not encourage visitors and certainly was not expecting to see young Paul Herrington when he opened the door.
"Good heavens, boy, what are you doing out in weather like this?"
"My brother's in the lake. Quick, he's drowning."
Without missing a beat, the middle aged recluse turned to his wife and said,
"Martha, go get the boy's mother and meet us at the lake." Without hesitation, Mr. Bernard rushed to follow the frantic boy down to the waters' edge. Dressed only in work shorts the pudgy middle-aged writer jumped in the lake without considering the affects of the water or the storm. Mr. Bernard was a fair swimmer in his younger years. Out of breath but driven by adrenalin, he reached Peter, The log Peter had been clutching was gone and he was barely treading water and tiring fast. Zeus swam in circles around the boy but was also tiring quickly. Mr. Bernard reached Peter as he started fading under the water. He pulled the boy under his arm and swam to shore. Once on shore he laid the boy down. Peter's body was lifeless and his skin was turning blue. Mr. Bernard performed CPR effortlessly until Peter coughed and opened his eyes to see the little crowd that had gathered in spite of the storm.
Mrs. Herrington and Martha Bernard fought the pelting rain all the way to the shore. When Mrs. Herrington reached her son, Peter sat up and spoke,
Mrs. Herrington knelt down next to her son, “Mom, I'm so sorry for making you worry" Peter said.
Peter grabbed his mother and hugged her. They both cried tears of relief. The storm that arose without warning, left as quickly. The small group that had gathered looked upward at the sky and watched the clouds drifting south, leaving a rainbow behind. Amid their tears, the boys hugged their mother. Mrs. Herrington looked up at the rainbow and started laughing. The boys looked at each other sheepishly and joined their mother's laughter. They knew they were going to be punished, probably for the rest of the summer, or at least until their father got home, but they were ready to accept the consequences and would promise to stay out of trouble, well at least until the next time.
About the Author:
Her thirty-five year residency of Florida is evident in her stories. Her stories are about ordinary people having extra ordinary occurrences in their lives. Hopefully, these stories will please the reader as much as they pleased her to write them.
She may is recently retired but still active artist. She dabbles in painting, photography and macramé for relaxation. She has been writing poetry and short stories since her late twenties. Most of her poetry survived, but her short stories kept evolving. Through study and reading, she now is able to spend the time to improve her craft and share it with an audience.
How A Prank Turned Into a Crime
Last House on Flamingo Road
Now You've Done it
Shame on You!
The Cat's Dowry
The Last Straw
The Statistics of Winning
The Sum of Who I am
Two for the Price of One
Where Rubber Meets The Road
You Can Run, But You Can't Hide
A Flash In the Pan
Connect with Yvonne online:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/yvonne.remington
Blog: https://yvonnemremington.blogspot.com
email:
[email protected]