The Water's Way

A Short Story Written By Michaela Bloam


August 27th, 2007 at 10:00am, Crystal was sitting in her hammock by her ocean backyard in Maine. She was waiting for the tide to go out so she could go collect sea shells and other things in the lake with her brother, but she had to be careful. If she is out too long, the tide might go back in and they could get trapped. She didn't care much about it because she thought it would never happen.


"It's almost time!" Crystal said loudly.

"Calm down already," her grandpa said. "You have to be patient."

"I'm too excited to calm down and be patient!!!!"

"Well then", her grandpa replied in a wierd tone.

Then she hollered out ,"Hey Kyle,get out here now!!!!!"

Her brother Kyle was rushing out the door with a bucket for the shells and any other thing they could possibly find in the lake. He tripped while running and fell into a thorn bush that they had growing in the backyard.

"Ouch" Crystal and her grandpa said together.

"Ok, ok I'm here!!!!" Kyle said while breathing deeply.

With a wierd look on her face she said, "Are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine... I think", he replied still breathing deeply.

"I wasn't talking to you.  I was talking to the bush", she said in a sarcastic tone.

He stared at her with angry eyes and replied "Thank you for your concern, I am really feeling the love."

Their grandpa stared at the two of them and said, "Don't forget to wear your mud boots and make sure you keep them on tight because the mud might suck them in."

The two of them stared at their somewhat confused grandpa and then stared at the tide that was starting to go out very slowly waiting and waiting and waiting.



Three hours past and they were all ready to go. There was dead silence and their grandpa couldn't take it.

Their grandpa broke the silence"Do you want some lunch before you guys go out?"

Crystal and Kyle just shook their heads no. Then their grandpa's phone rang.

"Hello?" he questioned.

He paused to let the person on the other end of the call talk. He finally spoke "Oh hi Kary."

Kary was Crystal and Kyle's mother and their grandpa's daughter.

"Yeh, they're fine" he replied.

He paused again. Crystal looked at her grandpa, curiously.

He had a sad look on his face and replied in a sad tone"Ok, I'll tell them."


"But they're..."

Crystal was beginning to worry.

"Please, just let them go out. They're so excited about going and...."  Their grandpa paused suddenly.

With a sorry voice he replied, "Ok I will tell them.

"What happened grandpa?" Kyle said.

"Umm, well, your mother doesn't want you two to go out because she said it is too dangerous."

"WHAT!!!!!!" Kyle and Crystal yelled in perfect harmony.

"NO NO NO, she can't do that" Crystal yelled.

Their grandpa was thinking and suddenly got an idea.

 



Crystal and Kyle were both panicking.

Their grandpa finally said "Calm down already. Okay, I have an idea".

They stopped panicking and stared at their grandpa.

"If you promise to..."

"OK OK LET'S GO" Kyle said really fast as he interupted grandpa.


"Kyle please", their grandpa said in a mad tone, "Just listen OK? If you promise to not be out too long AND to not go out too far... then I guess you guys can go as long as you don't tell your mother that I let you, OK?"

"YES, YES, YES. Thank you sooooo much!" Crystal yelled.

"OK go now, take your cell phone with you and go have some dirty fun".



The two of them ran out into the mud and were very happy. Their grandpa sat on the hammock with his cell phone in his hand watching the two of them run around and act all silly.

About three hours passed and their grandpa called Kyle's phone to tell them it was time to head back.


Crystal", Grandpa called, "It's time to head back, the tide is starting to come back in".  Kyle yelled to her. She didn't answer. "If you aren't going to answer me, then I'm going to just head back. Are you coming or not???"

 



Kyle was losing his temper. "CRYSTAL, are you coming or not?"

"Yeh, umm, why don't you head back now and I will be there in a little bit... I mean soon."

"Ok, but it better be quick." then Kyle started to walk back.

Crystal kept collecting shells for a good half hour and then her phone rang.

Crystal answered the phone "Hello?"

"CRYSTAL, WHERE ARE YOU????" Her grandpa said in a worried, cautious and angry voice.


"Calm down. I'm fine. The tide isn't even at my feet yet.  I have plenty of time."

Her grandpa said in a sarcastic tone, "Oh really, well look down. The water is at your knees already.  Oh, and your mother just called.  She is going to be here soon."

Crystal looked down.  Her grandpa was right.  The water was up to her knees. "OH MY GOD! I didn't even notice."

"Come home now! But be careful of all the rocks that are under water," her grandpa said with caution.

"Ok, ok I will TRY and the key word is try" she said and hung up.



On her way back to her house, she was rushing, so in result... she tripped like about sixteen times. By the time she got back to her house, the tide was almost completely in.

Their grandpa said with relief, "Thank goodness you are back.  Oh no, your mom is here. Quick, sit in the hammock with Kyle and play some kind of, I don't know, a hand game.  Just make it look like you were sitting there all along."

Their mom walked in the backyard.  "Hey guys, what did you do today... Crystal?"

"Y-Y-Yes Mom?"

"Why are you soaking wet and dirty?"

Gradually getting slower she said "Ummmm... It rained while you were gone and Kyle and I were playing in the mud ha-ha."

"Mmm-Hmm, course you did."