BOAT HOUSE

Nobody knows I’m here but worst of all nobody cares—whether I’m here—there or anywhere—nobody cares where I am—but I care—I care terribly where I am.  I’ve had to be clever to get here—lord knows it didn’t just happen.  It’s hard labor that’s gotten me here doing my chores and slipping away from them all.

            Nobody knows I’m here.  Hooray—I got away.  I slipped out when no one was looking.  There, the three of them, Ma, Pa and Granny all sitting at the table hanging out, you might say over their desserts.  A good one it was too—apple crisp with ice cream.  Anyway, there they were swapping yarns from the day.  They didn’t even look up when I sort of stood up—stretched—yawned—looked sleepy and then slowly left….Only granny saw me go and she just took it for granted---that was pretty clever—the way I strolled towards the front hall as if ready to go upstairs.

            Lucky for me the moon was full so I could see the path leading down to the lake.  I love that path.  I almost tripped over a chunky rock on the way to this spot, as I realized that I was the one who got here first.  Great to see the lake by moonlight—at night.  Hey, that rhymes.  I wonder when Georgie will get here?  He promised he’d come by 9:30—and it’s already a lot later.  No sense in me slipping away and running into all the risk of Pa finding me here if Georgie doesn’t come—course Pa doesn’t know I’m here down at the boat house.  Nobody knows I’m here.

            Oh good, that shadow coming out of the woods must be Georgie.  “Hey, Georgie, over here—I’m here” she gasped nervously.  And then, after a pause, “Oh, I thought you were someone else.”

            A tall, thick-shouldered man with a pock-marked face slowly emerged from the shadows.  “Hello, little girl.”  Something moved in his hand as he spoke.  I looked at my feet before glancing quickly at his hand.  It had flashed—the moving thing.  What was it? I followed the movement with my eyes before raising them to get another look at him.  It was a knife in his hand and there was a leer on his face.  I then remembered what I’d been reading about in the paper.  The police were looking for a Most Wanted man—the slasher—they called him.  Crazy words went through my head.  Oh, my God could this be him?  It couldn’t be—but why not?  Oh my God.  Georgie, Georgie where are you?  Help me someone.  Don’t show fear.  That’s what they always say.

            “Well, little girl, what’s a little girl like you doing out here all by yourself at this time of night? Heh-heh-heh.  Is this really a safe place for a little girl like you?  A pretty little girl I must say.  I like pretty little girls.”  As he asked the questions, he moved a little closer to me.  We were now only a foot apart.  He bent his head a little in my direction and moved his lips as if to grin, but it looked so awful to me.  I wanted to turn and run but my back was against the boat house.  There was no path for me, so I raised my eyes ever so slightly, looking at him full face.

            “Oh, hello mister, I’m down here with my dad.  He’s just gone back to the house to get”……”Just gone to get what dearie?  You’re not trying to fool ‘ol Tom are you?  You’re not here with your Pa; you’re not here with no one.  You don’t wanna try to fool ‘ol Tom.  Ol Tom doesn’t like it.  And when ‘Ol Tom gets mad there’s only one way to make him feel better.”  His hand with the knife went up as he uttered those words.  His face was all pulled into a sneer but as he started to swing his arm down, my foot came up fast—straight and right on the mark—a hard kick between his legs.  He doubled over with pain and dropped the knife, swearing and gasping at the same time. 

            By now, I was running, screaming, calling for Pa and suddenly Pa was there and from nowhere Georgie appeared.  “That way, that way,” I pointed to where I had just been seconds before.  They tackled him and took him down for good—that is until the police arrived.  Pa had a hard time being really mad at me because I almost single-handedly had brought down the slasher.  We divided the reward money—Georgie, Pa and I, but I got the biggest share.  By the way, I don’t go to the boat house aloneBOAT HOUSE

Nobody knows I’m here but worst of all nobody cares—whether I’m here—there or anywhere—nobody cares where I am—but I care—I care terribly where I am.  I’ve had to be clever to get here—lord knows it didn’t just happen.  It’s hard labor that’s gotten me here doing my chores and slipping away from them all.

            Nobody knows I’m here.  Hooray—I got away.  I slipped out when no one was looking.  There, the three of them, Ma, Pa and Granny all sitting at the table hanging out, you might say over their desserts.  A good one it was too—apple crisp with ice cream.  Anyway, there they were swapping yarns from the day.  They didn’t even look up when I sort of stood up—stretched—yawned—looked sleepy and then slowly left….Only granny saw me go and she just took it for granted---that was pretty clever—the way I strolled towards the front hall as if ready to go upstairs.

            Lucky for me the moon was full so I could see the path leading down to the lake.  I love that path.  I almost tripped over a chunky rock on the way to this spot, as I realized that I was the one who got here first.  Great to see the lake by moonlight—at night.  Hey, that rhymes.  I wonder when Georgie will get here?  He promised he’d come by 9:30—and it’s already a lot later.  No sense in me slipping away and running into all the risk of Pa finding me here if Georgie doesn’t come—course Pa doesn’t know I’m here down at the boat house.  Nobody knows I’m here.

            Oh good, that shadow coming out of the woods must be Georgie.  “Hey, Georgie, over here—I’m here” she gasped nervously.  And then, after a pause, “Oh, I thought you were someone else.”

            A tall, thick-shouldered man with a pock-marked face slowly emerged from the shadows.  “Hello, little girl.”  Something moved in his hand as he spoke.  I looked at my feet before glancing quickly at his hand.  It had flashed—the moving thing.  What was it? I followed the movement with my eyes before raising them to get another look at him.  It was a knife in his hand and there was a leer on his face.  I then remembered what I’d been reading about in the paper.  The police were looking for a Most Wanted man—the slasher—they called him.  Crazy words went through my head.  Oh, my God could this be him?  It couldn’t be—but why not?  Oh my God.  Georgie, Georgie where are you?  Help me someone.  Don’t show fear.  That’s what they always say.

            “Well, little girl, what’s a little girl like you doing out here all by yourself at this time of night? Heh-heh-heh.  Is this really a safe place for a little girl like you?  A pretty little girl I must say.  I like pretty little girls.”  As he asked the questions, he moved a little closer to me.  We were now only a foot apart.  He bent his head a little in my direction and moved his lips as if to grin, but it looked so awful to me.  I wanted to turn and run but my back was against the boat house.  There was no path for me, so I raised my eyes ever so slightly, looking at him full face.

            “Oh, hello mister, I’m down here with my dad.  He’s just gone back to the house to get”……”Just gone to get what dearie?  You’re not trying to fool ‘ol Tom are you?  You’re not here with your Pa; you’re not here with no one.  You don’t wanna try to fool ‘ol Tom.  Ol Tom doesn’t like it.  And when ‘Ol Tom gets mad there’s only one way to make him feel better.”  His hand with the knife went up as he uttered those words.  His face was all pulled into a sneer but as he started to swing his arm down, my foot came up fast—straight and right on the mark—a hard kick between his legs.  He doubled over with pain and dropped the knife, swearing and gasping at the same time. 

Nobody knows I’m here but worst of all nobody cares—whether I’m here—there or anywhere—nobody cares where I am—but I care—I care terribly where I am.  I’ve had to be clever to get here—lord knows it didn’t just happen.  It’s hard labor that’s gotten me here doing my chores and slipping away from them all.

            Nobody knows I’m here.  Hooray—I got away.  I slipped out when no one was looking.  There, the three of them, Ma, Pa and Granny all sitting at the table hanging out, you might say over their desserts.  A good one it was too—apple crisp with ice cream.  Anyway, there they were swapping yarns from the day.  They didn’t even look up when I sort of stood up—stretched—yawned—looked sleepy and then slowly left….Only granny saw me go and she just took it for granted---that was pretty clever—the way I strolled towards the front hall as if ready to go upstairs.

            Lucky for me the moon was full so I could see the path leading down to the lake.  I love that path.  I almost tripped over a chunky rock on the way to this spot, as I realized that I was the one who got here first.  Great to see the lake by moonlight—at night.  Hey, that rhymes.  I wonder when Georgie will get here?  He promised he’d come by 9:30—and it’s already a lot later.  No sense in me slipping away and running into all the risk of Pa finding me here if Georgie doesn’t come—course Pa doesn’t know I’m here down at the boat house.  Nobody knows I’m here.

            Oh good, that shadow coming out of the woods must be Georgie.  “Hey, Georgie, over here—I’m here” she gasped nervously.  And then, after a pause, “Oh, I thought you were someone else.”

            A tall, thick-shouldered man with a pock-marked face slowly emerged from the shadows.  “Hello, little girl.”  Something moved in his hand as he spoke.  I looked at my feet before glancing quickly at his hand.  It had flashed—the moving thing.  What was it? I followed the movement with my eyes before raising them to get another look at him.  It was a knife in his hand and there was a leer on his face.  I then remembered what I’d been reading about in the paper.  The police were looking for a Most Wanted man—the slasher—they called him.  Crazy words went through my head.  Oh, my God could this be him?  It couldn’t be—but why not?  Oh my God.  Georgie, Georgie where are you?  Help me someone.  Don’t show fear.  That’s what they always say.

            “Well, little girl, what’s a little girl like you doing out here all by yourself at this time of night? Heh-heh-heh.  Is this really a safe place for a little girl like you?  A pretty little girl I must say.  I like pretty little girls.”  As he asked the questions, he moved a little closer to me.  We were now only a foot apart.  He bent his head a little in my direction and moved his lips as if to grin, but it looked so awful to me.  I wanted to turn and run but my back was against the boat house.  There was no path for me, so I raised my eyes ever so slightly, looking at him full face.

            “Oh, hello mister, I’m down here with my dad.  He’s just gone back to the house to get”……”Just gone to get what dearie?  You’re not trying to fool ‘ol Tom are you?  You’re not here with your Pa; you’re not here with no one.  You don’t wanna try to fool ‘ol Tom.  Ol Tom doesn’t like it.  And when ‘Ol Tom gets mad there’s only one way to make him feel better.”  His hand with the knife went up as he uttered those words.  His face was all pulled into a sneer but as he started to swing his arm down, my foot came up fast—straight and right on the mark—a hard kick between his legs.  He doubled over with pain and dropped the knife, swearing and gasping at the same time. 

Nobody knows I’m here but worst of all nobody cares—whether I’m here—there or anywhere—nobody cares where I am—but I care—I care terribly where I am.  I’ve had to be clever to get here—lord knows it didn’t just happen.  It’s hard labor that’s gotten me here doing my chores and slipping away from them all.

            Nobody knows I’m here.  Hooray—I got away.  I slipped out when no one was looking.  There, the three of them, Ma, Pa and Granny all sitting at the table hanging out, you might say over their desserts.  A good one it was too—apple crisp with ice cream.  Anyway, there they were swapping yarns from the day.  They didn’t even look up when I sort of stood up—stretched—yawned—looked sleepy and then slowly left….Only granny saw me go and she just took it for granted---that was pretty clever—the way I strolled towards the front hall as if ready to go upstairs.

            Lucky for me the moon was full so I could see the path leading down to the lake.  I love that path.  I almost tripped over a chunky rock on the way to this spot, as I realized that I was the one who got here first.  Great to see the lake by moonlight—at night.  Hey, that rhymes.  I wonder when Georgie will get here?  He promised he’d come by 9:30—and it’s already a lot later.  No sense in me slipping away and running into all the risk of Pa finding me here if Georgie doesn’t come—course Pa doesn’t know I’m here down at the boat house.  Nobody knows I’m here.

            Oh good, that shadow coming out of the woods must be Georgie.  “Hey, Georgie, over here—I’m here” she gasped nervously.  And then, after a pause, “Oh, I thought you were someone else.”

            A tall, thick-shouldered man with a pock-marked face slowly emerged from the shadows.  “Hello, little girl.”  Something moved in his hand as he spoke.  I looked at my feet before glancing quickly at his hand.  It had flashed—the moving thing.  What was it? I followed the movement with my eyes before raising them to get another look at him.  It was a knife in his hand and there was a leer on his face.  I then remembered what I’d been reading about in the paper.  The police were looking for a Most Wanted man—the slasher—they called him.  Crazy words went through my head.  Oh, my God could this be him?  It couldn’t be—but why not?  Oh my God.  Georgie, Georgie where are you?  Help me someone.  Don’t show fear.  That’s what they always say.

            “Well, little girl, what’s a little girl like you doing out here all by yourself at this time of night? Heh-heh-heh.  Is this really a safe place for a little girl like you?  A pretty little girl I must say.  I like pretty little girls.”  As he asked the questions, he moved a little closer to me.  We were now only a foot apart.  He bent his head a little in my direction and moved his lips as if to grin, but it looked so awful to me.  I wanted to turn and run but my back was against the boat house.  There was no path for me, so I raised my eyes ever so slightly, looking at him full face.

            “Oh, hello mister, I’m down here with my dad.  He’s just gone back to the house to get”……”Just gone to get what dearie?  You’re not trying to fool ‘ol Tom are you?  You’re not here with your Pa; you’re not here with no one.  You don’t wanna try to fool ‘ol Tom.  Ol Tom doesn’t like it.  And when ‘Ol Tom gets mad there’s only one way to make him feel better.”  His hand with the knife went up as he uttered those words.  His face was all pulled into a sneer but as he started to swing his arm down, my foot came up fast—straight and right on the mark—a hard kick between his legs.  He doubled over with pain and dropped the knife, swearing and gasping at the same time.