The captain of the ship stood at the wheel, yelling commands at the men. She was wearing a feathered hat and a long red coat. There was a sword in a scabbard on her belt, and its gold hilt was glinting in the sunlight. Her long hair draped over her shoulders like a black waterfall.
Gosh, she’s beautiful! I thought. And not at all like the pirate captains I’ve seen in storybooks. She’s even got both her hands.
Suddenly, the ship lurched forward. We lost our balance and fell to the floor.
“Avast!” cried the captain. “To the fray!”
I had no idea what was going on. The crew prepared to fire the cannons.
The captain drew her sword. She looked at me and exclaimed, “Get down below, child. The Kraken is upon us!”
Running for cover, I asked, “What’s a Kraken?” But no one answered.
Splash! Crash!
An enormous tentacle came up from the water.
“Uh, I guess, that’s a Kraken,” I said. “Or at least, part of it!”
As the creature crashed onto the deck, men scattered and wooden planks broke into pieces. I saw the sea monster’s slimy suction cups scrape along the deck, leaving a trail of slippery ooze. Then another tentacle lifted high into the air. It was grasping the captain.
“Shiver me timbers!” she shouted. “I shall not be shark bait!”
With that, the captain sliced her sword through the tentacle.
The Kraken howled in pain and disappeared into the depths of the sea, causing a tidal wave. Saltwater splashed all over us. When the ship hit the shore, I crawled onto the dry sand.
“Aye, mateys,” yelled the captain. She came out of the water, picked seaweed off her sopping coat, and shouted triumphantly, “We lived to tell another tale!”
There was a cheer of joy from the crew.
I splayed out on the sand like a starfish. It was nice to feel the rays of the sun warming my face. I closed my eyes and thought, Phew, time to get some rest after such an amazing adventure.
And then, the alarm clock rang.
Chapter 7
Bestie!
Rinnnng! Rinnnng!
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I shut off the alarm clock.
“Krystal, honey, breakfast is ready,” yelled a voice from outside my door.
Frazzled, I pulled off my covers and headed for the kitchen. It was Monday. Can I tell you how much I dislike Mondays? What an annoying way to end a perfectly wonderful weekend.
The truth is that I really like school. It’s not so bad. I just prefer that there would be less of it during the week.
I padded down the hall, my curls bouncing on top of my head.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” I cried, and when I entered the kitchen, I announced, “I’m here!”
“Good morning, sunshine,” Mom said. “Your cereal is on the table.”
“Mom, do you want to hear about my dream?” I asked, shoveling a spoonful into my mouth.
“Not now, dear,” she said. “We’re running late. You can tell me on the way.”
After breakfast, I went to my bedroom to get dressed.
“Hmm, my dream has inspired me to go with an ocean-themed outfit, Stanley,” I said.
Pulling a shimmery green pair of pants out of the dresser, I hopped on the bed to put them on.
“Don’t these look just like the glittering scales of a mermaid’s tail?” I asked my silent friend.
I slipped both feet into the pants at the same time, kicking as if I were swimming under water. I paired the pants with a light blue top. It had a sequined goldfish on the front. I just love goldfish. They’re so cute!
Then I topped it all off with a bright orange scarf and a coral necklace.
“Time to go, honey,” Mom yelled from the door.
“Ahoy, matey,” I responded.
She chuckled. “What are you talking about?”
“I had a dream that I was on a pirate ship,” I said. I told her all about it as we walked to school. “When I was with Grandma, the tarot cards showed water. Then I saw it in my dream. It must be a sign of something in the future.”
“Well, I know what’s happening this Sunday,” Mom said.
“It’s my birthday!” I squealed and jumped up and down. “Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me,” I sang. “You know, Mom, I’m going to be a double digit. How grown-up is that?”
“It sure is,” replied my mother. “Remember, we’re getting the decorations after school today. One of your first grown-up responsibilities is to help me set up.”
“I can’t wait. The apartment will look so… fabulous!” I exclaimed.
As we arrived at the schoolyard, Mom kissed me on the forehead and said goodbye.
I ran up the steps into the building. Waiting there was my other best friend, Claire.
Claire Voyance had moved to Queens at the beginning of the school year. She was the new girl in class, but we hit it off immediately.
Claire has curly hair like me, but it somehow looks way better on her. She also wears really cute clothes, which, of course, I like.
After a few months, I shared my biggest secret with her. I tried to explain my gifts and abilities as best I could. It was nice to have a friend that I could share this stuff with. Billy’s okay, but sometimes he can be so immature.
Anyway, Claire didn’t breathe a word. She thought it was pretty neat to have a best friend with special powers. She acts like I’m a superhero.
“Hi, Claire!” I shouted.
“Hi, Krystal!” Claire shouted back. She ran over and grabbed me by the wrist.
Suddenly, I felt the tingles and energy wash over my body. It was warm and fuzzy, like a happy feeling. I shut my eyes and caught a glimpse of something red and pink.
“It’s about time you got here,” Claire cried, distracting me. “We have soooo much to talk about.”
We ran down the hall to Miss Callisto’s fourth grade classroom.
“Good morning, girls,” Miss Callisto said as we entered the room.
“Good morning, Miss Callisto,” we replied at the same time.
As the teacher prepared our lesson, Claire and I took our assigned seats. Luckily, our desks are right next to each other.
“I got your birthday invitation in the mail,” Claire whispered.
Like I mentioned earlier, I created the invitations to my birthday all by myself. I used construction paper, markers, a gel pen, and lots and lots of glitter. Okay, so my mom helped me mail them out, but still, it’s all very impressive to do on your own.
Claire unloaded her backpack onto the desk. Her books flapped open and clattered against the hard surface. The pink card I sent her fluttered out last.
I looked down and gasped.
Then I whispered into Claire’s ear, “You like Billy Katsikis?”
She bolted upright in her seat and turned as red as her hair.
“What? How do you know?” Claire asked. Then she lowered her voice. “Did you read my mind?”
I laughed. “No, I can’t do that,” I said.
I pointed to the notebook that dropped out of Claire’s bag. It had fallen open to a blank page. There, on the bottom with a big red heart doodled around it was Billy’s name.
“It’s kind of obvious,” I said.
“Ohmygosh!” Claire cried.
In a flash, she ripped the page out of her notebook and crumpled it up. Then she shoved it into her bag and sat on it so no one else could see.
“Is everything all right, Claire?” Miss Callisto asked her.
“Just peachy!” she replied.
Then she turned to me and said, “I guess we both have our secrets, huh?”
“Don’t worry, bestie,” I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Chapter 8
My Worst Nightmare
Finally, the school day ended. Claire and I skipped out of the classroom.
“I’m so excited about your birthday party,” Claire squealed. She looked over to see Billy and the other boys from our class horsing around on the front lawn. “Has Billy responded yet? Is he going to be there?”
“He better be there,” I said. “We live together.”
“Oooh,” Claire said, making kissy-face noises.
“Stop that,” I said. “I mean we live in the same building. I’m just worried that no one else will be there and that it will be a disaster.”
“What are you talking about?” Claire said. “Everyone in the class is super excited about your birthday party.”
“Really?” I said. I was pleasantly surprised. Before I could respond, Claire interrupted me.
“Boy, for someone who can read minds, you don’t know how much your friends like you.”
I smiled wide, and yelled, “I can’t read minds, Claire!”
Then we heard the sound of a car horn. Mrs. Voyance signaled to Claire from her car.
“Krystal, I have to go,” she said. “Promise you won’t tell anyone about…you know what.”
“I promise.”
“Pinky promise,” Claire said.
“Okay,” I replied.
We interlocked our pinkies, forming the sacred bond of the pinkie promise. Then Claire waved goodbye and went home.
I saw Mom walking up the sidewalk, and I ran up to her.
“How was school, honey?” she asked.
“Fine,” I said. “Today we learned about fractions, but I also learned something about my friend, Claire.”
“Really? What?” Mom asked.
“Oops,” I said, remembering the pinkie promise. “I can’t tell you. It’s a secret.”
“In that case, forget I asked,” Mom said. “Ready to go shopping?”
“Aw, yeah!” I said.
The party supply store was right near the school. Inside, each aisle was decorated with a specific theme. My favorite was always the carnival and circus aisle.
“Mom, look,” I cried, pointing to a row of feathered masks. “These are amazing.”
I tried one on while Mom filled her basket with streamers and garlands.
A woman with an overstuffed shopping cart pushed past in a hurry. She had an oversized hairdo piled high atop her head and an oversized bag hanging from her shoulder.
“Excuse me,” she said, rushing to the register.
Excuse you! I thought. I dove out of her way but was grazed by the shoulder bag. I managed to glean a vision from it.
I closed my eyes and tilted my head. The vision came into focus. Then I walked over to the teenaged stock boy straightening the shelves.
“Hi, mister,” I said, tugging on his apron. “You may want to clean up the mess in the next aisle.”
The stock boy walked over to where I was pointing. He looked down the aisle. All he saw was the rude woman with the overstuffed cart. She was barreling past a tall pyramid display of cone-shaped party hats.
The teenager looked confused. “Uh, I don’t see any—” he began.
Before he could finish his sentence, the woman’s bag sideswiped the pyramid display. It teetered back and forth a few times before toppling over. Whoosh!
The woman yelped as she was covered in an avalanche of paper hats. The stock boy ran over as fast as he could.
“My hair!” the woman shrieked.
The pointy ends of some party hats were stuck inside her beehive.
“My art,” the teenager yelled, picking up the scattered items. “Now I have to create the display all over again.”
I covered my mouth to stop laughing out loud and went to help Mom finish shopping.
***
When Mom paid for the supplies, we headed home. Billy was sitting on the front steps of our building. I sprinted toward him.
“Hey, Billy,” I said. “Look what I got.”
I held up a bag full of party supplies. Billy didn’t look up. In fact, he was hiding his face. His eyes were red.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“Bad news,” Billy said glumly.
He nodded toward a white van parked on the street. It said PAULY’S PLUMBING on its side.
“I flooded the bathroom,” Billy said.
“Ew!” I said, holding my nose. “That’s gross.”
Billy smiled halfheartedly. “I wish that’s what happened,” he said. “I thought it would be cool to film a home movie with my digital camera.”
“It was going to be an ocean adventure,” he continued. “I had my pirate ship and my rubber sea creatures and everything.”
The hairs on my arms stood up. Pirate ship. Sea creatures. “I had a dream just like that,” I interrupted.
“Whoa,” Billy replied. “Do you think it was a premonition?”
“Well, what happened next?” I asked.
“I turned on the water to fill the tub, right? And I had the camera in one hand, and I was splashing the ship with the other like this…”
Billy demonstrated his filmmaking technique as he spoke. “I figured that would make the attack look more realistic, which it totally did,” he said. “Then I switched off the camera but forgot to turn off the water.”
“Uh-oh,” I said.
“Exactly,” agreed Billy. “The water poured out of the tub, onto the floor, and out the front door. My parents called the plumber and the landlord. They say I caused a lot of damage. And that I’m in big trouble.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I replied.
“Yeah, it’s a bummer,” Billy said. “But that’s pretty cool about your dream, though.”
I stood up and said, “I have got to tell my parents what happened. You see, my dream was showing me the future.”
“Okay,” Billy said. “I’ll catch you later.”
I ran all the way up to our apartment, taking the stairs two steps at a time. The door was open.
“Mom? Dad? Where are you?” I yelled.
“We’re in the living room, honey,” Dad answered.
“You’ll never guess what happened,” I said.
When I walked into the room, I stopped dead in my tracks. I could not believe my eyes. Immediately, I started to cry.
Chapter 9
The Water Works
The living room looked like it had been hit by an earthquake. A big soggy chunk of ceiling had fallen on the coffee table. Its broken pieces splattered across the carpet, the sofa, and the TV.
Mom ran over to me. “It’s okay, honey. We’re all fine. Don’t worry,” she said, wiping away my tears.
“What happened?” I couldn’t stop staring at the opening in the ceiling. There were metal pipes and wooden beams crisscrossing each other.
“From the looks of it, I’d say the flooding upstairs compromised the integrity of our ceiling,” Dad replied.
“Huh?” I said.
“Meaning, all that water seeped through the floor and was absorbed by our ceiling like a sponge,” my mother explained. “These materials aren’t made to hold water, and they collapsed under the weight.”
“But not to worry,” Dad added. “The landlord will have it fixed in a week. Good as new.”
“A week!” I shrieked. “No!”
I started sobbing again. Forget all my other worries, this was a real disaster.
“Krystal’s birthday party is on Saturday, dear,” Mom said.
Dad’s face dropped. “Oh, I’m sure we can—”
Suddenly, There was a knock at the door. We turned to see Billy standing there.
“I’m really sorry,” he said quietly.
“I hate you,” I shouted, “and I never want to see you again.”
I was so
angry. I ran into my room and slammed the door.
A few seconds later, there was a knock. “Krystal, honey, may I come in?”
“Just leave me alone,” I yelled.
“I’m your mother,” she stated. “I will not just leave you alone.”
She came in and sat next to me on the bed.
“The living room is ruined,” I sniffed. “My party is ruined. I knew it.”
“Darling, don’t worry,” Mom said soothingly. “We’ll postpone it. That’s all.”
“Mother,” I groaned. “I wanted to have it on the same day. If we postpone it, I’ll already be ten at the party.” I threw my arms in the air, adding, “What’s the point, then?”
Mom smiled. “You’re quite the drama queen, you know? Just like your grandmother.”
Suddenly, I sat up straight. All this information came flooding back into my head.
“Grandma!” I exclaimed. “That’s it! When she read the cards, she said that they would not tell me the future but put me on my path.”
“What do you mean, sweetheart?” Mom asked.
I blew my nose into a tissue, and said, “Temperance, Mom. That means balance and harmony. I must experience bad things to appreciate the good ones. In my dream, the pirate ship was destroyed, but the crew lived. It was a premonition of the living room.”
“I see,” replied Mom. She looked confused. “But I don’t think we were in any danger from a few pounds of falling plaster.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” I continued. “Grandma said that I had to make the right choice when the time came. I see now that I made the wrong choice.”
“You mean, yelling at Billy the way you did?”
“Yes,” I said, looking at my feet. “I shouldn’t have said such a mean thing. I know my birthday is a big deal to me, but my friendship with Billy is more important than a party.”
“Whoa, slow down, honey,” Mom said, chuckling. “It’s not even Sunday, and already you’re growing up right before my eyes.”
Dream Birthday Page 3
