Artifacts
Page 14
“He was Blackbeard’s boatswain,” Grifter said. “The second in charge of a ship full of bloodthirsty pirates and thieves. Hook learned all of his evil tricks at the hand of the master.”
I started to write.
It was a beautiful morning and one he had been waiting for his entire life. Tired of being made fun of by the other children for being clumsy and awkward and a scaredy-cat at heart, James Bartholomew was hand-selected by Blackbeard to become a pirate. After saying good-bye to his mother at the edge of the pier, Hook turned to look up at the ship and his future. Stepping onto the first rung of the gangway, he could feel a new strength and confidence wash over him. Turning one last time to say good-bye to his mother, Hook’s feet became entangled in the ropes used to tie the ship in place and tumbled, somersaulted, and nearly cartwheeled the length of the gangway back down to the pier
Embarrassed and dazed, the young Hook ran as far from the ship as he could.
Putting the pen down and turning back to the house, I saw the dangling Hook, now supported by his hand and holding onto the eave for dear life, disappear. He was followed closely by the Tick Tock croc, and, moments later, Smee.
“What happened?” Korie asked.
“Hook never boarded that ship,” I said. “After being so totally embarrassed, he ran away, up to a place as high as he could find, and watched as the ship left the harbor.”
“He did eventually board another ship, however,” Skylights added. “He’s the captain, and to this day, they’re anchored at the entrance to Neverland, standing guard over the Lost Boys, the Mermaids, and the Fairies. He’s now the voice of reason … and hope.”
Korie, Tank, Skylights, and I walked over and sat on the porch. After watching the Lost Boys spend a few more hours reliving a youth they missed and missing a life they now led, we saw them disappear into the forest.
With them gone, it was now time for us to say good-bye to Skylights, Touch, Grifter, Tootles and, of course, the Grumpkins.
“This has been a great adventure,” I said to Skylights.
Skylights smiled. “The greatest of our lives. It seems we all grew up a little.”
I looked over at Mouth and Crunch. “Well, most of us.”
“Will we see you again?” Korie asked.
“Hook was right when he said there’ll be others,” Touch said.
“Next time we’ll be here long before they arrive,” Grifter promised.
“Be careful going home.”
Skylights laughed. “I think our trip will be much easier than your trip back out of the greenway. Enjoy your time at camp.”
“We’re not going to camp this year,” I said. “With Hook gone, there’s nobody who can change Crunch’s grade. He’ll be in summer school for weeks and we’ll be outside every day just waiting for the last bell to ring.”
Skylights smiled. “Crunch passed English.”
I was shocked. “What? How?”
“Hook never boarded that ship,” he repeated my words. “By never boarding that ship, Hook never came to Hickory Wind Middle School and never failed Crunch trying to trap him, and you, into finding the artifact. You had a different teacher this year and Crunch passed.”
“I … passed!” Crunch gasped.
We watched as the six of them stepped into the forest and disappeared.
“Am I going to pass next year?” Crunch called after them.
“Do you think others will come looking for Jacob Grimm’s pen?” Korie asked.
“I hope so,” I said. “But we better watch Home Alone, like, a thousand times before they do. Let’s go home.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Come on kids. You’re going to be late for the bus,” my mom yelled up the stairs. “You only have one chance. If you miss this ride, your dad and I will not be driving you out to Camp Runamuck to catch up with the others.”
“I don’t even know if I want to go,” I said to Korie. “After the past week we’ve spent with the Lost Boys and Hook, I think camp’s going to be pretty boring.”
“Are you taking Jacob Grimm’s pen?” Korie asked.
“It’s already in my bag.”
“Then I can guarantee you it won’t be boring.”
Korie and I walked out of my room, loaded down with all my stuff.
“Do you plan on being gone until you’re in high school?” Korie laughed, nearly tripping down the stairs over the two bags she had in each hand … and the one she was sliding down the hall with her foot.
“I’m just trying to be prepared,” I said. “Besides, two of those bags are filled with Crunch’s stuff that he’s left here during the year and I know he’s going to need at camp. And the one you’re sliding with your foot is filled with Mouth’s fireworks.”
Korie stopped moving. “Then why aren’t they over here carrying the bags themselves?”
“Well, Mouth doesn’t want Tank to know he’s bringing them along and Crunch … Crunch will probably show up to the bus with no bag, no clothes, and no other choice than to try to borrow everything from everybody.”
“Come on, you kids. Get out of my house!” my dad yelled up the stairs. “Your mother and I have plans and they don’t include you.”
“Ewwww,” Sister Creature said.
“You better mind your own business, too, young lady,” Dad said to her, “or you’ll be signed up to be a counselor at Camp Runamuck so fast your head will spin.”
Korie kicked Crunch’s two bags down the stairs ahead of her. She wasn’t about to kick Mouth’s fireworks down the stairs, so she carried them very carefully.
“Are you ready?” Mom asked when we stumbled into the kitchen.
“Yes,” I said.
“Have your iPhone, iPad, laptop?”
“Yes. Yes. And Yes.”
“It’s camp,” my dad yelled. “All he needs is a fishing pole and sticks for marshmallows.”
Mom ignored him. “Picture of your mother?”
“No!”
“Plenty of clean underwear?”
“mom!” I looked at Korie who was working hard to cover her smile. “Okay, time to go.”
Mom and Dad drove us down to the bus to meet the others.
“Hey, it’s about time,” Crunch yelled the moment he saw us.
“We had things to do,” I told him. “Where are your bags?”
“Here it is.” He held up a bag filled with junk food that would only last him—and us—about a day. “And there are the others.” He pointed to the bags my dad was dragging out of the car. “Thanks, Mrs. M?”
Mouth snuck up behind me. “Do you have my fireworks?”
“Yeah,” I whispered. “There in the bag.”
“Good thing you brought them,” Mouth whispered, “or you would’ve paid the price.”
I looked at him and then turned to Tank. “Mouth’s got a bag full of fireworks.”
“Nooooo!” Mouth yelled.
“‘No’ is right,” Tank said, grabbing the bag and sliding it over. “Mouth doesn’t have a bag full of fireworks. I have a bag full of fireworks.”
We all started to board the bus. My friends said good-bye to my parents and I spent a good two minutes fighting off my mother as she tried to kiss me somewhere on my face. I walked up to my dad and stuck out my hand. “Thanks for the ride, big guy.”
“Get out of here.” He pushed me toward the bus. “I’d tell you to try and not spend too much time with these idiots, but I think it’s too late.”
We all loaded onto the bus and immediately ran to the back. We spread out as far as we could and kept a couple of seats open and wouldn’t let anybody else sit there. As the bus pulled out, I slipped a notepad out of my backpack.
The moment we got onto the highway I scribbled a few things down, and one by one, the seats filled in around us.
“So, what can we expect on our first adventure to Camp Runamuck,” Skylights asked, leaning across the aisle.
I smi
led. “It will be everything we’ve ever imagined.” I ran my fingers along the edge of the feather. “And then a lot that we haven’t as of yet.”
As the faces of the Lost Boys lit up, I shot Korie a look. This was sure to be another one of those adventures.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My Middle Grade writing has always been influenced by the camaraderie exhibited in movies such as The Goonies, The Sandlot and Stand by Me. The ability of my characters to say whatever comes to mind, whether it’s nice or not, but in the next sentence stand together with their friends against all odds is who I grew up with. That’s why it’s in every story.
Particular thanks to my editor, Tara Creel, at Month9Books for her guidance and helping me shape the tone and voice of the novel. Special thanks to Georgia McBride and the team at Month9Books and Tantrum books for their dedication, commitment, and hard work in making this novel the best it can be.
Finally, special thanks to my family for their constant love and support, to my wife, Darla, who has had to listen over and over to all my ideas for stories until one of them finally got published, and to our daughters, Kelly and Kacy, whose imaginations are sometimes as crazy as their dad’s.
Pete Catalano
Pete Catalano attended East Stroudsburg University and managed to get a degree in technical theater that has gone untouched and unused to this day. While working as an outside salesman in the steel industry, Pete began writing his first adult novel, but after reading through it a second time, he threw it out and listened to the voices in his head which demanded he write Middle Grade.
Pete is working on several new novels, and not surprisingly, has a stunning amount of other ideas. He now lives happily in Charlotte, NC with two very needy one hundred pound dogs, one beautiful wife, and a multitude of characters that live comfortably inside of his head … but are battling to get out.
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Acknowledgements
About the Author
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