Amelia Bedelia Digs In

by Herman Parish

  Dedication

  For my treasures—Rosemary, Stan,

  Philip, & Margaret—H. P.

  For my buddies,

  Peyton and Zane—L. A.

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 1: From Here to There

  Chapter 2: A Short Leash

  Chapter 3: Really Jolly Roger

  Chapter 4: Surf’s Up! Down! All Around!

  Chapter 5: Wipe Out

  Chapter 6: “One Man’s Trash . . .”

  Chapter 7: Kitchen or Cave?

  Chapter 8: $1 + an + Ear = Buccaneer

  Chapter 9: The Hole Truth

  Chapter 10: “Where Am I?”

  Chapter 11: “. . . Is Another Girl’s Treasure.”

  Chapter 12: From Where to Here

  Two Ways to Say It

  Surf’s Up with Amelia Bedelia

  Back Ads

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  “Welcome to the Longest Bridge in the World,” said Amelia Bedelia’s father, glancing in the rearview mirror at Amelia Bedelia and her friend Alice. Their car had been stuck in traffic for a very, very long time.

  Alice leaned over to Amelia Bedelia and whispered, “The longest bridge in the world? Says who?”

  “Says my dad,” said Amelia Bedelia.

  “Traffic to the beach is usually backed up,” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother. “It always takes a long time. Today isn’t too bad.”

  Amelia Bedelia’s father lowered his window and breathed in the sea breeze. He shut his eyes, savoring the serenity.

  The blaring horn of a boat passing under the bridge startled Amelia Bedelia’s father.

  Amelia Bedelia recognized the boat. “That’s the Reel Busy,” she said. “Captain Will is welcoming us back to the shore.”

  “Good thing I had my seat belt on,” her father said. “I would have gone right through the sunroof.”

  “We don’t have a sunroof,” said Amelia Bedelia.

  “I would have made one,” said her father.

  Alice giggled. Amelia Bedelia started to giggle too. Then they couldn’t stop. Soon they were laughing so hard, tears were pouring down their cheeks. Of all the good things that had happened at Camp Echo Woods, becoming friends with Alice was the best. The only thing that had ever come between them was Amelia Bedelia’s dog, Finally, who was snoozing in the middle of the seat.

  Amelia Bedelia wiped her eyes and looked out the window. She spotted Blackberry Island in the middle of the bay. Something was different. It looked as though a giant sailboat had run aground. “Hey, Mom,” she said. “Look at Blackberry—”

  Amelia Bedelia’s father jumped. He hadn’t noticed that the traffic had started moving.

  “Keep your shirt on, pal!” he yelled, glancing back at the honker.

  “There are two guys in that jeep, Dad,” said Amelia Bedelia.

  Amelia Bedelia’s father shook his head and began inching forward.

  “Neither one has a shirt on,” said Amelia Bedelia. “Which one is your pal? Are you friends with both of them?” She completely forgot to look at Blackberry Island again until the island was out of sight and it was too late. She shrugged, knowing that she’d visit soon enough and figure out the mystery.

  “At last!” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother as they drove off the bridge. “Oh! Would you look at this! Isn’t that new?”

  What had been a square park at the end of the bridge was now a roundabout with cars circling around.

  “What a big improvement,” said Amelia Bedelia’s father. “A traffic circle keeps cars moving.”

  “If our time on the bridge is shorter, does that make the bridge shorter, too?” said Amelia Bedelia.

  “Wait a second,” said Alice. “This isn’t the world’s longest bridge anymore? No fair!”

  One thing that was the same was the Whereami. The pint-sized pirate ship was still on display, now in the center of the new circle. Amelia Bedelia pointed out the scorch marks on the wood from the accidental fire that had almost caused the Whereami to go up in flames. Amelia Bedelia told Alice how her cousin, Jason, and his crew of “pirates” had put out the fire by hurling beach balls filled with water at it.

  “Jason is older than we are,” added Amelia Bedelia.

  “I was just about to ask,” said Alice.

  “I know,” said Amelia Bedelia.

  Amelia Bedelia and Alice were on the same wavelength. Sometimes talking was unnecessary. It was like they were plugged into each other’s brains.

  “Does Jason still think he’s a pirate?” asked Alice.

  “Oh no. His mother says he’s moved on,” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother.

  “Now what does Jason want to be? A Viking?” said Alice.

  Amelia Bedelia’s father snorted and then started to laugh. “Bravo, Alice!” he said. “Thanks. I needed a good laugh after all that traffic.”

  Amelia Bedelia’s mother’s eyebrows were arching so high, they would have gone through the sunroof, if they had had one. Amelia Bedelia could tell she was laughing to herself too.

  A block away from Aunt Mary’s beach house, Amelia Bedelia’s father stopped for some kids who were crossing the road to get to the ocean.

  “From pirate to Viking . . . that’s quite a career path,” said Amelia Bedelia’s father.

  “Don’t be ridiculous, honey,” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother.

  “It makes total sense,” said Amelia Bedelia’s father. “Pirates and Vikings both cruise around causing havoc and mayhem. That’s the job description of every teenage boy.”

  “Jason isn’t like that,” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother.

  “Why don’t you just ask him?” said Amelia Bedelia, pointing at the kids in the crosswalk. “Jason’s right there, in front of us.”

  Before Amelia Bedelia’s mother could roll down her window, Amelia Bedelia’s father leaned on the horn.

  Jason jumped into the air, dropping his towel and surfboard. His flip-flops flew off his feet.

  “What? Are you kidding?” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother. “Talk about causing mayhem and havoc!” She hopped out of the car, hugged Jason hello, and apologized for honking at him.

  Amelia Bedelia, Alice, and Finally got out of the car too. Amelia Bedelia’s father drove across the intersection, parked, and hurried back to join them.

  “You should have seen your face, Jason,” said Amelia Bedelia after she’d introduced her cousin to Alice.

  “I jumped right out of my flip-flops,” said Jason, laughing.

  “Sorry, Jason,” said Amelia Bedelia’s father. “I wanted to get your attention.”

  “It worked,” said Jason. “I just put some stuff in the beach house, where you’re staying—food like milk, eggs, fresh fruit. You know, things that grown-ups worry about. Amelia Bedelia, drop off your bags, then meet me on the beach and we’ll go grazing in town.”

  At long last they had arrived at Aunt Mary’s beach house. Amelia Bedelia flung open her car door, jumped out, and started stretching.

  “Come on, girl, you’ve been cooped up too long,” she said.

  “Are you talking to me?” asked Alice.

  “I was talking to Finally,” said Amelia Bedelia. “But you can come too. Come on, girl. Come on, Alice!”

  Alice started chasing Amelia Bedelia around the car. Then Finally started chasing Alice and Amelia Bedelia around the yard.

  “Don’t ask me to scratch behind your ears, Alice!” yelled Amelia Bedelia. The friends (and Finally) kept dodging Amelia Bedelia’s father as he unpacked the car and carried things into the house.

  BONK!

  “Yeow!” yelled Amelia Bedelia’s father. “Ow! Owie!”

&n
bsp; Amelia Bedelia and Alice found him bending over, cradling the back of his head with both hands and rubbing it as hard as he could.

  “What are you doing, Dad?” asked Amelia Bedelia.

  Finally licked his face and whined.

  “I’m seeing stars,” he said.

  “Where?” asked Amelia Bedelia, looking around for famous faces.

  “Stars like in cartoons, when someone gets whacked on the head,” he said.

  “So right this minute, little planets and chirping birds are circling your head?” asked Amelia Bedelia.

  “Ouch!” said Alice. “That must hurt.”

  “Tell me about it,” said her father.

  “She just did,” said Amelia Bedelia.

  “Honey, are you okay?” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother, running to his side. “I heard you holler. The whole town heard. Where does it hurt?”

  Amelia Bedelia’s father pointed at the trunk lid with one hand and to the back of his head with the other.

  “Oww-wow-wow! What a nasty lump,” Amelia Bedelia’s mother said, giving that spot a kiss.

  “You’re never too old to get a boo-boo kissed,” whispered Alice to Amelia Bedelia.

  Amelia Bedelia nodded. “My mom always makes me feel better. Her kiss cures cuts and scrapes, bumps and bruises, nosebleeds and burns, splinters, blisters, insect bites. . . .”

  “So far, this vacation has been a headache,” said Amelia Bedelia’s father.

  “Well, we’re here for two weeks,” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother. “We can like it or lump it. . . . I think we—”

  “Dad, you already lumped it,” said Amelia Bedelia, pointing at his head.

  “Now let’s like it,” said Alice.

  Amelia Bedelia’s father looked from one girl to the other. “No wonder you two get along,” he said.

  “Let’s get you some ice,” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother, leading him inside.

  Amelia Bedelia and Alice finished unpacking the car. They hauled their bags to their room.

  “My cousin Jason and I shared this room last summer,” said Amelia Bedelia.

  “Reminds me of camp,” said Alice, flipping a coin in the air. “Call it.”

  “Heads,” said Amelia Bedelia.

  “You win,” said Alice. “I’ll take the bottom bunk.”

  “Just like camp,” said Amelia Bedelia.

  The girls investigated the room. Jason had taken everything to the cottage on Blackberry Island. Everything except a map from Treasure Island that was still taped to the wall. Amelia Bedelia stared at the letter X on the map, showing where the treasure was buried on that island.

  “Is that the island Jason moved to?” asked Alice.

  “No, this map is from his favorite book, Treasure Island,” said Amelia Bedelia. “Jason lives on Blackberry Island now.”

  “Did it come with buried treasure?” said Alice.

  “Blackberry Island?” said Amelia Bedelia. “No, the only treasure there is growing right behind his house—billions of ripe blackberries.”

  “Yum, I can’t wait,” said Alice.

  “They’re guarded by thorns as big as shark fins and as sharp as shark teeth,” said Amelia Bedelia.

  “Never mind,” said Alice.

  POP-pop-poppity-POP! came the sound of popcorn in the making. The girls changed quickly into their suits and ran through the kitchen, grabbing handfuls of warm popcorn on their way out the back door.

  “How about lunch, ladies?” asked Amelia Bedelia’s mother.

  “We’re eating with Jason,” said Amelia Bedelia. “We’re meeting him at the beach, then going downtown.”

  “Come home soon,” said her mother. “Aunt Mary left us this popcorn with a note saying she’d pop over later.”

  “Glad we didn’t have to wait for her to start popping,” said Amelia Bedelia, grabbing another handful. “It’s delicious!”

  Amelia Bedelia and Alice headed to the beach, with Finally racing ahead and tugging on her leash. As soon as they crossed over the dune, Amelia Bedelia unclipped Finally. The three girls were so happy to be running free and feeling the soft sand between their toes.

  Amelia Bedelia saw a group of surfers offshore. She spotted Jason sitting on his board, bobbing up and down on the ocean swells. She and Alice waved to him. He waved back, then started paddling like mad toward the beach. He stood up on his board, caught the crest of a big wave, and rode it all the way to shore.

  Amelia Bedelia and Alice applauded. “That was amazing!” said Amelia Bedelia. “Last summer you watched the surfers. Now you are one.”

  “You can learn too,” said Jason. “I’ll set you up with the works.”

  “Works? No thanks! We’re on vacation,” said Amelia Bedelia. “Our only work is to relax.”

  “Spoken like a true surfer,” said Jason. “You’ve already got the right attitude. I’ll get boards for both of you and leashes and—”

  “Leashes? We’re not wearing leashes!” said Amelia Bedelia.

  “Second time today I’ve been called a dog,” said Alice.

  “Trust me,” said Jason. “The leash is for your surfboard, not you. It attaches around your ankle and it’s pretty short, so you don’t have to swim after your board if you fall off.”

  Amelia Bedelia snapped the dog leash back on Finally.

  “I know,” said Jason, “let’s go get lunch and then we’ll get your gear.”

  Amelia Bedelia, Alice, Jason, and Finally walked down Main Street.

  “It seems like a lot has changed,” said Amelia Bedelia.

  “That’s new,” said Jason, pointing at a sign. “This miniature golf course used to be called Sea Breeze Fairways. The holes and obstacles were about the beach. Now it’s all about pirates. The windmill with moving blades is now a ship’s wheel. Get a hole in one, you get a free eye patch.”

  “Look,” said Alice. “It’s the home of the Yo-Ho-Hole in One!”

  “After we put out the fire on the Whereami, buccaneers were big,” said Jason. “Pirates were popping up everywhere.”

  “Even mini golf?” said Amelia Bedelia.

  “I can’t blame them,” said Jason. “Beach businesses have only a couple of months to make most of their money for the whole year.”

  “They’ve got to eat,” said Alice.

  “So do we. I’m starving,” said Jason.

  The sidewalk was getting more crowded the closer they got to town. They saw lots of Jason’s friends from last summer, kids who worked downtown during the day but were in Jason’s pirate crew at night. Some kids still called Jason by his pirate name, “Captain J.”

  Jason’s friends mostly worked at snack shops and food carts, and they treated Amelia Bedelia, Alice, and Jason to goodies, from pizza to ice cream. Alice loved the ramen from a new place called Oodles of Noodles. Amelia Bedelia even ate the second corn dog of her life, sharing it with Alice.

  Some shops put out bowls of doggie treats and cool water. Finally was in heaven, hanging out with other dogs, barking and sniffing and yipping and yapping. The dogs were friendly, the tourists were friendly, and everyone was friendly to Jason.

  “Jason, you should run for mayor,” said Alice.

  “I told him that last summer,” said Amelia Bedelia.

  “You know everybody. Everyone likes you,” said Alice. “Even the dogs would vote for you.”

  “Thanks,” said Jason, scratching Finally behind her ears. “I’ll think about it. But right now let’s go meet my friend Roger for your first surfing lesson.”

  “Is your Roger a Jolly Roger?” asked Amelia Bedelia.

  “Really jolly. Happiest guy I know,” said Jason. “Before he discovered surfing, he used to be miserable. We nicknamed him Notso, because he was Not So Jolly Roger.”

  Amelia Bedelia shook her head, just thinking about meeting this used-to-be-crabby surfer named Jolly Roger.

  “That must be the place,” said Alice, laughing.

  Jason stopped in front of a shop just off the main drag.<
br />
  “Curl City,” said Amelia Bedelia, reading the sign. “Is this a hairdresser?”

  “Surf Shoppee?” said Alice, rolling her eyes. “P-p-e-e?”

  “I hope Roger surfs better than he spells,” said Amelia Bedelia.

  “He’s the best,” said Jason.

  Just then, the door swung open so fast, it slammed back against the wall of the shop.

  Amelia Bedelia and Alice jumped. Finally barked. A guy bounded out with open arms.

  “Captain J! Long time no see!” he shouted.

  “Roger, my man,” said Jason. “Jollier than ever.”

  They kept hugging, slapping backs, until Roger noticed Amelia Bedelia, Alice, and Finally.

  “Who are these groms?” he asked.

  Jason introduced Roger to the girls and Finally.

  “Do you like my sign?” asked Roger. “It’s old-timey, right?”

  “We like it,” said Alice. “It sure got our attention.”

  “That’s its job,” said Amelia Bedelia.

  “Honestly, it’s so bad it’s cool,” said Jason.

  “Okay, let’s get you boards and leashes,” said Roger. “Then we’ll head to the beach for a dry run.”

  “Why dry?” asked Amelia Bedelia. “Don’t we need water?”