Lucky Penny. The Voyage of the

Transcription

1 The Voyage of the Lucky Penny by Adam Ruprecht Christopher listened as Manny went over the list of things in his tote bag: Hat, sunglasses, towels, sunscreen, lunch, water bottles, snacks, camera, and cell phone. That s everything, he said, setting the bag on the dock and looking at his watch. Christopher was squinting at the boats bobbing in the harbor. Finally! he said, as one rickety-looking boat headed their way. The person standing at the wheel was waving his arms and smiling. That s Shawn s new boat? What a mess! said Manny. The boat drew near them and a teenage girl jumped onto the dock holding the end of a thick rope. She tugged at the line to bring the boat closer and expertly tied it to a metal post. Shawn tipped his skipper s hat. Sorry we re late, he said. We stopped to buy gasoline, but there was a long wait. Don t worry, though. We have enough fuel for at least a couple of hours. He introduced Chris and Manny to his helper, Samantha, and invited them to board. 35

2 Christopher looked unsure. I thought you said this was a new boat, he said. It s new to me! Shawn laughed. This is the Lucky Penny and you two are her first passengers. Are you sure it s safe? asked Manny. Penny is definitely shipshape and ready for adventure, said Shawn. The hull doesn t leak, and the engine runs perfectly. Shawn helped Manny and Christopher onto the deck and handed them a couple of orange life jackets. Do you think we re going to sink? asked Christopher nervously. Not likely, said Shawn. But it s better to be safe than sorry. Samantha undid the lines, threw them onto the boat, and jumped back on the Lucky Penny before it got too far from the dock. The engine made deep chugging noises as Shawn eased it out of the harbor. Chris and Manny buckled on their life jackets. With their caps and sunglasses in place and bodies covered in sunscreen, Chris and Manny settled down to enjoy the voyage. The boat sailed smoothly along. Manny tossed pieces of his sandwich into the water and chuckled as seagulls fought over the bread crusts. 36

3 Suddenly, the engine coughed and went silent and the Lucky Penny began to slow. It started rocking in the choppy water. What in the world? said Shawn. He looked closely at a dial on his dashboard, tapped it sharply, and watched the arrow swing around to EMPTY. Then he turned toward his passengers with a sad smile. We re out of gas, he said. I guess Penny s fuel gauge is the one thing that isn t shipshape. Unlucky Penny! sighed Christopher. There s no service out here! said Manny, shaking his cell phone frantically. I knew something terrible would happen, Christopher moaned. We ll be shipwrecked! shouted Manny. Stop yelling and take a breath, said Shawn. We re prepared for emergencies. He helped Samantha drop the anchor to keep the boat from drifting in the current. Then Shawn reached for the ship s radio to connect to the Coast Guard. Meanwhile, Samantha opened a metal locker and looked inside. Christopher had stopped yelling and moved closer to see what was going on. 37

4 The locker was filled with emergency equipment. There was a large orange flag with a black circle and a black square on it, some signaling flares, a mirror, a whistle, and an air horn. Manny poked at the whistle. These are for signaling that we are in distress, said Samantha. Oh, look! She pointed toward a distant fishing boat and handed Christopher the air horn. Make some noise, she said. While the air horn blared, Samantha and Manny waved the large orange flag in the direction of the fishing boat. Before too long, it turned and began to move toward them. Shawn was talking on the radio, explaining that a nearby boat might offer to rescue them. Then he yelled to the approaching fishermen. They offered to share their fuel so that Shawn could get the Lucky Penny back to port. Christopher and Manny were very relieved. Later, at home, they told all their friends how they had helped save the Lucky Penny. We were brave in the face of danger, said Christopher. And we didn t get sunburned, said Manny. 38 SRC_F_G3.6_3R.indd 38 8/7/14 2:26 PM Mondo Shared Reading Collection G3 Fiction (3R) page proofs Batch: 02 Theme: 6 pp /07/14 kf

5 RIDING THE WAVE by Tara Yasui Just a few more inches, Kylie thought, as she swam alongside the struggling whale. Careful not to become entangled in the fishing line that had ensnared the whale, Kylie stretched out her fingers and gently rubbed its back. For an hour, Kylie and her mom had been trying to get near enough so that they could snip the last bit of line from the whale s flukes. Kylie calmly stroked the whale as her mom edged closer and closer. One unexpected snap of that powerful tail could spell disaster. Suddenly the whale shot forward. It was free! Water churned. It spun Kylie sideways. As she sputtered for air, she saw that her mom was already towing the needed fishing gear back to the beach. The excitement was over! Kylie floated lazily toward the island where she and her mom had been stranded for a week. The current changed slightly. Kylie wondered why. She slipped on her mask and snorkel and plunged her face into the water. An enormous shadow loomed across the sandy bottom. The whale was back! 39

6 Dolphin Dreams by Jill Madsen Corey, keep your arms in the boat and stop pushing on the sail! Miranda said, losing patience. Now you re leaning against the tiller and that makes it impossible to steer! Corey s first sailing experience was turning Miranda into a nervous wreck. I m uncomfortable, Corey said, standing up suddenly. The sailboat wobbled and dipped dangerously toward the water as Corey began unbuckling his life jacket. Don t take that off! Miranda objected, but Corey ignored her. He pulled his sweatshirt over his head while struggling to keep his balance. The boat rocked wildly, and Corey tumbled overboard, splashing into the water. Miranda watched, horrified, as Corey disappeared beneath the surface. Corey couldn t swim, and now he had fallen into the ocean! Then something almost magical happened. A blurry shape was coming up from the deep water. It seemed impossible, but Corey was being pushed toward the surface, toward air and safety, by a dolphin! Miranda helped Corey into the sailboat where he sat coughing and shaking. He stared at the dolphin and wondered if he might be dreaming. 40 SRC_F_G3.6_3R.indd 40 8/7/14 2:26 PM Mondo Shared Reading Collection G3 Fiction (3R) page proofs Batch: 02 Theme: 6 pp /07/14 kf