Mona clunked downstairs with red eyes. Her face was a delicate shade of hemlock. Nanny frowned, started to say something, and thought better of it. Instead, she cleared her throat and said, “Ready to go?” Mona growled back. “Oh, well, breakfast first,” said Nanny, as an afterthought.

 

Throughout breakfast, Nanny and Mona checked out the kitchen window often to see if it might rain so they could postpone their trip, but the weather stayed the same and greeted their frustration with cheerfulness.“Mona, dear,” said Nanny at last, as Mona played with her toast, “we’d better go.” After they put away the dishes, Mona and Nanny climbed down the steep path. Manx followed and Mona clung to him. He wagged his tail as tears dripped down Mona’s cheeks. Mona could not remember a worse day in all her life. She turned to gaze at Pearly Beetle and the nearest Blackberry Isles for, she felt, possibly the last time. She let out a resigned choke and stepped into the Leviathan. Nanny rowed slowly. Soon, Mona could see the shore without her binoculars. They came closer still to the beach. Mona closed her eyes and Nanny continued to row. Mona felt the slosh and rhythm of the waves. The feeling was so familiar to her like her own heartbeat and she took a little comfort in that. She opened her eyes and held Manx close. The shore came closer and closer and Mona summoned her courage. Nanny rowed toward a small cape not visible from Pearly Beetle.

 

This beach, as it came into view, was not as Mona had expected. Grass grew past the sand, and the tall river birches that beckoned with their branches were almost as pretty as the ones on the Blackberry Isles. The boat was almost at shore when Mona noticed two women in bathing suits coming down a narrow path. They settled on the beach where the Leviathan had almost landed. One fanned herself with a magazine she held. Neither woman spotted the Leviathan.“Anywhere, but here....” The woman stopped speaking when she noticed Nanny and Mona.“This is private property. Can’t you read? The sign says keep out,” said the other woman. Nanny frowned and looked at Mona. Mona buried her head in Manx’s coat and let out several very loud sobs. “Sorry, sorry. We’re going, we’re going.” said Nanny.

 

Nanny rowed the boat away from the private beach. Mona pulled her head up just enough so she could see Nanny with one eye.“Can we go home now, please?” asked Mona. Nanny took at deep breath, her jaw tightened, and she straightened her shoulders as though she was prepared for battle. “No, dear, I won’t give up so easily. I’m taking you to town,” said Nanny. The Leviathan passed the cape of the beach and followed the curve of the land into a small harbor. Numerous ships were ported here, and behind the ships, was a town.

 

Suddenly, Mona felt curiosity spasm through her thoughts, as unexpected and unwelcome as a hiccup. She was horrified, but a memory came to her. Two years earlier, she had come across a dead fish on the Blackberry Isles. She had been interested, but still revolted, in the fish, whose guts clung to its outer scales. It is not unusual to dislike something, but be fascinated by it too. Despite her new curiosity, when the boat bumped the docks, Mona would not get out of the Leviathan.

“I can’t, Nanny,” she said.

“Come along Mona,” Nanny sighed.

 

Nanny climbed on the dock. Mona shook her head. She gripped the sides of the Leviathan and would not budge. “If you do not get out of that boat, you’re going to be in a lot of trouble,” said Nanny. Nanny’s spectacles were at the end of nose and her lips were pursed. Mona looked at Nanny and looked down at the boat again. She let out a dreary moan and flung herself out of the Leviathan. Nothing happened. The mainland did not feel different than Pearly Beetle or the Blackberry Isles. She sat on the ground a moment. Then she blinked and touched her fingers to the rough, splintered wood planks. “I’m alright?” she said to Nanny. Nanny nodded. Manx was still in the Leviathan. He sniffed the air and whimpered, then looked in the direction of Pearly Beetle. Mona petted and kissed him and tried to coax him, but his will was iron. “Fine,” said Nanny, “Manx stays here. I’ve had enough of stubborn islanders for the day.” They left Manx in the Leviathan and walked up the path to town together. It was an old, sleepy town with many trees.

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In one of the shops, Mona found an old grandfather clock like the one at her house. She wandered down the street in and out of places with Nanny at her side. While Nanny hung back a moment to talk to a fisherman, Mona entered a candy shop. The clerk looked up from his book when Mona came inside and noticed her bare feet.

“You need to wear shoes in here. That’s a rule,” said the clerk.

“I don’t have any shoes,” said Mona.

“Come on now, Kid. Either you put on your shoes or you can’t come in my shop.”

“What the problem?” asked Nanny as she walked inside.

“Don’t know why it’s a rule and, a silly one if you ask me, but she’s got to wear shoes in here,” said the clerk.

“She doesn’t have any,” said Nanny.

The clerk blinked.

“We live on the island over there,” Nanny pointed to the left, “and she has never been to shore before.”

“I’ll be darned. Why didn’t you say so? Famous girl like you-why there is no need for shoes! I met your father when he came to shore for the first time. Scared out of his wits!” The clerk chuckled at the memory. “The owner of the ice cream shop and I. We have a sort of rivalry, you understand? Mona looked puzzled, but Nanny nodded for the story to continue. “He just about turned purple when I told him I got to meet your father. Just think what color he’ll turn now.” The clerk gave another little chuckle and handed Mona a red and white striped candy. “Here you go. How’ve you liked your trip to shore so far?”

 

Mona scrunched up her forehead. “It’s different than I thought,” she said. The clerk nodded. “There’s lots of nice places to visit here and lots of kind folks around here to meet. Plenty of nice beaches and trees in this town. Lots of people to talk to. The mailman comes in here everyday tells stories about the mountains and moonshine and--” Nanny coughed in an abrupt sort of way like when she wanted Captain Malarkey to change the subject.

“Anyway. Some of the older women have stories, terrible pasts, their men used to drown--”

Mona’s eyes grew wide. Nanny looked like she was going to cough again.

“Someone you’d like to meet,” continued the clerk, “is Miss Jodi Cane. Miss Cane’s the schoolteacher for kids about your age. Always collecting insects and such to show the kids. You might find her around here today. She likes the park on Saturdays.”“Let’s check the park, Mona dear,” said Nanny. Mona waved to the candy store clerk. He smiled back at her and, after they had left the shop, he stood a moment at the window and looked out at the sea.

 

Nanny and Mona meandered down the dirt path of the park. The lane was lined with lovely flowers.“Look at those,” said Mona as she pointed at a row of sunflowers. She had never seen them before. “They’re very beautiful.”

“I think this must be Miss Cane,” said Nanny, as she stopped in front of a park bench where a young woman sat with a book with insects in one hand, a magnifying glass in the other hand, and a large emerald beetle in her lap. Miss Jodi Cane, had long hair and a very dark, smooth complexion that looked as if she were made of silk. She looked up at Mona and smiled.“Hello, will you be in my class this fall?” She had a very nice sounding voice, too. Mona shrugged and Nanny explained how Mona had never been to school before or even to the mainland.“Well, I can understand why you might be unsure about something so new to you,” said Miss Cane, “but there are so many nice things about the mainland. I’d love to show you, if you’d let me.”

 

Nanny nodded. “The mainland is just like the Blackberry Isles.”

“What are the Blackberry Isles?” asked Miss Cane.

“The Blackberry Isles are just beyond Pearly Beetle. Some are forested, and others are grassy or bog-like,” said Nanny.“I never knew such interesting places existed. Maybe the class could take a field trip there,” said Miss Cane. Mona held her tongue and began to fidget like some wild thing caught.

“What’s wrong?” Miss Cane asked.

“You’re going to come to the Blackberry Isles and build skyscrapers and turn my house into a restaurant or a factory or something,” said Mona.

Miss Cane laughed. “Oh of course, I wouldn’t,” she said.

Mona glared at her.“You’d think it’d be alright to take a class there and they wouldn’t do any harm. But what if they told their families and then the families came and saw that it would make such a nice place for a summer home. Before you know it, everything would be built up and gone.” Miss Cane bit her lip and shook her head.“I didn’t think a field trip would really affect anything, but I see how important this is to you, so I promise I will never take any of my classes there.”

“Thank you,” said Mona, but she was shy for the rest of the conversation.

 

Nanny and Miss Cane talked of adult things. Miss Cane kept looking at Mona as though she felt bad for what she had said.“Well, Mona,” said Miss Cane, “I’d really like to show you something special about the mainland. Will you come back in a few days for a baseball game? It’ll be my treat. I’ll buy us the tickets and hot dogs. What do you say?”

“Wonderful! That is very nice of you,” said Nanny.

“Alright,” said Mona who looked as if she was getting anything but a treat.

“Thank you,” said Nanny, “We’d better be going, but we’ll come back for that game.”

 

They rowed back to their house. Mona knew before she saw Pearly Beetle and the Blackberry Isles, that they would still be there. She noticed some of her previous notions about the mainland had disappeared. Mona spent the afternoon doing all the things she normally did, but she did not feel as though the things were quite the same. Swimming was no different than yesterday, but somehow the water was not as refreshing as it had been the day before. Somewhere inside, Mona felt that she was changed from visiting the mainland and she wasn’t sure yet how to feel about her new self, a self who had ventured to the mainland and come back and was alright. After dinner, Nanny brought Mona upstairs to her bed. As Nanny tucked Mona in, Mona looked out the window with a frown.

 

“How did you like your first visit to the mainland?” asked Nanny.

“Truthfully, Nanny, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Though it is worse in some ways,” said Mona.

“How so?” asked Nanny. “Well, some of the people like Miss Cane are very good in their hearts, but they don’t realize how much damage even a good person might do. Did you hear that Miss Cane wanted to build on the Blackberry Isles?”

“Now, dear, that is really not what Miss Cane said,” said Nanny. “I understand that you felt she said the wrong thing to you, but do try to put yourself in her shoes and maybe you’ll understand.”

Mona cocked her head to the side and closed one eye.“I’m sorry Nanny, but that is very hard to do. Remember, I don’t even have any shoes,” said Mona. Nanny sighed and turned out the light.

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