“Mona, a naval fleet is coming to stay with us this weekend. A boy about your age is coming. He’s the Captain’s son,” Nanny said. She had just been outside speaking with a fisherman.

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Mona stopped petting Manx for a moment. Since the houseboat had left, she missed Lucie terribly. She and this Captain’s son might get along. She thought of her favorite pastimes. It was not too late in the summer to catch toads on the west bank of the Blackberry Isles. What ten-year-old Captain’s son wouldn’t jump at the prospect of a toad hunt? Her heart beat faster and she felt a thrill at the prospect of meeting a new friend.

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But time crawled by. The Captain’s son would never come. It seemed that Nanny made her do twice the amount of arithmetic and chores as usual. She spent those long and lonely, quiet days scrubbing the scuffs in the front hall and dusting the drapes in the dining room. Then she chewed her pencils in concentration, as she added decimals and fractions, which flowed from Nanny’s math papers in complex and infinite varieties. Finally, somehow magically, it was Saturday morning.

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The fleet was still not due until late afternoon. After lunch, Mona really couldn’t wait any longer. She stared out the window for what felt like an hour trying to will the ship to come early. All of a sudden she did see something, but it was not the ship, it was an osprey.

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“Come on, Manx,” Mona yelled as she ran out the front door. Manx was close at her heels and they jumped in the Levithan. Mona rowed after the osprey. She was able to follow in the wake of the direction it had gone and soon she spied its nest. Manx curled up in the Levithan, but Mona watched the bird feed fish to her almost grown young. She watched the osprey, daydreamed, and both girl and dog jumped in the water and swam about after a while.

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They were having so much fun that they didn’t notice the speck on the horizon that gradually became a fine ship. When they finally did see it, the ship was nearly upon them. Manx barked and Mona let out a short whoop of joy. Mona climbed into the Leviathan and helped Manx up, then rowed them both back home. Manx and Mona banged through the side door of the kitchen. Out the window, Mona could see the beautiful white ship. The mast was decorated by small flags of every color like flowers of every variety and shape.

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“Mona, you are dripping water all over the floor. You too, Manx.” cried Nanny. She brought them towels, and Mona changed into a dry bathing suit. She gave Manx one last rub down, as the door knocker boomed.

Mona felt her heart all in her throat. She smiled. It reminded her of when the houseboat had first come. She thought of all the wonderful things she and Lucie had done during the summer. Then the door opened and in stepped the sailors, one or two at a time. Mona and Nanny greeted the guests as they entered.

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Each sailor took Nanny’s and then Mona’s hand. They were more formal than Captain Malarkey’s men. Also, unlike Captain Malarkey’s crew, these naval officers wore uniforms. Mona watched for the boy and tapped her foot in time with the others’ steps to keep control of her impatience. Finally, he came second to last, in front of the Captain, his father, and behind his mother, who was also a naval officer. Both the boy and his father had brown hair that fell out from under their hats and into their eyes. They both had pale, green eyes the color of a frozen river. The boy and his mother had dark skin, skin that was made even darker from life on the ocean with no shade. The boy wore a blue shirt and rolled up pants. Mona felt for the first time conscious of herself and her body and what she wore. She folded her arms over herself in an attempt to hide her bathing suit.

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“Very nice to meet you both,” said the boy’s mother to Nanny and Mona. She nodded and smiled and followed the other sailors into the parlor. Finally, it was the boy’s turn.

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“How do you do?” Nanny said to the boy.

“How do you do, Ma’am,” he said, and shook hands with her.

“Hello, I’m Mona.” Mona called out to him. He looked up at her for one moment and then looked down again fast.

“’Lo,” he muttered. Mona started. This was not the greeting she had anticipated. She stuck out her hand, but he walked past her. Mona could not understand his behavior. Was it something about her? She felt red and hot and embarrassed. She had hoped they would be friends. This was not at all like when the houseboat had come.

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“I’m Captain Cowles,” said the Captain as he shook hands with Mona. “I apologize for my son, Delmar. He isn’t used to people his own age.” The Captain’s apology embarrassed Mona more.

Everyone sat together for an early dinner. Nanny and Mona brought out food they had prepared over the past several days. There was cured fish, acorn biscuits, seafood stew, mussels, clams, seaweed, and a wild weed salad. For desert, there was roasted chestnuts, chicory coffee, and elderberry tarts. Mona felt the joy of a full belly and enjoyed the rhythm of conversation. These men and women were warm and interesting. She tried not to look in Delmar’s direction. The sailors on either side of Mona sat back and rubbed their full bellies.

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“Yes, we’ve seen colors you wouldn’t believe, like gardens in the sky,” said one.

“Mona,” said Nanny, “could you bring out more chestnuts for the guests. I am going to get some wine from the basement.”

Mona wanted to stay and hear more of the conversation, but she did as Nanny asked.

Mona set the chestnuts on the table and was about to sit back down when she noticed something on her chair. There was something beneath her. She got up at once and looked at where she had just sat. There was a dead mouse. It surprised her so much that Mona almost screamed. Almost, but surprised or not, Mona didn’t want to frighten the other guests.

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She picked the mouse up by the tail and threw it away in the kitchen. When she came back again, she checked her seat this time and then looked around. The boy grinned at her and shrugged. She knew then it must have been him who dropped the mouse on her chair. Mona tried not to cry for the rest of dinner. The sailors could tell something was wrong, but they couldn’t get Mona to tell them what was bothering her. Eventually, they gave up and shifted back to their own conversations.

 

As soon as dinner was over, Mona said she had a headache and went straight to her bedroom. Manx followed her up and licked her elbow as she cried into her pillow. Then, suddenly, Mona turned to Manx and said aloud, “I’ve got a plan to get him back!”

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