A Present From Aunt Agatha

by Lynne Roberts

  Chapter 5. All at Sea

  ‘Where have you been?’ Ryan demanded.

  ‘Oh, round and about, here and there,’ said Andy loftily. ‘That movie was boring so I went out and watched a cartoon in the next theatre. I’m having great fun. I’ve had masses of popcorn and heaps of sweets. There's a guy over there with a huge bag of them. I’ll get you some if you like,’ he added generously.

  ‘Take this.’ Ryan pushed the wheel into Andy’s hand. ‘Let’s stay together. Do you want to go home now?’

  ‘What? The next movie is only just starting,’ objected Andy. He reluctantly agreed to stay next to Ryan during the movie. They sat huddled in a corner on the steps, ready for a quick get-a-way when the movie finished. Ryan kept checking that Andy was still there by reaching out and poking him.

  ‘Ouch,’ said Andy

  ‘Sh,’ came from the people in the seats around them.

  ‘Stop poking me. I said I’d stay here,’ hissed Andy.

  ‘All right,’ muttered Ryan, but as the movie finished he grabbed Andy by the arm and held it firmly.

  Spilling out onto the crowded pavement, Ryan fought to keep a grip on Andy’s arm. Andy appeared to have lost any sense of responsibility now that he was invisible and he gaily pulled at the hats and the hair of the unsuspecting pedestrians around them. Ryan was not enjoying being invisible. It seemed to have inflicted him with anxiety. He felt insecure without his body. He knew it was there, but it was disconcerting not being able to see it.

  ‘I wonder if that’s why ghosts are always moaning,’ he thought.

  They walked a bit further.

  ‘How long do you think this will last,’ Ryan whispered to Andy.

  ‘Dunno. How long did the snakes last?’

  ‘They didn’t stop till I wrote about them again. I guess you’ll have to write that we’re visible before it will happen.’

  ‘Great, let’s go for a boat ride,’ said Andy happily.

  ‘What?’ Ryan’s mouth dropped open in astonishment.

  ‘A boat ride. We’ll hop on a bus down to the harbour then get onto a boat. No one will know. They can’t see us.’

  To Ryan’s horror they did exactly that. They waited at the bus stop behind a businessman and a housewife with a shopping bag. Hopping on before the doors closed, they made their way to the back of the bus where fortunately the back seat bus was empty. And even Ryan had to admit they had a great time riding along in it.

  ‘I’m making faces at all the people we drive past,’ said Andy with a laugh.

  Arriving at the harbour they wandered around happily looking at the various assortment of boats. There were small sailing yachts with competent fathers instructing their children in the intricacies of staying upright. There were battered dinghies with noisy outboards and larger fishing boats being unloaded and launched from trailers.

  ‘We can’t go on a small boat,’ said Ryan regretfully. He fancied a sleek red speedboat rather aptly named Red Devil. ‘There are only a couple of seats and someone would be sure to find us.’

  ‘That one look ok?’ asked Andy.

  ‘Which one?’

  ‘Over there, oh you can’t tell where I’m pointing. This is starting to get annoying. Out there next to that trimiran.’

  ‘Wow!’

  Ryan looked across to see a three decked luxury cruising boat, resplendent with chrome railings and gleaming white paint.

  Pride of the Sea was the name on the prow.

  ‘How will we get to it?’

  ‘Hitch a ride in a dingy going past,’ said Andy.

  ‘I don’t think…’ began Ryan.

  ‘Look, it’s easy. Just hang on to the side in the water and get towed along,’ said Andy impatiently.

  Wrenching his sleeve from Ryan’s grasp he ran down to where an elderly gentleman was launching his rowing boat. Ryan saw the footprints in the sand and then the water splashing up where Andy had gone. Racing after his friend he waded into the water. Gasping against the sudden cold he took a firm grip on the side of the boat.

  The elderly gentleman put a pair of oars in the rowlocks and began to row. He panted with effort as he drove the boat steadily out into the harbour where the bigger boats were anchored to buoys.

  ‘Not getting any younger. This used to be easy,’ he grunted

  As they approached Pride of the Sea Ryan heard a splash and the boat jerked. He let go and paddled over to find Andy climbing a ladder at the stern of the boat.

  ‘Wow, this is fantastic.’

  The boys explored the boat. A small cabin with a wide bed led off a tiny galley. Andy began opening a tin of peaches with a can opener from the drawer.

  ‘Don’t make a mess,’ said Ryan anxiously. ‘We don’t want anyone to know we’ve been here.’

  ‘No problem,’ said Andy calmly.

  After a rather odd meal of tinned peaches and corned beef, washed down with a can of warmish lemonade, the boys shared a packet of chocolate biscuits. Ryan dropped the tins over the side and pushed the cellophane biscuit wrapper into his pocket, where it rustled faintly when he moved.

  They lay face down on the cushioned seats on the top deck and felt the gentle lap of the waves rocking them as the sun warmed their backs. Worn out by the excitement, they fell asleep.

  Ryan woke with a start. The sky was overcast and grey and the waves were higher. He called in a panic.

  ‘Andy, are you there?’

  ‘What?’ came a sleepy reply. ‘Oh, where are we? I remember. We must have been asleep. What’s the time?’

  ‘I’ll have a look.’ Ryan climbed down into the cabin and gave a yell. ‘It’s nearly five o’clock. We’ll have to go home. Mum will throw a wobbly if I’m too late.’

  The boys looked at the water. It did not look nearly as inviting now and there were no small boats in sight.

  ‘We’ll have to swim to shore.’ said Andy at last.

  ‘I don’t think I can swim that far,’ replied Ryan doubtfully.

  Andy thought for a minute.

  ‘There must be something we can use as a float. Hang on and I’ll have a look.’

  He rummaged through a storage locker under a seat on the middle deck.

  ‘Here you go,’ he called.

  The next minute Ryan saw an orange life jacket approaching in the air.

  ‘If we each take one we can hang on to them and kick,’ explained Andy.

  ‘Why don’t we put them on?’ asked Ryan. ‘Wouldn’t that be safer?’

  ‘Think about it you idiot,’ said Andy. ‘If we let them lie in the water people will just think they have fallen off a boat somewhere. They’ve got the boat name written on them so someone will return them. Besides, it’s impossible to swim in a life jacket. They tip you onto your back.’

  Ryan took a jacket and followed Andy down the ladder. The life jackets worked well to keep them afloat and they kicked their way slowly towards land. As they neared the shore a passing fisherman spotted the life jackets and hurried to retrieve them. Ryan and Andy hastily swam the last few metres to the sandy beach. They dripped their way to the bus stop.

  ‘Andy, we can’t go on a bus like this, we’re too wet.’

  Andy looked down. There was a puddle of water where the boys were standing.

  ‘We could take our clothes off and leave them here,’ he suggested.

  ‘No way!’ Ryan was horrified. What had got into Andy? He was completely light headed and giggling now and didn’t seem to take anything seriously.

  ‘We’ll have to walk it. Come on.’

  Pulling Andy by the sleeve they started walking back.

  After grumbling for a while, Andy subsided into silence and they trudged along the streets.

  Back at Ryan’s house, they were relieved to find their clothes were almost dry although they felt stiff with salt.

  ‘Make us visible again,’ said Ryan, as they sneaked up to his room and retrieved the pen from the floor. Andy wrote quickly;

  Andy a
nd Ryan aren’t invisible anymore

  They looked at each other as they slowly appeared again. Ryan started laughing. ‘Your hair is all stuck up in spikes and your shirt has shrunk,’ he spluttered.

  Andy grinned.

  ‘You’re not much better. It was fun though wasn’t it?’

  ‘Well…’ Ryan wasn’t so sure. Now that he was visible again he seemed to have regained his sense of humour. ‘I guess so,’ he admitted.

  ‘I really have to go now or I’ll be grounded for a week,’ said Andy regretfully. ‘I’ll come over tomorrow and we’ll try something else.’

  He stuffed the pen in his pocket and cycled home.