When Mini-Me, The Wubster, and I traipsed through the common ground, following the creek that flows through it, to see the downed tree on Monday, I thought of the childhood friends and events that became Chapter 3 of my autobiography for Dr. Breed's class.
This section, a creatively remembered depiction of actual events, is stylistically modeled after Cynthia Voigt's, Homecoming.
Doug awoke early that morning. His cat, Racky, was curled up at the foot of his bed. She was still sleeping, so he just laid there even though he was anxious to call Johnny and Jay. Johnny and Jay lived down the street. They had lived on Field Avenue since they were born. Johnny was a year older, but Jay was much smarter. Jay also had darker hair than Johnny, and he was a little pudgy. Now that Doug thought about it, they didn't even seem like they were related.
At last, Racky stirred and her eyes opened. She looked at Doug, meowed, stretched, and lept off the bed in search of breakfast. Doug was hungry, too, so he decided to have something to eat and then call Johnny and Jay.
On his way to the kitchen, Doug stopped in the bathroom. Before leaving, he looked in the mirror. He peered at his tousled blond hair and smiled at his reflection. "Today's gonna be great!" His voice was anxious.
Johnny, Jay, and Doug had been planning this trek for weeks. They had played in the creek and walked along it for quite some ways, but never beyond the tunnels that pass under Clarkson Road. This time, they were going all the way.
The phone rang and Jay answered before it finished: "Hello? Is that you Doug?"
"Yeah, you guys ready?"
"We just got up. Come on down, and by then, we should be. Okay?"
Doug could hear Johnny in the background. "Hey, Jay! Guess what! I found a map."
"So? We've got tons of maps around here." Jay responded.
"No, I found one that shows the creek on it. I'll bring it and show you. Now we can keep track of where we're at."
It was after nine when they got to the creek. They slid down the steep bank and sat down on some big rocks. There wasn't much water in the creek during the summer, but there was still enough for the minnows and some other fish. They made sure they had everything they needed before heading downstream. Doug had brought his Swiss Army knife, some fishing line and a hook, and sandwiches for lunch. Johnny had the map and some other stuff in a bag he and Jay were sharing. "You carry it first! I don't want it!" Jay screamed.
Johnny turned around and said, "You're carrying it back, then. I'll just leave it behind so you better make sure you bring it back!"
"C'mon!" Doug said excitedly. "Let's get going, I want to see how far we can get."
They passed through the tunnels and began their trip. For the first hour or so, their pace was quick and they only slowed down every so often to splash each other or climb up the bank to see what was around them. Doug glanced at his watch and saw it was after Noon. "Hey, are you guys getting hungry?"
"Definitely!" Jay said. "My stomach's been growling since we passed that rock that looked like a giant turtle."
"Your stomach's always hungry," Johnny said as he jokingly poked Jay in the stomach.
"Let's find a place where we can sit and put our feet in the water while we eat," Doug said. "I brought us all some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We didn't have any chips, though. Alicia always eats them all."
"We have some sandwiches, too, and we brought Pringles!" Jay said.
"I hope you plan on sharing 'cause I've got dessert and I sure would hate to eat it all by myself," Doug jested.
"Enough, already! Let's sit down and eat. Doug, let me have one of those PB&J's!" Johnny said.
"Here you go. Now Jay, toss your chips."
Jay pretended to get sick as Doug and Johnny watched in disgust, laughing just the same. They finished their lunches while talking about how far they thought they had gone. "I think we've gone at least five miles!" Johnny proclaimed.
"There's no way. With the way the creek twists and turns, we're probably no more than two miles from home. Heck, we could probably see the library from here," Jay said as he threw pieces of bread to the fish.
"Why don't we go a little further and see if there's any good places to fish or swim. If not, then we'll head back to my house and play Nintendo," Johnny said.
"You don't want to keep going and see where the creek ends?" Doug asked.
"Naw, I really don't want to see the ocean. I've been there before, you know," Johnny boasted.
"We've never been to the ocean, stupid. And we couldn't get there by following this creek, either. Man, what are you, six?" Jay said.
"I was kidding. I know this creek only goes to the Caspian Sea," Johnny joked.
"I agree, I'm tired of walking, too. Let's find a place to swim. It's too hot to do anything else," Doug said.
They rounded the next bend in the creek bed and found exactly what they were looking for. "Wow! Now THIS is a swimming hole! Last one in's a rotten Jay!" Johnny yelled as he tore off his shirt and jumped into the water.
"I'll take that as a compliment!" Jay proclaimed as he followed Doug into the water.
After their swim, the three boys sat in the sun on the rocks and dried off. They had only known each other for a few months, but they already knew they would always be friends. They began to discuss what they were going to do the next day until Doug looked at his watch. "Oh, man! It's already four! I didn't do my chores. I'm going to be in big trouble. We better head back now!"
"Calm down, Doug. You've never done your chores on time," Jay said.
"Yeah, but last night they told me I HAD to have 'em done before they got home tonight or I'd be grounded," Doug whined.
"Well, let's go. Jay! It's your turn to carry the backpack," Johnny said.
Jay picked up his backpack and they started back towards home. They walked quickly, singing and talking, and soon reached the tunnels under Clarkson. "That didn't seem to take near as long. What time is it?" Jay asked.
"It's after six! My parents are going to kill me!"
"Don't worry, Doug, Johnny'll save you," Jay joked.
The boys crawled through the tunnels and followed the creek to where it ran just in front of Doug's house. "Here we are," Johnny stated, "you want us to go with you?"
"No, but if you don't hear from me tomorrow, check for a shallow grave in the backyard," Doug laughed.
"Hey, I had fun today. We should do it again some time," Jay said.
Doug climbed out of the creek bed and headed towards his house. He wondered what his parents were going to say. Maybe they were too tired to even notice that he hadn't done the dishes. He could only hope. He turned around and yelled back to Johnny and Jay, "See ya later! Call tonight and check on me!"
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