Grey's Adventure

She swiftly picked up the whole cloth and shook it out vigorously.

“Get them off” shrined Grey, her five year old son.

Ants clung to each other, to the crumbs and to the edges of the cloth they were using to enjoy their lunch this otherwise fine Tuesday afternoon.

His hands stretching unconsciously at his neck and then lower back, moving his dinosaur printed cotton t shirt back and forth. His fingers moved quickly and he moved around quickly as if his actions would rid the cloth and their special time together of these pesky ants.

“There,” Kali cooed, her voice soothing him as effectively as if she were stroking his black hair from his forehead and comforting him to her breast. She replaced the checked cloth on the ground, albeit in a new position now away from the looming ant hill that had been such a surprising part of today’s adventure.

Grey began to visibly calm down, his motions slowed, the red glow in his cheeks began to fade and he started to fetch the crackers, and jelly jars filled with nuts, dried fruits and pickles that were scattered about. He did see that some of the food would in fact be left there for the birds or the ants, that he knew his mother would not allow them to eat the pickles that were now coated with light clumps of sand and dirt.

They had chosen a spot up high on the hill, the could watch the ocean from a new vantage. Grey loved watching the waves crash and marveled at the low mmmmmm sound he heard in between the waves crashing on the shore. The ocean was as much in conversation as he was with his mother. They spoke in sounds or grunts more than actual words on these adventures. It was an effort for Kali to rely more on her own instincts rather than try to control the outcome. But what is a good adventure if you know what is going to happen, she thought.

She had sat herself back down, holding her orange soda, wiping the lip of the bottle and peering inside deciding if it was salvageable. Deciding yes, it would be ok, she took a slow gentle sip and looked out over the vastness of the ocean. She was mesmerized with the waves and the shape of the water creating ripple like m or w shapes. Floating into birds in flight and undulating serpentines.

“Mommy, Mommy”

Grey’s voice was urgent.

What is it darling, she spoke only in her head as she allowed her eyes to follow his pudgy like finger to the horizon. She held her hand up to her forehead to block out the glare from the sun, and there on the horizon was a large sailing ship.

“Are there pirates coming?” Grey asked earnestly

“Hmmmmm- I do not think so dear, I don’t see a private flag,” she said squinting. “Do you?” She asked a genuine curiosity filled her tone since his eyesight was much better than hers.

“No - no skull and cross bones, but it does look like the ship is moving fast doesn’t it?”

Kali grunted in agreement, in fact to her it looked as if the ship were floating slightly above the water and moving towards them.

The salt air hit her nose sharply, and she instinctively closed her eyes to shield from the tears that often followed.

She blinked, and then she saw him. A man, a sailor since he is on a ship she thought somewhere in the back of her mind. Her eyes blinked again rapidly as if to double check, was she really seeing this, in disbelief she looked over at Grey and took his hot hand in hers. Their eyes moving back and forth from the approaching boat and each other. Gleaning information from both sources and somehow converting it into a conversation.

The man stood at the bow of the ship, his broad rimmed hat, cocked to the side, on hand held the neck of a dark bottle and the other perched on the, her mind couldn't remember the word for that wheel like object that was used to steer the ship. He looked jolly, the edges of his mouth were curled upwards towards his eyes, making little wrinkles on his upper cheeks.

“Woah Grey can you see him?” Kari squeezed his hand as she spoke, and Grey softly said yes. The word mimicking smoke coming out of a pipe, encircling them.

Suddenly, they found themselves aboard the vessel with the man. Grey looked at his mother and she suddenly clapped her hand over his mouth, and with her own formed her lips around the words No, shhhhhh, he will see us. They crept slowly along the edge of the old ship, the boards were wooden, worn and slightly wet. There were news hanging over the side, and Kari thought this might be a good place to crouch. She was breathing shallowly, fear pricked her neck, making the hairs stand up. Grey was holding tightly to her and and swiveling his head from her to the man and back again. When she saw this she took a deeper breath, somehow knowing that her change in breathing would alert him to breath, and it worked. The two of them half looking at each other, half taking in the surroundings, the salt air, the creek of the boat, and the realization that they were flying in a ship were all now upon them.

The man was still jovially guiding the ship on its way, but where were they going and how would he react to having these uninvited guests on board. Kari noticed his foot tapping, as if keeping time and realized that he was an illusion. Something about that creepy smile he had, it felt too good to be true. Now that they were closer and she was a bit calmer she could see that he was partly see-through, a mirage. She scanned the ship. Thoughts flung themselves across her mind colliding and creating new, more complicated and dangerous ideas that made her shudder. Grey was whimpering lowly now, and she had this sinking feeling that they may never go home from this adventure.

Her eyes began to dart around the ship searching, and then up in the crows nest she saw it, a projector.

But why.

This was so strange. Grey seemed to not know he wasn’t real and for Kari this was a good thing, she had to make this into a game so that he did not feel scared, She began crawling towards what looked like a doorway to go underneath the ship, she struggled to find the word, was it a gally? Her father had sailed sailboats and as a child she would often go with him, having her afternoon naps while her father looked to impress which ever barbie look alike was handy. As she crawled she was pretending with Grey to be a tiger, a tiger who was stalking her prey, and he was playing along well, the mirage of a man was now at their backs, and as she reached for the round golden door knob.

She felt something wet drop onto her forehead. She looked around wildly, there it was again, another wet drop on here face. Then loudly she heard Grey’s voice.

“MOM, wake up - it is raining.”

She shook her head bewildered by the realness inside of the dream.

“Wa, what, honey… what is happening?”

Grey held up his kite proudly and said, “Dad taught me how to fly it.”

Realizing she must have dozed off, she wiped her hair from her brow and sat up, looking to the horizon, scanning for the ship. Realizing one of the best things about life with Grey, was their adventures.