The Treasure Cave: sea tales of Tiptoes Lightly (17 page)

Cillie and Conn grabbed them from the tower and gave them to Johnny Top. A moment later the next wave
rushed over the sea wall and the castle began to crumble. Wave after wave came
and soon there was nothing but a pile of sand on the beach.

“That was
fun,” said Cillie and Conn, “but it’s time for us to go.”

“Bye, Cillie!
Bye, Conn!” called Johnny Top and Gramma.

Cillie and Conn waved goodbye and skipped down the beach towards the sea. They laughed and shouted
until a wave rushed towards them. Just before the water washed over their heads
they dived into the sand and were gone.

Whale
Watching

After lunch
Farmer John took the kids whale watching. They drove into Summer’s Fort and
down Main Street. Just before the bridge that leaped across the Noyo River they turned left and wound their way down to the harbor.

They parked
the car and walked along the quay. Fishing and crabbing and pleasure boats
lined the docks. They rocked gently on the water or rattled and clanked as folk
got ready to go to sea. Farmer John stopped at a blue and white boat. It had a
small cabin towards the front just big enough for one or two people. Its name,
written neatly on the side, was Periwinkle Blue.

“Welcome,
welcome,” said the owner. “I’m Crabby Sam. You must be John Nutcracker. Come on
board. My real name’s Sam, but I catch crabs for a living—that’s why they call
me Crabby Sam.”

He helped
everyone onto the boat and gave out lifejackets and long raincoats. “You must
wear the lifejacket and you might need the coats,” he said. “It can be windy
and cool on the water.” Then he cast off and slowly puttered out of the harbor.
They turned the corner and passed under the bridge soaring high over their
heads and out into Noyo Bay. As they were leaving, another boat came into the
harbor. In it was a man with a beard and captain’s cap.

“That’s the
lighthouse keeper,” said Crabby Sam. “How he lives out on that rock all by
himself I’ll never know.”

Tom waved to
him and he waved back. On the front of his boat sat Tiptoes Lightly and she was
waving too. At first no one saw her, but suddenly June Berry cried out: “Look,
Tiptoes is with him! She’s on the front.”

“Tiptoes!
Tiptoes!” cried Johnny Top, jumping up and down and waving until the boat was
out of sight.

“How did she
get there?” asked Veronica, wondering.

June Berry
shrugged. “Tiptoes seems to get everywhere,” she said.

Over the ocean
waves they puttered, the boat rocking and swaying to the rhythm of the swell.
They followed the coast northward past Summer’s Fort.

“There’s
Pudding Creek and the trestle beside the long beach,” said Tom.

“And the
cottage,” said Farmer John, holding Johnny Top in his arms. “Over there by that
clump of trees.”

The children
shaded their eyes and saw it at last. From out at sea the cottage looked like a
toy.

They sailed
further away from shore, out beyond the lighthouse and the steep cliffs where
the mountains came down to the sea. The boat slowed down and Crabby Sam took
out his binoculars and scanned the water.

“Thar she
blows!” he cried at last, and everyone turned to where he was looking. A dark
shape rose out of the waves. With a mighty whoosh it sent a spout of mist high
into the air and dove into the deeps again.

“A whale! A
whale!” cried Johnny Top. “He’s huge.”

“That he is,”
chuckled Crabby Sam, cutting the engine.

They waited,
bobbing on the waves. Another whale appeared off to one side. This one raised
his tail as he dove. Tom could hardly believe how large they were—bigger than
elephants. Suddenly the water began to bubble around them. A moment later
silvery fish leaped out of the water helter-skelter and churned the surface.

“Watch!
Watch!” cried Crabby Sam. “They’re fishing. You’re in for a treat.”

A moment later
a whale came shooting out of the water. Straight into the air he leaped, his
mouth open wide and his body glistening. For a second he hung in the air, as if
standing on his tail, then he fell back into the sea with an enormous splash.
The spray showered the whole boat.

Johnny Top
squealed as the cold water hit him. For a second he didn’t know whether to
laugh or cry.

“That’s good
luck,” said Crabby Sam, patting his back. “Getting splashed by a whale brings
you lots of luck.”

They watched
as the pod made its way southward down the coast. Crabby Sam followed them as
they moved closer to land and skirted the lighthouse. The boat had just passed
the lighthouse when June Berry saw a young woman with long hair standing on the
island looking out to sea. All around her the waters rose and fell restlessly
and churned upon the rocks. June Berry was the only one to see her; everyone
else was looking at the whales swimming ahead of the boat. June Berry waved,
and the woman raised her hand. The boat sank into a swell and for the moment
the woman was lost from sight. When the boat rose again she was gone.

A
Thanksgiving Meal

When they got
back to the cottage the evening sea mist was already rolling in. It dimmed the
light and shrouded the land in silvery-gray. Soon the leaves were dripping
water and the grass was wet and glistening. Farmer John and Uncle Finn filled
the firebox and piled the wood high. They moved the kitchen table into the
living room, joined it to the table in there, and scoured the house for chairs.
Tom and June and Veronica helped set the table and bring in the food. Johnny
Top sat in his high chair and insisted on sitting next to Gramma. When the table
was ready everyone sat down—except Uncle Finn who brought in the turkey with
great fanfare and celebration.

“Yea!” cried
Tom and June and Veronica.

“Yea, turkey!”
cried Johnny Top, clapping his hands.

Farmer John
held the plates while Uncle Finn carved up the turkey. Aunt Sally added the
vegetables and stuffing.

“What are we
thankful for?” asked Gramma. “We all have to say one thing we are thankful for
before we eat.”

“Food!” cried
Johnny Top, bouncing up and down.

“My family,”
said Aunt Sally. “All of you, and my sister in heaven too.”

“I’m thankful
for our holiday together,” said Farmer John.

“The sun,”
said Veronica. “I’m thankful for the sun. Without it there would be no light or
warmth or life.”

“That’s
right,” said her dad. “Where would we be without the sun?”

“What are you
thankful for?” June Berry asked Uncle Finn.

Uncle Finn
scratched his chin. “I’m thankful for the huge fish I caught last month,” he
chuckled. Uncle Finn loved fishing.

“And you’re
going to take me fishing with you next year,” said Tom. “You promised.”

“I did and I
will,” said Uncle Finn. “We’ll go in the spring.”

“I’m thankful
for the pearls I found with Tom,” said June Berry, touching the necklace. “And
to Tom for letting me keep them for myself.”

Farmer John
smiled at Tom.

“I’m thankful
for all the creatures in the world,” said Gramma, “big and small, quick and
slow.”

“And Lucy,”
said Tom.

“And Tiptoes
too,” said June Berry.

“Yes, and Lucy
and Tiptoes and all the other wee folk too,” said Gramma.

Everyone
looked at Tom. It was his turn. He was having a hard time making up his mind
what he liked best.

“I’m thankful
for Gramma,” said Tom at last. “She’s the best granny ever.”

Gramma laughed
and gave Tom a hug and a kiss.

“But without
so many slobbery kisses,” said Tom, wiping his cheek and grinning.

Then they ate
and made merry—including Tiptoes Lightly who sat, mostly unseen, on Gramma’s
shoulder and watched the fun.

“Who knows a
Thanksgiving tale?” asked Aunt Sally, when they were having dessert and eating
the pumpkin pie.

“I do,” said
Uncle Finn. “It came to me yesterday as I was walking through the trees in the
woodlot. I saw a turkey there. He spread out his tail feathers in a big fan and
said, ‘gobble-gobble-gobble’. He stared at me hard, really hard. Quick as a
wink this tale popped into my head. I think that turkey was the one who put it
there.”

“Tell us
then,” said Veronica, and this is the tale he told.

The
Real Story of the Thanksgiving Turkey

Once upon a
time, on the fourth Thursday in November, there was a turkey. He was a big
turkey, a plump turkey, a wild American turkey with spreading-out tail
feathers. When he spread his tail feathers and did a turkey dance everyone was
impressed.

Now this
turkey lived in the woods and said ‘thanks’. In those long-ago times that’s
what turkeys said, that was their call; there was nothing unusual about it at
all—in fact, it was normal. And this is what this particular turkey said,
especially when looking for food. He said ‘thanks’ as he ate nuts, ‘thanks’
when eating seeds, ‘thanks’ for worms or grubs, even ‘thanks’ for the fresh
green leaves he nibbled as a side salad.