Caddy

Sam Klasky slowly followed the rest of his fourth grade class down the pier in the pouring rain leading to an old boat called Louisianan. He walked past a bullet riddled sign that read Whallerville Dock. Whallerville was a small Massachusetts town by the sea. It's industrial value was high because of whaling and sea trade. Sam was scared to death of the ocean. Just the thought of the rushing water sent a chill down his spine.

A salty sea wind stung Sam's face as Ms. Cherri ushered him into the old boat. His sandy colored hair was damp and he blinked his stinging green cattish eyes. His light blue jeans sagged down with moisture and flecks of water covered his dark blue soccer jacket. Ms. Cherri smiled at him and handed him a smelly yellow towel. Ms. Cherri was a nice young person who had long wavy red hair and happy blue eyes. She was wearing a multi colored knit sweater and stylish green bellbottoms. On top of it all she was wearing a pink beret. Right now Sam hated her. It was her idea to go on the whale watching field trip anyway. Now he was stuck in an old rusty boat full of smelly towels and smelly kids and smelly everything else. He looked around the boat. The rusty metal benches had ripped seat cushions and the metal floor was stained black. Sam turned away. He didn't want to know what had caused the stain. The ceiling was growing fungus and the windows were too dirty to see through. He sighed and sat in a rusty metal chair right beside the bar.

Sam's friend D.J. jogged over to him. D.J. was a short skinny little kid with outstanding zip. His blonde hair was spiked straight up and he was wearing sunglasses even though the sky was dark. He was wearing a black tee-shirt with the word 'Zip' on the front. His blue nylon shorts hung down to his ankles. He and Sam had been friends since preschool. He grinned at Sam as thunder boomed and lightning crackled across the sky. "What's up?" said D.J., still grinning. "Not much" said Sam halfheartedly. They continued to talk for awhile until the field trip came up. D.J.'s face fell. "I know how you feel about the field trip" he said "but look on the bright side; we might get to see some whales." Sam frowned purposefully. "Who cares about the stupid whales" said Sam. "I don't know, or care" said D.J. "Neither do I" said Sam rudely. "Cool it dude" said D.J "I just said..." "I don't care what you said" interrupted Sam moodily. "Whatever" D.J., said as he skipped away gaily. Sam just sat still, fuming.

A few minutes later Lily Goldenteen, a wealthy girl with perfect grades and perfect looks and perfect everything else, skipped over. She had light brown hair, freckles and a sweet smile. She was wearing a new pink sports jacket and new pink bellbottoms. She was also wearing a pink beret, just like Ms. Cherri. Sam was pretty sure that Ms. Cherri was Lily's idol, but he kept his mouth shut. She was one of D.J and Sam's best friend. She had been since Sam could remember. As she sat down she tossed Sam a chocolate bar. It was a 3 Musketeers Bar, his favorite. "So" she said, thoughtfully chewing on a Butterfinger "D.J. told me about how you feel about the field trip." Sam smirked. "Yeah, figured he'd blab to everybody" he said smugly. D.J. had a tendency to do that. Lily looked at him critically. "Why wouldn't you want to see whales" she said with a trace of disgust. Sam had never told anyone in his class about his fear of the ocean. "But I do want to see whales, it's just that I hate this smelly old boat and the ocean creeps me out" said Sam. "What?" said Lily her nose wrinkled. She was going to think he was totally weird now. "I'm scared of the ocean, alright!" Sam exploded. With that he stormed away to the other end of the boat.

Sam had always been afraid of the ocean. The sea terrified him. Whenever he was near it his skin crawled. But before he got to the other end of the boat a boot stuck out and Sam tumbled to the floor. The boot belonged to Fred Trunch, the meanest student in the fourth grade. He had been torturing Sam and other students since second grade. He had the lower jaw of a Neanderthal, the body of a fat ape and the brain of an ant. And of course he had the hunting instinct of a wild boar. He was wearing army fatigue everything, except for his black boots. His brown overpowering eyes warned Sam of danger. He had a tuft of red hair and truly ape-like features. "Howdy Sam" he sneered "sorry, it was an accident!" Sam clenched his fists and bit his lip. "Here" said Fred "Let me help you." He kneeled down and started to give Sam a noogie when a colossal wave slammed into the side of the boat. Fred flew into a tumbling table, knocking D.J. and some other classmates to the floor. Lily fell off her chair and into a metal trash can. Ms. Cherri was pinned under a metal table. Sam just lay sprawled across the floor, scared stiff.

Suddenly a husky voice rang out. "Remain calm!" it cried. The voice was coming from the captain who was climbing out from behind the bar. The captain had a shaved head, a stubbly brown beard and stern blue eyes. He was wearing a sweaty gray tank top, saggy blue jeans and around his neck hung a lifeguard whistle. And on his arm there was a tattoo of an anchor. "As I said" repeated the captain, climbing to his feet "remain calm." "Is everyone alright?" Ms. Cherri worriedly questioned. "Yes lady, they're fine" replied the captain surely. Kids then got up and conversations started and tables were put back upright. But then, as Sam turned around he glanced out the window and saw something. An eye, Sam saw a giant eye. Then the eye sunk back into the water slowly, and disappeared. Sam felt sick, thoughts swum in his head. An eye that belonged to what, what was out there, where did it go? He decided to tell the captain. With haste, Sam hurriedly rushed over to the captain who was relaxing in a metal chair.

"Um...uh, Mr. Captain?" inquired Sam nervously. "Captain Gody, please" said the Captain grinning. "Er...um Captain Gody" Sam started. "What's your name?" asked Captain Gody. "Sam, Captain my name is Sam Klasky" said Sam. "Good" said Captain Gody "Now Sam what was that you wanted to tell me?" "Captain, I saw an eye, a giant eye" Sam murmured. Captain Gody's face paled. "What kind of eye?" he asked nervously. "Well" said Sam "it was big and yellow with a tiny little black slit for the pupil." Captain Gody's face turned as white as a sheet and he carefully pulled a small pistol from his pocket and started loading it. He was mumbling something that sounded like "Caddy's back to get me" and "It's the end." "Captain Gody" asked Sam "who's Caddy?" Captain Gody turned to face him. "Caddy" he said "is short for Cadborosaurus and she is a giant sea monster." "I've seen her before" continued Captain Gody "once off the coast of Maine she attacked me, killed my St. Bernard Dog Bruno and wrecked my boat. Some whalers found me half dead, hanging onto a buoy. They took me onto their boat and brought me back to shore. I hardly escaped with my life. And Caddy escaped with a lead bullet in her fin." He stopped and patted his pistol. "Compliments of this baby" he said affectionately. "Sam felt like he had just had the wind knocked out of him. "You're joking?" he nervously asked the captain. The captain face was pale and dead serious. "No" he said "She's back to get me"

Suddenly another wave hit the side of the boat and Sam flew across the room and against the wall. He moaned and glanced around, worried. "Alright?" asked Ms. Cherri again. Sam stood up slowly, rubbing the back of his head. D.J., Lily, Fred and all the other children rose too. "Where are the whales?" Lily whispered nervously to Sam. "I don't know" said Sam "But Captain Gody..." "Who?" asked Lily. "The captain" said Sam "he said outside there is a sea monster." "What!" said D.J. who had been standing behind them, eavesdropping. Lily glared at him but Sam went on. "Yeah" he said "He said it ate his dog and wrecked his boat." D.J's was dumbfounded. His mouth hung gaping in awe. Lily looked at the captain critically, then adjusted her pink beret and sighed. "I don't know Sam" she said. "Well I sure do" said D.J with a laugh. Sam glanced at him nervously. "Captain Gody could be joking" Sam said even though he wasn't entirely convinced. "Yeah" said Lily "I bet he's just joking." Suddenly another wave hit the boat and the giant head of a monstrous marine dinosaur could be seen through the smeared dirty windows. Sam would never forget the sight of that sea monster. She was humongous! She was at least thirteen or fourteen meters long and must have weighed five or six tons. She had large yellow murderous fangs and green scaly slimy skin. And her eyes fell straight on the boat! With a deafening roar she slammed her body against the boat. Lily and D.J. screamed and were knocked to the floor. Sam fell against a rusty chair. Ms. Cherri jumped behind the bar. Fred rolled to the far end of the boat. Other kids fell against the wall, against the floor, even against other kids. Captain Gody stood still, unfazed. Two bottles of fresh water fell from the bar and spilled upon the floor. Sam lay beside the chair, shaking. Then, the door broke open and water spilled upon the floor. Water washed over Sam and the other students. The water was salty and Sam's eyes stung. Just then Caddy's head burst in the door and her giant fangs tore apart the room. Sam looked for Captain Gody, but he couldn't see him. On his back, Sam scrambled away from the giant dinosaur's bloodthirsty jaws. But in a wild roar, Caddy lunged forward and grasped Sam's left foot in her mouth. Sam screamed as he was dragged towards the door. He twisted, trying to break free, but he was unsuccessful and he was pulled across the floor. His classmates and friends watched helplessly. "Help!" screamed Sam in a wild frenzy. He kicked his leg and his shoe flew off his foot. Free, he tried to scramble to the other side of the boat. But Caddy did not give up easily. She picked up a metal chair in her mouth and hurled it across the boat at Sam. It hit him in the chest and he fell to the floor. Caddy raised her head and bared her teeth at Sam... then the gun went off. A lead bullet pierced the skin of Caddy's snout. Captain Gody stood on an upturned table, soaked to the bone and holding his silver pistol bravely. Caddy roared at the sight of him and slammed her head into the table. Captain Gody was thrown across the room and crashed behind the bar. Growling, Caddy lunged at the bar and pried Captain Gody from the floor. He dropped his silver pistol on the floor as he was being pulled through the door. She pulled him from the inside of the boat and onto the deck. Sam jumped to his feet and grabbed the pistol. Without thinking, he rushed onto the deck where Captain Gody was fighting Caddy viciously with kicks and punches. He was covered in sea water, blood and cuts. Sam raised the pistol, aimed it at Caddy's head, and pulled the trigger. With a crack, the pistol shot a lead bullet into Caddy's eye. Caddy let out a deafening roar and gave Sam and Captain Gody a glare of loathing hatred. Then she sank into the sea. The frothy water turned blood red and became still. The class and Captain Gody returned to shore with no proof of their battle, except scars and memories.

Sixty years later Sam Klasky sat in his rocking chair, on the porch overlooking the Whallerville pier. He was at his daughter's summer house. He slowly rocked back and forth, twiddling his gnarled thumbs. Kelly, his granddaughter sat next to him on the porch steps. She was a pretty fourth grade girl with sandy colored hair and cattish green eyes. "So grandpa" she asked "you never saw Caddy again?" "No" replied Sam with a smile. "Kelly, dinner!" a voice cried from within the house. It was Sara Klasky, Sam's daughter and Kelly's mother. "Coming!" cried Kelly as she gave Sam a quick kiss on the cheek. She ran into the house. Sam gazed out at the sea. A silhouette of a Cadborosaurus leapt from the sea and into the horizon. Sam smiled.

The End