OLLIE & the KID
COMMOTION
in the OCEAN
BOOK #1 in the SHAPE-SHIFTER Series
A really cool book about two kids who don’t really know each other but learn each other’s secrets while going on amazing and scary adventures while trying to stop a sinister stranger who sneaked into town with an awful plan to destroy the ocean along with all its inhabitants, like whales and octopuses, and it will take all the kid’s magic powers along with Ollie’s braveness, and a whole bunch of dogs to save everything. Whew!
Read more below…
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Chapter 1 – SCARECROW IN THE SAND
A young boy sits alone on the beach. It’s hard to tell in the darkness how old he is—maybe ten or eleven? He’s kind of skinny with long black hair tucked under a red baseball cap. Crouched, holding his knees tight against his body, he wishes he’d remembered to bring a warmer shirt and long pants. But tonight he was in a hurry and forgot.
He stares out at the ocean as if he’s looking for something. Or listening for something. But tonight, except for the waves, the only sounds he hears are the squawks of gulls fighting over discarded food scraps on the beach.
And that radio playing crackly music on a channel not tuned in quite right.
“Hey, kid,” says a voice from behind him.
Startled, he spins around.
Even though it’s getting dark, he can see it’s a girl about his age with her hands on her hips. She’s wearing a colorful, but faded dress. On her feet are sandals made of rubber from old truck tires.
On her head she wears a big, floppy straw hat that hides most of her face. Lit by the moon, she looks like a raggedy scarecrow that somebody stuck in the sand.
“Who said you could sit here?” she demands. “This is my beach.”
“I suppose this is your ocean too?” the boy tosses back.
“Maybe. Probably is,” she replies with a smug little laugh.
The boy is starting to feel a bit uneasy. Who is this bossy scarecrow, anyhow?
“What’s your name, kid?”
The boy doesn’t answer.
“Didn’t you hear me?” she repeats. “I said, what’s your name?”
“I heard you,” he finally replies.
“So what is it, then? I don’t let just anybody sit here on my beach.”
“I don’t have a name. You can call me Kid. Everyone else does.”
Chapter 7 – OUT ON THE OCEAN
Uncle Corky pushes the rowboat into a shallow spot on the beach, throws in the oars and attaches a long rope to the front cleat of the boat. He hands life vests to both Ollie and the Kid. “Here, put these on. I want to make sure they fit.”
After the vests are good and snug, he gives the horizon one last scan. “Looks like there’s a small storm cloud a couple of miles out but it’s moving away from shore, so you should be OK. But keep an eye on it and head back immediately if it starts coming your way.”
The kids nod and jump in the boat, the Kid on the front bench and Ollie in the back. Uncle Corky gently pushes it out into deeper water and hands the Kid the long rope tied to the cleat on the front while Ollie grabs the oars.
“Now remember, pay attention to weather and waves,” Corky says. “And get back here pronto if you see anything building.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” Ollie says, and snaps a salute.
“I’ll row first and you can be my lookout. If we’re
lucky, we might run into a school of porpoises or
maybe even spot some whales or sea turtles,” she
tells the Kid with the confidence of a ship’s captain.
“I bet we will,” says the Kid. He winks, but Ollie doesn’t notice.
Ollie rows with strong strokes. The Kid keeps his eyes
on the horizon. Soon they’re out about fifty yards from shore. The Guppy glides quickly through the smooth
water as they scan the surface for anything interesting.
“Look!” Ollie suddenly yells and stops rowing. “There’s a big green sea turtle floating on the surface over there. They’re very shy but we can watch it from a distance.”
The Kid stands and moves to the very front of the boat. He stares at the turtle and it almost seems like the turtle is staring back at him. All of a sudden, the turtle starts to swim over to the front of the boat. The Kid kneels down and reaches his hand out to gently touch the top of its head.
“Be careful, Kid,” Olie whispers, watching in amazement. “They can bite.”
“She won’t bite me,” the Kid replies softly. “You want to touch her? I’ll tell her you’re my friend.”
“Yeah, right. Like you actually know each other.”
But Ollie can’t resist the opportunity to get this close to a sea turtle, even though she wonders how the Kid can be so sure it won’t swim away. Or worse, bite her. She carefully moves to the front of the boat.
“Ollie, reach out your hand slowly and pet her on the head,” the Kid says. “She promises not to bite you.”
“What? Well, she better not.”
Ollie is a bit nervous but she reaches out and gently places her fingers on the turtle’s head. “Wow!” she exclaims. “Her skin isn’t slimy like I thought it would be. And she
almost seems to be smiling, like she likes being petted.”
“She does,” says the Kid.
Ollie gives him a look. “And how is it you know so much about sea turtles?”
But the Kid just smiles.
The kids are so absorbed with the sea turtle they don’t notice that the sky has turned from bright blue to dark gray. That little black storm cloud Uncle Corky had warned them about is now much bigger and moving swiftly toward them. The light breeze has turned into a strong wind and the waves are getting bigger—much bigger.