1. THE STOLEN LETTER 2. HOUSE SWIMMING 3. FISHING FOR BEARS 4. KITE DISASTER 5. RESCUE 6. MYSTERY ISLAND 7. MISSING 8. EMPTY CANOE 9. A PUDDLE OF BLOOD
Chapter One - THE STOLEN LETTER
The mail box wasn't empty, and the letter in the mailbox wasn't for Joey. But he grabbed it anyway, and stuck it into his pocket. Then, like a lizard, he climbed the six-foot rock wall. He slipped open the envelop from his Uncle Jack. The family had been waiting and waiting for this letter. Joey read it. Grinning, he dropped to the driveway below. Landing on cement jolted his body. In the house, he reglued the envelop. His mom would come downstairs as soon as Toby, his four-year-old brother, woke up. Joey raced to the attic and stuffed his things into his dad's old backpack. Downstairs his mom poured Toby juice before she saw THE LETTER. "Good news! We're going to Uncle Jack's cabin by the lake in July," his mom announced. "Hurray! I'm ready. I packed my remote control jeep, my super heroes, my bathing suit, and my tent. I'm going to camp out, all by myself," Joey boasted. "Silly. You're too young to camp alone. Maybe Daddy will take you camping. Besides July is six months away." "I can't wait," Joey stamped his foot. "You'll have to be patient," his mom replied. "I want to go now. There's nothing to do here and nobody to do it with," Joey punched the wall. "Maybe you could build a snowman," his mom suggested.
Chapter Two - House Swimming
"No way! The snow's dirty and too crusty to pack a snowball. I've got a better idea," he mumbled as he headed for the upstairs bathroom. "Come on, Toby, we'll go swimming." Joey collected rubber car tracks, Duct tape, bathing suits, and goggles. He taped the rubber tracks over the bottom and sides of the bathroom door. He hung their clothes on a hook before turning on the taps to fill the tub, over-fill the tub, and flood the bathroom. Goggles on, they peered at cracks in the tile. Their bathtub toys floated and bobbed as the brothers kicked up waves and twirled whirl pools. All was perfect until Toby said, "Need more water. Water's going away." Joey saw that his waterproof seam wasn't. "I can fix this," he told Toby. He opened the drain, and with a bucket began bailing water into the bathtub, into the sink, and into the toilet. Toby bailed too. Joey collected towels to mop up the bathroom floor, and a heater to blast dry the rug. He piled soaking towels into the drier. "Nooooooo problem," Joey told his brother, and Toby laughed. Later their mom wondered about the towels in the drier. She thought there was something funny going on. She couldn't remember washing that many.
Chapter Three - FISHING FOR BEARS
"Good news! Uncle Jack found a canoe for us at the lake," Joey's mom announced. "Hurray! I'll pack my remote control jeep, my super heroes, my bathing suit, my tent, and my fishing pole. I'm going fishing in the canoe, all by myself," Joey boasted. "Silly. You're too young to fish and canoe alone. Maybe Daddy will take you fishing. Besides, July is three months away." "I can't wait!" Joey yelled. "You'll have to be patient," his mom replied. "I want to go now. There's nothing to do here and nobody to do it with." Joey threw his library book. "Maybe you could play in your tree fort," his mom suggested. "No way! It's full of wet, yucky leaves. I've got a better idea," he mumbled as he headed towards the garage. "Come on, Toby. We'll go fishing for bears." Joey collected hooks, string, and Toby's stuffed animals: panda bear, polar bear and baby bear. Using sticks, Joey made fishing poles. He climbed the stone wall and cast his lines, telling Toby to hook on the animals. Toby tugged his bears so Joey had to pull up hard. All was perfect until both boys yanked at the same time. Baby bear's arm ripped off, and Toby's finger spurted blood when he grabbed the hook. "I can fix both of you, quick as a snake's tongue." Joey took a candy bar out of his pocket. Toby stopped crying. After Joey pressed his thumb on the cut, he poured on iodine and wrapped tape around Toby's finger. Then they taped baby bear's arm back on, and Joey helped his brother dress the bear in an old sleeper, to hide the damaged arm. "Nooooooo problem," Joey told his brother who gobbled the candy and hugged the bear. Later their mom wondered why she couldn't find enough tape to wrap a present. She thought there was something funny going on. She was positive the roll of tape was almost new.
Chapter 4 - KITE DISASTER
"Good news! Uncle Jack called. Down the road from the cabin is a big grassy field to play in," Joey's mom announced. "Hurray! I'll pack my remote control jeep, my super heroes, my bathing suit, my tent, my fishing pole, and my kite. I'll fly that ole kite higher than a mountain, all by myself," Joey boasted. "Silly. You know your kites always get stuck in trees. Maybe Daddy will help you fly a kite. Besides our vacation is still one week away," his mom laughed. "I can't wait," Joey whined. "You'll have to be patient," his mom replied. "I want to go now. There's nothing to do here and nobody to do it with." Joey tripped his brother. Toby began to cry. "Give your brother hug. Maybe you could play in the sand box," his mom suggested. "No way! The cat's been in there, and I'd get fleas. I've got a better idea," he mumbled as he headed toward his closet. "Come on, Toby. It's kite weather today." Joey tore rags for the tail. The kite soared. All was perfect until the wind dropped, and the kite swooped down and stuck on the chimney top.
Chapter 5 – RESCUE
"I can fix this," Joey told Toby. After he set a ladder against the house, he showed Toby how to tie a rope around his tummy. Then they climbed up, Toby in front. Joey instructed, "Crawl up to the chimney. The rope will keep you safe." Toby scooted up, never looking down. He rescued the kite, but then he did look down. He clung to the chimney and refused to move. Joey felt a little sick. "Don't worry. I'll rescue you." He tied one end of the rope around his tummy, climbed up, and hugged his brother. "Okay, Toby. I'll hold the rope and let it out slowly as you crawl backwards toward the ladder. Just remember, don't look down. Okay." Toby inched down. The rescue was perfect until Toby panicked and wouldn't move. Joey promised, "I'll let you play with my remote control toys as soon as we get down." "You'll will?" Toby looked up. "Sure. We'll have a battle and crash them into each other." "Okay. If you give me the remote control jeep. So it will be mine." Joey gasped. "Nooooooo problem," he told his brother . Later their mom was surprised to see Toby playing with Joey's favorite jeep. She thought there was something funny going on. But it pleased her that Joey was sharing his toys.
Chapter 6 - MYSTERY ISLAND
July finally arrived. "I've got my bathing suit, my tent, my fishing pole, and my sleeping bag," Joey announced to his mom on their third day at the lake. "I've packed sandwiches, cookies, juice, and marshmallows in my backpack. Of course, I haven't forgotten an ax or matches," he laughed. "I'll just hike around the lake until I spot the perfect place to camp, all by myself," he boasted. "Silly. I told you, you're too young to camp alone. Maybe Daddy will have time to take you camping this weekend." "I can't wait," Joey wailed. "You'll have to be patient," his mom replied. "I want to g...... All right. Mom, maybe this weekend. Come on, Toby." As he headed for the dock, he mumbled, "I've got a better idea. We'll go exploring." He zipped Toby into the small life jacket. Kneeling Indian style, he paddled the canoe toward the mystery island with the ruined cabin. "It probably burned down. I bet lightening hit it," Joey guessed. He beached the canoe and dropped a rock on the end of the rope so the canoe wouldn't float away. The brothers began hiking toward the cabin. The path was rough. Real exploring. All was perfect until Toby whined, "The prickers and rocks hurt my toes; my sandals keep falling off. I don't wanna play explorer. I wanna go home. Right now!" "Nooooooo problem. You can catch fish with my new pole." So Joey gave Toby a piggy back ride back to the beach, helped him bait the hook, and set him up with the fishing pole on a grassy bank. Joey instructed, "Stay near this crooked pine tree. Promise you'll wait right here for me." Holding the fishing pole, Toby promised. Joey set off, "I won't be long." But, of course, he was. Gone a long time.
Chapter 7 –MISSING
The cabin door slammed, and Joey saw that the wind was getting stronger. He raced back to his brother. The return trip took a long time. When he burst out of the thick brush, he saw the crooked pine tree. But no Toby! Toby hadn't waited as he had promised. Joey yelled, "Stop hiding. We have to get back. A storm's coming." No answer. Joey guessed his brother was hiding in the canoe. He rushed to the beach. No canoe! Why hadn't he tied it? He looked across the lake, hoping Toby hadn't gone far. Still no canoe. No Toby. First he planned, "I'll chop down a tree and use my hands and feet to paddle it to shore. But he couldn't find the ax. Then he decided, “I’ll rip a board from the porch. That'll float." Back at the cabin he tried to yank free a board. But he wasn't strong enough. The wind spanked his face. This was a problem he couldn't fix. Not ever. He knew his brother could barely paddle. No way in the world could Toby fight the wind. The waves would tip the canoe. He prayed that his brother had put back on his life jacket. Even so, he knew, Toby couldn't zip it closed.
Chapter 8 - EMPTY CANOE
Joey's fist wiped away his tears. He had a new plan. "I'll climb that tall pine tree. Maybe he's close to the island. Then I'll swim out, climb into the canoe, and paddle him home. I can do that! I have to do that! High in the branches of the swaying tree, he looked across the water toward their cabin. No canoe. Then he looked past the beach. No canoe. Then his eyes searched the other side of the island. He saw it! Next to the shore! Floating upright! He scrambled down. "The wind must have pushed the canoe back to shore. Please God, please let Toby be in the canoe. Please." He ran, screaming his brother's name. But, no one was in the canoe.
Chapter 9 - A PUDDLE OF BLOOD
The canoe's rope was wound around and around and around a low branch. Joey pulled the canoe closer. There in the bottom of the canoe was a puddle of blood! Joey yelled, "Toby, come here right now!" It was then that he saw the lost ax, now bloody, hidden under the seat of the canoe. Joey screamed, "Toby, are you all right?" Why had they ever come to this mystery island? There must have been someone else on the island the whole time. Someone strong who could paddle a canoe. Someone awful. Whose blood was it? Maybe Toby had got away. Why did I ever leave him? At the top of his lungs Joey shouted, “Toby, where are you?" ~~~
"Nooooooo problem!" Toby yelled back. He trotted out from behind a large boulder. "Here's my fish. I chopped its head off." "Why did you leave? You promised you'd stay put. You're too young to canoe by yourself." "I couldn't wait. I didn't want the wind to blow our canoe away. So I waded in the water and pulled it around to this branch. I did it all by myself," Toby boasted. Joey said, "Let's get out of here. We better get back to the cabin." "I've got a better idea," Toby shouted as he headed around the boulder. "Let’s cook my fish. I've already collected twigs and branches for a fire." “That’s a good idea. I’m hungry.” Joey smiled. “I’ll light the fire. What a feast we’ll have.”