July Writing Craze: Day 21!!

Good evening everybody!!!  Isn't it weird to think of things in 1000s?  Like 1000 words does not seem nearly as much as 1000 balloons or 1000 pick up sticks...but it seems much more than 1000 grains of salt or 1000 atoms, don't you think?

Anyway, happy reading!!

“That’s not the right hydraulic nail attachment automatic,”  one little robot-technician kid snapped at Velvet.  Velvet dropped the tool and shrugged at Brody.  Brody dug through the red toolbox, searching for something that looked similar to the one Velvet was just holding.  Velvet wasn’t completely incompetent when it came to hands-on projects from carpentry to arts and crafts, but what the robotic kids were doing was out of her building capacity.  And apparently for Brody, too.

            “Timmy, will you get it for me?”  the same little boy squeaked.  A second boy who Velvet guessed was Timmy, dragged himself up through gravity, loped to the toolbox, and grabbed the right tool, looking menacingly at Velvet and Brody.  Still on her giggling high from ten minutes ago, Velvet let slip a chuckle.  Brody covered his mouth and turned away.  As he did, he spotted Matt pushing his way back from the woods alone. 

            “She wasn’t there?”  Brody asked, standing up and alerting Velvet who turned to face Matt as well.

            “No sign…I even hollered that there was a simple sale at the main field,”  Matt added. 

            “A ‘simple sale?’  You mean a sample sale,”  Velvet corrected him.

            “Matt!”  Timmy called.  “Look what we figured out!”  Timmy pressed a button on his black remote control and the red robot snapped to life.  It extended its creaky arms and started rocking around and around on his rectangular heels. 

            “He looks like he’s dancing,”  Brody commented.

            “More like he’s skiing behind a boat or something,”  Matt remarked, admiring the children’s work.

            “That’s it!”  Velvet piped up, her face lighting up.  “C’mon!”  She grabbed Brody’s hand and pulled him toward the far end of the dock where all the unused boats were being stored.  “Thanks Matt!”

            “Uh…sure?”  he called back and crouched down to eye level with the mechanical machine.

            “Where are we going Velvet?”  Brody asked, his words shortened from the fast speed Velvet was pulling him at.

            “The boats!  My boat might be stored and not used today.  I bet she went there…no one looks in the boats.  They just dock them there and wait for someone else to use them, right?”  Velvet responded, slowly down as she reached the rows and rows of speed boats and row boats and kayaks.  However, she made a point to not let go of Brody’s hand.  He didn’t seem to mind and Velvet hoped her hot cheeks wouldn’t show red.

            “That’s genius!  The boats go totally unnoticed,”  Brody remarked as they stepped onto the wooden and beige carpeted dock aisle.

            “I’ll check my boat, you check yours.  If she’s not in either, look in others, okay?”  Velvet directed.  They were about to depart, turning to go in different ways, when they realized their hands were still attached.  Unwinding her fingers from Brody’s, Velvet knew for a fact her cheeks were burning a volcano crimson.

            “Okay, I’m…gonna…go,”  Brody stammered and then quickly turned and left.  Smiling to herself, Velvet turned and left, too.

            Checking on the cushions and floors of each boat she passed, Velvet felt her heart start to flutter.  Where was Yori?  What if she couldn’t find her?  What if the time ran out and Katie found her first?  Velvet checked her wrist watch; she had one hour and fifteen minutes left to find Yori before Katie would break the news.  Velvet sped up her pace, her eyes barely glazing over the insides of each boat, hoping to see the faintest shade of a figure.  Velvet saw nothing and she was nearing the end of the first aisle.  She only had one aisle left and most of the it was occupied by jet skis and wave runners.  Velvet took a big swallow and a big breath before turning the corner for the second and last aisle.  Five speed boats were lined up in front of her.  She looked back at Brody who was jogging up his end of aisles, nodding his head in and out of the boats, obviously not having found a thing.  Velvet walked up to the first boat.  Nothing.  Second boat.  Zip.  Third boat.  Nada.  Fourth boat.  Zero.

            “C’mon, Yori.  Where are you?”  Velvet murmured to herself.  Velvet left the fourth boat and headed to the fifth boat.  And…no—

            “Missed me,”  Velvet heard a voice chime.  It was Yori’s.  Whipping around, Velvet ran over to the fourth boat where Yori’s head was poking out of.  Yori looked really awful.   Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, her cheeks were streaked with dirty marks, and her head was topped off with a frizzy and tangled mane.  The orange life jacket that was strapped to Yori over her pink towel wasn’t particularly flattering either.

            “Yori!  Thank god I found you!”  Velvet cried out, slamming her hands down on the rim of the boat.  “Brody!  I found her!”  Brody looked over and jogged up to the two girls.

            “Hi, Brody,”  Yori said softly when Brody came up.  He waved and Velvet could feel the immense awkwardness seeping through the air.

            “It looks like you’ve already been told, Yori,”  Velvet diverted the tension and referencing Yori’s terrible appearance.  “I didn’t think you would take it so hard.”  Yori looked at Velvet funny and then sunk down in the boat, sighing.  Looking at Brody, Velvet was really surprised.  Shrugging, the two climbed in the boat after Yori and sat down on either side of her.  The hard floor of the boat wasn’t welcoming but Velvet was willing to stick it out for a few moments.

            “We wanted to warn you,”  Brody added.  Yori scrunched up her eyebrows.

            “Warn me?”  Yori asked.

            “Yeah, we wanted to cushion the fall before you were told the news,”  Velvet replied.

            “How would you know, though?”  Yori questioned.

            “She told me and I told Brody,”  Velvet commented.

            “How does she know you?”  Yori inquired, looking stunned.  Glancing at Brody, Velvet sensed miscommunication.

            “She’s the head counselor…” Velvet said tentatively.

            “Wait, what are you talking about?”  Yori asked, looking exhausted from the brief conversation.

            “You being suspended from Camp Sing-Song…what are you talking about?”  Velvet answered.

            “I’m being suspended from Camp Sing-Song?!”  Yori snapped, startling Brody and Velvet.

            “Well, yes…isn’t that the news you were told?”  Brody responded.

            “I thought you were talking about…my…”

            “What?”

            “My dad.”

            “No…is everything okay with your dad?”  Velvet responded, flashing back to the shower that morning.

            “Why am I being suspended?”  Yori asked, ignoring Velvet’s question.  Silent for a moment, Velvet thought.  Why was Yori avoiding the conversation about her dad?

            “You were in the woods and someone saw you.  The woods are off limits,”  Brody said, guilt flooding his face.  He apparently felt bad for Yori.  Velvet knew how much Camp Sing-Song meant to Brody and knew he wanted everyone to experience its fun.

            “I wasn’t in the woods…I wouldn’t go in the filthy woods no matter how upset I was,”  Yori snapped.

            “But…Katie said—“

            “Well, Katie is wrong,”  Yori barked.  “Not that I…care that much about staying at this stupid camp…”  Yori finished, looking down at her feet.

            “Sure,”  Velvet teased, smiling at Brody.

Still hanging on?  The end is coming soon!

And remember guys:  Take time to describe things.  Sometimes I skip over small details and when I go back to reread what I've written, I feel like I've missed out as a reader.  Description is essential and can really make the book.