Chapter 2 Our New Home

The night of my fifth birthday, I laid awake and thought about how great things were going to be. No school meant so much time for fun. I was going to practice my dancing, battle it out on the game station, read all my favourite books, and play as much as I could with Sophie.
Instead, I find myself doing a lot of this:

Turns out no school didn’t actually mean no school. Mom is quite the slave driver when she wants to be. Seriously, why do I need to learn this stuff to live on the island? Mom said that although it seemed safe living here, it didn’t mean we were safe. To be safe, we needed all the knowledge possible. She said something about history doomed to repeat itself, but I wasn’t listening because I had just seen the very large math book she shoved across the table to me. Numbers! Yeck!
When I have done a good job, I get rewarded with time to play with Sophie.

Like training a dog! When Sophie is a good girl I give her a treat and rub her belly, which is her favourite thing! Where is my treat to go along with the reward mom?
Saturdays I spend with dad. We get up really early, and he takes me to our little island to fish.

He tells me all about growing up on the farm with his parents and how much they would have loved me. I think growing up on the farm sounds like heaven. At least there he was around people. I’m starting to find life on the island a little bit boring. Its so quiet! As long as you tune of the sounds of my parents kissing noises. Blach! I’m thankful I have Sophie, because without her, I would be really bored.

Once winter settled in, going outside wasn’t as much fun anymore for me or for Sophie. So I had to make my own fun. Mom suggested I try painting, which I did and found I wasn’t half bad at it.

However, you can’t paint all day, so I

needed to find other ways to keep myself busy when I wasn’t forced to sit in front of the computer to learn. The tub is one of my favourite places to play. Not only is it warm, but I can come up with all kinds of stories to play in there.

I shouldn’t say its been all boring here on the island. We had a really nasty fire on the third level which gave us all a scare. We didn’t notice it right away until we smelled the smoke.

 

 

Dad rushed up there to put it out and out of the blue, a fire fighter showed up, but by then

dad had already put out the entire fire.

Then you know what happened? Thatfighter gave dad a really stern lecture! Not about fire safety or improper use of the fireplace. No. He was mad because dad had put the fire out before he had time to get there!

I’m still trying to figure out how the fire fighter got there in the first place. Question: is magic really real? Something for me to research I think. Anyway, after that dad installed a fire alarm so that we would always know if there was another fire. Later I heard mom and dad talking about the need for me to learn about fire safety as well. Great! More learning. Just can’t wait to see what kind of project mom will come up with for that!

I complain a lot about things, but mom has been really great. She really likes being a stay at home mom. I know, because she tells me that all the time. I think she is just trying to make me feel safe, but I do believe her.

Since we got back from Paris, I haven’t seen her really do any work. When she isn’t fawning (my new word for the week) all over my dad, she gives me all her attention.

Oh, I almost forgot. I got new bedroom furniture!

It was more for Sophie than it was for me really. Sophie’s bed was on the floor beside my bed, but she spent a lot of the night crying and I wasn’t getting any sleep.

I told mom and dad that I didn’t think she liked being in her bed on the floor, and asked if she could sleep in my bed.

But Sophie and I didn’t fit in my little bed. So mom said it was time I went into a grown up bed. She moved my boat bed to the spare bedroom with the crib and now Sophie sleeps with me.

 

One of my favourite times of the day, is after supper when we all sit by the fire and watch the flames, while we talk about our day.

I usually sit on the floor with my sketch pad or snuggle in with dad. It’s really warm and I wish I could sit there all day. The boat is nice but it sure could be a bit warmer! I walk around in a thick heavy sweater most of the day just to stay warm. Sometimes even my coat!
Lately I’ve noticed that mom has been napping, a lot! At first I just thought she was tired from all her hard work all day long, but now I am not so sure. Dad sits with her and just stares at her. Not in that weird sort of way he normally does.

He almost looks worried. So now I don’t know if I should be worried. He tells me there is nothing for me to worry about. I just don’t know. She doesn’t act like she is sick. Could she be?

One morning I woke up, came downstairs and went looking for her but couldn’t find her. I started to panic, but told myself to stop. I found her sitting outside on the deck waving her arms in the air like she was doing an invisible painting.

I told her I was ready to start school but she said we were going to skip today, because she had a lot of work to do. What work?

Later, I found her sitting on the floor by the fire with her sketch pad. That is something I haven’t seen her do in a really long time. She seemed really happy and excited about whatever it was she was drawing. I decided to leave her alone and not bother her.

After that I found her up in the middle of the night at the drafting table. I came downstairs because I wanted a glass of milk. She was thinking really hard, and didn’t even hear me walk up to her.

“Whatcha doing?” I asked her.

“What am I doing?” she said correcting me. “Well, I am trying to draw a lighthouse, but I haven’t actually paid any attention to them before, so I don’t know if I am doing a very good job.”

“Why are you drawing that then?” Mom gave me a funny look and I corrected myself by saying, “Are you drawing a lighthouse for a specific reason?”

“Much better. Your father and I are not quite ready to tell you, but I will tell you this; its a surprise!”

My face lit up at the word surprise and my mind filled with all kinds of questions.”

Now, it’s very late and someone should be fast asleep.” Giving me a quick hug, she turned me around and gave me a little nudge in the direction of the stairs.

“Good night,” she said to me.

“Night mom.”

Yeah right! Like I was going to sleep after tell me that. Light house, lighthouse? Hmmm, perhaps we were going to be taking a trip. A trip would be good I’d tell ya. Get off this boring, quiet island. Stuck inside all the time with nothing to do! I really hope its a trip, that would be the best surprise ever! Just as long as Sophie can come. If Sophie can’t come then I’m not going.

A few weeks later, I went to bed as usual, but sometime around two in the morning, I woke up with this funny feeling. I’ve never been sea sick before so I didn’t think that was it. I got out of bed and I couldn’t stand up straight. I called for mom because I was afraid to walk but she must not have heard me. So I very carefully made my way out of the bedroom.

“Mommmm!” I said yelling down the stairs. But there was no answer.

Okay this boat was definitely moving I thought. What is going on?I went up to the third floor and found mom and dad standing at the helm of the ship.

“What’s going on?” I asked them.

I must have scared mom because she jumped and it was funny.

“Oh Jin,” she said. “You startled me! We were hoping you would keep sleeping till the morning.”

“The boat rocking woke me up. Where are we going?”

 

“It was going to be a big surprise when you woke up. Oh well I guess it was a nice thought.”

“Okay! But where are we going!!”

“Jin, we……………..are MOVING!”

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I was having the time of my life! Running through the tall grass, I was scaring up all kinds of butterflies and grasshoppers that skittered out of my way to avoid being stomped on. I was in the middle of a race, chasing Sophie as she barked in happy tones as if to say “look out here I come and hurry up Jin!” I had no idea where I was going, as my view of the distance beyond Sophie was just a light blue blur with green undertones for grass. But I was happy, so very happy. I felt free. I felt happy. I felt alive!

Then suddenly I stopped, for in the distance I could hear my mother’s voice echoing in the soft breeze, first quietly then more strongly as I turned this way and that. “Mom, where are you?”

“Jinnnn. It’s time to wake up. Wake up sleepyhead. We’re here!”

Away went the bright blue sky and the green grass and I awoke to see my mother kneeling on the ground beside me.

Earlier, my parents had tried to get me to go back to bed, but I resisted saying I wanted to see our new home as soon as we arrived. Yet the sandman had won the battle of my fight against my bobbing head and the potent sleep drugs filling my body.

I jumped out of the chair and went to the railing, only to remember that the helm was at the front of the ship and we had backed into the dock.

“Can we go now?” I asked.

“I think we should wait till it gets a little more light out,” said dad.

“Awww, please!”

“No. We will wait like your father says. Lets go and have some breakfast and by the time we are done, it should be light enough to go and explore”

I was very disappointed, as waiting for things is really not my thing, but then mom asked what I would like for breakfast, and downstairs we went to make waffles.

By the time we sat to eat it was already light out, so I rushed through my breakfast as quick as I could.

Dad still wouldn’t let me go because he said he wanted to check out the island first to make sure it was safe for me and Sophie. I paced the inside of the house for what seemed like forever and in my frustration, I decided I would get back at my dad by putting a whoopy cushion in his favourite sitting spot.

Finally, we heard dad calling to us and I ran outside into the warm sun and even brighter sky!

It was like paradise, full of trees and plants and even a waterfall! That was the end of my fascination of our new world because I suddenly saw the basketball net!!

Dad and I started a game and continued to play till almost lunch. I think that all my dance practice really paid off because I was able to really jump up to the net! Better than dad I’d say. I can’t tell you how much fun it is to run outside!

 

Mom kept herself busy by looking around the island and playing with her bean bag.

She looked so happy, younger even, like some weight had been lifted or some worry was suddenly gone. Seeing her like that made me even happier, which was amazing considering how happy I already was.

 

 

Suddenly we all realized that we were no longer alone on the island. While we laughed and played, two horses and some deer had made their way out from hiding to look at us from a closer distance.

The deer is not quite ready to be friends, but that is okay with me.

 

Eventually we will become good friends if I have anything to say about it.

Soon it was high noon (that’s what dad calls it) and we were all feeling the hot sun beating down on our heads. Dad suggested we check out the beach. There’s a beach???

 

The island was a lot bigger than I thought! The water looked so inviting that we all changed into our suits and waded into the water. This was my first time, and I was a little scared so I stayed close to the beach until I felt more secure. Mom told me I was a natural. She said if I could balance on the tips of my toes, I could certainly balance in water, and she was right. Swimming is more fun than I ever dreamed!

Sophie started to whine really loudly. She wouldn’t come into the water no matter how much I coaxed her to and I couldn’t stand listening to her cry. I decided she was more important than swimming and came out to play fetch with her on the beach.

It didn’t last long since it was so hot. She left me to go and find some shade. If only she had just come into the water with me!

Mom brought out her blow up bed and was quite content floating around on the water.

Dad came out of the water because he had just spied something he hadn’t yet seen. Around the side of the island we saw the two horses from before, but with them…was a foal!

She was so pretty with a white face and four white feet. I wanted to keep her and call her Socks, but dad said we couldn’t. Just because she was on the island, didn’t mean she belonged to us. He said, if we were lucky and respected her space, she would hopefully stay and live with us on the island. I guess I will just have to be happy with that. He told me to stay away until the horse parents understood we meant no harm to them. That was going to be a real challenge! She was just so cute I wanted to hug her and pet her. I hope Sophie doesn’t chase them and scare them away.

Needing a distraction, I set to making a sand castle in the sandbox on the beach. Seems silly to have a sandbox on the sandy beach, don’t you think? I did notice however, that this sand was much softer than the beach sand, and I loved the feel of it as it trickled through my fingers.

I never did make that castle after all. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. Unless your mother decides to sit down and finish it for you! MOM!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finished off the day sitting by the fire and roasting marshmallows.

Mine didn’t go so well as you can see…..

Later when mom was tucking me into bed, I asked her if this was the place we were going to stay.

“Yes of course. Don’t you like it here?”

“I love it here! This is the best place ever!”

(Hey, I’m only 5 after all)

“Well good. Then it is settled. Good night Jin. Sweet dreams,” she said to me.

“Night mom.”

Just before I sign off, I do want to point out, that just as I said, mom did find a way to get that jungle climber for Aria.

Of course it only took a whole new island to do it!

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CC Used In This Chapter

Poses