Social Issues
"We're almost dinosaurs," said Sam.
"Almost twin dinosaurs." said Nate.
Then Nate and Sam decided to wear only green to school.
"Now we're really dinosaurs," said Nate.
"Pretty close," said Sam.
Then Sam and Nate decided to eat only green food like sushi, green Kool-Aid and kiwis.
"We're pretty Jurassic," said Sam.
"We're prehistoric," said Nate.
"Don't touch," Mom said. "I think it's a dead seal."
But Kyle lifted one more handful of seaweed. "It has an ear," he said. "It looks like a dog."
"Poor dog," Mom said. "It must have drowned in the storm last night."
Kyle pulled away more seaweed. He uncovered the dog's face. "Its eyelid moved! It's alive!"
The storm threw down a curtain of rain.
"FINN!" screamed Sheila as she lost sight of him.
In heaving swells, Finn's boat floundered. The wind howled, freezing his hands. The rain became blinding sleet. "Which way?" he cried.
On the beach, Sheila sang, "Eeeeiiiiii, eeeeiiiiii." A magic song. A seal song.
The piercing notes reached Finn. He rowed toward her voice, but the wind shifted.
This was not how he'd imagined today would go, but he wouldn't let anyone, not even his mother, tell him what to do. Like his hero, Tom Sawyer, Henry would seek his fame and fortune in the wide world. Maybe he couldn't hitch a ride on a Mississippi riverboat, but he could take a page out of Tom's book and live by his wits and by his own rules.
