Running home

By Betty Miles

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 12, 2000

Editor's note: Today we continue our summer reading series, a story for young readers (but enjoyable for readers of all ages) that will run for seven weeks in Floridian.

The Army of Two is written by children's author and teacher Betty Miles and made available by Breakfast Serials, a company that publishes books serialized especially for use in newspapers.

Story background

During the War of 1812, the United States was fighting with Britain -- the same country from which it had gained independence in the American Revolution -- over the right to trade with countries in Europe and to send trading ships freely across the ocean. The War of 1812 ended in 1814, at the end of the year in which this true story takes place. The lighthouse is near the town of Scituate, Massachusetts, south of Boston and north of Cape Cod.

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The story so far: Sisters Abby, 10, and Becky, 15, are far from the lighthouse when they see a ship sailing toward it.

Chapter Three

"Quick!" Becky took Abby's hand. "We must go home!"

The sisters climbed off the big rock together. Abby tried not to look at the ship in the water, or to think about the sailors who were on it.

Becky began to jump from boulder to boulder, and Abby followed her. It was hard to go so fast! The wind blew their hair into their eyes and blew their long dresses out like sails. Abby was afraid she would step on her dress and fall.

On most days, she and Becky loved to race each other over these rocks, or to see who could jump farther from one to the other.

But they were not playing now. They had to get home as fast as they could. Father had told them to go inside the lighthouse and bolt the door if they saw a British ship coming near. And this ship must be British. An American ship would go to sandy Scituate Harbor, not to these cliffs, where a ship could break on the rocks.

Abby stepped carefully, trying to keep up with Becky. Some of the boulders were wet and slippery. It was dangerous to jump across them this fast. You could cut your foot on a sharp shell. You could slip and fall and break a bone. "Becky, wait!" she cried out. "I can't jump so fast!"

"You must!" Becky said. But she stopped for just a minute to wait for Abby.

Abby took a quick look at the ocean. The ship was still there, and it looked bigger now. It was coming closer! She could not see if it had guns.

Becky took her hand again and they went on. It was easy to climb over some of the boulders, but in other places they had to pull themselves up by their hands. The sun was so bright that it hurt her eyes. The boulders were hot under Abby's bare feet, and there were sharp little stones on top of some of them. Her long dress got in the way when she tried to jump.

Abby tried hard to keep up with her sister. But Becky had longer legs. It was hard to go as fast as she did.

"You are doing well, Abby." Becky helped her up on the next big rock with a little push. "Just a bit farther," she said, "and we will be home."

They had come to the rock where Abby had found the starfish before. Abby wished they had just left it here. Now the starfish was safe, but she and Becky were not!

The British ship was sailing closer every minute. If only Father had not gone to town today! If the ship dropped anchor behind the cliffs, Father would not be able to see it from Scituate Harbor. No one in town would see it.

Abby kept her eyes on her feet and tried not to look at the ocean as she followed Becky back across the rocks. The sun was so hot! She was almost out of breath, and her foot hurt where she had stepped on some little stones. Becky grabbed her hand again and pulled her on.

Just then she stepped into a little tide pool and slipped on the wet rock. "Oh!" she cried out. Becky held her tightly and did not let her fall down. Becky was so strong! Abby always felt safe with her sister. But now she badly wanted Father to be here, too.

"Here we are!" Becky said.

They had reached the wide, flat rocks around the lighthouse. Without a word, the two girls dropped hands, held their dresses up and ran straight across the rocks to the door.

The tall white lighthouse rose high above their heads, into the blue sky. Now they were standing so close that they could not see around it.

But Abby knew that right behind the lighthouse, close to the cliffs, the British ship would be there.

Next week: Through the spyglass

Reprinted by permission of Breakfast Serials

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