Just Around The Riverbend
Seasons go and seasons come...
I gently steered the old wooden rowboat, Cerulean, down the river. Silver Spoon was up at the front, leaning so far over I was worried she'd fall, holding her pale pink hat to her head with one hand. I smile. She loved these little rides.
The late afternoon sun shone on her silvery hair and skin, like the prettiest of dolls. She was a looker, that was for sure. But she was also kind, and sweet, and a history geek under all the airs she put on for Diamond what's-her-face. And most importantly, she was mine.
Her white cotton dress blew around her knees in the wind. It was cool today, slight breeze. The first traces of autumn were invading our summer, and the first few dead leaves were floating on the surface of the river. We'd have to go back to school soon, less time for rides like this. Shame, as this was the time with her I liked best. It's much easier and more fun to play pirates when you're on an actual boat, however puny that boat may be.
Silver's smile had left her face, and she was staring out into space with a somewhat jaded expression. "You alright, Sil?"
She looked back at me. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about the latest talk with my dad. He doesn't like it that I hang out with you."
I snorted. "The pirate dork?"
She nodded, smiling. "That's his impression of you, pretty much."
I stood up, abandoning the oars for a dangerous minute. "But I am no mere 'pirate dork', milady." I swept her up in my arms and spun her around, so we were positioned like a fairytale couple in a romance novel. "I am Pipsqueak, the third pirate captain of that name, who stole the most valuable of treasures."
She fluttered her eyelashes, like a good little kidnapped maiden should. "And what might that treasure be?"
"Your heart, my sweet." I gently kissed her before letting her free of my tight hug. She slipped back to the front of the boat.
I took back the oars and veered us back to the middle of the river. "Anyway, since when did the rules and regulations apply to us? Rules are no fun."
"Exactly." She continued leaning over the edge of the rowboat, skimming one of her hands against the water. "He wants me to be steady." She winked at me. "Like the river." She was quoting a movie - her geekdom had reached the Point Of No Return. Not that that was a bad thing, of course.
Silver laughed again. "But it's not steady at all!" She began to sing. "What I love most about rivers is, you can't step in the same river twice..."
"Silver..." I said warningly, she was leaning way too far for comfort, but she kept on singing.
"The water's always changing, always flowing...But people I guess can't live like that, we all must pay a price~" She lifted her back leg up like a ballet dancer, closing her eyes like the Rose girl in that one bad movie. "To be safe, we lose our chance of ever knowing~
"What's around the river bend!" She spread her arms. "Waiting just around the river bend! I look once more, just around the river bend, beyond the shore, where the gulls fly free~"
"Silver, Silver, please stop leaning, you're going to fall-" I got up to tug her back to safety when, go figure, she fell right in. I darted to the front and yanked her back onto the boat. She was a light little thing. I fetched the blanket we kept under one of the seats in case something like this happened, and wrapped her in it. "Are you okay?" I couldn't keep a small laugh out of my voice.
She gave a few hacking coughs and leaned against me, shivering. She was probably going to end up with a cold after this."I'm fine. I'm wet, though. And I've lost my hat." She glanced around for it. I fetched her pink bonnet out of the river and placed it on her head. She gave me a thank-you kiss. "Are we going home now?"
"Can't expect you to keep sailing when you're soaked to the bone, with a cold on the horizon." I gently set her down on the seat, then took the oars and, slowly but surely, turned us back home. The sun was beginning to set. "We'll take you back to my house and get you cleaned up, then we'll take you back home. That sound okay?"
She nodded. "That sounds wonderful."
We sailed back down the river in peaceful silence, until Silver spoke up. "And if I do get a cold, can you come over every day I'm sick? If I'm stuck inside, I don't want to be stuck without my Pip." She smiled playfully.
I bowed. "Of course, milady. I wouldn't dream of not gracing you with my presence every day you had to seemingly go without it. Who knows, maybe it'll cure you quicker." I returned the smile.
She laughed, a tinkly laugh that sounded like silver. Fitting.
"My house is maybe ten minutes away, now." I continued to push with the oars, almost like I was suggesting the boat that it should turn one way or the other, instead of forcefully making it turn. One of the many reason I liked the scruffy thing. "Just around the river bend."
We both smiled at my pathetic joke, and Silver snuggled a little closer to me during the last leg of our little journey.
Author's Note
Well, this was a long time coming.
I had this on the backburner for AGES and was itching to continue it, but today I just got this burst of inspiration for it and I finished and published it.
