Florida - Part 5

Good morning, FFFs,

The weather has been crazy here! We had two days of low 90ºs and then it dropped and last night it was just above freezing. What are we having? Spring? Summer? or back to Winter? I'd rather have spring a little longer, thank you very much.

Camp NaNo– I'm trying to write. Some days are wonderful and I get a thousand or 1,500 words written. Other days it's a struggle to get a few hundred words written. But so far I've managed to get something written every day this month. And I'm still on track to reach my 15k goal. I would really like to up that goal to 20k, but we'll see how the story goes. I have ideas for future scenes, but I can't write them out of order very well.

I know this introduction isn't very long, but I don't have a whole lot to say. So you can go ahead and read this next to last part of the story. I hope you enjoy it!

Florida
Part 5

    Late Saturday afternoon found Ria hiding over at Corporal's house. “I just had to escape!” she explained, dropping onto the couch in a limp heap. “Kids have been over there since before breakfast. We have a few moments of quiet and then another knock comes. Chris says I should have sold tickets.” Shaking her head, she sighed. “I think I need a schedule of who can come over and when. You know, visiting hours or something.”

    The older man chuckled. “Well, I must say an alligator in town is a novelty. Don’t worry, the newness will wear off, and thenmost folks won’t even remember you have a creature from Florida.”

    “But what do I do until then?” Ria wailed. Glancing out the window toward her house next door, she saw more people approaching the porch. “I don’t think the line is ever going to end. Mr. Beemer, he’s the science teacher at school, came by earlier. He gave me some suggestions on how to feed Florida. Did you know that alligators can get really big?”

    “Yep. What are you going to do when he outgrows that pail?”

    “Uh, we do have an old washtub that I can move him to.” Then Ria’s eyes widened. “Will he get too big for that?”

    With a grin, the older man nodded. “I reckon so.”

    “Then, I . . . I don’t know. Mom can hardly stand the sight of him when he’s this little. Uh oh. Here comes Walt. I told Chris and Ray where I was going in case I was needed.” She stood up slowly. “Thanks for letting me hide out here, Colonel.”

    The old man smiled. “You’re welcome here any time, Ria. You know that.”

    Walt knocked on the door and then stepped inside. “Ria, you’re wanted. Someone from the paper wants to take your picture with Florida.”

    “Goodness me! I’ll have to send a copy of the article to Tom and tell him what a fuss he’s caused in Plainville.” After another long sigh, she waved to Colonel and went back home with Walt.

*

    For weeks the excitement of a real live alligator kept the Mitchelll home busy. The picture and article came out in the local paper and brought even more visitors. There were friends and relatives, schoolmates, strangers, and even some people who were just passing through town. During all the commotion Florida continued to eat and grow and never seemed disturbed by all the fuss. Ria’s suggestion of everyone bringing a piece of meat for the alligator had also made it into the paper, and contributions for Florida’s meals poured in.

    But like all novelties, the excitement wore off after a time, and the visitors dwindled until only the gang and a few friends stopped to see him. Florida outgrew his milking pail home and was settled in the larger washtub Chris had discovered in the attic. With the lack of visitors came a lack of meat, and some of the family’s food stamps had to go to purchase meat for their somewhat unwanted pet.

    “Now he’s eating our steaks,” Chris grumbled as he looked down at Florida who was enjoying his supper.

    Ria nodded. “I know. What are we going to do with him, Chris? I wish we could send him back to Tom.”

    As the days grew colder, some place had to be found for Florida to live, for Mrs. Mitchell put her foot down about him living in the house any longer.

    “Absolutely not,” she said. “I didn’t mind so much when he was smaller, but that creature is growing so quickly I can almost see him do it! I’m afraid you’ll have to find somewhere else for him to live, Ria.”

    Fiddling with her fork, Ria stared down at her potatoes. “I’d be happy to send him somewhere, because he is a lot of work, but where can I send him?”

    “Would they take him at the school?” Mr. Mitchell asked. “They have aquariums with fish and turtles in them. Why not an alligator?”

    At that, Ria looked at her brother quickly. “Perhaps they would! Chris, let’s ask at school tomorrow.”

*

    After some talk, the high school agreed to take Florida off Ria’s hands. Soon he was established in his own aquarium, and Ria stopped by almost every day to see him. It was a relief not to have the gangly, growing creature at home any longer. In one of her letters to her brother Ed, she wrote,

    “Florida seems to enjoy his new home very much. Since the walls are glass, he has a much better view than he did before. The other kids enjoy watching him. Well, some do. Some of the girls hurry past his home with averted heads. It’s silly, really–being afraid of Florida, I mean. I wonder how large he will grow. Tom said he’s seen some really big ones.”

*

    One Monday morning, on her way to class, Ria stopped short and stared. Florida wasn’t in his large, glass aquarium.

    “Florida?” She began to look around, half expecting to see her alligator emerge from a closet.

    “Come on, Ria, we’ll be late for class.” Lydia hurried up behind Ria and tugged at her arm. “What are you looking for anyway?”

    “Florida isn’t in his home anymore.”

    Lydia gave a gasp that was almost like a scream. Her eyes widened as she looked around, and then whispered, “Where . . . where is he?”

Where do you think Florida is?

Have you been writing?

What's your weather been like?