Stir Crazy

This is NOT a chapter of my ongoing story "Found Wanting". Merely an intermission. This is from a dream I had recently. I laughed myself awake during the little girl's rant, so I'm not sure of the ending. Enjoy.


Stir Crazy


Manny and Marilyn noticed the kids were getting restless. It had been four days since they arrived. The boat that Manny’s boss had offered him to use for their summer vacation hadn’t left the dock. Marilyn had enjoyed going for dinner and cocktails at the yacht club, but cocktail parties wore thin rather quickly on the 11 and 7 year-old.

That morning Manny cranked up the motor and rigged the sails when the boat had cleared the harbor. They cruised up the shore, rhythmically bumping along as the waves rolled against the hull. Marilyn sat on the foredeck catching some sun while Manny took the rudder.

After a few hours, Manny set the autonav and went below to check on the kids. Ricky, the 7 year-old was busying himself with a puzzle. Stacy, the 11 year-old, looked sullen as she worked on a coloring book, having abandoned her dolls and jewelry-making kit earlier that morning. “What’s wrong, kids? It’s a beautiful day and you're sitting in here moping like it’s the end of the world!”

“We’re bored, Dad! There’s nothing to do! We’ve been here for four days,” Stacy complained. Ricky looked up briefly from his puzzle, saying nothing, childlike disgust clear on his young face.

“But we’re moving now,” Manny offered hopefully.

Stacy held her hand to her ear and spoke into an imaginary phone. “Hi Stephanie! You’re on vacation too? All your friends are there? Really? An amusement park? Rides? Shows? Parties at night? Wow. Me? Oh, we’re moving. No, not that kind of moving. We’re just moving. In a boat. Nope, nowhere in particular... just... moving around.”

“Stacy...” Manny tried to interject.

“I can’t wait to give my report next semester on what I did for my summer vacation. ‘Well, Mrs. Kirschenblatt, I moved. I didn’t move anywhere in particular, just moved from point A to point B in a boat. Of course there wasn’t really any point B, since we just went back to the same dock. So basically I just took a cruise in a big washing machine.’”

Manny looked dejected. He went back to the deck and took the rudder again. Marilyn passed him on her way to refill her drink. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Manny looked up at her morosely. “I’m bored.”