Saving Moby Dick by L. L. Samson

Author:L. L. Samson [Samson, L. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780310727989
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Published: 2012-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Uncle Augustus and Captain Ahab sat on the front steps of the bookshop, and neither one of them looked very happy.

“Either this man is totally off his nut, or you’ve got a lot of explaining to do,” Augustus said to the boys.

“Aye! This fellow here has been accusing me of lunacy ever since he found me at the park.” He lowered his voice and said, “I almost had that cougar in my sites, blast him.” He sat up straighter. “I’ve tried to tell him who I am with all sincerity—”

“Hmmph. The captain of the Pequod. Now, I’m a pretty fanciful person, but this beats all. I’m thinking we need to get this man to the hospital. Of course, Father Lou isn’t home right now, so the responsibility is ours.”

“Do you see what I mean?” Captain Ahab rose to his feet. “I’m heading back upstairs.”

“What do you mean?” said Uncle Augustus.

“It’s where I’m staying!”

Uncle Augustus glared at Linus. “Why is he staying here when Lou has perfectly good quarters?”

Think, Linus!

“He’s allergic to wool!” Walter cried. “And all of the carpets in the manse are wool! So when Ophelia realized he needed a place to stay, she offered to let him stay here.”

“And why wasn’t I consulted?”

Linus shrugged. “Because you’re a good person. We didn’t think you’d mind.”

“How much longer is he visiting?”

“He’s leaving around eleven in the morning, the day after tomorrow,” said Walter.

“All right then. You all just behave yourselves. Ronda said the way his eyes blaze frightens her.”

Uncle Augustus tramped inside the store.

Linus turned to Captain Ahab. “Ronda?”

“She came into the house and heated up some bowls of chowder for us. A fairer woman I’ve yet to see! And kindhearted too.”

Walter sat down and blew a sigh of relief. “I don’t suppose it would be too much to ask you to just act normal, would it, Captain Ahab?”

“What’s normal, lad?”

This is a question that everyone should ask himself at least once a day if he has any hope of making a name for himself or leaving his mark on society. “Normal” people—those who don’t make waves or risk having the people begin to wonder about them—rarely do anything to improve society. So if you’re one of the oddballs at your school, then you have a much-improved chance of actually doing something with your life. But if all you do is care about what everybody else thinks? Well, you’re wasting your energy, and I haven’t much to say to you.

“I’m not sure. But what isn’t normal is talking about being on a whaling ship here in the present,” said Walter. “We don’t do that sort of thing anymore.”

“A truer word was never spoken.” Captain Ahab shook his head sadly. “Just read what people have written on that lighted box. Did we really almost decimate (destroy a great number of) the whale population? Did it really come to that?”

Linus and Walter nodded.

“We’re afraid so,” said Walter.

“Well, one more whale won’t make a difference then. In less than two days, I’ll be

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