LONGHOLME ISLAND
JONAH’S JOURNEY
Part 30
Jonah Completes His Challenge
JONAH’S JOURNEY
Part 30
Jonah Completes His Challenge
Roy confirmed that the Pirates could use the canoe and displayed his booty from the camp shop. He had even prepared a food parcel for Jonah for his return journey. It did not contain much health food. Jonah and Stewart dumped the canoe far enough up the beach to ensure that it would not float away with the tide. The last evidence of Jonah’s success was then secured as he got Stewart’s mum to sign a pre-prepared postcard vouching for the fact that he had, with permission, spent two nights on what Jonah had insisted, at the time he wrote the card, upon calling Longholme Island. Mrs. MacGregor let that bit about ‘with permission’ pass. Jonah, Rob, and Stewart’s mum posed while Stewart took the last remaining photo on the cassette and Jonah posted it to the developers via the campsite pillar box. Having done so, Jonah gave a rather mournful sigh.
“Hey, what the . . . ?” Jonah turned and saw Stewart swinging his pack up onto his broad shoulders.
“Well, we thought we’d see you off.” Stewart loosened the straps on the pack and fastened the waist strap just above his hips.
“Yeah, make sure you don’t steal the hat-stand.”
“What about the worms?”
“Oh, Koff won’t mind looking after them until we get back.”
The three youths departed for Weston Station. The train soon arrived and Jonah climbed aboard and took his pack from Stewart. By the time he had pulled his t-shirt over his head and sat down, Jonah was already feeling nostalgic.
JONAH’S JORNEY
EPILOGUE
EPILOGUE
Nothing much changed for the Lennoxes and MacGregors over the ensuing days except that Stewart and Rob had to take their turns as victims in the tie-up games and there seemed to be more than the usual number of ‘accidental’ occurrences to the detriment of the comfort of the older brothers for some mysterious reason.
Koff had his birthday to look forward to, and a possible reunion with Trevor, before school resumed but he did have to wear a (rather loose) pair of shorts for about a week whenever he was on the mainland. He managed to stack up a bit of cash by working in his dad’s boat-hire business while his normal assistant was unwell.
What passed for normalcy returned to Jonah’s home over the next few days but, in spite of Jonah’s immaculate documentation, his dad refused to pay up until he had seen the photos. When they arrived, Jonah tore open the yellow envelope, located the viewer and previewed his collection. That was worth a smile or two. Once his dad returned, Jonah projected the slides and his dad had to admit that Jonah had, indeed, succeeded in his challenge (and had stayed out of his parents’ hair for a few days – but he didn’t mention that!) and willingly paid up. Even so, Jonah felt bereft. Until a postcard arrived. The picture on the front depicted Longholme and the postmark was Weston. On the reverse it said, “Mr. Kevin Koffin, invites Jonah, henceforth known as “Grockle Kid” to his birthday party on September 1st. It will take place on Longholme. Dress optional. K”
Jonah cheered up: he had the fiver his dad gave him (Remember what that was worth then.) and had spent hardly any of the money he had been given to see him through his expedition (although he didn’t bother to tell his mum as much), school didn’t start until the eighth and he had plenty of time to really work on his parents to let him go. With careful timing, he should be able to reach peak annoying status with several days to spare. He didn’t, however, realise that the postcard was not in Koff’s handwriting and was certainly not written in his normal ‘informal’ - alright, then: sloppy – style.
THE END
