Barney and Barry, The Hitchhikers

By Sharon Powers

How would you like to wake up and have unwanted visitors attached to you...for life? Fletcher the sea turtle is a curmudgeon, a loner. Barney and Barry are bickering barnacles looking for a home. They find Fletcher, attach themselves and their lives together begin, poor Fletcher. The trio’s relationship morphs as the three warm up to each other in their wacky situation. While resting on the surface of the water, an odd looking bird lands on Fletcher’s shell. Babs the Dodo’s beaming face brightens their day and when she says goodbye and flies toward her island home, Fletcher is mesmerized. The threesome devise a plan for Fletcher to impress her and then the adventures really begin with an unpredictable journey that transforms Fletcher from a dull, uncaring soul into a dazzling hero. “Barney and Barry, The Hitchhikers” is fun, has memorable characters and is a relevant story that’s a great way for children to learn strong messages and good habits for living their lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sharon Powers
• Release date: Jul 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310892523

Book preview

Barney and Barry, The Hitchhikers

by Sharon Powers

Illustrated by Lana McCleary

Copyright 2013 Sharon Powers

Smashwords Edition

All rights are reserved to the author. No part of this ebook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodies in critical articles or reviews.

For Bob

"When I let go of who I am,

I become what I might be."

Lao Tzu

Visit www.MySeaBuddies.com

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

BARNEY AND BARRY, THE HITCHHIKERS

Written by Sharon Powers

CHAPTER 1

Somewhere deep beneath the ocean, seaweed sways back and forth as the current moves. There are spectacular colors of different greens and blues and oranges.… It’s like an underwater kaleidoscope as the fish swim about. Scattered among them, bubbles of all sizes rise toward the surface, and the melodic ocean sounds can be heard.

A mother sea turtle watches over all her babies as they play hide-and-seek in the seaweed and coral garden. Their cream-colored and light green shells with dark brown spots move around, and laughter surrounds them as they frolic. It’s lunchtime, and their search for food begins. They scavenge for algae and whatever else looks tasty.

One tiny turtle stands out in the group. It’s not because he’s magnificent in any way—quite the opposite. His name is Fletcher, and he’s a pale little guy with undersized flippers. His shell is dull, and his face shows no emotion. Because he looks so different, his siblings constantly pick on him. One of his sisters taunts him. Hey, Fletcher. Can’t keep up, can you?

A brother smirks and says, Good luck when we go back up to the surface, because you won’t make it.

They treat him so poorly, and it’s very sad. Silently he keeps trying to be one of the group. With her deeply caring voice, Mama shouts, It’s time. Let’s go. She rallies the babies, and they follow her. There are hundreds of them. Come along, children. You can do it.

Fletcher works so hard to get his little flippers to propel him up through the water. Another sister, also distinct but because of her large size and slow movement, is going nowhere. All of her flippers are moving, but she’s not. Help me, Fletcher, she yells.

Fletcher turns his head toward her and sees her predicament. Without any thought for himself, he hollers back, I’m coming.

He flounders, his flippers moving all around, not able to go to her fast enough yet tries to save her as he simultaneously tries to save himself. He can’t get to her in time, and she is swept into the current and simply