Crush: Short Stories For Girls & Boys

By Tracy Broemmer

Five short stories for boys & girls in middle grades. The stories include a beach mystery, a mystery close to home, and a couple of sports stories.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Apr 11, 2011
• ISBN: 9781257551330

Book preview

both.

The Skeleton Key

Nathan was still pouting because Patrick, the baby of the family, had found the old skeleton key sticking up in the sand. Ten year old Nathan trudged along behind Mom, Dad and Patrick, two nearly perfect sand dollars, his own beach treasures, clutched in his hand. Patrick walked between Mom and Dad, still yakking about the stupid skeleton key. Nathan dragged his feet in the sand and fell further and further behind his family.

It had been Mom’s idea to come to Nag’s Head, North Carolina. They all liked the ocean and the beach, but Mom wanted to come here because so many books she’d read were set in this area. They had a room at the Holiday Inn, and they could walk out their back door, up and over the sand dune, and the beach was right there. The ocean was just right outside their window, lapping constantly at the beach, and Nathan kind of thought he slept better here. He hadn’t had any of those scary dreams since they’d gotten here three nights ago.

Still, it wasn’t fair that Patrick found that key. Patrick was only seven. He wasn’t really even looking for it. He had stepped on it, and then like the big baby that he was, he’d cried as he dropped to his knees and started digging it out of the sand. It was cool-looking, probably about four inches long. Thin, almost to the point of fragile. Bronze colored, but unlike Patrick, Nathan knew it wasn’t valuable. It wasn’t made of gold, like his stupid little brother had started yelling when he dug it out of the sand.

Nathan shivered in the night breeze. His trunks were still damp, and even though his t-shirt was dry, he was cold. He could barely see his sand-caked feet now, in the moonlight. He could hear Patrick asking in that whiney voice if they could go get ice cream now. His parents’ voices were so distant, Nathan almost thought of them as another family playing far off down the beach.

There was no one on the beach now. When they were headed the other way, when they’d first started their walk on the beach, there had been a few people out. An older couple, like Grandma and Grandpa, walking closer to the water. A younger couple laying together on a beach towel, kissing and giggling. But now, on the trek back to the hotel room, he didn’t see anyone. In fact, he could barely see Mom, Dad and Patrick up ahead now. Mom was at the top of the wooden steps that went over the top of the sand dune. Nathan didn’t realize he’d fallen so far behind.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and it wasn’t because he was cold. Someone was behind him. He could hear footsteps, softened by the sand, but he could still hear them. It was like something out of one of his dreams: being deserted alone on a dark beach, with some ugly monster coming up behind him. He slowed his steps even more and thought about how his dad always told him to be brave and tough. Nothing in his nightmares could hurt him.

He pivoted on his right foot, kind of like how he learned to do last year at basketball camp. Only darkness streaked with moonlight. The noise had stopped. There wasn’t really anywhere for someone to hide either. Not out here on the beach. Nathan glanced to his left, to the sand dune. What if someone was hiding behind the dune? It was the perfect place to hide, but then again, Nathan decided as he studied it, it would be hard to see him from back there and there hadn’t been enough time for someone to get from the beach over the dune before he turned around. Had there?

Nathan Miller! his dad yelled. Oh great. He was in trouble if Dad was using both names. He must have yelled more than once, and Nathan hadn’t heard him. And if he told his dad he thought someone was following him, then he’d get a lecture about trying to steal Patrick’s thunder or something else equally dumb. So Patrick had the skeleton key. Big freakin’ deal, Dad, he thought as he turned and began walking toward the hotel again.

Several times, he looked back over his shoulder, convinced he could hear footsteps again. But there was never anyone there. He hoped he wasn’t in so much trouble that Mom and Dad wouldn’t take them to get ice cream. It did kind of sound good, and they always let him get Blizzards and Patrick was still little, so he had to get plain chocolate sundaes.

What in the world are you doing? Dad asked when Nathan caught up to him. Trying to get lost on the beach? Nathan didn’t answer him, just climbed the steps over the sand dune. Or were you looking for another key? Honestly, Nathan, it’s not that big of a deal. It was probably something purchased in one of the souvenir shops here. A skeleton key for a pirate’s treasure chest.

No, I wasn’t, Nathan answered. He held out his hand to show his dad his sand dollars. Dad took them as they walked on the sidewalk around to the side of the hotel. Mom and Patrick were already out of sight.

Those are nice. Dad handed the sand dollars back to him and waited while Nathan turned on the shower head, attached to a big piece of plywood at the side of the hotel. If Patrick was standing out here too, he would shove him under the water, so he’d get soaked. He had done that last night, and it had made everyone laugh. Tonight, he would do it just to be mean to his brother. But Dad was watching and waiting, and Patrick must have gone inside the room with Mom, so Nathan just rinsed his feet off and then stepped to the other side of the spray to wait for Dad.

Are we getting ice cream? Nathan asked as they walked around to the front of the hotel.

Yeah. Patrick’s changing his clothes. Do you want to?

I’m cold, Nathan answered with a nod. As Dad pulled open the front door of the hotel, Nathan saw a shadow emerge from the side where he and Dad had just come from. He turned to see the dark splotch, it had to be a person, but Dad grumbled at him so he hurried inside. Someone had been following him on the beach, and now whoever it was, knew that he was staying at the Holiday Inn.

*

Nathan hammed it up, made sure Patrick knew just what he was missing, while he ate his Butterfinger blizzard. Patrick was getting mean, though, as he got older. Instead of whining about Nathan getting a blizzard, his brother fished something out of the pocket of his jean shorts. Nathan rolled his eyes when Patrick laid his new prized possession on the round wooden table.

You think it’s for a pirate’s treasure chest, Dad? Patrick asked. His brown eyes were big enough he would swallow whatever tale Dad told him.

I think it probably is, Dad answered. Mom reached for the key and turned it over and over in her hand.

Captain Redbrow, I think, she finally said.

Redbrow? Dad frowned and snatched the key from her. "How about