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Posted By:
Hal Brown
Date Posted:
Oct 25, 2008
Description:
The dark side of Peli blocked the sun from a Mississippi sand bank and the tales it could tell…..
Date Taken:
Oct 25, 2008
Place Taken:
Near Roundlake, MS
Owner:
Dan Nickens
File Name:
22_Peli_s_Dark_Side.jpg - Photo HTML
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Category:
329, Taking Peli Home
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Dan Nickens - Oct 25,2008
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The Mississippi River is ripe with tales both told and untold. A sandbar in the river looked like the perfect place for some solitary walking and wading. Tales were whispering in my ear as I stepped out onto the cool, damp sand.<br /><br />My expectation of privacy was suddenly challenged after I had secured the airplane. Sitting on a stump about 100 yards away was a small boy.<br /><br />The boy was staring at me. I waved at him, intending just to fiddle with the airplane and then move on to a more private spot. There was no response to my wave.<br /><br />That didn’t seem quite right. My unease was reinforced by the fact the slender stalk of a kid didn’t move at all. I figured any normal, healthy boy would come right over to check out a wayward airplane. Not this one. He just stared.<br /><br />I decided to walk over.<br /><br />When I got within reasonable hailing distance, I did. “Hi.”<br /><br />There was no response. I tried one more time, “Hello. Are you okay?”<br /><br />The only response was a slight nod of his head. I stopped about ten feet away. The boy was shoeless, wearing old faded jeans and a plain white t-shirt. His hair was not too long, but it went in every direction without hint of a comb. He looked to me to be about nine or ten years old. His skin was bright red with sunburn.<br /><br />I tried again. “My name is Dan. What’s yours?”<br /><br />His reply was quiet, and he stared at the ground. “My grandma told me not to be talkin’ to no stranger.”<br /><br />“That’s good advice, but I’m really not that strange,” I said with a grin.<br /><br />“I reckon you shoo-uh ah strange to me. I ain’t never met no pilot afore.”<br /><br />“Well, pilots are not all strange. A lot of pilots are just regular people.”<br /><br />“But, mistah, I ain’t nevah hurd of no plane landin’ on water. That shu is strange.”<br /><br />“It isn’t strange if the airplane is a seaplane. They are made for landing on water. It is really just like a boat with wings.”<br /><br />“I’s seen boats all ma life, but ain’t nevah seen none what had wings.”<br /><br />“I suppose there aren’t that many seaplanes that land on the river now, but there used to be a lot more. In the old days.”<br /><br />“I ain’t that old, I reckon.”<br /><br />“No, I’m guessing you’re not. Do you live around here?”<br /><br />“Naw suh. I live up in Hell-enuh, but I’ma movin’ to New Oleans.”<br /><br />“New Orleans? You’ve got a long ways to go.”<br /><br />“Yes, suh. I figure it’s ahundred miles or moah.”<br /><br />“Hmmmm…I think it is more like three or four hundred miles by river.”<br /><br />The boy stared at me in disbelief, then turned his head to stare down river.<br /><br />“Have you ever been to New Orleans?” I asked.<br /><br />He just shook his head, still staring down the long river.<br /><br />“Why are you going to New Orleans?”<br /><br />“I hurd my grandma say it was a fun place. I’d suh like to have sum fun.”<br /><br />“It used to be a fun place, but I haven’t been there in a long time. How are you going to get there?”<br /><br />“I’ma floatin there on this heah log boat I done made.” He pointed to semi-submerged log beached on the shore. It had two planks nailed across it and attached with rope to a couple of grungy Styrofoam outriggers.<br /><br />“That’s your boat?” I asked incredulously.<br /><br />“Yes suh. I made it myself. I left outta Hell-enah this morning, mostly floatin on de current, but polling sum too. I figured I’d be about half way.”<br /><br />“Helena is only about twenty miles north of here. You’ve got a long way to go. Are you by yourself?”<br /><br />The boy just nodded his head and then stared at the sand.<br /><br />“Does your mother know about your trip?”<br /><br />“Ain’t got no mom rite now. She ran off a while back. She’n Joe from the auto repair took off and went to New Oleans to have sum fun. They ain’t nevah come back…yet.”<br /><br />“So, you’ve been staying with your grandmother?”<br /><br />“Yes suh.”<br /><br />“Does she know about your trip?”<br /><br />“No suh. She wouldn’t a let me go. She makes me go to skool and make my bed and stuff lac that. She don’t really no nothin’ about fun. She says the devil is behind a lot of fun and she don’t lac no devils.”<br /><br />“I think your grandmother might be right about that. Well, you are off to quite a start. How’s your trip going so far?”<br /><br />“Okay, I reckon. ‘Cept for when them tug boats nearly turned me over. I had me some lunch, but it all got washed away. Them last big waves washed my boat right up on this heah sand and I ain’t been able to get it off yet.”<br /><br />“I’ve seen those tug boat waves. They’re huge. So, you haven’t had any lunch and it is getting late in the day? I’ll bet you’re hungry.”<br /><br />“Shu am, but ah hope to get to New Oleans by tomorroh.”<br /><br />“Well, I don’t have much to offer you, but I do think I have some snacks in the airplane. Would you like to see if there is anything you might want to eat?”<br /><br />“I ain’t got no money,” the boy said, blushing.<br /><br />“That’s okay. I don’t even know if you’d like the stuff I’ve got. It’s just some nuts and crackers and water. You’re welcome to it if you want it.”<br /><br />He just nodded.<br /><br />“Well, let’s go look and see what I have.”<br /><br />We walked over the seaplane and I pulled out a bag of snacks. The boy just sat down on the sand and started eating as if it had been a long, lean time since his last meal.<br /><br />After he had wolfed down most of the contents of the bag, he started eyeing the airplane.<br /><br />“That ain’t a very big plane, r it?”<br /><br />“No. It only holds two people, and it doesn’t go very fast, but it is fun to fly.”<br /><br />“I ain’t nevah flown. I reckon I’d be scared.”<br /><br />“Scared? Anyone riding a log all the way to New Orleans shouldn’t be scared of flying.”<br /><br />He smiled for the first time. “I guess it don’t look too scary.”<br /><br />“It’s not. It’s sort of like riding the tilt-whirl at the fair. Have you ever done that?”<br /><br />“Yes suh. I kinda liked it too.”<br /><br />“Well, I know you are out looking for some fun. How would you like to try flying with me?”<br /><br />“I reckon I’d like it, but I don’t know if my grandma would let me.”<br /><br />“You know, I’d bet she wouldn’t mind. In fact, I think she would be a lot happier about you flying than floating down the river on that log.”<br /><br />“Yes, suh, I’d reckon she wouldn’t mind it too much.”<br /><br />“I’ll tell you what, why don’t you come and go flying with me. We’ll fly back up the river to Helena and we’ll ask her.”<br /><br />The boy turned to look down river. Then he looked at the airplane. “I reckon I could go to New Oleans any time, but I might nevah getta go in a real live aeroplane.”<br /><br />“You can go to New Orleans someday. Today, let’s just fly.”<br /><br />“Yes, suh. I reckon that’d be okay.”<br /><br />“Great. Let’s get you in and buckled up.”<br /><br />The boy gingerly got into the seat. I helped him with his seatbelt and put on his headset.<br /><br />“Don’t cha need to push us out, Mistuh?”<br /><br />“No. Have you ever seen an airboat?”<br /><br />“Yes suh.”<br /><br />“Well, this airplane is a little like an airboat. We’ll just scoot across the sand and out into the river.”<br /><br />The boy flinched when the engine started.<br /><br />“It’s a little loud,” I warned him, “but you can hear me and talk to me through this headset. Let me know if you don’t like it.”<br /><br />He nodded.<br /><br />“Okay, then. We’ll give the engine a little power and turn right around. See, it’s easy.”<br /><br />I maneuvered the SeaRey out into the river and turned downstream. “Are you ready?”<br /><br />He nodded seriously.<br /><br />“Here we go then!”<br /><br />The boy weighed almost nothing. The SeaRey quickly leapt up on top of the water. Long shadows of the trees along the shore flashed by at rapidly accelerating rate. The boy’s hand went out and locked onto the side rail in a tight brace.<br /><br />A few seconds later, the water dropped away. I kept the airplane low and let it build up speed. The boy’s grip on the railing was tight, but he didn’t say anything.<br /><br />I let the airplane lift gently over the trees lining the river bank. The boy looked out across the huge expanse of the river valley towards the sun low in the western sky.<br /><br />“How do you like the view?”<br /><br />“It’s almost lac I can see ferevah.”<br /><br />“Maybe not forever, but so much further than from down below.” I gently banked the airplane and turned to the north. The airplane glided smoothly through the turn and back over the river.<br /><br />“Look at all ‘em curves! I ain’t never knowed the river turned and twisted so.”<br /><br />“When you can’t see beyond the shoreline, it is hard to know what comes next. From up here you can see where the river can take you.”<br /><br />“I reckon this is lac what God sees, ain’t it?”<br /><br />“I suppose God sees a lot more, but what you can see from a seaplane is grand.”<br /><br />We flew along the river’s course, only smoothing out the turns enough to cut off the sharp edges.<br /><br />We passed over a long barge. The captain waived from his bridge. The boy enthusiastically waved back, yelling, “Howdy!” then laughing loudly. “Them waves don’t luk so big from up heah.”<br /><br />It wasn’t long before we spotted the bridge south of Helena. The boy’s smile faded away.<br /><br />“This heah’s Hell-enuh.”<br /><br />“Yes, it is. Can you spot your house?”<br /><br />“Naw suh. It’s just a trailer east of town down by the river.”<br /><br />“Well, let’s go look for it. We’ll surprise your grandmother.”<br /><br />“I reckon we suh will. I’ll probably be in fer a beatin.”<br /><br />“Maybe not. She might just be happy to see you.”<br /><br />“I jus’ lef her a note so she’d not worry or nuthing.”<br /><br />“My grandmother would have worried anyway. I think grandmothers are like that.”<br /><br />“I suh hope so.”<br /><br />The sun was getting very close to the horizon.<br /><br />“Thar it is! Thar’s my grandma’s house. Right up thar by the road. Uh, oh. Thar’s some police cars thar.”<br /><br />There were two and their lights were flashing.<br /><br />“Well, I suppose they are trying to help your grandmother find you. How about if we head over to the airport and give them a call?”<br /><br />He grimly nodded his head.<br /><br />There was no one at the airport and the boy was solemn and quiet as we taxied up to the parking area.<br /><br />“What do you think? Do you think flying is fun?”<br /><br />“I reckon flying is the most fun that could ever be. I jes wished we could fly sum moh.”<br /><br />“Someday you will. Today has been a long day. You should probably get on back home and get some dinner. Why don’t we give your grandmother a call?”<br /><br />The boy told me the number and I dialed it.<br /><br />“Hello?”<br /><br />“Maim, I’ve got a young boy that would like to talk to you.” I handed him the phone.<br /><br />“Hi, gramma. It’s me. No maim. I’s jus fine. I’m down heah at the airport. Yes’m. The little airport here in Hell-enuh. Yes’m. I’ll wait rite heah.”<br /><br />It didn’t take long for two police cruisers to arrive. A woman I figured was way too young to be a grandma ran over and smothered the boy in her embrace.<br /><br />The boy spent a lot of time in animated talks with his grandmother as she kept wiping away her tears. I was busy trying to explain the situation to two dubious officers from the local police station. In the end they were nice enough to give me a ride to a local hotel for the evening.<br /><br />I left early the next morning. I would sure have liked to have stayed around to hear the tales the boy had to tell his friends at school.<br />
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Kenneth Leonard - Oct 25,2008
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Yessiree Dan! Another great story. My dad took me flying for my 8th birthday and I was hooked just like your young Tom Sawyer. Funny, that was the same year I ran away from home too. (but I took an 8 year old girl with me!)
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Dan Nickens - Oct 25,2008
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My dad took me flying on my brother's 9th birthday, Ken. I sat in the backseat of a C172 and almost threw up. I most definitely was not hooked, but unlike you and your 8 year old sweetie, I was a late bloomer.
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John Robert Dunlop - Oct 26,2008
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Like a breath of fresh air Dan!
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Frank A. Carr - Oct 25,2008
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Great story Dan, thanks. This would make a good story to read to any young boy, along with a couple of SeaRey photos and the Mississippi of course.
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Dan Nickens - Oct 25,2008
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And a bottle of Southern Comfort to make it really dramatic?
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Tom Rammel - Oct 26,2008
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Dan, You keep writing and we will keep reading them. Annother great story by Dan Nickens. Are you sure you arn't an author? Maybe you should be.
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