Melody (Logan 1)

"But you don't have to work on it now. You've been

cooped up in school all day. Go get some fresh air.

Laura liked to walk on the beach and hunt for

seashells."

May was still completing her chores so I went

out by myself. The sky still had patches of deep blue,

but most of it had become covered with what looked

like storm clouds, bruised and sooty puffs that rolled

angrily from the horizon. The ocean looked more tempestuous, too. I could see Cary and Roy Patterson on the lobster boat bobbing beside the dock. I walked out a little way. Cary left the boat and started back

toward me and the house.

"There's going to be a storm," he said as he approached. "It's a nor'easter," he added, continuing

past. I said nothing and continued to walk toward the

ocean. "Didn't you hear what I said?" he called. I turned.

"Look at the sky. Even a landlubber like you

should be able to see rain comin'."

"Don't call me a landlubber."

He smiled. "Well what are you?"

"I'm a person, just like you, only I was brought

up in a different place. I'm sure you wouldn't know

your way around a coal mine, but I wouldn't call you

silly names just to pump myself up."

"I'm not doing it to pump myself up." I turned away. To my surprise, he was at my

side in moments. "Keep walking in this direction and

you'll get caught in a downpour. Look at the breakers.

The ocean is talking to us, telling us what to expect.

See how the terns are heading for safer ground, too." "Where's Uncle Jacob?" I asked, gazing toward

the dock.

"He took today's catch into town. It wasn't

good. Only four good-size lobsters in the traps." "How do lobsters get trapped?" I asked. "We bait them with stinky dead fish and set

them on the ocean bottom. The lobster crawls into the