Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11 THE NEXT DAY FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 1964 Mom and Dad and Uncle Solly rushed through breakfast. Even though school was closed for Good Friday, they still had work to do on the house they were building. Jackson planned to spend the day doing chores for Uncle Solly. He

hadn't slept well last night. Every time he'd closed his eyes, he'd heard the kids' voices from the playground. "He hates us." "That kid's weird." "Maybe he'd like us if we had fur and tails." Hopefully shoveling snow and splitting wood would help him clear his head. "Jackson," Uncle Solly said as he was putting on his boots. "You remember that ship that's coming in this afternoon? The Chena?" Jackson nodded. How could he forget? "I need you to go down to the loading dock and get a note to my buddy in the crew. I'm not going to make it down to see him tonight. We're going to be working late at the house." "Uh, sure," Jackson said. Going down to the dock was the last thing Jackson wanted to do. Every kid in his class would be on that dock! But he couldn't say no to Uncle Solly. He'd just have to avoid the kids.

Uncle Solly scrawled out a note and handed it to Jackson. "Just give it to any of the sailors you see," he said. "Get there around five thirty." Would the kids be gone by then? Jackson hoped so. At five fifteen, Jackson grabbed his backpack and headed down to the waterfront. It was barely a five-minute walk. To distract himself, Jackson thought of all the fun times he'd had with Uncle Solly over the years. Heading out of the harbor in Uncle Solly's little boat, they'd explored the coves and bays tucked between the mountains. There was always something to see—a walrus with dagger tusks, dolphins dancing in the waves, furry sea otters floating around on rafts they made from kelp. Best of all was the humpback whale Jackson spotted a couple of years ago. It broke the surface

of the bay—a massive creature more than fifty feet long. Water shot out of the blowhole on its back before it sank down again. A moment later, it exploded up out of the water. Arching its back, it seemed to hover in the air before disappearing in a shimmering splash that drenched Jackson and Uncle Solly. Jackson's chest tightened as he thought of those happy summer days. He wondered what Leonor would have said about that whale, or how Nora would have described it. Did Mary know any songs about whales? And what kind of joke would Chris have told to crack them all up? Jackson would never know. And why should he care? Jackson pulled his parka tighter around him as a bitter wind blew from the harbor. At least it wasn't snowing. Jackson came to the end of Alaska Avenue. Just ahead of him was the waterfront. It was like a separate little town sitting right on the harbor—

different docks, warehouses for fish and cargo, a salmon cannery where fish were cut up and packed into cans. Jackson could see the Chena floating with its right side up against the main loading dock. It was at least ten times as long as a humpback whale. Jackson crossed a busy street and stepped onto a bridge that headed out over the water to the docks. Uncle Solly had been right; at least half the town was here. Cars were parked up and down the street. Kids skipped past Jackson, their parents chasing behind. A truck rumbled by and the bridge shook. Jackson stepped off the bridge and onto the main loading dock. Dockworkers lugged crates into the warehouse. A forklift zipped past. Jackson walked slowly toward the ship, reaching into his pocket for Uncle Solly's note. He looked around but didn't see any sailors to give it to. The only sailor he could see was above him, on the deck of the Chena. The man was leaning over

the railing, smiling down at a group of little kids gathered below. "Who wants an apple?" he sang. "I do!" cried a little girl in a pink hat. The man tossed the fruit down. "Got it!" She clutched the apple to her chest like it was a gold nugget. "How about a chocolate bar!" the man called.