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| Presents Hawaiian Cruise Part 6 |
| THE VOYAGE HOME After the fun of the Talent Quest, everyone was eagerly looking forward to the Ethnic Ball. There was a rush on the Novelty Shoppe to hire the costumes of their choice. It was a case of ‘First in, best dressed’! Tobey was unaware that the girls had approached the Captain to see if his family could be notified that he was on the ship, and would be arriving in LA on Sunday morning. Captain Dillon was kind enough to allow Killian to speak with his Mom and Dad personally, and explain what had happened. She told them about the witch, and the spell she had cast on Tobey, and how they had helped him to find the tribe that broke the wicked spell. His parents were overcome with joy and gratitude. They had believed that their precious boy had been killed, or stolen, and feared that they would never see his happy little face again but now, he was coming home, safe and sound! His parents asked that Tobey not be told, because they wanted it to be a surprise, - and they very much wanted to meet the girls too, and thank them personally. Killian and Lexi felt so thrilled as they left the Captain’s cabin and returned to tell Ryle and Brody all about it, - making them promise to keep the secret. ……………………………………………………………………………………… Tobey and Reilly Girl had been getting to know each other. He told her how much he enjoyed her singing and, in the course of conversation, he told her about his adventure, and how the spell had been broken. Reilly was captivated, - not only by Tobey’s ‘film-star’ good looks, but also by his winning personality and obvious intelligence. He invited her to dinner, and she eagerly accepted. Tobey had never had a girlfriend before, and the knowledge that he had been chosen by such a famous lady made his heart beat faster. Killian, Ryle, Lexi and Brody, who were sitting nearby, watched with delight to see their dear friend so happy. Meanwhile, our two reformed smugglers were getting along fabulously with our two ‘Dumb Blondes’ – who were proving to be not so dumb at all. Tess was constantly in the company of Sydney, and Snickerdoodle was spending a great deal of time with Griffin. However, the boys felt inadequate, due to the fact that they had been ‘naughty boys’ in the past, and also they were not very well off financially. They felt unworthy of the affection and trust that the girls had for them. They didn’t think they were good enough. Even when the girls assured them that this was the beginning of a whole new life for them, and that they loved them for themselves, - the boys still found it hard to believe. Griffin and Sydney decided that they should consult Madame Kansas again to see if she could help them. Griffin phoned her cabin and, after a brief conversation, he smiled at Sydney and told him that she could see them straight away. They hurried off to meet with her. Madame Kansas listened to their story, then she looked into her crystal ball and spoke the wisest words the boys had ever heard. “You have all the potential to succeed in life,” she told them softly. “I see that you both have honest hearts, and these two girls trust and believe in you.” She took a deep breath, then continued: “You only have to learn to believe in yourselves.” “How do we do that?” asked Griffin. “You look within yourselves and tap into the ‘hero’ inside you,” was her gentle reply. “You can become great, but you have to allow the love and trust of these girls to raise you up to what you can become. She gently reached out and touched Griffin’s paw. “Love can achieve wonderful things,” she assured them both, “and if you believe, and have faith in your inner goodness, you WILL SUCCEED!” The boys left the wise gypsy with renewed hope for the future. They couldn’t wait to tell Snickerdoodle and Tess about what the gypsy had said. This gave Tess a bright idea. That evening in the lounge, she approached Maggie, who was a member of the ‘Cruisin’ Crooners’, and made a special request for Griffin and Sydney. Maggie was happy to oblige. ………………………………………………………………………………………… The main lounge was packed to capacity. Everyone loved listening to Mia and the boys in the Band, and the ‘Cruisin’ Crooners’ always drew a large audience. Snickerdoodle, Tess, Sydney and Griffin sat near the front, having arrived early to get the best seats. Tobey was there too, eager to listen to his special lady friend, Reilly. With him were his companions Killian, Lexi, Ryle and Brody. The Band played; - Mia sang the latest hits to dance to, and then the ‘Cruisin’ Crooners’ took to the stage and sang songs such as: MEMORIES; THE WAY WE WERE and other famous ballads. Then came the moment the girls had been waiting for. Maggie stepped forward and made an announcement. “We now have a special request,” she said. Then, smiling in the direction of Snickerdoodle and Tess, she went on: “GRIFFIN and SYDNEY, Snickerdoodle and Tess have requested this song for you.” (Griffin and Sydney wondered, with surprise, what Tess and Snickerdoodle had been up to!) The music began, and the girls mouthed the words of the first two verses to Griff and Syd. Please, don't let this feeling end It's everything I am, Everything I want to be. I can see what's mine now, Finding out what's true, Since I've found you... Looking through the eyes of love. Now I can take the time, I can see my life As it comes up shining now. Reaching out to touch you, I can feel so much, Since I've found you... Looking through the eyes of love. As the song concluded, the girls put their arms about the boys' shoulders and whispered, “And that’s how we feel now that we have found you!” The boys had never felt so loved, and so appreciated. This WAS the beginning of a new life for them all. ……………………………………………………………………………………….. This appeared the next day on the Notice board: ANNOUNCING A TABLE TENNIS TOURNAMENT To be held on the Boat Deck tomorrow afternoon at 3pm. All those interested in competing, please apply at the Purser’s Office before 10am. The winner will receive $50 cash and a year’s supply of ‘WICKED WILLY’S BULLY STICKS’. The runner-up will receive $25 cash and 6 months supply of ‘Wicked Willy’s Bully Sticks’. Come and join the fun! Your friendly Entertainment Officer, Jimmy. ………………………………………………………………… “Well,” said Stella enthusiastically, “that sounds right up my alley!” The teenagers, Dakota, Bailey and Max, also thought it sounded like fun. They were pretty good at Table Tennis, and they all LOVED Bully Sticks! ……………………………………………………………………………………….. Meanwhile, some of the officers and members of the ships crew were thinking about the Ethnic Ball. They wanted to go in costume too, but they would have to get the Captain’s permission. Clancy suggested that they meet with the captain and ask, very nicely, and he might agree! Shortly after, a group of them met with Captain Dillon in his cabin. They put forward their request, and were delighted to hear him say that not only was it OK for them to go in costume, but that he might do so too! THE TABLE TENNIS TOURNAMENT There were six entries for the contest, and it came down to Stella and Dakota. Henry was the Umpire, and he did his job very well. He sat at a table nearby, where he had a perfect view of the play. Bailey had the job of ‘ball boy’ – which gave him a ‘front row’ view of the action. The final game was fast and brilliant, with lots of exciting rallies which had the spectators holding their breath, as Stella and Dakota seemed to get back the most impossible hits. Stella was the victor, and just beat Dakota by a whisker. Both were excellent players and had exhibited great skill and some very clever moves. Stella was wishing she’d had this opportunity BEFORE they arrived in Hawaii, because she certainly could have made good use of the prize money there! Dakota was thrilled to win second prize, and was looking forward to his Bully Sticks even more than the cash! THE NIGHT OF THE ETHNIC BALL The Cruise was fast drawing to a close and a general feeling of sadness filled the air. No one wanted the fun to end, so the preparations for the Ethnic Ball gave the passengers and crew something exciting to look forward to. Jimmy had taken on the job of Ship’s photographer, as he had on the previous Cruise, and he took pictures of all the passengers and crew in their splendid costumes. The first to arrive were Abby and Bailey Beachboy; Maddie and Cooper; Bella Beachbunny with Guinness, and Lacey O’Quinn and Henry. Maddie and Cooper were in Dutch costumes; Henry and Lacey were wearing the national costumes of Crete; Guinness and Bella were wearing smart Chinese outfits and Bailey Beachboy was a convincing Sheik of Arabia, while Abby was a fine African lady. The next group to arrive included the lovely Mia, from the band, and Kodi. She was wearing a Latin American outfit and looked for the world like a famous performer of the 40’s. Kodi was dressed in a Croatian costume. Morgan, from the ‘Cruisin’ Crooners’ was an exotic Spanish dancer, and Tucker proudly represented his Native Ireland. Two more ‘Celts’ made up the party. Cassie was a Welsh lady, and Cody represented ‘Bonnie Scotland’. A party of happy lads descended the stairs together, accompanied by Captain Dillon. Jimmy thought he should be photographed with the Captain, so he handed his camera over to Kodi, who kindly took the next shot. Finnegan P was a Russian Cossack and was trying to do a Cossack dance, while Rudy, who was dressed in a Ukrainian costume, thought he might fracture something! (Finnegan had been making fun of Kenyon in his Samurai costume, and Kenyon warned that if any ‘fracturing’ was done, HE would be the man to do it! Oooaah!) Nicky looked magnificent in his Polish outfit, while Dillon and Jimmy were both in Irish formals. Shortly after, Jimmy was busy photographing a very colourful group, including Bristol in Swiss costume; Clancy in a Greek outfit; Kysha and Patrick in German costumes; Nelly as a Geisha and Murphy in a Bulgarian costume, while Maggie and Brady were Mexican singers. Patrick was whispering sweet nothings to Kysha; Murphy was trying his luck with Nelly, (who wasn’t going to cooperate!) while Maggie and Brady serenaded everyone with a Mexican love song. It was getting better by the minute! The next to come were Rose and Buster as Scots; Snickerdoodle and Griffin as Czechs; Tess and Sydney as German Folk Dancers; Tipper and Felix were romantic Italian lovers, and Kansas and Finnegan B were in Swedish costumes. (And Finnegan was trying to charm his way into the heart of Madame Kansas, – and her cabin too – apparently!) Killian, Ryle, Lexi, Brody, Reilly girl and Tobey formed a colourful Swedish group. Stella and Fenway appeared in Bulgarian costumes. However, there was some discussion about Stella’s hat, and Jimmy got the impression that Fenway did not share Stella’s delight in it! Six of the boys were the last to have their pictures taken. Flynn and Kramer were in Macedonian costumes, while Max was Rumanian; Bailey in Northern Italian; Dasher in Irish and Dakota in Spanish. Everyone had turned out in a colourful costume, and Jimmy had been so busy taking pictures that he hardly got a chance to dance! It was their final night on the Cruise, and they all, passengers and crew alike, wanted to make it something special, and something to remember always. ……………………………………………………………………………………….. HAPPY ENDINGS! The morning dawned with a bright sunny sky, and though the passengers were glad to be home, it was still a sad occasion. So many had made wonderful friends. Phone numbers and addresses were exchanged, and some of the couples that had found romance were already making plans to get together ashore. Those passengers who had paired off with crewmembers were also making sure that they would be keeping in touch. Doctor Cassie and Nurse Bristol had made dates with Cody and Clancy, and all the actresses had plans to meet up again with their special gentlemen. Maddie and Cooper had already gone off on their own to meet Cooper’s family, who had come to meet him. The Band and the Cruisin’ Crooners were looking forward to their leave and to spending time with their lady friends. Mia and Kodi were exchanging phone numbers and email addresses. The ballroom dancing competition winners had decided to enter for more competitions, and it seemed like Wedding Bells were ringing for Abby and Bailey Beachboy. Someone had also seen Henry purchasing a diamond ring for Lacey O’Quinn during their stay in Hawaii. The Shy Girls and the Shy Boys met up on the deck and felt that this marked a new beginning for them. They watched with joy as they saw their little ‘ghost’ friend, Tobey, standing near the gangway with Reilly, his ladylove. They reflected on their experiences in Hawaii when they had helped Tobey to break the witch’s curse. What an adventure it had been! They looked into the crowd of waiting people on the wharf, and knew that somewhere among them was Tobey’s family - waiting to welcome their precious boy back into their arms. The girls had shared the reward money that had been wired to Captain Dillon by the grateful Mom and Dad of little Lucky. Tess and Snickerdoodle planned to give some of their share to Sydney and Griffin, to help them make a new start in life. “I can’t believe that, due to a silly mistake, we got those toys and we also found the two sweetest boys in the world as a result of it!” Tess exclaimed. “All my dreams have come true!” breathed Snickerdoodle. Griffin and Sydney were thinking how different things might have been. They might be heading off to jail now, instead of making a new start in life with two wonderful girls who believed in them and loved them. “What a wonderful experience this has been for us all!” said Killian with a sigh. Lexi took Brody’s paw in hers and smiled up at him shyly. “We have found Brody and Ryle,” she said softly, “and we’ ll never be lonely again!” The boys were too overcome with emotion to speak, but their eyes said it all! Tobey and Reilly Girl stood gazing at the sea of faces below them. “Your Mom and Dad will get such a surprise when you show up on the doorstep, Tobey!” said Reilly with a chuckle. “Yes,” he grinned. “Especially when they see YOU with me!” She snuggled into him and gave a contented little sigh. She was about to say something profound when suddenly she felt Tobey’s heart race with excitement and he stretched out his paw and pointed - his words tumbling from his mouth in ripples of surprise and astonishment – “MOM! …. down there! …. It’s my Mom and Dad, - oh, ….YES, - it IS my Mom and Dad!” He began to shout and jump up and down. Reilly followed his pointing paw and saw two people waving frantically. The lady was wiping tears from her eyes, and Reilly could see the overwhelming joy on their faces. Their ‘little boy lost’ had come home – safe and sound. The girls watched as Tobey ran to meet his family, and they couldn’t keep the tears out of their eyes as he leapt into his Mom’s open arms and she hugged him to her heart. Then he looked up and beckoned to Reilly and all his friends to come down and join him. What a reunion it was! It was a wonderful end to a wonderful Cruise! Observing it all from the top deck was the Captain, with a wistful Jimmy. “Another Cruise over, and soon another to begin. And every one is different!” Dillon said thoughtfully. Jimmy saluted some of the passengers who had waved good-bye to him, and replied: “Yes Skipper! And next time will be just as eventful, and just as exciting, and just as romantic. I never grow weary of it, or of the wonderful people we meet.” “That,” smiled Dillon, “is why I love this job so much. Every cruise is a new adventure, and a new beginning for many who sail with us. What could be better than that?” Pic 87. A HAPPY ENDING – And HAPPY BEGINNINGS - |
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