Back in first grade, I had just moved into the county from Maine. I didn't want to talk to anyone, although I was attracted to the woods next to my house. Nothing scared me there, I wore my torn up shorts and my pink tank top (It sickens me to this day that I wore pink, but hey, nothing I can do about it now). One day, a week after first moving in, I took a walk in the forest, mother telling me not to wander far. After I was out of sight of my mom, I took off my shoes and socks and ran through the dead leaves to the river. I wandered around the banks and walked across the logs. I stopped in the middle or one log, looking down the river, all the fish coming towards me. I started to throw rocks into the river, if I hit a fish or a forg I got extra points, when I saw a rainbow fish. It swam in circles, I bent down to get it, nearly catching it. I adjusted myself, laying on my belly on the log, my legs hanging off the other side. It escaped my grasp and teased me as it swam inbetween my hands dangerously. I finally caught it and held it up with valor! It wiggled in my hands, slowly suffocating, this I didn't know. The fish wiggled out of my hands and slapped me in the face. "Ah! My face!" I squeaked and fell into the river. The river began to carry me away, I reached and grabbed the grass and pulled myself back up. I sat on sturdy ground for a while before deciding I could tackle the log again. I climbed up on the log and looked at the fish as they swam with the current.
Suddenly someone shouted at me, "Ahoy! Mermaid witch ahead!" I turned and saw a boy pointing a stick at me with a paper hat on his head. "Excuse you?" I asked. "Mermaid witch! State your business!" the boy pointed the stick at me. "I'm catching fish." I shrugged. "This is reservated land. Girls aren't allowed!" the boy put his hands on his hips assertively. "Why not?" I asked. He was about to say something, but his face went blank. He didn't have an answer, a few seconds later he jumped in the air, "Because you have cooties!" he announced.
"I do not!" I stomped my foot.
"Do too!" he hopped up onto the log with me.
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"Not!"
"Too!"
"Not!"
"Too!"
"Well boys have more cooites than girls!"
"I do not!"
"Yeah you do, you're crawling with them. It's almost disgusting! Gross boy!"
The boy smiled and put his hands on my arms and rubbed them. "What are you doing!" I shouted. "I'm getting my cooties on you. Now you have cooties." he told me. "Gross! Don't you dare!" I slapped his hands away and he laughed. "I already did! I got cooties on the gross mermaid witch!" the boy laughed and poked me with his stick. "You better knock it off! I'll get my brother!" I warned him. "Oh, because I'm so scared of your brother!" the boy mocked. "Fine, then I'll get you!" I stomped my foot. "Do it you wont!" the boy laughed. I jumped at him, he looked at my surprised and we both fell into the river. He pried me off of him and he got onto the river bank, me still floating down the river, I was stuck. "Hey! Help me!" I shouted. "Why should I? You're trying to kill me!" he yelled. "I'm sorry!" I cried. "Alright." the boy jumped in the river and tried to get me out, only to discover my shorts were caught on a branch that was scratching up my leg. "You've been caught by the Flying Dutchman!" the boy exclaimed. "What!" I squealed. "He has a tight grip, I'll save you fair maiden!" he exclaimed. "Hurry!" I squeaked. He unhooked the branch and helped me to the river bank. "The Crime Fighting Pirate Boy saves the day once more!" the boy exclaimed.
"Do you have a name?" I asked him. "Crime Fighting Pirate Boy." he repeated. "No, a real name." I said. "You'll learn it eventually." he helped me up. "You get to be my side kick, what will be your name side kick?" he put his hands on his hips again. "Um...I don't know." I shrugged. "I have all day, it's a Saturday after all." the boy folded his arms. "Crime Fighting Mermaid Girl?" I mumbled. "Good enough!" he broke a ranch off of a dead bush and gave it to me. "That is your wand. You can't have a sword, because I have a sword." he said. "Fine, I'll be a magic mermaid that grows legs on land and a tail in sea." I stated. "I have a feeling you'll be good at this game. Come Crime Fighting Mermaid Girl! Theres an evil monster attacking the citizens of BuckleBerry!" the boy shouted. He ran into the woods, I followed happily. He started to climb a tree, I looked up at him not knowing what to do. "Aren't you coming?" he asked me. "I don't know how to climb." I shrugged. "It's easy, just don't slip." he told me. "What do I grab?" I looked at the tree perplexed. "You grab that branch and put your foot there, yes there, and pull up. I'll help you." he grabbed my hand and pulled me up with him. "You think you have it figured out?" he asked. "Yes I think so." he climbed further up, I joined him, soon we were at the top of the tree, I looked down and grabbed his arm. "What's wrong Crime Fighting Mermaid Girl?" he asked. "We're really high up." I mumbled. "Yes we are. Don't worry I wont let you fall." he told me. "You wont?" I asked. "I wouldn't be Crime fighting Pirate Boy if I did!" he smiled. I smiled back, knowing I had made a friend.
