Johnny Vic stories

And now it’s time for the second installment of Johnny Vic’s adventure . . . Readers learned, last week, how the metal detector had come to be placed where Johnny Vic could find it (well . . . you kind of got that impression).  And then, Johnny Vic was rudely awakened by a band of boisterous blue jays. He was hugging his uncle’s dog, Lucas, feeling happy to be experiencing his first day at Ben’s cabin.  So, here’s installment number two:

 

Lucas. Drawing from a fourth grade student.

Lucas happily accepted the hug and Johnny Vic gave him an extra tight squeeze before pulling away to jump into his jeans. “So Lucas, I guess you want to go out, huh boy?” Lucas woofed and sprang toward the door. Johnny Vic skittered out of the way and snatched his shirt off the wooden side chair. He struggled to pull it on as he followed the dog. He did not want to be left behind for even a minute on his first day at the cabin.

          The clatter of pans told Johnny Vic that Ben was already up, and when he burst through the kitchen door, the smell of sizzling bacon greeted him–good thing, too, because he was suddenly very hungry. “Hi Uncle Ben! Want me to take Lucas out for a few minutes?”

          “Not necessary, kiddo. Just let him out the door–he’s okay on his own.” Ben turned to look at his nephew. “Hope you still like pancakes, ’cause there’s several here with your name on them. Why don’t you grab the O.J. and bring it to the sunroom. The table’s already set.”

          Glad that he would not have to wait for breakfast, Johnny Vic happily yanked at the door of the fridge, then hopscotched across the black and white linoleum squares without spilling a single drop. Ben was right behind him with a platter heaped with pancakes and crispy slices of bacon. He placed it onto the table and said, “Here, help yourself. The syrup’s in that little metal pitcher.”

          “Thanks.” Johnny Vic snagged three pancakes and poured a generous helping of the Clark Farm’s deluxe Vermont maple syrup onto the stack. His uncle watched with amusement as he stuffed a huge forkful into his mouth. “Think you can eat all that?”

          Johnny Vic’s eyes sparkled. “Sure. After all, Mom says she doesn’t know if I remind her more of you . . . or grandpa’s pigs.” To prove his point he stuffed his mouth again.

          “Oh, she said that, did she? I’ll have to talk to that sister of mine.” Ben tried to look stern, but his nephew just sputtered with laughter. “Hey kid, it’s not polite to laugh with your mouth full.” Of course, that made it worse.

          After a lengthy fit of the giggles, they concentrated on their food. They ate hungrily and did not speak again until they cleared the table.

          “So, Johnny . . . they delivered a metal detector two days ago. One of those new ones they asked me to check out. I’ll be writing an article about it for Lost Treasure Magazine.”

          “That’s neat, Uncle Ben!”

         “As a matter of fact, they’ve designed it with kids in mind, so they want your reaction, too. Wanna be part of my next story?”

          “Oh boy, do I! Will it beep like your 1200 does?” Johnny’s heart raced as he thought about the treasures that lay waiting to be found.

          “It sure does, kiddo.”

          “Awesome!” Johnny Vic could almost hear the familiar beeps that Ben’s machine made last year when they came across something hidden in the dirt. Sometimes it was valuable, like the lost wedding ring they retrieved for Ben’s friend, Stuart. Sometimes it was just a bottle cap or an old rusty nail. You never knew what you would unearth.

. . . hope you enjoyed this second installment. More next time! And, let me know what you think!