Battleship

“That’s not how you do it, Mitchell!” Jade said, annoyed. “You put the sticks in the castle AFTER the moat is done!”

“I don’t care. The castle is going to have flags now.” Mitchell put a stick on a tower of a sandcastle he and Jade were making together. “I can do whatever I want anyway. I’m older.” Jade glared at him but continued to dig a moat in the sand with her pink shovel. Mitchell added in another tower to the castle with the yellow pail, specially made to create sandcastles. They sat in the sand together creating their castle on the beach.

Jade and Mitchell were cousins. Jade was 6 years old and Mitchell was 11. Jade consistently wanted to be by Mitchell’s side. She wanted to do everything with him. Mitchell let her for the most part but easily was annoyed by her and usually complained about it. If Mitchell went for a bike ride, Jade went for a bike ride. If Mitchell went swimming, Jade went swimming. If Mitchell ate, Jade ate. Jade was like an extra shadow to Mitchell. They were spending two weeks vacation at the camp in Maine. It was family tradition, where all the cousins, aunts, and uncles would rent camps on the lake and hang out together. Not all could stay the full two weeks, but for the most part, as extended family came and went, the cousins always were together. Today was the last full day at the camp before their vacation was over, and Jade and Mitchell were told it was beach day, meaning the kids were only to play on the beach, enjoy the sun and swim in the lake together. By now, Mitchell was sick of Jade consistently being next to him, so he tried his best to contradict whatever she said to him. Mitchell’s older brother, David was also there. David was 13 and he loved camp.

“Why aren’t you two swimming!” David asked as he marched down to the beach from the camp.

“We’re making a sandcastle!” Jade said looking up to him.

“We’re busy David, go away,” Mitchell ignored his brother and started digging sand into his pail.

“Oh relax Mitch,” David said, kicking a pile of sand onto Mitchell’s tower.

“HEY! Don’t ruin it!” Mitchell said, agitated then slapping David’s shin. David just kicked more sand onto Mitchell. Mitchell shoved at him. “You are so annoying David!”

Mitchell and David pushed and shoved at each other around as Jade still sat in the sand next to the castle watching the boys roughhouse. She was still digging away but also was trying not to get hit from any sand the boys kicked at each other.

“Jade, we should go swimming now! Are you done with your castle?” David said after shoving Mitchell off of him. “You know we should get the boats out too.”

“Yeah I guess so,” Jade said putting down her shovel and getting up to get ready to go in the water. She just wanted to do whatever David and Mitchell did, no matter what it was.

“David! Battleship!” said Mitchell, finally brushing off the sand that was on him. “That’s what we’ll do!” He went to get his goggles and flippers from the beach bin that was sitting on the grass. “I’m going to be the sub! Wait, Tom needs to come too!”

“Tom won’t want to,” David said pushing a large green canoe into the lake. “Jade, come get in!”

“Why won’t he come swimming?” Jade asked David, crawling in between the seats of the canoe to find her place to sit.

“No, Tom needs to! He’s supposed to be having fun with us,” said Mitchell. “Jade you get him.”

“You get him!” Jade said with a scowl on her face as she got herself situated.

“David get Tom!” Mitchell demanded.

“Mitchell, you get him!” David replied not even looking up.

“I already have my flippers on so I can’t,” Mitchell argued putting his goggles on his face.

David sighed rolling his eyes at Mitchell then asked Jade if she could see if Tom will come swim with them. He told her they’ll secretly team up and get Mitchell when the game starts. Jade agreed and got up out of the canoe and ran up to the house looking for Tom. Tom was the big cousin, much older than the rest of them. He was 24 and lived far away from the rest of them but came back for the holidays and family events, such as camp. He enjoyed vacation as much as he could and hung out with the younger cousins all the time. He sat at the kids’ table for every meal, he played all their games, and always joked around with them. He never had other kids to play with when he was young during this vacation, being the only kid in the family until David came around, but he was 11 when that happened. Tom enjoyed the kids anyways. Tom also had a dog, a chocolate lab named Moose, which every one loved. Moose, ironically was quite small for a lab. Jade found Tom laying on a lounge chair in the sun and Moose sprawled out next to him. Jade ran up to them, still covered in sand.

“You need to come swim with us!” she said, as she jumped on top of him. Moose jumped up wagging her tail and put her nose in between Jade and Tom. Jade gave her a pat on the head and Moose licked her face.

Tom made an oomf noise as Jade landed on him, pushed Moose’s face away, and looked at Jade and asked, “What are you doing?”

“We’re playing Battleship! And you need to play too!” Jade told him excitedly.

“No I’m not swimming today,” Tom said shaking his head as he put his hat over his face.

“Why!” Jade asked grabbing at his hat.

“I don’t want to get wet.”

“But you’re wearing your bathing suit!”

“But I’m not going in the water.”

“That’s silly, you’re at camp and you’re supposed to go swimming.”

“Later Jade.”

“Please!”

“Nah.” Tom shook his head again and put his hat back on his face and folded his hands. Jade got off the lounge chair and pet Moose goodbye. She ran back to the beach and saw Mitchell was already in the water. David was standing in the canoe that was floating a little off shore filling up a squirt gun. “Hey!” She yelled out. “Tom won’t come swimming guys!”

“Lame!” David called out to the shore.

“Are you guys going swimming?” asked Jane, Jade’s mom. She reached her arms out to Jade for a hug. She was sitting in a beach chair, relaxing in the sun, but also playing lifeguard to the kids in the water.

“We’re playing a game,” Jade replied going to her mom. “But Tom won’t come.”

“Well you have fun with David and Mitchell. What are you playing?”

“Whatever the boys are,” Jade said now trying to get away.

“I think they’re playing that boat game.” said Aunt Ellen, Mitchell and David’s mom. She was sitting next to Jane in her beach chair, reading a book.

“It’s Battleship!” Jade said.

“Well put on your life jacket, I’ll help you if you can’t get the zipper” Jane said, with a little worry regarding this “Battleship” game.

“I don’t want to!” Jade complained. “David and Mitchell aren’t wearing theirs!”

“You’re going out in a boat. And you’re wearing it,” Jane said.

“Wear your life jacket Jade,” said Aunt Ellen. “The boys are silly anyway.”

Jade rolled her eyes but still put on her life jacket. It was yellow and red with a little Tweety Bird on it. After she got it on she really didn’t mid wearing it, she was just ready to finally go play with her cousins.

The rules to Battleship were simple. The people in the boats were to “attack” each other and the submarine. The submarine was to “attack” the boats from the water by swimming around them. The boats could only use their hands to paddle, no oars or paddles were allowed. Squirt guns of any sort were allowed for boats and submarines. That was it.

Jade ran into the water and swam out to David as he came back hand paddling the canoe towards her. He helped her crawl up and into the canoe and she sat herself in the front of the boat and David handed her a squirt gun, filled and ready to go. They paddled back out to the deep water. All of a sudden, the boat started rocking side to side. Mitchell popped up from the side of the canoe with a big splash to Jade’s face. Jade squirted Mitchell in the face with her squirt gun. Mitchell kept splashing Jade with one hand as he used the other to hold on the the side of the canoe.

“Get him J!” yelled David from the back of the canoe using his hands to splash Mitchell as well.

Mitchell kicked with his flippers to get his brother in the back of the boat. He ducked underwater and swam around. Jade refilled her squirt gun from on the side of the canoe, but still looking around for the submarine. To her surprise, the boat tipped upward as Mitchell had popped up at the back of the boat and pulled himself up putting all his weight at the end. He rocked the boat trying to get the back end to go under water. He put his legs on the side of the boat to pull the boat down, he looked like a koala hugging a tree branch upside down. Jade watched, smiling as David grabbed at Mitchell’s flipper, laughing at him. Jade laughed when David pulled Mitchell’s flipper off his foot and squirted her squirt gun at Mitchell. Mitchell let go of the boat, making it rock in the waves of the lake as he swam off, one flipper and all. He did one last kick with the foot that had a flipper on it, with the attempt to splash David. He missed.

The two boys and Jade continued splashing at each other for while. David would paddle the boat as Mitchell would pop up at different points splashing Jade in the face. She’d wipe her eyes so she could see and then spay him back with the squirt gun. Mitchell would pop up at other times to get his brother and David would then lean over the edge of the canoe to splash him back. Occasionally, a splash from behind Jade would happen as David purposely got her. Jade just used the squirt gun to get right back at him, an easy direct shot. The boat was pretty full of water at this point so Jade was just sitting in a pool of water. All of a sudden, a sudden jolt hit the canoe, Jade fell back and David actually fell out of the boat, as he was already leaning halfway out it from splashing at Mitchell.

“TOM’S HERE!” Mitchell yelled as he popped back up from David nearly falling on top of him.

Out of nowhere, Tom had appeared. Tom had taken out his own kayak and t-boned into the canoe. Immediately, the three kids knew what they had to do now that Tom finally came swimming with them. Mitchell swam to Tom and grabbed the end of the kayak and hoisted himself on the front of it. David swam towards Tom, holding the front of the canoe with Jade still sitting in it to take her with them. Jade had her squirt gun ready to spray Tom in the face. Tom just splashed his arms around with a small attempt to actually aim the water at any one of the kids coming towards him.

“Let’s sink his boat!” Mitchell lifted himself onto the edge Tom’s kayak, tipping it, filling it with water. David swam over and did the same thing next to Mitchell to make the kayak fill even more. Tom splashed David and Mitchell back a little bit but gave up and flopped himself into the water, allowing the kayak to flip upside down. Tom held his breath and went under water and swam around.

“Take over his kayak!” said David to Mitchell pointing at it. Mitchell swam to Tom’s kayak that was starting to float away. He lifted himself on it, still upside down, sat on it, and was ready to go.

“Where’s Tom!” Jade said from the canoe, refilling her squirt gun.

“AHHHH!” Tom popped up, splashed Jade in the face, and went under the water again. He swam to the edge of the canoe and with one heaving motion he came up from under the canoe pushing the bottom up. Before Jade knew it, she was in the water. Tom had flipped the canoe and Jade swam around the boat towards her cousins. The canoe was floating upside down and Tom began to crawl on top of it, but kept slipping and falling. Mitchell laughed and splashed Tom, still sitting on top of the upside down kayak. Tom splashed Mitchell back but swam away and was ready to get at David. David and Jade again teamed up and splashed at Tom together when he swam close. The four cousins continued splashing each other and swimming around in the water. From the shore, there was a voice calling for them all. It was Aunt Erica.

“SWEETIES! LOOK AT ME!!!” She yelled from the shore. Erica was Tom’s mom. She had a camera in her hand and waving her other hand to get the kids’ attention. “I NEED A PICTURE!”

“NO PICTURES MOM!” called Tom, and he ducked under water.

“I WON’T BE IN IT AUNT ERICA!” David taunted.

“I AM TAKING A PICTURE OF ALL FOUR OF YOU TOGETHER! MITCHELL DON’ T YOU PADDLE AWAY FROM ME! WHY DON’T YOU ALL GET ON TOP OF THE CANOE?” Erica directed.

“DAVID! MITCHELL! GET IN THE PICTURE!” Ellen yelled from her chair, not even looking up from her book.

“DAVID! MITCHELL! HELP JADE OUT!” Jane yelled.

David swam to grab the canoe that was still floating upside down and hoisted himself on top of it. Jade swam towards the edge of the canoe with Tom and he and David helped her up and get seated and keep her balance. Tom got himself up and sat and stuck his tongue out at the camera like a six year old being difficult. Mitchell hand paddled over towards the others and gave bunny ears to his to his brother. The four of then smiled for the camera in the distance. Little did they know there was a collection of pictures that were taken of them all while they were splashing around before. Once Erica took a few shots, she yelled “THANKS HUNNIES!” and went to put her camera away and sit in the sun with her sisters. Jane was still intently watching the kids in the water and Ellen still had her nose in her book.

The game out on the lake continued. The four of them now played on top of the upside down boats. It was quite easy for the submarines to get the people on the boats into the water since sitting on the flipped canoe and kayak was quite tippy and slippery. Tom even managed to stand up on it like a surfboard, it didn’t last very long since he slipped off the second Mitchell splashed water at his feet. The splashing and falling into the water lasted throughout the afternoon. Battleship slowly turned into the four of them trying to stand and balance on the flipped boats like surfboards. Jade tried it and managed to keep her balance. David told her not to move as he tried to sand on the canoe with her. It didn’t work as they both fell into the water as soon as David moved his leg. They all kept trying again and again and working together and eventually, all of them together were standing on the flipped canoe at once. It only lasted a few moments before the four of them lost their balance and fell back into the water.

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