The Best Dream
By Cathy Windham
3/20/14
Sun shines like gold upon her hair and sparkling tendrils blow across a freckled brow
as she digs in the sand at the shore line.
Montgomery crouches low and she discovers a shark tooth.
Washing away the sand in the next wave, unveils a perfect specimen. She holds it up to the sunlight.
Serrated edges and a sharp point at one end.
It's a big one. Wondering how old it is or how big the shark was that lost it makes her mind spin. In a way it's frightening. What if he were to come back and claim his tooth?
She runs to safety and squeals in delight with the treasure. "Mom, look what I found!"
Keckley examines it with a serious look on her face. "I do declare, Montgomery, this is a real fossil!" "Why, I just think this might be the biggest one I've ever seen!" "Really?", Montgomery said. "Maybe it needs to go to a museum or something!", she said.
That night as she lay in bed with the shark tooth under her pillow, Montgomery started thinking about the life of that shark. She loved all animals. Her thoughts turned to dreams.
Chapter 2
"I'll call him Sleek!", mother shark said.
He swims with such ease so soon after his birth.
Mother shark watched him closely. She was so proud of her first born.
Instinctively he knew how to avoid harm. Yet he was feared by all the other young fish in the cove. He tried to be nice to them yet they bubbled their shock and swam quickly for cover. Sadly Sleek managed to do things on his own. He did not understand why no one liked his company.
He grew quickly and soon found himself leaving the security of the quiet cove where he was born. He explored many places off the coast of Ponte Vedra, FL. He made his way into the depths of the ocean looking for adventure. There must be a fishing tournament. Schools of kingfish darted in all directions avoiding large hooks tethered to the boats he could see. He was so hungry but knew he was in dangerous waters. Yet, he could not resist the fresh bait odor tempting him. Maybe if I'm careful I can get that bait and not get caught.
Sleek lunged at the large hunk of bait. His mouth caught the hook right behind his tooth. Immediately he jerked at the line and thrashed in the current to free himself.
He could feel the line getting tight. He dove deep. Searing pain tore at his mouth. Then suddenly he was free!
"Whew, that was too close!" Then he realized he had pulled out his tooth trying to get free.
He did not worry about it because he had many more that would take it's place.
The tooth floated free and down to the bottom of the ocean floor. There it sat for many, many years. It was washed along with the tides. It rolled in the turbulent sand during storms. It settled along a rocky edge of the jetty.
One night a powerful hurricane churned the ocean floor and carried the tooth miles from where Sleek had lost it so long ago.
Chapter 3
"That was the best dream, mom. Let me tell you all about it!", Montgomery said climbing up into her mothers arms.
The End
