Scrapyard Ship Read Online Free Page B

Jason had locked up in the shed.
    Jason stood up and went to the edge of the porch. “Hey! Get the hell off my property, you little shit. And don’t come back here again!” The little man paid no attention to Jason’s verbal onslaught and continued on his way. Tempted to give chase again, Jason remembered his tender feet.
    Nan looked at him for a second before commenting, “That's a bit hostile, don’t you think?”
    “Absolutely not… I chased that same guy out of here last night. He’s been sneaking into the yard, going into the shed… doing experiments.” Even before he had finished saying it, he realized how stupid that sounded.
    “Experiments? Huh! What kind of experiments?” Nan asked teasingly, without trying to hide her smile. “You mean he’s like some kind of reclusive scrapyard scientist?”
    “Ha ha, I don’t know what he is,” Jason replied, acting overly indignant, “but I’m thinking I should call the local cops; have an APB put out on the guy.”
    “Sure, if you think you need the help,” she said, now seeming to lose interest in the subject altogether. “Anyway, I should go. You guys have fun. Maybe between the two of you you’ll catch your man. Just be careful, try not to put Mollie in harm’s way, okay?”
    “Yeah, well I’m sure he’s harmless. By the looks of him, even Mollie could beat the stuffing out of him.”
    Nan’s cell phone started ringing to the song lyrics Boom Boom Pow . She fumbled with the phone, sending the caller to voice mail. “Mollie thinks it’s funny to sneak different ringtones onto my phone. But, hey— you got to love The Black Eyed Peas.” Nan got up and walked back into the house. Once in the kitchen she made a detour over to the fridge and took a peek inside. “Good God, Jason—what were you planning on feeding Mollie while she’s here?”
    Crap! Jason had forgotten to order groceries. It was on his list of things to do. Not being able to leave the property was inconvenient—not something he’d gotten used to yet. “I’m already on it,” he fibbed. “I’ll have groceries delivered later today. Um… what does Mollie like to eat these days?”
    Rolling her eyes, Nan shook her head in disbelief. “If you can wait a few hours I’ll try to drop some food by later on today. But you’re going to have to work out your food and supply needs—long-term.”
    Jason walked Nan out to her car. She yelled goodbye to Mollie and climbed in behind the wheel, giving him a quick smile as she backed down the driveway. Closing the gate, Jason felt more optimistic than he had any right to. At least Nan was talking to him again and that was a start. Back in the house, Mollie was sprawled out on the couch waiting for him.
    “Mom’s gone?”
    “Yep, it’s just you and me, amigo.”
    “What are we going to do now, Dad?” she said, scanning the family room. “You don’t have a TV or even a stereo?”
    “We’re going on a safari,” he said, in as serious a voice as he could muster.
    “Safari? Like a wild African safari? What are we hunting for?”
    “A hoodlum,” he said. “A wild scrapyard hoodlum.”
     
    * * *
     
    Jason brought along a small backpack, outfitted with a few necessities, including two water bottles, binoculars, a small tool kit, a knife, and his cellphone. They also brought along some makeshift walking sticks…ready to set off for the great unknown. Mollie was, as usual, a good sport and willing to make it a fun adventure. The scrapyard itself was massive, spreading hundreds of yards in every direction. Vehicles of all shapes and sizes had been dumped here since the early 1930’s—long before Jason was born. Even before old Gus was born. How Gus originally acquired the property, Jason had no idea. Mollie hadn’t visited the scrapyard since she was a small child, but just like him as a kid, she became captivated by this great accumulation of junk.
    “It’s kind of sad,” Mollie said, poking her walking stick at a ‘63