Page 25 of Tiki Hut Tragedy

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“I best be on my flopping.” Gunpowder handed her his sword. Adjusting his britches, the pirate hollered, “Thar she blows,” before cannonballing into the water.

Millie turned away in the nick of time to avoid getting a face full of water.

Gunpowder Gordon emerged, splashing and swimming around. He exited on the far side where Millie caught up with him and returned his sword.

The applause was as loud, if not louder than Ducky Dave’s. Having stolen the hearts of the judges, young Gunpowder received perfect tens across the board.

Danielle motioned to Millie. “How about a funny flop from our fantabulous cruise director Millie Armati?”

The crowd applauded loudly, chanting her name. “Millie, Millie, Millie.”

“Oh no.” Millie shook her head and began backing away from the edge of the pool. Wearing her Bermuda work shorts and crisp, collared pullover shirt, she wasn’t dressed for a dunk in the pool.

Reaching the end, she started to step off. Her foot slipped. With arms flailing, she desperatelytried to regain her balance and had almost succeeded. With a nudge to the left, she slid again.

Lifting her hands in the air, Millie cartwheeled into the pool, landing with a loud splash. Thankfully, she fell in the deep end. Down she went before popping back up, gasping for air.

She broke the surface to catcalls and roars of approval. Millie swam to the edge and hauled herself out of the water.

“Good job, Millie,” Danielle hooted. “What do the judges say?”

All flipped their sheets, giving her tens across the board.

“I swear I didn’t plan that, folks.” She placed a soggy arm around the pint-sized pirate. “This is the real winner.”

Danielle caught up with them, raising both of their hands, signaling a tie.

A couple emerged from the crowd, holding a rubber duck dressed as a pirate. They presented the pint-sized funny flopper with his new friend, “Captain Quacker.”

Danielle congratulated him and presented him with coupons for sweet treats at the specialty coffee shop.

Millie, still dripping wet, waited for the crowd to fade away.

“You did an Olympic-style cartwheel into the water.” Danielle handed her a clean towel. “It was impressive.”

“Thanks. I couldn’t repeat the move again in a million years even if I wanted to.” Millie dabbed at her face. “The contest was great. Falling in? Not so much.” She lifted her hand, giving Danielle a high five. “I love the twist on the belly flop. So did the passengers.”

“Gunpowder Gordon was adorable. I think we should add the contest to our rotation.”

“Absolutely.” Millie thanked her for hosting and plodded to the stairs. After a quick detour back home to change into dry clothes, she checked in with several of the other activities.

Passing by the Sky Chapel, she noticed the lights were on. Pastor Haakenson, the ship’s new pastor, had only recently arrived, having replaced Pastor Evans, who had retired in the spring.

Millie, thrilled to have the Sunday morning services up and running again, had been one of the first to welcome him. Although friendly, he struck her as somewhat of an introvert. When questioned, he confessed that he was struggling to adjust.

She knew exactly how he felt and had tried encouraging him. It was tough living on board a ship, leaving loved ones behind.

Noticing a flit of movement, she slipped into the sanctuary. Quiet, cool air greeted her. From the doorway, she glimpsed the lights on inside his office.

Millie made her way down the center aisle to his door. A quick check confirmed the pastor was there, seated at his desk with his back to her.

Not wanting to startle him, she cleared her throat.

Pastor Haakenson spun around. “Hello, Millie.”

“Hello, Pastor Haakenson.” She folded her hands. “I saw the lights were on and thought I would stop by to say hi. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“Not at all.” He smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I was answering some messages. I would offer you a cup of coffee, but my coffee maker suddenly stopped working.”