The summer of 1943 is filled with adventure for two ten-year-old boys living at Union Lake. Jimmy spots a huge turtle basking in the sun at the fishing site, and he wants to catch it. He needs the assistance of his best friend, but Roger fears the ferocious bite of the turtle and the thought of losing a finger scares him. Finally Jimmy convinces him to help. Jimmy and Roger are excited about the opening day of fishing season and Roger bets a quarter with his brother on how many fish they'll catch. He also wants Jimmy's help to hunt for balls at the golf course. Jimmy caddies at the course and he knows they aren't allowed to look for balls, but Roger won't take no for an answer. At summer's end, the boys are catching frogs and they get chased from a canal that is posted, "NO TRESPASSING." JIMMY and the BIG TURTLE is a fun-filled romp with two boys who are discovering their universe.

Jimmy and the Big Turtle

By Jim Haskin

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 Jim Haskin
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4389-9760-5

Chapter One

June 1st, 1943

Jimmy was running late, he might miss the school bus. Yesterday the bus driver warned him he wasn't going to wait the next time he was late for the bus. Union Lake School was a mile away, a long walk for an almost ten-year-old boy. Jimmy was racing full speed with his head down; he raised his eyes to check on his progress. There were three more in line to board the bus, he might make it. Out of breath, with beads of sweat on his forehead, he skidded to a halt on the loose gravel as he reached for the handle to board the bus. The bus driver had his hand on the lever that closed the door. "Good work Jimmy, you just made it."

His friend Roger had saved him a seat, and he was laughing as Jimmy sat down.

"What takes you so long in the morning?"

Before Jimmy could catch his breath to answer the question, Roger started to laugh again, saying, "Where's your lunch? Did you forget your lunch?"

Jimmy shook his head; he had forgotten his lunch. What made it worse, it was Friday. On Friday his mother made his favorite sandwich, tuna fish. He sighed, thinking this wasn't going to be a good day. No lunch and he hadn't read the last two chapters of Little House on the Prairie. He hoped the teacher wouldn't call on him. "My sister Iris hogged the bathroom. Can I have half of your sandwich if my mother doesn't bring my lunch?"

"You can have half of my sandwich, but you don't like cheese."

"Thank you for sharing. My mother says that beggars can't be picky eaters." Jimmy smiled and slapped Roger on the shoulder. "Can you believe it? School will be out next week and fishing season opens the following Thursday. You're already ten, and I'll be ten in three weeks. We can take the boat out on our own." Last summer without the boat, Jimmy and Roger would wade in the water to a depth that was chest high and use their long bamboo poles to reach the edge of the drop-off. The small pan fish they caught swam on or near the drop-off where the weeds grew. Frequently their lines would get tangled there and the little bluegills would steal their worms. Roger wasn't five feet tall, and he complained that Jimmy always caught more fish because he was taller and could go farther out in the water. Roger gave Jimmy a serious look. "I bet my brother Ron a quarter we catch twenty-five fish on opening day." Ron was two years older and last year he took Roger and Jimmy fishing on opening day so they could use the boat.

Jimmy thought that a quarter was a big bet for Roger, as some weeks he didn't make a quarter. "That's a lot of fish; and they're hard to catch. We've never caught that many, and you might lose a quarter."

"We're older now, and this year we can use the boat. A friend gave my father a net and we can catch minnows off the dock. We can fish with minnows and worms. That's what Mr. Robinson does, and he always catches fish." Mr. Robinson was the best fisherman on Union Lake, and he caught big pike and bass. He threw back the little rock bass, sunfish, perch and blue gills that Jimmy and Roger caught.

The bus arrived at school, with only nine more days to go before summer break. It was hard to go to school when the sun was shining, and you wanted to go fishing.

Jimmy and Roger were the only ten-year-old boys in their immediate neighborhood. They lived a block apart and had been inseparable since Roger's family moved to Union Lake when he was in the third grade. Roger had two older sisters, a brother Ron who was two years older, and his brother Don was a year younger. The four boys played baseball and football together and if someone needed help they would work together. The other kids called Jimmy and Roger Mutt and Jeff. Jimmy was the biggest kid in the class and Roger was the smallest. Jimmy's sister Iris was three years older and his brother Hugh was five years his senior. Jimmy's family was tall, Hugh was fourteen and six foot-three inches tall, the same height as his dad, and Jimmy was the tallest boy in the school. Jimmy's father said more was expected from the bigger kids and he would have to act his height and not his age.

Jimmy's mother brought his lunch; it would have been better to go hungry. His mother and teacher were discussing his schoolwork, and that was always bad news. Jimmy did just enough to get by; he wasn't considered a good student. After lunch his eyes turned to the window and the bright sunshine. He imagined it was the opening day of fishing season. He could sense the gentle rocking of the boat and in his mind he could picture the red and white bobber bouncing on top of the water. Suddenly the bobber disappeared under the water as the fish took the bait. He pulled up, the tip of the bamboo pole was severely bent; it was a big fish, maybe a bass? The teacher called his name, but Jimmy didn't answer, he was busy catching the fish. "Wake up, Jimmy, and pay attention. I asked you a question about Little House on the Prairie."

The teacher's question startled him and he stammered, "I-I-I-I didn't feel well last night; I went to bed early."

"No more poor excuses. You can stay after school and do your homework. Walking home will be good for you. Not everyone will be promoted to the fifth grade. Those who can't keep up will repeat the fourth grade."

Mary and Sally were laughing. Mary whispered to Sally, "Jimmy's already the biggest kid in the class. He'll really be big for a fourth grader."

Sally snickered at Jimmy, saying, "You're not smart enough to stay out of trouble." Jimmy scowled. Sally didn't have that long pigtail anymore. In the third grade Jimmy got spanked for putting Sally's pigtail in the inkwell. But the schoolwork wasn't that hard. He would work harder and pass the fourth grade.

On his walk home Jimmy was planning his last days of school. "I'll do my homework first thing and have my sister Iris check it." Iris was smart and got good grades. He smiled, thinking, "I'm a good writer, and I'll do well on my book report." It was approaching five o'clock when Jimmy started up the driveway. His dog King ran to greet him. The dog jumped on Jimmy and wouldn't stop until the boy put his books down and hugged the dog. King was part collie, part husky and part of another breed that gave him his jet-black coat. An elderly woman who was unable to care for the dog gave him to Jimmy last year. Jimmy and King bonded quickly, and everywhere Jimmy went, King was at his heels. King was five years old and well trained. He was car smart and didn't chase cars or run on Union Lake Road when Jimmy went to the grocery store. The dog loved to play in the water, and liked being in the boat. He would rest under the seat at Jimmy's feet. Jimmy couldn't imagine life without King.

Chapter Two

Union Lake

Union Lake Village was located in Oakland County, Michigan. Oakland County was known for its many lakes, and Union Lake was one of its best. The lake had depths from very shallow on the eastern shore to a depth of 110 feet at the center of the lake. A drop-off was dangerously close to most of the shoreline where a swimmer could go from water neck high to well over their head in one stride. Swimmers who feared they were drowning in deep water could be rescued by someone who would reach out and pull the swimmer to safety three or four feet from where they were in trouble. There were areas on the south shore where a swimmer could dive off the bank into five feet of water. Because of the lake's depth, cool water, steep drop-offs, and under water caves, many fish and turtles grew to extraordinary sizes. The many cold water springs that fed the lake produced an overflow that was controlled by a small dam where water was released into a stream that ran to Long Lake. Unlike many of the surrounding lakes, Union Lake didn't lose water during the summer droughts.

The residents of Oakland County identified with the lake they lived on or near. Jimmy and Roger were from Union Lake, a schoolmate was from Round Lake, there were twin sisters from Lower Middle Straits Lake, and the kids from Westacres were from Middle Straits Lake. Most of their classmates at Union Lake School were from one lake or another. The lakes had access through privilege lots that were owned by the residents who lived near the lake, but not on the lake. Their ownership was recorded in their property deed and access to the privilege lots was limited to property owners. Union Lake Village was located between three lakes, Cooley Lake to the Northwest, Long Lake to Southwest, and Union Lake to the Southeast.

Long lake and Cooley Lake were shallow lakes half the size of Union Lake. They were choked with weeds and filling up with sediment and muck. Some residents living on Long Lake were unable to use the lake during the July and August dry season when the receding water level turned the two bays into muddy goo. It was a strange sight to see docks with no water beneath them and boats sitting on the mud with no access to the usable part of the lake. There was talk of pumping out Long Lake to remove the sediment. Most of the homes on the three lakes were summer cottages that were owned by people from Detroit or Highland Park. The population of Union Lake more than doubled in the summer months when the cottages were occupied.

Union Lake Village had two small grocery stores and a gas station. The Great War (World War II) had changed life at Union Lake. The adults were busy working in the defense factories in nearby Pontiac and had little time for fishing and boating. Everything Jimmy's family needed was rationed, from gasoline and tires, to food and sugar. His mother needed coupons to buy the rationed items, and the school boards were responsible for issuing the coupons. Jimmy's mother picked her coupons up once a month at Union Lake School. If a family ran out of coupons for sugar toward the end of the month, they had to wait until the next month before they could purchase more. The federal government had imposed a thirty-five-mile-an-hour speed limit on all roads to conserve gasoline. The reduced speed limit added thirty minutes to Jimmy's father's commute time to Detroit. His father carpooled with four other men to conserve gasoline and wear and tear on their tires and cars. The speed limit and gasoline rationing also discouraged the people from Detroit who owned cottages on the lakes from taking frequent trips. Many families didn't use their cottages until the Fourth of July holiday.

Most of the boys and some of the girls graduating from high school joined the Army or Navy. Two boys from Cedar Island Lake, a small community two miles from Union Lake, had been killed fighting in North Africa. It seemed like every home and store had an American flag prominently displayed. The war began when Jimmy was eight, and he had few memories of life before the war.

Jimmy and Roger had a summer friend, Jerry, who was a year older and lived in Detroit. Jerry's family had a cottage on Union Lake next to the privilege lot. The privilege lot was on the south end of a small bay where the boys would fish and swim. Across the bay was the fishing site. The site was owned and managed by the State of Michigan. Unlike the local privilege lots, the place offered public access to Union Lake and fishermen used the site to launch their boats.

Jimmy and his friends would row for hours exploring Union Lake, and dropping the anchor to see how deep the water was. They used three fifty-foot ropes to reach the bottom in the middle of the lake. Just last summer they saw a giant Leatherback Turtle swimming on the bottom near the drop-off. Union lake had many Leatherback Turtles and they were good-sized, but this one looked as big as a wash tub. You could spot the Leatherback Turtles by their pointed noses when they came up for air. The Leatherbacks were powerful swimmers with large front and rear flippers and a strong bite. They were fast swimmers and their flipper-like legs were equipped with sharp claws.

Last summer Jimmy caught a seven-inch Leatherback Turtle on his fishing pole. He tried to remove the hook but the turtle bit him on his index finger causing the finger to bleed. His brother donned leather gloves and removed the hook. They released the turtle back into the lake. Jimmy mentioned the incident to Mr. Marohn, and he said the big turtles had been there since he was a small boy. "In Union Lake, everything grows bigger in the cooler water, and most people that use the lake have never seen a big Leatherback Turtle up close or caught one of those large Northern Pikes. Years ago my uncle caught a Northern Pike that was forty-two inches long. He said he was fishing in eighty feet of water. I don't know if anybody keeps records on who has caught the biggest fish, but that was the biggest pike I've ever seen. A big Northern Pike speared in the winter or caught in the summer is three feet or smaller."

Union Lake was a wonderful place to grow up. Each resident knew everyone else, and there was always something to do. In the summer, one could go swimming, play baseball and go fishing and in the winter, sledding, ice-skating and hockey were common pastimes. Union Lake froze over in the winter, and the fishermen used the fishing site to drive their cars on the lake. They cut holes in the ice and either fished for or speared Northern Pike and large bass. Some of the pikes were three feet long, the biggest fish Jimmy had ever seen. Some fishermen had ice shanties with wood-burning stoves to stay warm while they fished. It was quite a sight to see four or five cars parked on the lake and smoke rising from the chimneys of the ice shanties on a clear sunny day. Mr. Robinson had an ice shanty, and he would spear bass and pike in the winter. He would dangle an artificial lure three to four feet under water, and spear the fish as it struck the lure. The fish were set on the ice outside the shanty and Roger and Jimmy would marvel at their size.

Jimmy was bigger and stronger than he was last summer. He had earned $4.75 raking lawns and doing yard work for the older people that lived in the neighborhood. Being ten made a difference, and this summer he could caddy at the golf course, mow lawns and clean garages.

Chapter Three

School's Out

School was out, and Jimmy and Roger were promoted to the fifth grade. Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief; it was the second time in three years the teacher threatened to hold him back. Jimmy and his brother Hugh were helping their father dig a new drainage field for the septic tank. They were completing the sixth long trench across the yard. The sandy soil made the digging easier than expected, and they were almost finished by lunch. After lunch, Roger came over; it was time to get ready for the opening day of fishing season. There was less than ten feet of digging left, and Jimmy's brother and a friend said they would finish the task.

Jimmy and Roger were serious fishermen, and it was time to check the contents of the tackle box. Needed were a package of mixed hooks and a package of sinkers. The spool of line was depleted and they needed new bobbers. If they caught twenty-five fish, another fish stringer would be handy, as a stringer held fifteen fish. If there were any money left, they would buy a fish scaler. Cleaning twenty-five fish would be a chore, and it was difficult to scale the fish with a knife. The last item on the list was the bamboo poles. The tip of the pole had to be just right; it was the key to catching fish. Bamboo poles were seven to eight feet long, and cost $1.25 each. The flexible tip was thirty inches, and if the tip got broken, the fisherman had to replace the pole.

As they turned to leave the garage, Jimmy's eye caught a glimpse of his brother's casting rod and reel. The rod brought back a bad memory from last year. Mr. Robinson and Jimmy's brother fished with a casting rod and reel. They used artificial lures (plugs that wiggled in the water with two sets of hooks). His brother Hugh got a new casting rod and reel in November for his thirteenth birthday. The following April he was practicing on the front lawn, casting a plug at a round circle on the ground. Before his brother went in the house he warned Jimmy not to touch the rod that he left standing against the tree. Jimmy watched his brother disappear into the house and he was anxious to try the new rod. He had to be quick; his brother would smack him if he caught him with the new rod. Jimmy picked up the rod, thinking casting couldn't be that hard. He reared back and gave a mighty cast, but nothing happened; the line didn't go out. He remembered his brother doing something with a button on the side of the reel before he cast. He found the button on the side of the reel and released it. The line was free to move and he reared back with arms extended and cast the plug high in the air. Unfortunately his direction was off and the plug landed on the roof of the house. He gave the line a tug, but the hooks were firmly embedded in the shingle. He started to panic, remembering that his brother told him not to touch the rod. A quick jerk of the rod didn't help. He reeled some of the line in and jerked with all his strength. Without warning, the plug released from the shingle and flew back over his head. His heart was racing and he experienced a sense of relief. The happiness was short-lived when the plug flew back to the rod and hooked him in the back of the head. "Ouch!" That hurt. Jimmy could feel the plug with his hand, but the hooks were buried in the nape of his neck. After several efforts to remove the plug he started to cry. His neck hurt, and he didn't know what to do. "I'm in big trouble," he thought, and he screamed for help.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Jimmy and the Big Turtleby Jim Haskin Copyright © 2009 by Jim Haskin. Excerpted by permission.
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