Dustin had won a free plane ticket for two people to go to Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles for the weekend, but he couldn’t go because he had an important job interview. So he pulled his foster brother aside while he was playing video games on his Playstation.
“Hey guys, I got something here for you” Dustin said to him, as he was playing a video game with his cousin Peter in the living room. “I won two free airline tickets to Bonaire, which is a Dutch island in the southern tip of the Caribbean. It is located just east of Aruba and Curacao and a few hundred miles north of Venezuela. You guys want to go down there? You can go fishing, diving and swimming while you’re on break from school!” Peter and Ty glanced at each other and smiled. “Let’s go for it!” Ty said out loud. The two teens packed their bags; they were both very excited about going. And Dustin was relieved to get them out of the house for a few days so he could have the place to himself and enjoy the peace and tranquility.
Bonaire was almost a three-hour long flight from Miami, taking the boys to the Flamingo International Airport. They were greeted by a large banner, hanging from the entrance to the airport terminal, which said “Bon Bini Na Bonaire (Welcome To Bonaire)”. There they took a taxi to the hotel, which was located by the white sanded beach on the southern coast of the island. During their first evening there, they decided to eat at the seafood restaurant in the hotel. They received a tourist’s guide to the island, and they wondered what they would want to do during their weekend over there.
Ty found out that the hotel had a casino, and he was immediately interested in going there and to try to win some cash! He wasn’t about to leave the island empty-handed, and he wanted to take every opportunity to earn some money! He also wanted to go scuba diving, and signed up for going on a dive. Peter just wanted to hang out at the beach and maybe catch some fish, so the two decided what they wanted to do the following day.
Peter got up early; he grabbed his fishing gear, put on his Speedo, and went to the end of the long pier that was in front of the hotel. He sat there for a few hours, waiting to catch some fish. Several people walked by and greeted him, including those who arrived at the pier in some kind of sailboat or speedboat. At one point, a Sea-Doo water bike pulled up, with one girl sitting on it. She tied the small watercraft to the hook at the outer edge of the pier and climbed on to the pier. She was tall, skinny and had brown skin and short black hair. She looked at Peter and winked at him. “Konta” she said, which meant “Hello” in Papiamento, which is the local language spoken there. Then she walked off towards the hotel, but Peter could tell that she liked him. Then he focused on his fishing line, as he finally caught a small fish.
Ty went to the pier where the glass-bottom boat was waiting. There were several people wearing diving suits, and Ty was offered to try one on. He met another teen named Wancho, who was a local boy and about Ty’s age! He was also about to experience his first dive, and Ty and Wancho became friends right away! Ty had given Ronaldo a hundred Dollar bill, but he did not have change. Ronaldo was the tour guide and didn’t have fifty dollars, so he promised Ty he would give him the money later. In the meantime, the glass-bottom boat navigated towards the deep end of the bay near a corral reef, and Wancho and Ty were instructed to put on their masks and to jump in the water so they could start their dive.
Several hours had passed by, and Peter decided to go for a stroll on the beach. He walked by a small snack bar, where he sat down on one of the bar stools and ordered some juice to drink. That’s when this girl sat down next to him, tapping him on his shoulder. “Hey, how are you?” she said to Peter, as he was drinking his O.J. “Hi, I’m fine! Didn’t I see you at the pier earlier today?” Peter wondered out loud. “Yes, my name is Sandra, What’s yours?” she asked him. “I’m Peter! I’m just visiting here, together with my cousin Ty” he responded. “Why don’t you come with me, we’ll go for a walk on the beach?” she asked him. He couldn’t resist, and Peter and Sandra walked towards the beach.
Wancho dove down towards the ocean floor where there was an old wreckage of a cargo ship. He signaled for Ty, who was swimming right behind him. Ty was wearing a black diving suit with red fins and goggles, while Wancho was wearing blue fins. They swam around the edges of the old cargo ship, taking pictures with a special underwater camera. Then Wancho signaled for Ty to follow him into the cabin on the old ship, and the two explored the deck and the cabin. They swam around, having a great time exploring the old wreckage. For Ty, it was like a great adventure, and this was the very first time he could go diving! But little did he realize that a small shark was watching the two teens from a distance.
Peter and Sandra were walking on the beach, strolling through the sandy part of the beach until they came up to the pier where Sandra had kept her water scooter. “Do you want to go for a ride on my jet ski?” she asked Peter. Peter nodded, and she led him to the small watercraft. She got on first, and Peter sat behind her, holding on to her sides, as she turned on the engine, untied the rope, and accelerated the powerful jet impeller engine. Reaching a speed up to 45 miles per hour, the small watercraft was racing from one end of the beach to the other, with Peter and Sandra on it. Peter had a blast, since he had never done this before. After several moments of speeding over the water, Sandra steered the small watercraft towards the shore and parked it on the sand. Just when Peter had jumped off the small boat, a tall, skinny teenager walked up to him, pointing his finger at him in anger.
Wancho was swimming to the other side of the ship when he saw the shark coming towards him. He swam back up to the top of the hull and floated back inside of the cabin, which was on the main deck. For awhile he didn’t see the shark, and wondered where Ty was at that moment. Suddenly he felt a cold chill down his spine, as he turned around and saw the shark staring him in the face. He stopped swimming, as he was overcome with great fear! He wondered where Ty was, as he stared at the shark, who was circling the cabin. He wondered if he could get out of the wreckage alive! Was the shark looking for him, or for Ty?
“Hey, who are you? You are riding with my girl! Get away from her!” the teen shouted at Peter, who was wondering what this was all about. “Hey Eddie, I invited to take him for a ride! Quit being so jealous and leave us alone!” Sandra shouted right back. Obviously Eddie was her ex-boyfriend, and he didn’t like it at all that Sandra was spending time with Peter. “Did I do something wrong?” Peter asked Sandra. “No, he’s just jealous. He’s not my boyfriend anymore, but he still hasn’t gotten over me yet” she responded. But Eddie became very angry and started to yell at her, to the point where he pushed her. “Hey, leave her alone!” Peter said, when Eddie turned to him and started walking up to Peter like he was about to push him in the water. Since they were standing at the edge of the water, Eddie grabbed Peter and pushed him into the crashing waves on the beach. Peter had bumped his head slightly on the sand, and slowly got up, placing his hand on the small bump on the back of his head.
Ty began to feel scared. Here he was scuba diving on an island in the Caribbean. He was all alone and he began to wonder where Wancho had gone. He swam around the hull of the wreckage and he didn’t see him. It made him nervous; he closed his eyes and concentrated. Using his powers underwater, he suddenly saw Wancho in a vision. He was on the deck, but he looked absolutely frightened! Unfortunately, Ty was not aware of the shark, which was circling the cabin. He swam back to the deck where he saw Wancho. He smiled as he waved at him, but Wancho pointed with his finger at something overhead. Ty looked up and suddenly saw the shark swimming close to them! What was he going to do now?
“Are you alright?” Sandra shouted at Peter, as she ran up to him, helping him on his feet, as they both walked out of the water onto the beach together. This drove Eddie nuts, as he ran towards Peter, screaming at the top of his lungs! This time, Peter was not going to let him get to him, and unleashed his power. Eddie saw his body slowly shrink from the height of 6 feet, to 5 feet, and down to 4 feet. Peter allowed his Speedo to shrink along, and when he was 3 feet tall, he stopped running and looked at himself, since it now dawned at him that he had shrunk to half his height! “Huh? Oh my God! What is happening to me?” he screamed, as he continued to shrink. Sandra gasped in amazement, as she witnessed her former boyfriend slowly shrinking in size. Peter just stared at him with a serious look on his face, realizing that he was taking a big risk by using his powers on the beach, for all to see. But he had to get rid of this crazy teenager, and decided to shrink him down to size.
Ty realized that he needed to be able to swim much faster than this! He took a deep breath, and his legs fused together to form one large, green fin! He had transformed himself into a merman, casting off the suit and the oxygen tank, as he no longer needed them! He became a merman right before Wancho’s eyes! Ty swam with awesome power to the deck and grabbed a metal rod that was laying on the surface of the deck. He poked the end of the rod at the shark, and began to scare him away! Wancho was completely amazed, since he looked over and saw Ty’s wetsuit and oxygen tank on the ocean floor! The shark swam away, but just when Ty wasn’t looking, it turned back and swam straight towards Wancho! It came straight at him, and Wancho ducked out of his way. Unfortunately, the shark knocked his oxygen tank lose, and Wancho was left without air! Ty had to think fast in order to prevent Wancho from drowning!!
“What are you doing to me? Stop it! Please, stop this! I’m getting smaller and smaller!!!” Eddie screamed, while his voice became softer and softer. He was now only a foot tall, and he was going crazy. Sandra stood next to Peter and realized that he had caused Eddie to shrink in size. “Peter, what are you doing? Please stop! Look at him! He’s tiny!! He looks like a dwarf!” she pleaded, as she grabbed Peter by the shoulders. “Please, change him back!” she begged him. “Alright” Peter said calmly, “but Eddie must leave us alone from now on!” Peter walked closer to Eddie and towered over him, as Eddie was running around in circles, screaming at the top of his lungs. When Peter came closer to him he got scared, and begged for Peter to change him back. Peter just stood there, five feet taller than him, as he slowly turned around and walked towards Sandra. While Sandra and Peter walked off and continued to walk towards the snack bar, Eddie suddenly found himself growing back to his original size. “Who is this guy? Some kind of magician?” Eddie wondered out loud.
Wancho turned pale as he began to choke, reaching for his neck! Ty turned around and saw Wancho losing consciousness, but he was trying to watch out for the shark! He had to act fast in order to save Wancho’s life, and he immediately wished for Wancho to become a strong merman as well! Wancho’s legs fused together and grew more muscular, ripping the wetsuit in half. The entire suit came off as he immediately transformed into a strong, muscular merman. He suddenly came alive again, no longer needing the air from the oxygen tank to breathe! Wow! He realized that Ty had some kind of awesome power, but he did not have time to thank him, for Ty was caught in the middle of a battle between him and a shark!
When Peter and Sandra returned to the bar, Peter offered her a soda, as he got another juice. They talked for awhile and got to know each other better, as they strolled down the shore with their drinks in hand. Then they went for a swim together, close to where the pier was located. When the sunset came, they were holding hands as they stood on the shore. Sandra and Peter came very close to kissing each other, when Eddie came running at them from the hotel.
Since they were now both mermen, Ty and Wancho were able to talk to each other while underwater! “Wancho!” Ty yelled at him. “Stay behind me while I get rid of the pesky shark!” Ty wished for the metal rod to turn into a giant eel, as he got closer and closer to the shark. Then he ordered the eel to swim right up to the shark, and it sent an electrical shock to the shark, scaring it away! The shark swam away and never came back, and the eel stayed with Ty, protecting the boys in case the shark decided to come back. “That was awesome!!” Wancho shouted, as Ty and Wancho gave each other a high-five in the water. “How did you do that? And what did you do to me? I can breathe underwater??” Wancho wondered, as he was examining his body. “Yes, I transformed you into a merman! You don’t need a tank or a wetsuit now! You can breathe just like a fish!” Ty exclaimed, as Wancho dropped his jaw in amazement.
“Sandra, you’re mine! I love you! I can’t see this!” he shouted. Peter groaned, as he wanted to be left alone. “Sandra, if you would rather spend time with Eddie, then please don’t let me stop you…” Peter began, when she interrupted him. “Peter, I don’t love him anymore! I think I’m beginning to like you, though! He just needs to get over me!” Peter looked her in the eyes, as she rubbed his shoulders with her fingers. “Wow, you’re such a cool guy. You got muscles, magic, and money. You’re a complete package, aren’t you?” she said, looking up to Peter’s blue eyes. Both of them smiled, as they sensed that they had become more attracted to each other.
Ty and Wancho started to play tag in the water, now that the shark was gone. They had fun, swimming after each other using their mighty fins! Wancho could not believe it, he felt like he was living in a dream! The two teens continued to swim around the bay until they were completely exhausted! Then they went back to the surface, where Ty quickly wished them back to normal, wearing their restored wetsuits! They finally met up with the other divers, and they were pulled back onto the glass-bottom boat. Everyone talked about their diving experiences, but Ty and Wancho kept quiet, for they knew that no one was going to believe them!
“Let me get rid of Eddie…” Peter said, as he turned towards Eddie. Eddie was shouting things at Sandra, when Peter concentrated on him, taking over his mind and his body. Suddenly Eddie turned around and started running towards the pier, screaming things at Sandra as he was running. Obviously, he was running against his own will, as Peter concentrated as he looked on. He made Eddie run all the way up to the pier and to run off the edge, falling into the water. Then he stopped making Eddie run, for he didn’t want Eddie to drown. Since it would take several minutes for Eddie to swim back, Peter turned back to Sandra, as he looked down at her big, brown eyes. He felt like he was in love.
Ty and Wancho finally made it back to the hotel, when they decided to head towards the casino. The bouncer at the door refused to let them in, so they walked to the men’s restroom. Ty told Wancho that he was going to grow a few years older now, until he looked about eighteen years old. Ty did the same for himself, and both teenagers grew bigger and taller, until they looked like they were young men, around eighteen or nineteen years old. The bouncer let the young men in this time, not realizing that they were the same as the two teens who walked by just moments before. Ty told Wancho to stay with him and not to say a word, as he tried the slot machine and won some change at every try. He played poker at the table and won easily, since he was able to control the dice and he knew all the cards of the other players! Ty ended up with a certificate for over $800, which he had to cash at the cashier. When he got there, they only gave him $600. Then Ty realized he was being shortchanged, he complained, and the cashier told him he had to talk to Ronaldo! That was the same person who owed him $50 from the diving trip! Ty and Wancho proceeded to Ronaldo’s office.
Eddie finally made it out of the water, and slowly walked up to Sandra and Peter, as they were admiring the sunset while standing next to each other on the beach. “I’m so happy I have met you, Sandra! You’re absolutely beautiful…” he said to her softly, as he gently rested his arms on her shoulders. “You too, Peter… You’re so handsome… We should stay in touch, even after you have gone back home! You’re so special, so strong…” she said, wrapping her arms around Peter’s neck, and pulling him closer towards her, until their lips met. Then gave each other a gentle kiss, as both of them closed their eyes at the moment their lips touched. And Eddie just stood there, watching them kiss each other. He realized that Peter possessed some strange power, a power that he could not match. He turned around talking to himself. It was over, and he couldn’t stand up to Peter. He became sad, as he walked home.
When Ty and Wancho arrived at the office, they were told that Ronaldo wasn’t in! But Ty was not easily fooled; he turned to the bouncer and ordered him to tell him where Ronaldo was hiding! “I can’t tell you… in the restaurant… hey!” the bouncer responded, as Ty took control of him. The two young men marched on to the restaurant, where Ty concentrated, making Ronaldo come outside. “You still owe me $50 for the diving trip and now $200 from the casino! I came to get my money!” Ty demanded, as Ronaldo and the bouncer looked at each other. Ronaldo turned to the bouncer and said something in Papiamento, the Creole language that Ty could not understand. Ty looked at Wancho and telepathically asked him if he knew Papiamento, and he said yes. Then he concentrated on the language that Wancho knew, so that he could now understand what they were saying. Ronaldo looked at Gilberto, the bouncer. “Dikon b’a trese e turistanan akinan? (Why did you bring the tourists here?)” he asked. “Mi no sa (I don’t know)” Gilberto answered, “Mi a sinti algo stranyo den mi kabes ku mi no por a nenga, algo a forsami pa mi trese nan te akinan pa bo! (I felt something strange in my head that I just couldn’t ignore; something forced me to bring them here to you!)”. Ty had heard enough. “Abo ta ladron! Me ke pa bo dunami mi sen aworaki! (You’re a thief! I want you to give me my money right now!)” Ty shouted at Ronaldo in Papiamento, completely blowing everyone away! Nobody expected the American tourist to understand the language and they were astonished that he was able to speak it so well! Ronaldo realized that there was no way he could fool Ty, and he went to the cash register and paid him the remaining $250. Wancho and Ty grinned, they had everything they needed. Ty gave the money to Wancho as a big tip, and two laughed, as they walked back to the hotel lobby. Ty age regressed himself and Wancho back into the 15 year-old teenagers, and they decided to wait for Peter there.
The last rays of the sun were slowly disappearing from over the horizon as Peter and Sandra sat on the edge of the pier, looking out across the big, blue southern Caribbean ocean. “I will miss you after you leave tomorrow, Peter! I will never forget you!” Sandra said, as tears rolled from her eyes. “Don’t worry, we’ll stay in touch. I got your email, so we can write and chat online! I’ll send you a cool photo of me, alright?” Peter whispered back. “I had an incredible time, I’m just really sorry about Eddie…” she said. “Don’t worry, he won’t bug you again. And I’ll be back before you know it!” Peter responded. “Well, I’m moving to Miami next year, to go to school. So maybe we can see each other then?” she asked him. Peter didn’t answer her; he gently turned towards her and kissed her on her cheek. Somehow, she could hear Peter’s voice in her mind, as he telepathically answered her. “From time to time I will see to it that you’ll hear my voice… and we will certainly see each other again, very soon!” he responded. After that, they got up, and walked towards the hotel lobby, where Ty and Wancho were waiting.
Ty introduced Peter to Wancho, and Ty got to meet Sandra! The four of them went to the restaurant for soup and salad, as they exchanged e-mail addresses and phone numbers. They promised one another to keep in touch, and they thanked each other for the incredible time they got to spend while getting to know one another.
Saying goodbye was hard for Peter. Luckily, Sandra made it to the Flamingo International Airport, where she got some breakfast with Peter. She got to meet Ty as well, and she expressed how happy she was to have met Peter. Wancho also showed up, and Sandra and Wancho said their final goodbyes, before Peter and Ty boarded the airplane.
Ty and Peter were extremely grateful to Dustin for the awesome weekend they just enjoyed in Bonaire, and they treasured the awesome friendships they had gotten out of the trip. And as the airplane finally took off from Flamingo International Airport and headed north, Peter and Ty could not help but wonder when they would see Wancho and Sandra again.