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@Jacqui
7.02am Sunday 29.07.2012
River Rats.
**
I am NOT a great morning person.**
There's some boisterous lads close by.
They're exited.
Laughing and yelling at eachother in another language.
I groggily look out my window.
**
Nothing.**
I look out down the river, there's a man on the bank yelling.
I can't see who or what he's yelling at.
It goes quiet.
I fall back into my bed.
My alarm goes off.
I've been cheated out of my last 10 minutes of sleep and hit snooze.
It is sunday afterall.
Then the laughter and loud talking suddenly begins again.
I ignore it.
They seem like they're right outside my window.
Impossible.
It would mean they're IN the river.
Suddenly there's a great crashing sound.
It sends me verticle.
WHAT WAS THAT?
I'm up.
I open my window.
Four big men are in a row boat and they've struck Miracle with the ore.
Guys! It's 7am.. I was sleeping!
Sorry miss, they call out.
My alarm goes.
I grumble, there's no way I'm going back to sleep now.
I get up and put the kettle on and open my curtains.
They're rowing by.
My angry glare follows them down the river.
It's only then that I notice the boat.
She's a beautiful red wooden row boat with a heart shaped stern.
**I know this boat.
It's not their boat. **
I climb out of Miracle and look down river.
There are no signs of life from the other boats.
There is no sign of the boat's owner being up.
**They've stolen her. **
I'm half alseep but quickly walk down the tow path to the owners boat.
I knock.
An equally sleepy head pokes out.
*I know *he says..
I caught them stealing her.
Oh. I'm confused.
*I told them they could use her. I didn't have a choice really, but I gave them permission becaue now they won't smash her up.
Oh, ok then. *
I trundle back home.
The kettles whistling.
I keep my doors open and watch the theives. They're zig zagging across the water and laughing loudly.
I sip my coffee and begin to feel human.
Sure enough, when I'm on my secoond cup of coffee they're coming back up the river toward the owners boat to return her.