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Nancy L.M. Russell |
Farewell to the Ferryboats Toronto: Nelson Canada, 1998, 72 p. ISBN: 0-17-607443-0 $9.95 Awards: First Prize, L.M. Montgomery Children’s Literature Competition, P.E.I. Literary Awards, 1997. Ten-year-old Cameron McIntosh dreams of working on the ferries that take travellers across the Northumberland Strait from New Brunswick to his home on Prince Edward Island. His grandfather, father and brother all work for the ferry system. But Cameron’s dream is shattered when the new Confederation Bridge is built and the giant ships are dry-docked. Cameron swears he will never cross the bridge and searches for his own way to keep the great old boats alive. |
© Nancy Russell 1998 All rights reserved. Used with the permission of Nelson Canada. No part of this work may be reproduced in any way without prior written permission from the publisher. Cover illustration: Michael Dixon |
Excerpt from Farewell to the Ferryboats That weekend, Cameron and his father packed up the minivan and slowly crossed town towards the bridge. It was the moment that Cameron had been dreading. He clutched the door handle of the minivan as they drove onto the ramp leading to the Confederation Bridge. "I feel like a traitor," Cameron said to his father, keeping his eyes straight ahead of him as their vehicle picked up speed. The long stretch of road loomed before them, rising ever so slightly into the winter sky. The grey concrete railing raced by alongside the vehicle. It was too high to see over and Cameron longed for the familiar sight of the ocean now below them. The bridge was narrow too--just one lane in each direction. "Why are you a traitor, Cameron?" his father replied. "You didn't take away my job. It just happened." Cameron suddenly realized that losing the ferry meant something very different to his father. While Cameron missed the wondrous sights and sounds of the mighty boats, his father had lost much more. "Do you miss them, Dad?" Cameron asked, quietly. "Aye, every day," his father answered. "I worked on those boats for so many year, it's like they were part of me. I walk around town these days and find only solid ground underneath my feet, not the rolling swells of the ocean." "I miss the rhythm of the boats, coming and going, marking the hours and days and season," his father continued. "Those ferries carried us safely every day of our lives and it's like I'm no one without them," Dave McIntosh said sadly. As he finished, the minivan slowly glided onto the down ramp and off the bridge. Cameron caught his breath as he realized how effortlessly they had crossed the Strait. |