Inflatable Kayak Blog

(Candace Clayton is an author who’s written novels, poetry and other short stories. She was kind enough to write this fictional adventure series specifically for the Inflatable Kayak Blog about ‘The Traveling Man’, a kayaker who tells us tales about his youthful adventures with his buddies on the rivers where he grew up. We hope you are enjoying it!)

When last we met, we heard the tale of how The Traveling Man and his friend, John, rescued a young woman who had been turned into a snake because of her selfish ways. Let’s rejoin our Adventurous Duo and see where their travels take them next ….

Hello Friends!  Don’t’cha  just love this time of year? There is something about the Holiday Season that makes my heart swell with joy. Ain’t nothing I like better than seeing the happy faces of children waiting on that certain someone to bring them their heart’s desires.

This time of year was made for children. Why, it’s downright magical.  The lights, the trees, the candy, the presents… mostly though it’s the love we show one another. Something we tend to forget other times of the year. We get too busy, but at Christmas, people are more willing to help each other out.

Take my buddy, John, for example. He’s not the brightest or bravest man you’d ever meet, but under all his downright goofiness, he has a heart of pure gold. I remember back to one year we were traveling the rivers in Texas Hill Country. There was this little town, can’t remember the name, but it was full of good, solid folks.

The children in this town had worked all summer and saved all their quarters and dimes, to buy Christmas presents for the little ones in an orphanage a few hours away. John and I were going upstream in our trusty old canoe when we noticed the weather turning nasty. So, we stopped at this little town, got a couple hotel rooms and settled in to wait out the storm.

While we were eating some dinner at the local café, folks were talking about those kids giving up all their hard earned money to provide a happy Christmas morning for those orphans who didn’t have families and ensure their Holiday dreams came true. It was downright touching.

That night while I was cuddled under my quilts, the storm hit. Boy was it a doozy!  At first it was kinda pretty, the ice sparkling in the lights and all. Then, the power went out. Thankfully, this hotel was heated by wood burning stoves. So, we spent the night sleeping peacefully while Mother Nature wreaked havoc with the world outside.

Then next morning we woke up to a world of glittering white. Everything was covered in ice. There were trees and power lines down all over that little town. After a breakfast of cold sandwiches, John and I went  to check out the damage and lend a hand where needed.

We carefully stepped out onto the porch.

“Look at that.” John says.

Down in the middle of the street stood a huge crowd of folks.

“Well, let’s go check it out.” I says.

We slowly made our way down the sidewalk. As we got closer, we could hear bits of the conversation.

“Those kids need their Christmas.”

“It’s too dangerous to drive.”

“We can’t let them down, they are counting on us.”

“So who is gonna go then?”

By the time we had reached the outskirts of the crowd, we’d heard enough to figure out they were talking about the presents for those poor orphans. I thought John was standing next to me. Next thing I know, I hear his voice coming from the middle of the crowd.

“I’ll go.”

I’m standing there in near shock at John’s words. We didn’t have a car or a truck and if we had of, there was no way to get up that iced-over hill. I work my way to the middle of that crowd and face John.

“How you planning to get there?”

“Canoe.”

“What you mean, canoe? The river is too cold and probably frozen up in spots to boot. Ain’t no way you can get there.”

“That there canoe has a flat bottom. Gonna make a big snow shoe to fit it and pull it up that there hill.”

“What? That’s the craziest durn plan I ever…wait… that just might work.” I say. “No way you can pull that loaded down canoe uphill all by yourself.”

“I know.”

That John has always been a man of few words, but he can say a lot with his eyes. Anyhow, he gives me this look, and it pierces right through my heart.

“Oh, all right.” I sigh, “I’ll go with ya.”

(Come back tomorrow for Part 2 of The Traveling Man’s “Travelin’ Christmas” and see how he and John battle the elements in their effort to deliver gifts to the orphans with some ‘help’ from an unlikely source.)

The author, Candace Clayton, lives in Granbury, Texas with her Husband and family, spending as much time in the outdoors as she can.

(New Chapters of “The Traveling Man” series are published on a monthly basis here in the Inflatable Kayak Blog. Check back soon for another chapter or set your computer to receive our RSS feed and you’ll be informed automatically when the next part of the story will be posted.)