Day 178: 5 Minute Freewrite: Sunday - Prompt: sugar bowl

The following is a work of fiction, any likeness to any person living or dead is just a coincidence.

Attention @carrieallen, you might find this of interest.

A young wealthy heiress to a Southern California umbrella manufacturing fortune had rented a commuter helicopter for the day. Veteran pilot Walter Scribner was on duty that day and he was surprised when the young lady showed up in beach attire and carrying only a sugar bowl, she had no luggage at all. Good morning Mam, he said, will you be traveling alone? Well, yes she replied, it is just me and scooter she said holding up the sugar bowl as if expecting him to understand. Walter was used to some strange goings-on with the Southern California rich and famous crowd, but that kind of strange usually involved drugs or sex and he certainly hoped that this was the former rather than the later. Where to mam, I need to file a flight plan, asked Walter. Without hesitation and with tears forming in her eyes the girl said, "We need to go to Gilligan's Island...I...I...we need to lay scooter to rest!

Walter raised an eyebrow and started to raise his finger, he wanted to explain to her that Gilligan's Island was a fictional place, but seeing the tears now on her cheeks he thought better of it. Looking at the sugar bowl gave him an idea, I can take you there, he said, but it will be a long expensive flight. I don't care about that she replied, I'll make sure you get a generous tip if you will assist me when we get there. After agreeing they got settled in the copter and Walter began preparing for takeoff, the girl chose to sit up front beside him rather than ride alone in the back. Once in the air, Walter set a course in a general northwesterly direction. When they were at altitude he handed the girl some pilots headphones and indicated for her to put them on. I take it that scooter is in the bowl, he said? Yes, she replied, well, his ashes are. Scooter died two days ago and I had him cremated she continued. Was scooter a dog or cat or something asked Walter still curious. No, she smiled and looked over at him, Scooter was my pet water turtle. I found him while skinny dipping with friends at Disneyland after hours, let me tell you she said, there are some shocking sections of the "Pirates of the Carribean" attraction that visitors to the park never get to see! Looking over at her admiringly Walter said, yes, I guess that's true.

After a while, Walter started to slowly and ever so gently and almost imperceptively turn back toward the East. What happened to Scooter, Walter finally asked still a little curious. Apparently, he was diabetic replied the girl mater of factly. How do you know that he asked? He must have been she replied, all that I could get him to eat was sugar. Sugar he replied! Yes, she explained, I tried to feed him carrots and lettuce, mushrooms, artichokes, and all kinds of fruit but he would never touch any of it. Finally, I held out a spoonful of sugar and he ate every bite of it she intoned. But after a few days, I went to check on him and he was dead, diabetic shock for sure she said flatly. Walter took all of this in wordlessly, should he tell her that water turtles were carnivores? No, he decided, that would just make things worse and his job harder.

Straightening their course now due East Walter asked one final question that had been bothering him from the start. Why Gilligan's Island he asked? Why that was Scooters favorite TV show of course silly, he used to sit and watch it with me for hours she said. That explains a lot thought Walter, and he refrained from asking any more questions as he could see the Island coming into view. We will have to hurry he told her, this Island is a protected refuge. I know she replied, we don't want to be seen on the show, daddy would be furious and I would probably get grounded, she said. By now Walter was getting the picture and just agreed with her, this trip would go on record as an "Only in Holywood" type adventure.

With Scooter finally at rest in his hastily dug grave in the warm sand of "Sugarloaf Island," the two headed back home retracing their original flight path. This would go down as one of the strangest trips among all such strange trips Walter thought to himself on the way home.

I know this story to be a fact because before he passed away in 1975 Walter detailed the story to me and I have faithfully tried to record it here for your pleasure just as he told it, without any exaggeration or flair of my own. ;)

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**Disclaimer: I often use the freewrite prompt to tell a story instead of doing a pure freewrite, so they sometimes take longer than 5 minutes and usually have some editing. But I try to do my story straight through at one sitting without any unnecessary breaks.
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Over 20 Club Graphic by the ever so talented @fireawaymarmot and personalized for me by @snook
Old' Steem by the most wonderful @snook
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Prompt: sugar bowl

Set your timer for 5 minutes.
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