The Adventures of Marcus & Nelson: At the Swimming Pool

Marcus Harris was bubbling with excitement. It was Saturday morning, and his mum was taking him to the local swimming pool. He loved splashing about, practicing his kicks, and pretending he was a pirate captain sailing the seven seas.

Marcus, with his bright red curly hair and freckles, pulled on his blue swimming trunks with yellow stripes. He tucked his towel under his arm and grabbed his goggles. “Ready to go, Nelson?” he asked.

Nelson, his cheeky blue-green glass eye, gave a sparkle. Marcus narrowed his good green eye suspiciously. “No tricks today, alright? The pool is for swimming, not for mischief!”

But of course, Nelson had other ideas.

The pool was busy, filled with families splashing, children practicing front crawl, and a lifeguard blowing his whistle every few minutes. Marcus jumped into the shallow end with a splash! Cool water washed over his hair as he came up grinning.

For a while, things went smoothly. Marcus practiced floating on his back, kicking across the pool, and diving for a plastic ring. Nelson stayed put, behaving better than Marcus had expected.

But as Marcus climbed up the ladder and adjusted his goggles, Nelson popped straight out—plop!—and bounced onto the wet tiles.
“Nelson, no!” Marcus gasped.

Before he could grab him, Nelson rolled straight down the slippery side and plopped into the pool. He sank for a moment, then bobbed back up, sparkling mischievously like a little rubber ball.

Children shrieked with laughter as Nelson zipped across the water’s surface, spinning and twirling like a toy. “Look! An eyeball float!” shouted one boy, pointing as Nelson bounced high into the air and splashed back down.

The lifeguard squinted in confusion, blowing his whistle. “Who threw that ball into the pool?”

“It’s not a ball!” Lucy, Marcus’s friend from school, giggled. “It’s his eye!”

Marcus turned scarlet. He paddled quickly after Nelson, who was zooming from lane to lane, dodging swimmers and making everyone laugh. Nelson even floated into the bubbling jacuzzi for a moment, looking as though he was enjoying a pirate’s treasure bath.

Finally, Marcus dove beneath the surface and popped up right in front of him. With a swift scoop, he caught Nelson in both hands. He quickly pressed him back into place, his hair dripping and his cheeks burning.

The children around the pool clapped and cheered. “That was the best trick ever!” someone shouted.

Marcus sighed and shook his curls. “You’re impossible, Nelson. I just wanted a quiet swim.”

Nelson sparkled happily, clearly proud of his poolside performance.

As Marcus climbed out of the water and wrapped himself in his towel, he muttered, “Next time, we’re sticking to dry land.” But deep down, he couldn’t help smiling. With Nelson around, life was never boring.

By Mark “Hawkeye” Harris