Reuben’s Ferry Day

Reuben and Faye arrive at the ferry terminal with Dad for a trip across the harbour. They have packed lunch and a notebook for sketching boats. Reuben watches a ferry beside the nearest ramp and thinks they should hurry onto it before someone closes the gate.

Dad asks them to check the destination on their tickets first. The waiting ferry is going to a different island. Faye finds their own destination on the information board, but the next departure is later than the time printed on Dad’s first plan for the day.

At the ticket desk, a staff member explains that their ferry has been delayed. The family can still travel, but they will have less time for the island walk. Reuben feels disappointed. He had wanted to follow the longest trail and find the old stone lookout.

They sit in the sheltered waiting area and open the island map together. Dad marks the time they will need to start back towards the jetty. Faye finds a shorter loop with a picnic place beside it. The family compares the choices before deciding which parts matter most.

When their destination is called, they join the correct queue and wait behind the gate. A crew member checks the tickets before opening the boarding ramp. Reuben keeps his notebook tucked inside his bag, leaving his hands free while he walks aboard beside Dad.

From their seats, the children watch water widen between the ferry and the shore. Reuben sketches a bright fishing boat while Faye finds the island on their map. Their changed plan has left time for looking closely, even though the longest walk is no longer possible today.

On the island, they follow the shorter loop and stop for lunch near a low stone wall. They can see the lookout on the distant hill, but Dad checks the time and they keep to their agreed route. Faye draws the lookout from the picnic place instead of walking up to it.

Back at the jetty, Reuben has a page of boat sketches and a story about their changed day. “We did not do every part,” he tells Faye, “but we still crossed the harbour.” Dad saves the map so they can plan a longer visit another time.