The boat sailed on as the small town and harbor of Sugarloaf began to fade in from the distance. Like so many others in the Florida Keys, Sugarloaf was a tourist and fishing town. The landmass was so narrow there wasn’t any room for a hotel near the road, and the environmentalists would not permit one to be built anywhere else. This was not really a problem because there were several bed and breakfasts, and Sugarloaf was easy to find. The harbor sat on the western side of U.S. Route 1. “The Big Red One,” as some called it, was a road that began in Maine and ended in nearby Key West, Florida. It was one of the most-traveled roads in all of the Americas, and just like Martin, the people of Sugarloaf made their living from it. On the east side of the road was one of many beaches that lined the Florida Keys. Families would drive down for the day. Typically, fathers and sons headed for the boats, and wives and daughters headed for the beach.

Off to the north, the mainland and the sea channel ran close together near the mouth of the harbor. Standing in the distance was a young blond-haired boy of 11 or 12 years. Near him sat two cats and a dog. From the point of view of the people on the boat, the boy and animals didn’t seem to be doing much of anything. The boy, whose name was Luke, was playing with a small sand crab. The rocks that marked the entrance to Sugarloaf were enormous. Their sizes were meant to keep the harbor safe from bad weather. Each time the crab moved away, Luke would push it back just to watch it crawl back down the rock again. Luke was just curious and entertained by the crab’s reaction to being pushed about. The animals that surround him, on the other hand, two cats, one brilliant white and the other solid black, and a black and white boarder collie, just sat and watched. A cat might have been expected to attack the crab. The dog might have been expected to chase the cats. Together, the three sat on different sides of the boy and looked around. Their ears were constantly rolling around in different directions.

Martin spotted the group and sounded the boat’s horn. Luke looked up with a sign of happiness and smiled a big smile, began to wave, and watched as Martin, who was Luke’s uncle, passed on by. Then, suddenly, a cat that had been sleeping inside the cabin of the boat came running outside and knocked into various items as it went in a big hurry up onto the boat’s railing. The passengers were all surprised by the cat’s sudden moves. All day long, the hairy brown and white cat lay around the boat as it ignored all but Martin. Now, it seemed to come to life and let loose with a very loud “meeeeeeoooooow!” to which the two cats onshore took immediate notice, looked directly at the boat, and responded with their own cat sounds. Then, the dog joined in with a single loud bark.

This animal talk amused the passengers, with one fellow turning to the other and remarking, “Now, I wonder what that group is going on about?” All of the passengers smiled in wonderment. Above them on the quarterdeck, Martin turned back away to resume steering the boat. He giggled almost silently under his breath at the passengers’ reaction to the animals talking to one another. Talking to himself in a whisper, he said, “All of these Bennies. They have no clue about the world. They are just such a joy to watch.”