潘清

Dad handed me the bucket and the net with a long， wooden handle. He gave Paulie two dead fish wrapped in newspaper. They were tied up with string like a present. I held my nose， but Paulie held those fish like they were his best baseball cards.

"Since we all want crabs for supper， catch a whole bunch1）. But just in case you don't， we have leftover broccoli2） casserole3），" Dad said with a wink.

The salty air from Chesapeake Bay filled our noses. This was the best place in the world to catch blue crabs4）. They like grassy， shadowy water， so Paulie and I headed for our old wooden dock. It was hot， and I sat down and swung5） my legs over the edge， into the cool water. Paulie struggled to tie the string to one of the slippery fish. Then he slid the extra fish into the bucket and set it in the dark water under the dock for later.

"Here." Paulie handed me the baited string. "Dangle6） this down in the water to call the crabs."

Crabs love smelly， old fish， so our first crab didn't take long to come. Its big claw clamped7） the bait， and I raised the string real slow so Paulie could net it. But my legs swishing8） in the water startled that crab， and it let go and floated back to the bottom like a leaf off a tree. Paulie brought up the net and stood there with the handle on the dock.

"Kathy， I can't believe you're going to be in third grade and can't sit still for one minute，" he said.

"And I can't believe you're going to be in sixth grade and haven't caught any crabs yet."

I went back to dangling the fish.

"Well， get ready，" he urged. "Here comes another one."

The sun was hot on our backs. My clothes were already sticking to me， and sweat dripped down our faces. A fly buzzed around my head. I remembered what Paulie had said and sat perfectly still as the new crab clamped onto the fish. But as Paulie scooted9） forward on his belly to lower the net， he knocked a pebble off the dock and scared that crab away， too.

"Damn！ I lost him."

"Crabs are scaredy-cats10），" I said， pulling up the line to check the bait. "This smells disgusting. How can they eat this？"

"I don't know. How can Mom and Dad eat broccoli casserole？ I really hate that stuff，" Paulie moaned.

"Me， too，" I said.

We thought about the big pot waiting and Dad dropping the crabs into the spicy11）， boiling water. They would turn a beautiful bright red after a few moments， and we'd have a crab feast， cracking the shells and pulling out the sweet， white meat. We had to keep trying. I smacked12） a mosquito off Paulie's arm and dangled the bait some more. We squinted13） past the sun's reflection on the water.

"Sit still now. Here comes another one，" said Paulie.

He inched14） the net into the water.

"Got him！" Paulie hauled15） up the net with the crab inside， but that crab was all claws and those mad pincers16） were waving all over the place！

"Look out！" I screamed， but the crab's big claw already had hold of Paulie's finger.

"Ow！ Ow！ Get him off！ Get him off！"

Paulie hopped around， shaking his hand up and down， swinging that crab all over the place.

I yelled， "Let go！" but the crab didn't seem to understand English. Finally， Paulie swung his arm in a giant arc， and the crab landed back in the water. Paulie's finger was all red and puffy17）. I could tell he was trying not to cry.

"What should we do now？" I asked.

We both thought about broccoli casserole.

"Keep trying，" said Paulie， putting his sore finger into the cold water.

But the harder we tried， the darker it got. When the sun began to set， we couldn't see into the water anymore. We heard Mom yell from the house， "Bring all you've got and come on in now."

Paulie let go of the string and wiped his hands clean on his shorts as the smelly bait sank to the bottom.

"Guess what's for supper，" I sighed.

"Broccoli， here we come，" Paulie groaned.

"Remember to get the bucket with the spare18） bait，" I reminded him， slumping19） along with the net dragging behind me.

Suddenly， Paulie grabbed my arm. "Listen，" he whispered.

Noises came from the bucket Paulie was carrying. We leaned in close， but it was too dark to see.

"What's all that scratching？" I asked. We ran through the sand to the light of the porch.

"Well， would you look at that？" exclaimed Paulie with a high-five20）. There， in the bucket， was a mountain of beautiful blue crabs fighting over our extra fish.

"Let's go！" I yelled.

We raced to give Dad the crabs.

"Whoa！" he said. "You caught a lot！"

"Great！" Mom said. "Well， I don't think that the leftover casserole will keep for another day ..." She started scraping21） the broccoli into the garbage disposal22）.

I looked at Paulie. "Yes！" we mouthed23） silently to each other with huge grins.

爸爸把水桶和一個长木柄渔网递给我。他给了保利两条用报纸包着的死鱼，像礼物一样拿带子绑在外面。我捂住鼻子，保利却捧着那两条鱼，仿佛它们是他最喜欢的棒球卡片一样。

“既然我们大家晚餐都想吃螃蟹，你们就去抓一大堆来吧。不过以防万一你们没抓着，咱们还可以吃剩下的西蓝花砂锅。”爸爸眨了眨眼说。

切萨皮克湾咸咸的海风灌满了我们的鼻子，这里是世界上最适宜抓蓝蟹的地方。蓝蟹喜欢长满水草的阴暗水域，所以保利和我朝我们家那个老旧的木码头走了过去。那天很热，我在码头边上坐了下来，两条腿伸进凉爽的水里晃来晃去。保利努力把其中一条滑溜溜的鱼拴在渔线上，然后把另外一条放进水桶里，把桶放在了码头下阴暗处的水中准备过会儿再用。

“喏。”保利把系好诱饵的渔线递给我，“把这个垂到水中，好吸引螃蟹。”

螃蟹喜欢臭烘烘的死鱼，所以我们的第一只螃蟹没过一会儿就来了。它的大钳子紧紧地夹着诱饵，我特别慢地提起渔线，好让保利能把它网住。可我的双腿在水里哗啦晃动让螃蟹受了惊，于是它松开诱饵，像一片树叶从树上飘落一般地漂回了水底。保利提起了渔网，握着网柄站在码头上。

“凯茜，我不敢相信你马上就要上三年级了还不能老老实实地坐上一分钟。”他说。

“我也不敢相信你就要上六年级了，到现在还没抓到过一只螃蟹。”

我回去继续把鱼垂在水中。

“好吧，准备好，”他催促道，“又来了一只。”

我们的后背被太阳晒得火辣辣的。我的衣服已经粘在身上了，汗水从我们的脸上滴落下来。一只苍蝇围着我的脑袋嗡嗡叫着。当新来的螃蟹钳住鱼，我想起了保利刚才说的话，便一动不动地坐着。可当保利趴下来猛地向前放低渔网时，他把码头上的一颗鹅卵石碰到了水里，又把螃蟹给吓跑了。

“可恶！让它跑了。”

“螃蟹都是胆小鬼！”我一边说一边把渔线拉起来检查诱饵。“闻着太恶心了，它们怎么会吃这玩意儿？”

“不知道。爸爸媽妈怎么会吃西蓝花砂锅呢？我真的很讨厌那东西。”保利抱怨道。

“我也是。”我说。

我们想象着一口大锅静待一旁，爸爸把螃蟹丢进加了很多调料的沸水中。过一会儿它们就会变成漂亮的亮红色，我们就能敲开蟹壳取出又甜又白的蟹肉，享用一顿螃蟹大餐了。我们得继续努力。我拍掉了保利胳膊上的一只蚊子，又晃了晃诱饵。我们越过水面上太阳的倒影，眯着眼睛观察着水面的情况。

“现在坐好别动。又来了一只。”保利说。

他缓缓地把渔网伸进水中。

“抓到啦！”保利用力拉起装着那只螃蟹的渔网，但这螃蟹张牙舞爪，那对疯狂的钳子正在到处挥舞！

“当心！”我尖叫道，但是螃蟹的大钳子已经夹住了保利的手指。

“哎哟！哎哟！把它弄掉！把它弄掉！”

保利跳来跳去，上下晃动着他的手，把那只螃蟹到处甩来甩去。

我大喊：“松手！”但那只螃蟹似乎听不懂英语。终于，保利的手臂甩出了一个巨大的弧度，螃蟹落回了水中。保利的手指特别红肿，我能看出他正努力忍着不要哭出来。

“现在我们该怎么办？”我问。

我们都想到了西蓝花砂锅。

“继续努力。”保利边说边把自己那只疼痛的手指放进冰凉的水里。

但我们越是努力，天色就越暗。太阳开始下山时，我们再也看不清水下的情况了。我们听见妈妈从屋子那边大喊着：“现在带着你们抓到的所有东西回家吧。”

随着臭烘烘的诱饵沉至水底，保利松开渔线，把两只手在自己的短裤上蹭干净了。

“猜猜晚餐吃什么。”我叹了口气。

“西蓝花，我们来了。”保利唉声叹气道。

“记得拿上那个装着没用上的诱饵的水桶。”我提醒他，拖着渔网垂头丧气地走着。

突然，保利抓住我的胳膊。“听。”他小声说。

声音是从保利提着的水桶里传来的。我们探身靠近去看，可天色太暗了，什么都看不清。

“这抓挠声是怎么回事？”我问。我们穿过沙滩，朝门廊上的光亮跑了过去。

“哎呀，你看到了吗？”保利大声喊道，伸出手来要跟我击掌。就在那个水桶里有一大堆漂亮的蓝蟹，正在为我们那条没用上的鱼争抢打斗。

“走吧！”我大叫。

我们冲过去把螃蟹给了爸爸。

“哇哦！”他说，“你们抓到了好多螃蟹！”

“太棒了！”妈妈说，“好吧，我觉得剩下的砂锅不能再放一天了……”她开始把西蓝花砂锅刮进垃圾碾碎器里。

我看着保利。我们咧嘴大笑，用口型向彼此默默示意：“耶！”。