This is my first Gino fanfic! I hope you like it! I originally posted this at my thread, Gino's Harem (Located in the Gaia Community Discussion Forum, it's usually on the first page) I hope you enjoy it!
Gino's First Adventure.
Today was a beautiful day. It was sunny and bright, birds were chirping merrily amidst the branches of the trees on the Isle De Gambino. The day was perfect, the skies were clear, the sun was shining, and a cool breeze fluttered through the air. It was a calm afternoon, even through the clutter of an old-fashioned marketplace, filled with people bustling all about here and there.
"4500 gold!"
"No! I bid 4600 gold!"
"Going once...twice..."
"6000! I'll buy it right now!"
"Sold."
A loud bang of a gavel sounded. There were many groans and moans that erupted from a crowd, it seemed that someone just purchased a Nitemare Scarf. The few people who took such an avid interest in such a spikey and unnatractive item were beyond the comprehension of so many other Gaians, but it was best thought to leave those people be to their...interests.
Stands of mini-shops full of different items were set up. Some were small, selling only a few meager items, some people were running around, holding a single object in their hand, taking bids, or exchanging it for money or any other items. The marketplace was very busy. There was plenty of space, although most of it was crowded. There was an especially large crowd of people that gathered about a halo auction. It seemed it was going for 30,000 gold so far.
In the eyes of the young boy, it was especially all too packed. There were far too many people, and many of them were dressed far too oddly. His little violet eyes jerked around nervously as he walked skittishly, hunched over and a scared expression on his face.
Little Gino Gambino took in all the sights. He had never seen such a place as this. He had never seen so many Gaians at once! They were all so odd looking. One girl had a large racoon tail, another boy had fox ears! Some people had purple hair and a few others had green! It was all so...exciting and frightening at once to little Gino's eyes.
His hand grasped a larger, more slender hand. He whimpered as his eyes were still on the crowd.
"Yes, Gino, dear?" A woman looked down at him. Gino always remembered she had a lovely mass of blonde hair that was almost always tied up very neatly. She cooed to the little boy very lovingly and she slowed down her pace a bit to look at him.
"Mama..." Gino moved his head around and looked to the people at their small stands, "...Where are we?"
She smiled at him and chuckled, "We're at the marketplace. People buy things here."
He turned his head in all sorts of directions, up, right, down, left. "But, why do they go here? Don' people buy things at Mr. Edmund's place too? There aren' as many people in his place like this."
His mother nodded her head, "Yes, but people can buy things here too. Although these people don't have a nice shop like Mr. Edmund's, they can still come together to buy and sell things, just like Mr. Edmund!"
Little Gino blinked, "Oh."
"What's the matter? You seem to be acting differently today." The woman blinked at her son, although she still smiled brightly at him.
"Oh, ih's nothing, Mama!" He flashed a large grin at her before another gavel hit a desk. He whimpered loudly and cowered behind her long skirt. His mother giggled and gently patted his head.
"Tell you what, Gino. How about when we're finished here, let's go get some ice cream, all right?"
His violet eyes grew wide and twinkled. His mouth nearly dropped open and he squealed in delight. "D'you really mean it, Mama? We can go get some ice cream?"
"Of course, dear! Just don't tell your father, all right? We'll get some ice cream, since you're being such a good boy." She winked at him and grinned.
Gino jumped up and down, holding onto his mother's hand. She laughed as he jerked on her arm to and fro, slightly pulling her this way and that.
"Ice cream! Ice cream! We're gonna get some ice cream!" He sang happily, his little locks of hair bouncing up and down and around. His mother twirled him and he hugged the softness of her skirt, still singing his little song.
A few Gaians turned their heads, taking a quick look at little Gino's joy and delight at ice cream. They passed by with a few small smiles on their faces, as he truly was adorable. Passersby admired the happy couple, Gino hung onto his mother as she spun around, eventually catching him in her arms and hugging him tightly. It was a classic example of pure love between mother and child.
Gino skipped happily alongside his mother in the morning sun. She hummed gently while he still laughed at the idea of ice cream. The little boy blinked and all of a sudden turned his head to his mother. "Mama? Why are we here?"
Her smile broadened, "I thought you would never ask, Gino. We're here to get your father a present. Tomorrow's our anniversary."
His big violet eyes blinked again at the unfamiliar term, "Whatsah anny-ver-saree?"
His mother laughed again, it was a lyrical, amused laugh at her little son. "An anniverary is when you celebrate something that happened exactly a year ago on that day. Why, did you know, your father and I met... and even got married on the same day!" She let out a squealing giggle and a silly grin, "Oh, it was truly wonderful then..." She sighed and brought a hand to her face, hiding a girlish blush. A dreamy mist went through her eyes.
But, Gino was confused, "So...you an' father got married last year?" His large, bushy eyebrows (that were already abundant since he was 3) raised and arched.
"Oh! Oh no, no. I mean, an anniversary is when you celebrate something that happened on that same day! Your father and I met eight years ago, and we got married six years ago exactly by tomorrow. It is kind of like how your birthday is celebrated." Mrs. Gambino let out another giggle. It seemed as if she were still a school girl sometimes! But, that was one of her charms.
"Oooh."
She nodded at her son and looked to the stands full of people, they were still waving around this and that. "Gino? What should we get your father for his anniverary present? What do you think he'd like?"
"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm." Gino's round face scrunched up as if he were thinking very, very hard. His lower lip jutted out in a pout as he looked up. "...a toy!" He giggled and flashed his pearly whites to his mother, who just laughed.
"No, that's what you would like. We have to find something for Father, all right, sweetie?"
Gino lowered his head in defeat, although still smiling. His mother figured him out. "...N'kay, n'kay..."
She bent down and gave her son a kiss on the forehead, ruffling his hair slightly. "You're such a silly. I love you, Gino!"
He smiled back at her and grasped her hand again, "I love you too, Mama!" And with that, he was promptly pulled along the crowded marketplace, trying to keep in mind something that the proud Johnny K. Gambino would like, but he really didn't know what his mother, or anyone for that matter could give him as a present! They were, after all, the most powerful family in all of Gaia. They could get anything at any time. But, if he couldn't find something for his father, then, no doubt his mama could!
"Oh! Look at that, Gino! Glass!" The woman smiled excitedly, she had spotted a stand full of delicate glass objects sparkling in the sun. She pulled her son gently along with her, navigating through the crowd as he held on tightly to her hand and her skirt. She quickly strolled to the stand, beaming as if she were still a girl that found something magificent unexpectedly, and not only that, but it was on sale!
"...Oh! Gino, look! They have little glass flowers! Your father loves Hibi flowers, I wonder if they have it..." She bent over with a large smile on her face, picking up a few glass baubles and examining them carefully.
From beside her, Gino eyed the little delicate items. From the collection they had at home, he already knew not to touch any of them. There were little glass roses, glass ballerinas, glass ships, glass this and that of all kinds. They were very pretty as they sparkled in the sunlight, but Gino just didn't take much interest in them. They had enough of these things at home, so, why would his mother want to take even more back?
He quickly lost interest in thinking over the useless little things, and he turned his head to the crowd. There wasn't much anything of interest in the passing people, but in a short break, a stand appeared and it showed...OMG! Hammi plushies! He nearly gasped and jumped up and down. He wanted to go see it and maybe his mother would buy it for him. He loved Hammi, that cute little hamster was a favorite of many children in Gaia, and he was no exception. He didn't have a gallery full of Hammi merchandise, but he had quite a number of Hammi toys. As far back as he could remember, he loved Hammi. In fact, that plushie looked just like the one he lost years ago when he was still a baby!
Gino wanted to run over and hug it, but he looked at his mother, who was talking to the person who owned the stand. He didn't want to bother her, since she wanted to get something for his father first, but he just had too see that Hammi plushie! He glanced back to the direction he had seen the plush hamster, which was currently blocked from view through the immense crowd.
He took one more glance at his mother, and then back to the crowd...and he decided he just wanted to see it, just real quick! He wouldn't take long anyway. And with that, he promptly took off from the stand, out of sight of his mother, and made way across the crowded walkway, straining his eyes to see the stand which had that precious Hammi toy.
There! He saw the stand and recognized the man who had been sitting behind it. He ran over and stood on his tippy-toes as he put his nose to table (as he was still so small). He knew he had seen that plushie right here, but it was no where to be found.
"Oh hey!" Gino looked up to the voice, "You're Gino, aren'cha? See anythin' ya like?" The man with bright blue hair leaned over to him. Gino blinked at the man and tilted his head at him. The man seemed about to be in his late teens at the very least. His looked like something out of a fairy tale in all that white and blue angelic items. He even had a halo over his head.
Gino nodded, "Mmhmm! Mister, I saw a Hammi toy here. D'you still have it?"
The man shook his head sympathetically at the little boy in front of his stand, "Sorry, kid, but I just sold it a minute ago to this weird kid with a plastic helmet and a sword. Said he was buyin' it for his baby sister 'r somethin'." He shrugged and smiled sadly at Gino, "That was the last one I had, sorry."
Gino looked down and pouted slightly, "Oh...Well, okay, Mister. Than'ks." He turned away from the stand and his head hung low. He might as well go back to his mother now... He heaved a sigh and started to walk back, but when he lifted his head, he didn't see any more stands, just people walking around.
His eyes grew wide in surprise, he should have seen that stand where his mother was by now. A few people bumped into him and he was taken aback. He had to keep moving through the crowd, or it seemed like he'd be trampled over by all the people! ...They were all going too fast! "Mama?" Gino started to call out.
After pushing and shoving through the sudden rush of people, he finally made it out the other side. However, despite the fact that there were stands, as there should be, it was all unfamiliar. The stand with the glass things were gone, and so was his mother.
"...Mama?" Gino called out. "Mama!"
He looked around, his eyes darting right and left, trying to find flash of her blonde hair or swirl of her large skirt. He started to feel scared.
"Mama! MAMA!"
Gino tried to listen, but he couldn't hear anything in the crowd. His little voice cried out again, "Mama! Where are you, Mama?"
He started to walk around, tears were starting to form in his eyes. He was lost. "Mama!"
His voice was starting to crack, he just kept calling out his mother's name, trying to get her to reply through the noise of all the people. Some Gaians turned their head momentarily, but they just rushed off, as getting their items were much more important than helping a little boy.
He kept walking around, unsure of where to go, still calling out, "Mama! Mama! I'm over here! Where are you, Mama?"
Gino saw a bench and walked toward it, continuing to call for his mama until it just became a weaker and weaker voice and he just broke down upon the bench, crying as hard as he could. He cried into his hands as he hunched over, bawling like there was no tomorrow. He was sure he had lost his mother forever.
"...Hey! Wha's wrong?" A cheery voice piped up out of no-where.
Gino looked up from his wet hands and saw a tan, chubby girl a little older than him with dark hair set in two pig tails on both sides of her head. She had the widest eyes he had ever seen. She was dressed in an unbelievably pink dress that seemed to be completely made of bows and frills. He wiped his nose on his white sleeve and sniffed.
"I...I can' find my Mama..." He sniffed again.
"Oh. Are you lost?" She blinked her wide eyes and tilted her head.
Gino nodded and wiped his face on his sleeve again, "Mmhmm..." Who was this girl?
"...Hey! Hey DITZ!" Another voice came out of no-where. Gino and the girl looked up to see a boy running towards them about the same age as this girl. He had a very angry expression on his face. He stomped up towards the tan girl and fumed.
"Just WHAT do you think you're doing walking off like that? I--I just can't believe you! You know we were looking for you EVERWHERE!" The boy ripped off his dark blue baseball cap and wrung it in his hands. His black hair was short and messy. "Argh!"
The girl tilted her head down, but she still smiled. "Oh. I'm sorry. I wanted to go get something, but then it was gone."
The boy snorted, "I hope it was a brain, everyone KNOWS you need one." He rolled his eyes and called to the crowd, "Hey SAPPHIRE, I found her!"
After a few moments, a teenage girl with a bobbing strawberry blonde ponytail hastily pushed her way through the crowd. She had a short green skirt that bounced up and down and a spring green blouse that was fit for the weather. "How many times do I have to tell you? My name is RU-BY. R-U-B-Y! ROO-BEE! You little brat." She folded her arms and scowled at the boy.
Ruby turned her head to the chubby girl and scowled at her too, "Do you know how much you SCARED me? Huh? Do you know how angry your parents would be at ME if I lost you? Well? You know better than to wander off on your own! I can't believe this! This is the FOURTH time today!" She held her head in her hand and shook her head, "What do you have to say for yourself?"
The girl feigned a fake pout, although it still looked remotely like a smile, "I'm sorry."
Gino blinked, this girl had run off before? That wasn't good. Wow, this teenage lady sure was mad. He instantly felt bad for going off too, and wondered if his mama was angry at him for it. He started to feel bad again, and tears started to form because the thought reoccurred that he was lost.
The little tan girl looked back at Gino and smiled, "So, my name is Sasha! I just turned 9 last week! What's your name?"
"Um...my name is Gino," He mumbled as he looked at the large, tan girl.
"Oh hey! Are you THE Gino? Gino Gambino?" Ruby asked.
Gino nodded and blinked.
"Ooh. What are you doing out here by yourself? Are you lost?"
Sasha piped up again and bounced, "He lost his mommy! He's lost." The boy rolled his eyes.
Gino nodded again and sniffed. He could still feel his eyes were still a little puffy. "...Yeah, we were shoppin' to buy my father a pres'sent for their anny-ver-saree, Mama said we'd get ice cream later an' then I saw Hammi an' then I wen' to go and see him an' then I wen' to go back to Mama, an' then there was all thi's people an' then I got lost..."
"Aw, you poor thing. Come on, let's go find your mama! She probably isn't too far off around here," The teen smiled and grasped Gino's hand, she turned to the other two children, "And you two, come on now."
Sasha skipped happily alongside Gino and the boy with the cap simply just scowled and trotted behind. Gino took a quick glance at him before he turned to Sasha and whispered, "What is he so angry 'bout?"
Sasha blinked, "He?" She looked at the boy behind them, "Oh! Don't be silly! Moira's a GIRL!" She giggled.
It was Gino's turn to blink, he tilted his head and looked at Moira again.
"What're YOU lookin' at?"
He turned his head back around quickly and clung to Ruby's hand. She looked at Gino and smiled, "Oh, don't worry about Moira, she's just getting a head start at her 'teen angst' phase."
Gino looked up at her, "What?"
"Oh, never mind," Ruby smiled and shook her head, "Were was the last place you saw your mother?"
"Um..." Gino looked around trying to find any place familiar where he had last been with her, but, he wasn't paying attention then. "I don' know..."
The teen girl smiled reassuringly and sighed, "Well, don't worry, I'm sure we can find a mod around here that will help us find your mama." All of a sudden, Ruby felt a tug at her skirt. It was Sasha.
"Ruuubyyyy? Can I have a drink? Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaase?" Sasha batted her wide eyes and giggled.
Ruby sighed, she peered over to a small fountain and pulled the girls and Gino towards it. "All right, I'll get you a drink, what do you want?"
Sasha beamed and took a breath, "Apple juice, orange juice, guava juice, mango juice, very berry juice, pineapple juice, carrot juice, some chocolate milk, some regular milk, 2 milk, strawberry milk, banana milk, a strawberry bannana smoothie, a mango smoothie, a pinapple mango smoothie, a vanilla shake, a chocolate shake, a strawberry shake, a bottle of cola, a bottle of diet cola, a bottle of cherry cola, a bottle of regular cola with a lemon wedge, a chocolate malt, a bottle of water, a cup of regular water, and..." She took another breath, "a coffee!"
"You don't drink coffee."
"Yes I do!"
"All right, apple juice it is. What about you?" Ruby looked at Gino and Moira.
Moira had made herself comfortable sitting on the fountain's edge, "Water."
"Um, water..." Gino tilted his head up and managed a smile, "Than' you."
"No problem!" Ruby smiled and turned back to Sasha as she set the young plump girl firmly down on the fountain's edge, "Stay. Here."
And off she went towards the nearest food stand, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders as she walked off, "Sasha's parents don't pay me nearly enough to babysit..."
The three children looked over at Ruby as she walked off. Sasha giggled mischieviously and hopped around, her big pink frilly dress flying up and down, "Good! She's gone again!" Her eyes darted so fast that if they moved any faster, they could have been blurs.
Moira squinted an eye at the happy girl and adjusted her cap. Gino blinked and looked at the tomboy. Moira really did look like a boy. With that large GETAGRIP shirt and baggy jeans, and especially that short hair (which looked like she took a pair of scissors and cut it all off herself)...just how could that be a boy?
"Oh...GEEZ Sasha! What is up with you? We're supposed to STAY HERE!" Moira clenched her fists tightly at Sasha, "You know! Seriously! I can't TAKE IT! Why do our parents INSIST we play together? Argh! Where is a wall I can bash my head into?" She threw her hands up in the air, with an exasperated look on her face. She really seemed like she was going to hit her head on something soon. She must really not like Sasha.
"Don' be such a DOODIE-HEAD, Moiry!" Her large pigtails shook as Sasha danced around again.
"Yeah? Well, I wouldn't be if you WEREN'T SO STUPID!"
"I'm no't STOOPID! You're just a NO FUNNER PERSON! WHO DRESSES LIKE A BOY!"
"ME? NO FUN? YOU'RE the one who RUINS everything by running off all the time!"
"Because ih's FUN! You would KNOW that if you TRIED it! You no-fun MEANIE-HEAD!" And with that, little Sasha stuck out her tongue at the other girl.
"Yeah? Well, you're fat."
Sasha gasped and stared at Moira. Gino was confused.
Sasha huffed and folded her arms, but her lips were starting to quiver. "...I-I'm NO'T FAT! I'm big-boned, my mommy said so!"
"No you're not. You're just fat."
"...Hmph!" Gino looked at Sasha and blinked, she must not like being called fat.
"...You're...you're just A BIG DOODIE-HEAD! I HATE YOU! Come on, Gino! Let's go and get away from meanie Moireeeeeee!" And with that, Gino's little hand and Gino himself were being pulled out into the crowd, led by a crying Sasha. Big, salty tears were streaming from her eyes.
"I HATE her! I hate her I hate her I hate her I hate her!" Sasha ran, with Gino in tow. Gino wasn't sure where she was actually going, or if she knew where she was going, but as long as he was with someone then he didn't feel too bad.
They went in and out of the crowd, Sasha still bawling her eyes out and Gino just trying to keep up with the pace she was running at. "Sasha! Are--are you 'kay?" Gino asked.
The mass of pink and frills slowed down to a walking pace, she was still sniffling, and Gino thought that must have been how he had looked when he was crying for his mama, which, he was still separated from. He felt sad again and started to look around.
Sasha sniffed loudly again, "..Yeah...Moira's just...such...a meanie...I never did anything to her!" She crouched down on the ground and started to cry again, "I hate her! I don't ever want to talk to her again!"
Gino didn't really know what to say, or what to do. Usually when he was sad like this, his mama would pat him on the back and tell him that it was ok. Maybe that would work? "Um...ih's ok, Sasha!" He reluctantly patted her on the back and smiled at her a little.
Another loud sniff came from the little girl, "...Yeah...I guess it will be...Thanks, Gino!" Sasha beamed and squealed. Before Gino could react, he was engulfed in a mass of pink and bows, frills and...the smell of sugar cookies? Not only that...but...he couldn't breathe anymore. "Oooh! You're so nice, Gino! I wish Moira was as nice as YOU!" And with one final crush, the small boy was released.
"Come on, let's go and see some duckies!" Sasha chirped up and wiped the tears from her eyes before tugging Gino along again. She happily sang some odd tune and Gino just followed...
"...Duckies?" He tilted his head. He could smell the salt water of the ocean now, from what Gino knew, ducks don't live in the ocean. They lived in the pond his family had behind their house, but they didn't live in the ocean...probably.
"Yeah! Duckies! They're over here. I saw them!" Gino was once again violently jerked off in another direction. Where this Sasha girl was going, was truly anyone's guess.
"Duckies!" She yelled out again, she eventually stopped at another stand that was selling duck things. Duck toys, duck dolls, duck...hats? "They're so cute!" She giggled and took a plush duck and hugged it. Gino looked around and saw that the stand owner was no-where to be seen.
He looked closely at a little duck figurine, thinking to himself who could ever possibly be this obsessed with ducks? Whoever owned this stand was certainly a weird person. He stared at the duck's little beady eye and just blinked.
"Oh! I like CHOCOLATE!" Gino heard Sasha yell out, he turned his head and much to his dismay and fear, she was gone. Oh no.
Gino looked around again, starting to get that sinking feeling. "Sasha?" He really did not feel completely at ease while he was around her, probably because she was a little too unpredictable, and this was probably something she did a lot.
He wandered around a little more, he did start to feel a little panicked, but not as much this time, but, he tried to walk towards the fountain where he knew Moira was, but still, in all this people going this way and that, he wasn't completely sure if he was going to the right way, or if he was just walking around in circles!
The crowd started to thin out the more Gino walked. He still called out Sasha's name, hoping to find her and maybe lead her back to where Moira was and maybe Ruby. At least with Ruby, he had hope he could find his mother again.
The smell of salt water grew stronger, and eventually the cemented floor turned to wood. Gino had ended up at a dock! He heard seagulls flying overhead and the ocean current lapping up. He looked around nervously, there weren't many people here, but it still made him nervous.
He was skittish, Gino had never seen a real dock before, except on pictures and on the television. He blinked and walked around. The smell of sea water was intense, and so was the smell of fish. He scrunched up his nose as the smell grew more pungent. And...oops!
He wasn't looking where he was going and Gino had accidentally bumped into somebody! He sniffed again. Oh. So that was where the smell of fish was coming from. He looked up to see a large, tan man with the strangest looking spectacles, a vest, fishing gloves with hooks at the knuckles, and an eccentric black-but-greying hairstyle that seemed to fly out at both sides. He had a stack of buckets with him and fishing poles sticking out from behind him as if they were two swords...or something.
"Heya bub! Watch where yeh goin'!" The man looked down and saw Gino. He raised a large eyebrow and smiled. "Oh! Sorreh there kid, didn' know yeh were a kid."
"Ih's...'kay," Gino blinked as he looked up at the man. He was tall! Quite tall indeed. He blinked a few more times before turning back to see if he could find a trace of Sasha or Moira or Ruby or...his mother.
The large fish-scented man bent down and Gino stepped back a bit. "Hey kid, whot'cha lookin' for? Are yeh lost 'er somethin'?"
"Um...yes." Gino bent his head down and looked up at the large man again.
"Aww! Dat's a shame kid! C'mere! Here, stay wit' me, I'm goin' fishin'. I got an extra rod yeh can borrow." The large man grabbed Gino's hand and led him to the edge of the dock. Gino was reluctant to trust him, but he seemed nice enough.
The man promptly sat down and set his bucket to the side. He pulled a green rod from the mount behind his back and started fiddling with it. Gino blinked and sat down himself, letting his legs hang over the edge.
"Careful, kid, yeh don' want tah fall off, now do yeh? Jus' lean on dat railin' oveh dere." Gino looked to his right and there was a wooden column that held the rail. He nodded and looked to the fisherman, who held another rod in his hand, although this one was wooden.
"'Ere kid, take this. Yeh know how teh fish?"
Gino reluctantly took the rod in his hand and looked at it. He turned the reel and tilted his head. He knew how it worked, and how to work it, but he had never done it before. He looked to the man and blinked.
"No...but...I saw people do it 'fore!"
"Realleh? Well, 'k, Dat's a start. 'Ere's a trick, kid, try 'n keep 'em in as straight a line 'as poss'ble. Dey'll be easier teh reel in tha' way." The man pulled out a bit of what seemed like a piece of meat. He took the hook from Gino's rod and stuck on the piece of meat. Gino looked more closely at it and realized it was a piece of fish or something. Bait. Oooh.
The man began affixing another piece of bait on his own hook and started adjusting his rod.
"I find dat if yeh lost, ih's easier to be found if yeh stay in one place. So, yeh just keep yer eyes peeled for yeh parents 'er somethin. Oh yeah! By 'th way, name's Logan, I jus' moved 'ere a week ago. Wha's yer name, kid?"
"Um...Gino." He watched Logan lean back and nearly throw his rod out to the air, Gino could hear the little reel buzz as the line went out far. He couldn't even see where the hook had landed. Logan started to reel the line back in very slowly.
"Gino, eh? Nice ter meet'cha Gino!"
Gino looked at his own rod and tried to mimic it, but, the hook just dropped straight down below. He tugged his rod a little. Logan looked at him and took Gino's rod from him.
"No, no, dat ain't how yeh do it!" He reeled back the fishing line and handed the rod back to Gino, "'Ere, first yeh lean back, and den yeh...well...swing it forward, like eh bat! 'Cept forward."
Gino nodded and did just that, he saw the line go out and the reel buzzed. The hook plopped into the water not too far away. He smiled and looked to Logan.
"Eh! Dat's good, kid! Dat's good! Yeh jus' need to work on yer arm an' yeh'll be a great fisherman in no time!" Logan grinned back at him, "Aneh-way, how old 're yeh, Gino?"
"Um...five, Mr. Logan, sir."
"Eh, jus' Logan, Gino! Jus' Logan! Hey! Looks like yeh got somethin' dere!"
Gino nearly yelped when he felt the wooden rod in his hand being tugged. Oh! He tugged back, not knowing what to do. His heart raced and he could feel it thumping in his chest. He leaned left and right, but he didn't know what to do to get it closer! Come on! What was he doing wrong?
"The reel, boy! The reel! Reel it in!"
Gino looked down and saw the little knob of the rusting reel, he kept turning it towards him, faster and faster as he could. Logan just cheered the little boy on, telling him that the fish couldn't stand a chance. Gino lurched forward and would have gone for a swim if Logan didn't catch him on time.
"Oh!" He gave the rod one final tug until he saw a pink glittering thing emerge from the water below him, wriggling and squirming there on the swinging hook.
"Heh heh, well, lookit dat! A pink seedkin! Congrat'lations Gino! Yeh just caught yer first fish! A nice girly one at dat!" Logan laughed heartily as he reeled his own hook in, although his was empty. Gino laughed and looked at it, still wiggling there on the line.
"...What do I do wi't it, now?"
"...'Ere, put 'em in 'ere." Logan brought over the top bucket in his stack over to Gino. He looked in and saw it was full of water. Logan took Gino's line and unhooked the little pink fish then deposited it in the pail. The little boy looked in and watched the fish swim in circles.
"Oooooh..." Gino looked up to Logan and beamed.
"Heh, jus' wait 'til yeh catch more, kid."
Little Gino nodded excitedly and proceeded to cast out his line again, although, Logan told him to pull it up since he had thrown it out with no bait.
After a few more casts, Gino had successfully racked up a few more seedkin to join his little pink one in the old bucket. Logan and Gino spent the afternoon together, laughing and talking, reeling in fish and filling up the buckets. Although, Logan the fisherman kept filling up buckets nearly every ten minutes, while the whole afternoon, Gino only had one bucket.
They both caught their share of trash, and their share of fish. Gino once caught a cool rainbow trout and was thoroughly overjoyed to see a new type of fish on his line. His little eyes grew wide in delight and Logan congratulated him.
And so, the afternoon grew late, after lots of discussion between Gino and the fisherman, they started to talk less and less and soon just grew quiet. The fish started to come in less and less, and neither of them got too excited once something tugged on either of their lines, as it would usually mean some trash.
Although, unexpectedly, Gino got a rather violent tug on his rod! He would have gone off again if Logan didn't catch him...again.
"Whoa! There, boy! Yeh got some kind'er FIGHTER! Dere! Betta REEL 'em in! C'mon!" Logan held on tightly to little Gino, who was trying to hold on to the wooden rod as hard as he could. Gino tried to pull and keep control of the thrashing fish, but his arms wouldn't stay still! His fingers could barely hold the rod, oh! It felt like his arms were going to come off!
"I can' hold...on!"
"'Ere! I got'cha, Gino!" Logan grabbed the wooden rod firmly and gave another tug to pull Gino back. Gino let go of rod as the fisherman grabbed a hold of it and pulled it this way and that, trying to get it to come closer. Gino watched in awe as Logan fought with it, he was sure that the wood rod would break at the rate the fish was going at!
People started to gather around out of sheer curiosity to see what kind of fish he had hooked. Logan stood up and started to pull back even more, he certainly was fighting hard for that fish! ...or whatever it was. Could've been a monster as far as anyone could guess.
But, as Logan gave the rod a final tug and fell back onto the dock, one could THINK it was a monster!
"Criminy! Well, I'll beh! A BUCKIN' BINO!" Logan yelled and swung the rod around as the large, angry fish thrashed about. People gasped and gave a round of applause as Logan proudly held up the fish.
"Lookit dat, Gino! Can yeh BELIEVE it? Meh--our first rare fish here!" Logan grinnned and Gino, who was still standing dumbfoundedly where the fisherman had placed him. Gino stared at he fish disbelievingly, wondering how anyone would be so proud of catching something so...ugly.
"Ha-HA! Take 'ah look at-it, kid! Beautiful! Ain't it?" Logan held up the fish proudly on the line. It was still wiggling about very, very angrily, it definitely looked upset...
Gino didn't like it, he didn't like it at all! He made a disgusted and shocked face as Logan just held it there, in front of him, wiggling and thrashing just nearly inches away from his face. Gino wanted to step away, but, he couldn't bring himself to! It was just...so...
The Bino snapped and opened its wide mouth at Gino, gaping and flabbing its lower lip at him. And with that, Gino recieved a quick and powerful WHAP to the face. The crowd of people gasped at the poor little Gambino.
"AAAAAAAAaaaaaAAAAAaaaAaaAaaAaAaaAHHHhhhhhHHhHhhhHHhhHhHHhHH!" Gino screamed and took off in an instant, leaving a fine trail of dust behind him.
"Gino! Wait! Ih's jus' a FISH! Come back, kid!" Logan called out to him.
But, Gino didn't hear the fisherman, he just kept running, terrified of the bucking whatever it was and crying his little eyes out.
"WaaaaaaAAAAaAAaAAaAAAAaAaaAaaaAAAaAHHHhhHhhHhHHHhHhHhHHHhHhhhHHHH!" Gino held his red stinging nose, he wasn't bleeding, but it sure did hurt! He just kept running as far and as fast as he could, trying to get through the crowds in his blurred vision.
He close his eyes for a second and WHAP! Again! He had bumped into another person. Although, this time, he was running and the force threw him back on the ground; he landed on his little tush.
"Owwww..." His eyes teared up a little more as he put his hands behind him to support him up. He sniffed again. Why all the crying today?
"Gino? Gino!" A hearty voice with a slight twinge of a British accent nearly boomed at him happily.
"wha?" Gino looked up to see a tall man all clad in black fine clothing, "Mr. Edmund!" His face brightened to see some familiarity and smiled.
"Gino!" Edmund scooped up the young boy in his arms and gave him a big smile back, "Gino, your mother has been worried sick about you! Where have you been?"
"I...I'm sorry, Mr. Edmund. I...I jus' got lost..." Gino lowered his head and gave a loud sniff. He wasn't sad though, seeing Mr. Edmund relieved him so much! He blinked at Edmund, who gave a hearty laugh.
"Well, come on, Gino. I know where your mother is, let's go see her." Edmund gently set Gino back on the ground and tried to hold his hand without having to bend down, but it seemed that it was not exactly possible. "Well, just hold on to my coat, all right?"
Gino nodded and grabbed a hold of the edge of his long black coat and walked cautiously alongside the shopkeeper. He looked up to Mr. Edmund, still smiling. A lot of people usually were scared of him because he looked so mean sometimes, especially with that scar on his forehead, but Edmund had never been anything but nice to Gino.
Edmund strolled along quietly, keeping his view straight ahead. Gino still looked around, trying to recognize something from earlier, but as everything else was that day, it was all still very, very new to him.
But, Gino was undeniably glad and hopeful! Mr. Edmund knew where his mama was, and he'll soon be reunited with her. He didn't think if she was mad at him or not, but he was happy that he was going to go home soon, all these new experiences were just too much for him! Even if he did have a little fun with Logan from before...Although that fish hurt...meanie fish.
Gino trotted alongside Edmund, they were started to pass by a rather leafy area, with large trees and big flowers. He smiled and took a quick look at them. Gino wanted to stop and pick one of the orange flowers for his mother, but Mr. Edmund was walking too fast for him to stop.
Oh well, perhaps when he saw his mother, Gino could just give her a giant hug and a hundred thousand sorries for walking away because he wasn't supposed to. However, Edmund did eventually pause a bit behind a narrow walkway. There was a lot of people there, so, everyone must have been waiting to get though.
Edmund looked over the wave of people and adjusted his glasses. He sighed and looked back down at Gino. "Now, Gino, don't let go of my coat, all right? We don't want you to get lost again."
Gino nodded hastily, tightening his grip onto Mr. Edmund's coat, he didn't want to get lost again either. Gino looked around and scooted closer to Edmund as the crowd started to walk a little faster now. Edmund huffed at his dismay to how slowly everyone was moving. Gino was a little impatient too, he really wanted to see his mama.
There! For whatever reason that the pass was being blocked up was cleared now, and Edmund started to move along with the crowd. Gino tried to squish up against him, trying to make sure he definitely would not be separated from Edmund.
Gino looked around more, trying to be aware of what was going around him. One of the things he noticed was that...there was as tan spot amidst the orange flowers. He blinked and tried to get a closer look as he walked.
The tan spot...was a hand!
The hand shot out and grabbed Gino, pulling him fiercely into the bush full of flowers along with a loud RIPPING noise!
Gino tried to cry out, but another hand wrapped from behind his head and clasped over his mouth. He felt that panic again and started to struggle.
"Gino? Gino! What? Where ARE you?" Gino could hear Mr. Edmund starting to yell out for him. Gino couldn't see Edmund, but from what he could hear, he was starting to get panicked himself and nearly ran off from the direction where they came.
"Mmmfff! Mmmmf!" Gino tried to struggle more against his captive.
"Sssshhh! Silly! You don' wanna get caught by Moiry, do ya?" Gino heard a girlish giggle. He paused and smelled sugar cookies...Sasha!
He blinked and relaxed, Sasha released him and giggled again. Gino turned to see her and was greeted by a blast of pink, bows, and frills. Sasha's round face was beaming in a goofy smile, and her pigtails were bouncing slightly from her laughter.
At first, he was relieved it was only her..."Sasha!" But, the relief was quickly fading. Gino hissed at her, "Why di'd you do that!"
"'Cause!" She piped up, once again, "Don' ya wanna play hide-and-seek too? Moira and Ruby's seekin'!" Sasha laughed, she was clearly giddy that she ran off again. "Right now, they're lookin' for you AN' me! Teehee!"
Gino blinked at her disbelievingly. He started to get angry, he was so close to see his mother again!
He clenched his small fists and started to wave them around. "Sasha! I was gonna see my Mama 'gain! I don' WANNA play hide 'n seek! I don' WANNA! I WANNA GO SEE MY MAMA 'GAIN! I don' ever wanna see you anymore, Sasha!" He yelled into Sasha's wide-eyed face. His own face was starting to turn red from anger and from frustration.
He was just...so close! He started to stomp around and tears of frustration started to come from his eyes again. He certainly had his share of crying for the day. He didn't want to cry anymore.
"I HATE YOU, SASHA! DON' EVER COME NEAR ME 'GAIN! I 'LMOST WEN' BACK TO MY MAMA AN' YOU MESS'D IH' UP!"
Sasha blinked dumbfoundedly. She stared at Gino, who stared back at her with angry eyes. It seemed they were just staring at eachother for an eternity, until Sasha broke out in tears.
"Ooooh! G-Gino!" She held her head in her hands and bawled, "I--I didn' know! I'm sorreeeee!" She bawled even more.
Gino just huffed and stomped away angrily into the array of tropical trees, leaving a crying Sasha behind.
Oh! How just so frustrating it all was! All he wanted to do was just spend some time with his mama today! Was that so much to ask?
His angry feet just kept stomping away farther into the huddle of trees, it was his only outlet of anger right now. He didn't want to scream, but he wanted to beat everything he could and just do something.
He stomped, jumped, and clenched his fist all the way through this "forest". He kept scowling and huffing at the world, he just wanted to be with his mama today...
However long Gino walked, he wasn't sure. But, he could the feel the day growing later and the sun growing dimmer. His anger eventually turned to hopelessness as he walked through the thinning trees.
"Oh..." Gino heaved a sigh, his head was starting to hang low and he was getting thirsty. Now, he was regretting that he had yelled at Sasha and made her cry. Even though he was still slightly mad at her for scaring him and pulling him away from Edmund, that yelling was still a bit much. "Sorry, Sasha..." He mumbled.
He walked through the last of the trees and came to a grassy clearing that was set by the ocean. He sat down on the grass by a group of white flowers. He pulled his knees up to his chest and put his head down on his knees. What was he going to do now?
He didn't know where he was, he was starting to get thirsty and now hungry, and th sun was going down! What was he going to do? Gino sniffed, he could feel he was going to cry again.
"Oh...Mama!" He felt worse than when he was first separated from her. Today was just a mess, purely a simple mess. He clenched his fists again and felt something odd in his had.
He blinked and looked over to see a small bit of black fabric in his palm. So that was that loud ripping noise...Um...oops. Mr. Edmund would not be happy about that.
Gino cast away the fabric to the light breeze and fell back on the grass. He looked at the sky, watching the clouds pass by in the sunset. It was going to get dark really, really soon, and he was still in the middle of no where. He should have went after Mr. Edmund, but he was just so angry that he just wanted to be by himself.
He turned on his side, trying to get himself to be comfortable. He'd probably have to stay here for the night...
Mmm, what a nice smell. Gino sniffed and looked up to see the white flowers hanging over him on their stems. How pretty. He sat up again and took another sniff at the white flowers. They smelled familiar.
He smiled and sighed, reaching out to take a small group of flowers in his hand and giving them another sniff. It was a nice calming smell.
Gino curled back up on the grass, holding the flowers in his hand. He was getting sleepy. Right now, it didn't matter if he had to sleep here for the night, or when he would find Mr. Edmund again, or if he could apologize to Sasha... He just wanted to lay back and sleep for a while. He had a really long day.
He yawned, feeling more tired by the minute. His eyes fluttered closed and he started to drift to sleep, hoping that he'll find his mama...soon...
Mama.
"...Gino!" A voice yelled out.
"Huh...wha?" Gino blinked and yawned. He wasn't sure if it was a dream or not.
"Gino! Oh! Gino, sweetie!" It wasn't a dream!
"Mama?" He sat up and looked around he saw a flash of blonde hair and large skirt coming towards him.
"Gino! Gino, Gino, Gino! Oh! My little boy!" His mother excitedly knelt down beside him and engulfed the little boy in her arms.
"Mama! Mama! I...got lost, Mama!" Gino buried himself on her shoulder, hugging her tightly as if there were no tomorrow.
"I...I know...Oh, Gino! You scared me so much!" Gino blinked as his mother hugged him tightly, nearly crushing him as Sasha almost did, but Gino didn't mind. He was so happy she found him!
She kissed his forehead and when she pulled back, Gino could see fresh tears streaming in her eyes, washing away the traces of dry ones from earlier. He instantly felt sorry for making her cry.
"I'm sorry, Mama, I'm sorry I wen' off..."
"It's all right, Gino...I'm just so happy that you're all right!" She beamed and hugged him again. Gino cried and hugged her back too, just as happy as she was that he found her.
His mother stood up and held him in her arms, wiping away Gino's tears and smiled. She kissed his cheek and noticed the lilting bocquet of white flowers in his hand.
"Oh! Gino, Hibi flowers! You found Hibi flowers, and they're beautiful," She sighed and gave Gino another kiss on the cheek, "You helped me find a nice anniversary present while we were separated, didn't you?"
He looked to the flowers in his hand and smiled at his mother's face, "Mmhmm."
She simply beamed again and hugged him, starting to walk off towards the lights appearing just around a few trees, "Come on, Gino, let's go talk to Logan, Ruby, and Mr. Edmund, they'll want to know you're all right."
Gino sat happily in his mother's arms and nodded.
"How about we go talk to them...while we get some ice cream? Does that sound good, Gino?"
"Really, Mama?"
"Really, Gino."
"I love you, Mama."
"I love you too, Gino."
THE END.