Summer vacation, sibling rivalry, climbing trees, a trip to Disney World - what could possibly go wrong?
Quite a bit, as it turns out! Enjoy this charming tale of childhood antics that takes a real twist at the end.
I TOLD YOU NOT TO
A Short Story by
Lewis Smith
“Don’t do that, Katie!” Dan snapped.
“Why not?” his sister shot back. Katie Mitchell was eight years old. She had curly red hair and an impish grin.
“I told you not to!” he replied. Dan was twelve and stuck watching his sister during the summer.
“Watch me!” she said, and then dove into the deep end.
Dan sighed and waited. Moments later, her head popped up. She kicked and dog-paddled for the ladder. But then she panicked. Her forward motion stopped, and she yelled.
“Danny, help!” she cried. “It’s too far to the ladder!”
“I knew this would happen,” he grumbled. But like a good brother, he dove in. He reached Katie in a few quick strokes. Her flailing hand grabbed his. He kicked for the ladder and pulled her after him.
“I told you not to do that!” he said.
“I would have been fine,” she replied. “But thanks!”
That was Katie’s way. She never listened, and always got in trouble. Dan loved her, but she infuriated him. She saw “I told you not to!” as a challenge.
An hour later, they left the pool. It was a fifteen-minute walk home. They lived in a two-story house with a huge oak tree out front. On the way home was a hot dog stand. Dan had a twenty to spend for lunch. They stopped and got in line to get food.
“I want the foot-long deluxe with everything!” Katie exclaimed.
“You can’t get that!” Dan snapped.
“Why not?” she said. “It’s what I want. And you are supposed to buy me lunch!”
“Because I told you not to!” he said. “You won’t finish it. And it will make you sick again!”
“I was little the last time I had one,” she said.
“It was six weeks ago!” he replied. “You were as big as you are now!”
“Well, my stomach has grown,” she said.
“So you’re getting fat?” he asked.
“NO!” she yelled. “I’m just growing up! And I want a foot-long deluxe!”
Dan sighed. Some days it just wasn’t worth it.
“Fine,” he said. “But if you throw it up, you clean it up!”
They got to the head of the line and got their hot dogs. Katie happily munched hers on the way home. There was a third of it left when she quit.
“You can have the rest,” she said.
“Told you,” Dan replied, taking it. He didn’t like mustard but ate it anyway. Then he finished his own hot dog. It had ketchup and relish, his favorite. By now they were turning up their walk.
“I’m gonna climb to the top of the tree!” Katie said.
“Please don’t!” Dan said.
“Why not?” Katie said, grabbing the lowest branch.
“I told you not to!” he said wearily. “You’ll get scared halfway up, again!”
“Will not!” she said, swinging up. He folded his arms and watched. Sure enough, about twenty feet up she hesitated.
“Dan, which branch do I grab?”
“The big one to your left,” he told her.
She reached for it and pulled up. Then she put her foot in the next fork.
“Am I at the top?” she asked.
“Another ten feet,” he answered.
“I’m scared,” she said.
“Here we go,” he muttered, then raised his voice. “OK, just climb down”!
“I’m too far up!” she cried. “I can’t see where to put my feet!”
“Exactly where you put them on the way up!” he snapped.
“I wasn’t looking then!” she said plaintively.
“Just feel your way down,” he told her.
“I’m scared to. Come get me!” she wailed.
Dan sighed, set his towel down, and started climbing. He reached her in a few moments and guided her down. She hugged him.
“Thanks Danny!” she smiled. “You’re a good big brother – sometimes!”
“You’re the world’s worst little sister,” he replied. “But I love you anyway.”
Her face contorted suddenly. “I think I’m gonna be sick!” she said.
Katie ran for the front door, but Dan hadn’t unlocked it yet. He pulled out his key too late. Katie hurled all over the front porch and the welcome mat.
“I hate my life,” he said.
That evening, Dad made an announcement over dinner.
“Next week I’m taking us to Disney World!” he said.
“Disney World! Yay! I wanna ride the Star Wars rides!” Katie yelled.
“You’ll just get sick again,” Dan grumbled.
“Don’t be a spoilsport, Danny,” his mother said.
“You didn’t have to clean up her puke today!” Dan replied.
But in spite of himself, he was excited. As the day grew closer, Katie became more annoying. She had never been to Disney World before. So she tormented him with questions nonstop.
“Is Space Mountain really fast?” she asked.
“Super-fast and curvy,” he told her. “It has, like a kazillion turns!”
“I wanna ride it with you!” she said.
“OK, but you can’t eat anything before,” he replied.
“Why not?”
“I told you not to.”
And so it went.
Finally, the day arrived. They drove for hours and hours to get there. Katie was beside herself with excitement.
“How tall is Cinderella’s Castle?” she asked.
“Taller than our house,” Dan replied, “But shorter than the bank building!”
“I want to go to the top of the tower!” Katie said.
“You can’t,” her brother said.
“Why not?”
“There’s not any real rooms that high,” he said. “It’s a fake castle.”
“I don’t care, I wanna go anyway!”
“You can’t!”
“Why not?”
“I told you not to!”
“OK, kids!” Dad said wearily. “How about we play the quiet game for a while?”
An hour later, they saw the huge sign marking their turnoff. Dad checked them into the hotel, which took forever. Probably about forty minutes, really. But with Katie’s constant questions, it felt like forever. Finally, their bags were checked, their keys issued, and the family set out for the park.
It was a weekday, but lines were still long. Katie was upset at how long they had to wait for each ride. Finally, Mom and Dad stepped aside and argued for a bit.
Then Dad disappeared for a few minutes. When he came back, he had two laminated cards that said “VIP.”
“This should do the trick!” he said. “This gets you in the express line for every ride in the park! But they were really expensive, so I just got two. Dan, will you go on rides with your sister?”
“I guess,” he said. “But maybe not EVERY ride?”
“We can swap off,” Dad said. “Mom and I can take turns going with you. That way everyone gets to ride, and a chance to rest or eat.”
Katie and Dan worked in four rides before lunch. The waits were short enough that Katie couldn’t be too obnoxious. The Star Wars rides were the best; each ride had a different story to go with it. Katie shrieked as blaster fire streaked at them onscreen. Dan leaned into every turn as their “shuttle” tried to avoid TIE fighters. After the last ride, Mom and Dad were waiting at the exit.
“Lunchtime, kids!” Dad said. He had four huge coney dogs, curly fries, and lemonades.
“Thanks Daddeee!” Katie said. “I want extra mustard on mine!”
The family dug in with gusto. Mom rolled her eyes at Dad as she took a bite.
“Mmmm!” she said. “Worth every penny of that second mortgage!”
“Hush, dear,” Dad said. “We knew it would be expensive!”
“What’s a mortgage?” Katie asked.
“ ‘Mort’ is Latin for dead,” Dan said. “A mort-gage measures how dead you are! Right, Dad?”
“Metaphorically speaking,” Dad replied. “At least, in your Mom’s book!”
Dan didn’t entirely get the joke, but Mom chuckled at it. He was glad they were done fighting. They sat at the shaded table together, watching a group of storm troopers march by.
“Mickey Mouse and the Galactic Empire,” Dad said. “Seems an odd alliance!”
“I drew the line at the Darth Vader mask with Mickey Mouse ears,” Mom replied. “Some characters aren’t cute!”
They finished up the meal not long after. Dad gathered their trash and ate the last bites of Katie’s corn dog.
“What next, kids?” he said.
“Dan, I wanna go on Space Mountain with you!” Katie screamed.
“Absolutely not!” he said.
“Why not?”
“Because I said not to!” he snapped. “You can’t even climb a tree without puking!”
“Katie, why don’t you wait for a bit?” Mom asked.
“No, I wanna go NOW!” she squalled.
Dad looked down at Dan. “Sure you don’t want to take her?” he asked.
“I don’t like being hurled on,” Dan replied.
“Twenty bucks change your mind?” Dad asked. He pulled a bill out of his pocket to show he meant it.
Dan sighed. Twenty bucks wasn’t worth much at Disney World. Still, Dad looked like he could use a break.
“Fine,” he said. “But I get ten more if she pukes!”
“Deal!” Dad said. “Meet you here in thirty minutes!”
“Come on, brat!” Danny said. “Space Mountain it is!”
Even with VIP passes, the wait was thirty minutes. Katie was so excited she was bouncing up and down. When the attendant seated them in the car, she started singing.
“Space Mountain is the place for me, fast rides make me feel happy!” she crooned.
“Anyone want a baby sister?” Dan said. “She’s for sale!”
The ride took five minutes, and Katie threw up about two minutes in. Dan got spattered with corn dog chunks soaked in used lemonade. It was all he could do not to gag.
“I’m sorry,” Katie sobbed as they got off.
“Hey, I’m thirty bucks richer now!” he replied.
“Oh no!” Mom exclaimed when she saw them. “Bob, I told you this was a bad idea!”
Dad shrugged. “Part of having kids,” he said. “I hurled all over my sister the first time I rode this one!”
“Let’s get them to the hotel,” Mom said. “They need a shower and clean clothes.”
Once they were washed up and changed, Katie felt better.
“I’m sorry I threw up on you,” she said to Dan.
“I’m kinda used to it by now,” he replied. The thirty dollars tucked into his shirt pocket made him feel charitable.
“Danny, Dad and I are going to the gift shop,” Mom said. “And then we may sit at the tiki bar for a bit. We can go back to the park this evening. Will you and your sister behave?”
“Sure, Mom,” he said, dredging up a smile. She looked like she could use what Dad called “an adult beverage.”
“Can we watch movies?” Katie said.
“You bet, squirt!” he said.
“Don’t call me that!” she snapped.
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because I told you not to,” she replied, and howled with laughter.
They watched a couple of episodes of THE MANDALORIAN together, and then Katie sighed.
“Now my tummy’s settled, I’m hungry again,” she said.
“Let’s wait for Mom and Dad,” Dan told her.
“I just want a hot dog!” she said. “There’s a stand right by our hotel. PLEEEASE??”
“Just a regular hot dog, not a foot-long, OK?” he said.
“OK, OK, but I might want two!” she replied.
“Only if you’re still hungry after one,” he told her.
“All right. Can we sit outside by the canal to eat?” she asked.
Dan thought a minute. The canal was right next to their hotel. The tiki bar where Mom and Dad were sitting was in plain sight.
“OK,” he said. “That should be fine.”
They walked out to the hot dog stand, and he spent $5 on a loaded dog for Katie. He got an ice cream bar for himself. Katie polished off her dog before he could finish it.
“I want another one!” she said. “You told me I could have another!”
“Fine, but I am NOT going on the next ride with you!” he said and gave her a five. She walked over to the stand and bought another loaded hot dog. She plopped down next to him and took a bite.
“This is my favorite place on earth,” she said.
“It has its moments,” Dan replied. He finished his ice cream and leaned back.
“Hey, what’s that in the water?” Katie asked.
Dan looked at something floating about ten feet from the bank.
“I think it’s a baby alligator,” he said.
“It’s so cute!” Katie gushed. “I wanna feed it!”
“Absolutely not!” Dan said.
“Why not?”
“I told you not to!” he snapped. “There might be more than one!”
“I bet he’s a hungry orphan,” she said. “I’m just going to throw my hot dog to him. I’ll stay away from the water’s edge.”
“Don’t do it, Katie!” Dan said. “I mean it!”
Her eyes sparkled as she got up and ran towards the canal, stopping a few feet from the water.
“Here you go, little guy!” she said. She threw the half-eaten hot dog into the water. The baby alligator dove out of sight.
“What’s the matter?” Katie said. “Don’t you like -”
At that moment the huge female alligator that had been lurking underwater lunged. It grabbed Katie and pulled her into the water before Dan could get to her.
“Dannneeeeeee!” she shrieked as she disappeared underwater. In a few seconds, the ripples had died away. There was no sign Katie Mitchell had ever been there. Dan dropped to his knees and threw up ice cream everywhere.
“Dan!!!” Mom was at his side, shaking him. “How could you let her get so close to the water?”
He looked up at his mother and sighed.
“I told her not to,” he said.
