Cappy the Riverboat Captain
The river that lazily flows by Ganse-Stadt was once a busy waterway. Steam boats would come loaded with supplies for the residents. Passengers from other towns sometimes came to Ganse-Stadt and people from Ganse-Stadt often went visiting using the steam boat as transportation. Eventually the train took over the job of delivering supplies and transporting people. One of the last steam boats to navigate the river by Ganse-Stadt was piloted by Cappy. For years Cappy skillfully steered the boat up and down the river, carefully avoiding many of the dangerous areas of the river. The high water season was a challenge for him. That’s when flooding occurred and with it came a lot of branches and debris floating in the river. Cappy knew how to avoid these things and bring his boat safely to shore. One time he had a close call though, when a huge barrel came floating down the river headed directly for his boat. Carefully he steered the boat away from the path of the barrel. When the barrel was close enough, Cappy “hooked” it. It was then he realized it was full of something. Thinking it might be full of a beverage from the Gathering Place he securely fastened it to the boat and towed it to shore. As he approached the landing area, Cappy saw many people from Gans-Stadt cheering and yelling. Now he was sure the barrel was from the Gathering Place. When he finally got on shore, Cappy received the surprise of his life. The barrel did not contain a beverage from the Gathering Place, it contained vinegar from the Pickle Place. The barrel had fallen off a wagon, rolled down the hill into the river while being moved from storage to the pickle factory. Worse yet it was the last barrel of vinegar in town. Loosing it meant residents of Gans-Stadt would have to go a whole year without pickles. Cappy was hero, he saved the pickle factory from disaster. Needless to say he was well rewarded at the Gathering Place. Cappy continued piloting the boat up and down the river bringing supplies to Ganse-Stadt. He loved the beautiful scenery along the river, especially close to Ganse-Stadt. He often saw a colorful lady along the shore, gathering oysters from the numerous oyster beds. Maybe some day he could join her along the shore. Eventually the riverboat stopped coming and Cappy retired to Ganse-Stadt. |