Read Online A Whirlwind Vacation by Nancy Krulik - Free Book Online

morning,” Katie answered.
    â€œI have to thank you,” Vincenzo told her.
    â€œFor what?” Katie asked.
    â€œFor convincing me to ask my father to give me a test with our gondola,” Vincenzo explained. “He has agreed. I take my first boat out today!”
    â€œOh, wow!” Katie cheered.
    â€œOf course, I want you to be on that boat,” Vincenzo told her. “You will be my guest.”
    â€œMom! Dad! Can we go? Please?” Katie pleaded.
    Mrs. Carew shook her head. “I’m sorry, Katie. We already made plans to shop today. I hired a water taxi to take us around to the stores. We’ll go on a gondola ride tomorrow.”
    Katie didn’t want to shop all day. She wanted to take this gondola ride. With Vincenzo.
    â€œWe can go, can’t we?” Annabelle asked her parents.
    Mrs. Bridgeman shrugged. “I guess we can. We did want to take a gondola ride at some point.” She turned to Mrs. Carew. “We’ll take Katie if you’d like.”
    Katie looked up at her parents hopefully.
    Mrs. Carew laughed. “Oh, dear. I can’t refuse that face. Okay, you can go.”
    â€œWonderful!” Vincenzo cheered. “The gondola ride will begin at one o‘clock. I will see you there!”

    Sure enough, at one o‘clock, Vincenzo was standing right near his gondola at the dock near the hotel. He looked very professional in his red-and-white striped shirt and big hat.
    â€œBuongiorno,” he greeted Katie and the Bridgemans. “It is very nice to see you.”
    â€œBuongiorno,” Katie replied.
    Katie squinted into the bright sunlight. She could barely see. “Do I have time to run back to my hotel room and get my sunglasses?” she asked Vincenzo.
    â€œOf course, Katie,” Vincenzo answered.
    Katie turned and ran back to the hotel. She hurried into the elevator and pushed the button for her floor.
    As the elevator door shut, Katie felt a cool breeze blowing on the back of her neck. She looked around for an air conditioning vent. But she couldn’t find one. There were no windows, either. In fact, there was no way for wind to be blowing in the elevator ... at least not a normal wind.
    The magic wind, on the other hand, could blow anywhere!
    And, boy, was it blowing! Katie shut her eyes and tried not to cry as the tornado raged.
    Katie really didn’t want to switcheroo into someone else. Especially not when she was about to go on her first gondola ride. But the magic wind didn’t care what Katie wanted.
    Suddenly, the tornado stopped blowing. Just like that.
    The magic wind was gone. And so was Katie.

Chapter 20
    Katie opened her eyes slowly and looked around. She was outside the hotel near the water. There were gondolas all around.
    â€œVincenzo, will you help me into the boat?” Mrs. Bridgeman asked. “I’m not very steady on my feet.”
    Vincenzo? Katie looked around, hoping her friend was standing behind her. But no luck. Mrs. Bridgeman was staring right at Katie.
    That was because Katie had turned into Vincenzo! She was wearing his red-and-white striped shirt and his big hat. Katie was going to have to take Vincenzo’s gondola test for him. And she knew nothing about gondolas! What was she going to do?
    At first, Katie thought about canceling the ride. But she couldn’t do that. Vincenzo’s father would never let him take the gondola out after that.
    This whole test had been Katie’s idea. She would have to steer the boat. Otherwise she would ruin everything.
    â€œOf course I’ll help you,” Katie said as she took Mrs. Bridgeman’s hand and led her into the boat. Annabelle and her father followed close behind.
    Katie stood there in the back of the boat for a moment, watching as the other gondoliers steered their boats down the canal. It didn’t look very hard. If Katie could just follow them, she’d be fine.
    BONG!
    Just then, the bell from the big