Chapter the 18th
Prince Moroch the Pickled climbed up the spiral steps inside the lighthouse, his sword poised to run through the body of anybody who attacked him on the way. There was barely enough light for the prince to see where he was going. The chill wind buffeted the lighthouse so fiercely that Moroch would have sworn that the structure was swaying if he had thought that was possible. Halfway up the stairs, Moroch came to a landing with a door off to the side. He knocked on the door but received no answer. An especially hard gust of wind hit the lighthouse so hard that for a few seconds, Moroch thought the lighthouse might be torn from the ground as easily as a tree is uprooted in a storm. Moroch sucked in his breath and opened the door to a loud creaking sound that made the lighthouse feel haunted.
The room the door opened to appeared to be the living quarters of the operator of the lighthouse. The only light in the room was the faint twilight filtering in through a small window. In that dim light, Moroch could make out a table with three wooden chairs around it and a bed, neatly made up, off to the side. Thin, purplish cobwebs covered everything in the room, even the dried-up food left on the table. Surprised that he no longer heard the wind and the surf crashing on the rocks, the Crown Prince stepped over to the window to see what was outside.
At first, Moroch saw nothing except dimly lit lines and curves and a few dots of light. Gradually Moroch’s eyes adjusted to the sight of a vast city laid out before him. The buildings had elegantly curved roofs and the paved streets had ample room for horse-drawn carriages to pass each other from opposite directions. The more Prince Moroch looked at the buildings, the more unusual their design seemed to be until he realized that the reason some of buildings had odd architectural shapes was because they were incomplete. It appeared that a giant had sliced off half a building here and another half a building there and pulled up whole city blocks and cast them into another universe, leaving gaping holes of darkness behind. The purplish cobwebs that covered the room in the lighthouse extended to the buildings in the city below. Prince Moroch turned and headed towards the door, but he didn’t get further than a step before he was pulled back to the window by the cobwebs that had wrapped themselves about him.
“How dare you hold me back like that!” Prince Moroch cried at the cobwebs.
The prince slashed at the cobwebs with his sword and freed himself in a few seconds. Prince Moroch headed for the door once again, but the lighthouse suddenly tilted against him and sent the prince sliding back against the window. Suddenly, the lighthouse pitching like a ship at sea. Moroch held on to the window sill with one hand and held up his sword with the other. Down below, he could see choppy waves carrying the lighthouse. In the middle of those waves was a ship, heading straight for the lighthouse. On the top mast was a black flag with the familiar skull and crossbones. The raucous sound of boys and men singing at the top of their lungs rose up to Moroch’s ears from the ship.
“Turn away! Turn away!” Moroch cried out to the ship. “You’re going to crash!”
The ship continued on its course, so that a collision with the lighthouse seem inevitable. Suddenly, the singing turned into high-pitched screams. But, at the last second, a purplish thread jerked the ship in mid-air and turned it away from the lighthouse.
“Light up that lighthouse before somebody crashes into you!” yelled a man with a rough voice.
“You should watch where you’re going!” Moroch yelled back.
“Maybe I will!” the man roared back. “They don’t call me Captain Polly for nothing!”
“Yes they do!” yelled a boy.
“Why don’t you move that lighthouse while you’re at it!” yelled another boy.
“Why should I have to move this lighthouse?” Moroch yelled back.
“Because it’s not supposed to be in the middle of ocean where a ship can get wrecked against it!” another boy yelled.
The boys and men struck up a sea shanty and the ship started to sail away, but to Moroch’s rage, the ship was pulling the lighthouse with the cobwebs that had gotten tangled up with it. The prince slashed at the cobwebs with his sword.
“Don’t do that!” squeaked a boy with all of the lung power he had.
“Since when does the crown prince of carelin have to take dictation from a snotty kid like you?” Moroch yelled at the top of his lungs.
“My great-aunt says that you should never cut Melanie’s web!” the same squeaky boy yelled back.
“I don’t care whose web this is!” Moroch yelled in return. “As Crown Prince of Carelin, I have the right to cut any thread that tries to pull me or hold me against my will!”
The boys and pirates burst into another song and the sound of a harp ran through Moroch’s memory. Moroch slashed at the web, but somehow, he ended up moving his sword in time to the music instead of cutting the threads. A thought about being connected to others also floated into the prince’s head, although he didn’t know why he should think such a thing. As the pirate ship floated away, the thread seemed to stretch. Even though the lighthouse was still being pulled by the ship, the growing distance made the prince feel better about it and he decided that he would climb to the top where he could find the lost light and return it to his kingdom.
To Prince Moroch’s satisfaction, the cobwebs didn’t hinder his progress up the rest of the spiral staircase. He thought of how fitting it was that the crown prince should be the one to save the kingdom. It was kind of his father to step aside with the excuse that he had a different quest for the sake of the kingdom. The climb was rough as the lighthouse continued to pitch in the rough water. At one point, Moroch would have fallen if a cobweb had not held him in place. The further up the stairs the prince went, the farther away the top seemed to be. The staircase became darker as he went and finally he could see nothing at all, and he had to cling to the railing to keep from stumbling. Not until he had resigned himself to climbing forever did Moroch bump into a barrier that would have knocked him back down the steps if he had not been clutching the rail for dear life. He fumbled for a doorknob, found it, and opened the door.
When Moroch entered the tower, he saw, in the faint twilight, a huge shattered light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The purplish cobwebs were so thick that the crown prince felt as if he were wading in water as he stepped into the room. From this vantage point, Moroch could see nothing in the darkness except for the faintest hint of the pirate ship in the distance. Moroch carefully tried to unscrew the bulb but the glass shards broke off in his hand. Moroch yelled out his favorite curses when he felt the sting and blood spurted out in several places. With only a few sharp edges of the glass left, it was going to be impossible to get the bulb out of the socket. A broken piece of filament dangled in front of the prince. The singing of the boys and pirates and the playing of the harp still flowed through Moroch's mind, mocking him for his efforts to replace the light in the lighthouse. Moroch poked at the broken filament with his sword, until all of it was dislodged and the lighthouse became darker still.
“You have done a fine job of gathering the light here, at the spot where it belongs,” said a man, his voice deep and chilling.
Moroch raised his sword. The wind picked up strength. The lighthouse pitched again.
“Your sword is drawing the light to it,” said a woman.
“And you wield your sword very well,” said another man.
“Then why can’t I see the light up here?” Moroch asked his visitors.
“Light is not something you can see,” said the older man.
“Light is something that you bring to yourself,” said the woman.
“Light is something you should cut with your sword,” said the younger man.
Suddenly, the singing of the pirates and the boys and the harp’s playing rang loudly in Moroch’s ears. Determined to tighten his control of the light he had gathered in the lighthouse tower himself, Moroch slashed at the glass with his sword, letting the pieces of glass fall where they would. The wind howled so loudly it drowned out all music and thought from his mind. Darkness rose from the ruined light as if it were obeying a command from the prince, until the darkness filled the tower. No longer master of his weapon, the sword directed the prince’s hand as it continued to slash at invisible shadows and cut through the cobwebs. At last, his exertions seemed to have driven away the music. All Moroch heard was the wind, the tide, and chilling laughter.
“”Now, you are bringing the lighthouse into the Dark Lake,” said the older man.
“The Dark Lake is where you will find all the Light,” said the woman.
“Now if you cut the cobwebs to shreds,” said the younger man, “you will be free to collect all of the light in the Dark Lake and bring it into the lighthouse for your own purposes.”
At that moment, Prince Moroch felt that only his own purposes mattered.
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“Who gets the last mushroom?” asked Kevin, obviously hoping he would get it.
“I've had enough,” said Sheila.
“I've had too many pretzels,” said Samantha, “so my mother would not like it if I had too many mushrooms, too,” said Samantha.
“Let's say it goes to whoever can write the best violin concerto,” suggested Roger.
“Let’s say it goes to the one who can draw the best treasure map,” Kevin suggested in return.
“I guess that’s fair,” said Roger, “since I don’t have my violin or any music paper.”
“And I don't have the map I drew,” said Kevin, “and I don't have anything here to draw another one with.”
“We could split it,” said Roger.
“That's okay,” said Kevin with a shrug.
Roger took a cheese knife and cut the mushroom as best he could while Kevin sauntered over to the window and looked out at the landscape. The train was chugging past a pale desert with large cactus plants growing among the rocks. The sky was growing darker and the wind was whipping up the dust from the ground. Sheila’s teddy bear, Theodora, persisted in playing the toy pink piano no matter how many times Sheila told her to take a break. When Kevin turned round, half a mushroom landed in his face.
“I said you could have it,” said Kevin, only slightly annoyed.
“No you didn't,” said Roger. “You said it was okay for me to split it.”
“I said it was okay for you to have it.”
“That was not the grammatical sense of what you said,” Roger insisted.
“But it was the sense of what I said!” said Kevin, growing hotter.
“Are you going to pick up your half a mushroom or are you going to stomp on it?” asked Samantha.
Kevin stomped on the mushroom and crushed it with the heel of his shoe. Sheila exchanged an uncomfortable glance with Roger and Samantha. The train slowed down and stopped in front of a station that looked like a cardboard setting for a western movie. At first, there were so signs of life, but then a unicorn with a masked rider burst through the stage set as if it were a paper hoop. Four other outlaws mounted on unicorns followed through the hoop, shot their pistols, and rode towards the back of the train.
“Those are the cowboys and unicorns that I saw before!” said Sheila in dismay. “They were right in Milton, not far from Miss Shepherd’s house.”
“We’ve got to stop them!” Kevin cried as he ran to door.
“We do not have to stop them,” said Roger.
“We have to stay on the train,” Samantha reminded Kevin. “That’s what the engineer said.”
Kevin was about to jump off the train anyway, but then the wolf from the circus car howled with the voice of twenty train whistles. The sound of galloping unicorns was heard again as the cowboys rode past the luxury car and disappeared in a cloud of dust. The train started up again and was soon going again at full speed.
“See?” said Roger smugly. “I was right. Fenrir knows his stuff.”
“Bully for him,” Kevin growled. “Don’t mind my stupidity and ignorance and foolishness.”
“We won’t,” said Roger with a shrug as he sat down again.
Not knowing why he was feeling so out of sorts, Kevin glued his face to the window as the desert landscape sped by again. Then the desert turned into a body of water. The train sped across a bridge, splashing great sprays of water as it went. In the distance, Kevin saw a sailing ship. It made Kevin think of the pirate ship he would be sailing on with his friends if only Sheila hadn’t spoiled things for him. Closer to the train, a monster that looked strangely familiar to Kevin rose out of the water. The sea monster cavorted in the water and Kevin jumped half a mile when he recognized the sea monster he himself had drawn on his treasure map. The train slowed down a little as it reached land once again. Here, the scene was more like a sketch than a full landscape. There were bits of rocky coastline, some trees and hills, but also some blank spots. It all appeared to Kevin that the train was rolling across a blown up copy of his treasure map.
“This is your treasure island the train is crossing,” said the older man in black.
“The train won’t stop here because nobody cares about your map,” said the woman.
“And they don’t care about you, either,” said the younger man.
“Stop the train!” Kevin yelled.
“We can’t,” said Roger.
“And we shouldn’t,” added Samantha.
“We have to!” Kevin cried. “It's my island! The treasure is here! The light is here!”
“How do you know it's your island?” asked Sheila.
“I drew it!” said Kevin.
“Drawing something and owning it aren't the same thing,” said Samantha.
“Do you mean it’s all right for somebody to take my treasure map and steal the treasure right under my nose?” Kevin yelled.
“I think Samantha means that is’s okay for you to let somebody else dig up the treasure if the train takes us somewhere else past your island,” Roger replied.
“You just don’t care about my map,” Kevin pouted with a stamp of his foot.
Kevin pressed himself against the window, as if hoping he could push himself through the glass. The train passed by more of his beautifully drawn hills and his imaginatively drawn trees, then slowed down a bit more without stopping, as if to give Kevin a better look at his handiwork. When the train chugged by a mound with a large red X marked on it, Kevin was beside himself.
“Stop the train!” cried Kevin, “There's the treasure! We beat the choirboys and the pirates to the punch! Serves 'em right for leaving me behind. The light is in the treasure chest!”
“Kevin!” cried Samantha.
“Where are you going?” asked Sheila.
“To my treasure island, Dummy!”
“The engineer told us to stay on the train no matter what happens!” Samantha told him.
“He just wants to keep me away from my island,” Kevin replied. “I drew it. I have to right to it.”
“Get back!” yelled Roger.
Kevin felt somebody grab his wrist as he leaned forward, but he shook it off and fell, landing on soft, wet sand. The train whistle and the howling of the wolf blew almost blew his ears away.
“Kevin!” Sheila, Roger and Samantha all yelled from an opened window.
Kevin could do no more than sit up and watch the rest of the train lumber past. The large silvery wolf fixed its bright green eyes on Kevin as the circus car went by.
“Don’t look at me like that!” Kevin demanded.
The wolf howled in reply, and Kevin clapped his hands to his ears. He waited until the sounds of the train and the wolf diminished and then faded away. Then he sprang to his feet to check out the spot where the treasure was buried. The X was not there! When he heard a rustling sound off to the side, Kevin looked over just in time to see the wind carry several large strips of red crepe paper away from the island and then drop them in the water.
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“Your majesty! Come back!” a man’s voice called out.
King Perezvon XXVI whirled around to answer just as the forest he was marching through swung away from him, leaving a wide, dark gap between him and his soldiers.
“How dare you leave me?” the king yelled back to his men. “You are supposed to stay with me at all times during a military expedition!”
“You didn’t tell us which way you were going!” the commanding officer replied as his voice faded out and the company of soldiers was lost to sight.
Then the king remembered that he was chasing after his wayward son, to catch him before he did something foolish that would doom the quest for the missing light. The lighthouse was just up ahead. Perezvon stopped a moment to catch his breath and then stepped carefully along the rocky shore. The incoming tide pounded the rocks and lapped over the king’s new shoes. A train rode by across the water, its whistle blowing at full volume. The king stopped to watch it go by, noting in particular a circus car with a large wild animal pacing in its cage. Perezvon XXVI turned back towards the lighthouse, but now it seemed much further away than it was a minute ago. A large cloud of dust clouded his vision and then hit him in the face. The king stopped and coughed out his lungs. Several shadows emerged from the cloud and then the king made out the shapes of five horses and their riders.
“STOP!” the king ordered the riders.
The riders pulled on their reigns and their horses trotted over to the king where they formed a circle around him. Their constant motion continued to stir up dust from the dry road that irritated the king’s eyes and throat. At these close quarters, the king could see that neckerchiefs covered the faces of the riders, that each horse carried a large sack over its hindquarters and that each horse was actually a unicorn.
“State your business!” the king ordered.
“Robbing light from Carelin and Milton, Your Majesty,” one of the outlaws answered.
“How dare you steal light from my kingdom without my permission!” the king yelled.
“We steal the light by order of his Majesty Shawn I, Your Majesty,” the outlaw replied.
“I demand that you return every sack of light that you have stolen,” the king demanded.
“You’ll have to take it from the treasure chest, your majesty.”
Without waiting for a reply, the outlaw dug his spurs into his unicorn and he and his gang stirred up another cloud of dust that made the king cough as they rode off. When the dust had cleared enough for the king to see again, the lighthouse and the coastline had receded, leaving another dark gulf between himself and it. Up ahead, the outlaws finished emptying their bags of light into an open treasure chest and rode away. Determined to recover the stolen light, the king ran after the chest. When he reached it, he could barely reach the top of it. He pulled himself up and reached in. But he reached in too far and fell much farther than he thought possible.
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“Does the dawn look darker to you than the sunset did the night before?” Scott asked Mona.
“I suppose it does,” said Mona.
Scott longed for some coffee and a couple of donuts, and wished even more that he could offer some to Mona. Having nothing to offer made him feel more empty than did his lack of words. Neither of them spoke further as they stretched their legs and then started to climb further up the mountain they had landed on the day before. The going was slow because Scott was limping badly. Mona tried to be patient, but she showed irritation every time Scott stopped to message his foot.
Not knowing what else he could do to pass the time, Scott took the harmonica out of his shirt pocket and began to play it. When Mona winced, Scott put the instrument back in his shirt pocket. Feeling more hurt than he thought he should, Scott looked away from Mona and absorbed the silence surrounding them.
“Scott.”
“Yes.”
“Maybe you'd better play your harmonica some more.”
“I thought you didn’t like it.”
“I didn’t, but it's even more boring when there's nothing to listen to except the scraping of your limping foot.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
Scott left the harmonica in his pocket and trudged along the mountain path, while averting his eyes from Mona. His foot ached more than ever, but he gritted his teeth, determined not to stop again until later.
“Scott.”
“What?”
“As the crown princess of Carelin, I order you to play your mouth organ.”
“Thought you didn't like it.”
“Didn't say I did. I only ordered you to play it. You brought Sylvester up from the well when you played it before. Maybe you can bring something this time, too.”
Scott shrugged, took out his harmonica once more and began to play a bluesy piece. He became so absorbed in what he was playing that he did not notice when Mona wiped a tear from her eye. Neither did Scott notice a flock of blackbirds flying overhead. He heard them, though, when the birds chirped an odd song of their own that went well with the tune Scott was improvising. The music was enough to make Scott forget how badly his foot ached, and he walked on until he and Mona had reached the top of the mountain. A soft cushion of pine needles soothed Scott’s foot. Gentle swirls of smoke floated up to the children’s nostrils with a sweet smell. The birds surrounded them as if it was their job to welcome the two children to the mountain.
“Now what do we do?” Scott asked.
Mona stood still for some time, listening to the birds’ song.
“You did it again, Scott,” said Mona.
“Did what?”
“I’ll tell you when I’m sure you’ve done what I think you did.”
Mona stooped down and picked up a clump of pine needles that smelled like baked cinnamon.
“Yes, I think you’ve done it, Scott,” she said.
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“Land ahoy! Land ahoy, starboard! Land ahoy!” cried Captain Geoffrey from the crow's nest.
Captain Nigel and Captain Edmund came running to Chief Captain Karen who was already peering through a telescope in the direction pointed out by Captain Geoffrey. The wind was growing stronger and the boat was pitching. What Karen saw to starboard looked more like a large thundercloud than a landfall.
“Land reported, sir,” said Captain Nigel with a salute.
“So I hear,” replied the Chief Captain.
“May I have a look, Sir?” asked Captain Nigel.
“Let me see,” whined Captain Edmund as he pulled at her sleeve.
“The first mate gets the first look,” said Chief Captain Karen.
A spray of water drenched the three of them as Karen handed the telescope to Nigel. By this time, most of the boys and pirates had clustered around the Chief Captain, making more noise than a heard of chipmunks.
“Looks like a mountain shrouded in mist,” said Captain Nigel as Captain Edmund snatched the telescope out of his hands.
“No, it's a castle rising out of the sea!” cried Captain Edmund as soon as he had a look through the telescope for himself.
“I’d better take another look,” said Chief Captain Karen, her voice tense. “I don’t want to almost run into another lighthouse.”
“Don’t you believe me?” asked Captain Edmund.
Captain Edmund surrendered the telescope to Chief Captain Karen and she trained it again on the dark cloud. It had no shape that she could make out. The more that she stared at it, the more the dark mass seemed to move in the ship’s direction.
“It looks neither a castle rising out of the sea nor like a mountain shrouded in mist,” the Chief Captain replied as patiently as she could.
“Then what does it look like to you, Chief Captain, Sir?” asked Captain Polly.
“It could be almost anything that’s big,” Chief Captain Karen replied. “It could be a castle or a mountain, or it could be a cloud or a giant ink blot or another lighthouse adrift at sea.”
“Think it could be a sea monster?” asked Captain Hilary eagerly.
“It could be a sea monster if there is such a thing,” said Chief Captain Karen.
“Which there most undoubtedly is,” said Captain Patch, “since Kevin drew one so nicely on his treasure map.”
“My Great Aunt told me that some sea monsters are very nice if you are good to them,” said Captain Dennis.
“And what happens if you are good to a sea monster that isn”t nice?” Captain Polly asked in return.
“Then you get crunched in the teeth that crunched the chocolate-covered peanuts you gave it,” Captain Hilary cut in before Captain Dennis could get his words out, causing tears to trickle down Captain Dennis’ face.
“Kevin the Map Maker drew a nice sea monster,” Edmund remind the crew.
“That proves that we can trust this sea monster, if we can trust any sea monster,” Captain Polly insisted.
“Ship's moving in the direction of unidentified floating object, Chief Captain Sir,” reported Captain Scratch.
“Floating object,” repeated the parrot on Captain Polly's shoulder.
“Unidentified floating object is moving in the ship’s direction!” Captain Polly announced.
“Ship’s direction,” chirped the parrot.
“It’s got to be a sea-monster!” cried Chief Captain Edmund. “Let me see! He grabbed the telescope from Chief Captain Karen and peered at the object. “Yes! It’s got two yellow eyes!”
Chief Captain Karen grabbed the telescope back just as rudely.
“I’m tired of you guys seeing a sea monster in every wave out there,” Chief Captain Karen scoffed as she handed the telescope to Captain Nigel. “What do you think?”
“I’ll bet those yellow eyes are the windows of a drifting lighthouse,” said Captain Nigel.
“No they’re not!” Captain Edmund insisted. “Give me the telescope!”
“Not if it’s going to make you see sea monsters that aren’t there,” Captain Nigel replied as he tossed to telescope over to another of the boys in a game of keep-away.
“Give it to me!” Captain Edmund squealed.
“Come and get it,” said Captain Hilary.
“Be careful, ye hearties!” Captain Eagle yelled over the tumult. “White caps are rising!”
As the boys and the pirates yelled in excitement over the sport, Edmund dived at Captain Hilary and slipped on the deck, just as Captain Hilary threw the telescope back to Captain Nigel. Captain Edmund whirled around and headed back in Captain Nigel’s direction. Captain Nigel promptly tossed the telescope to Captain Geoffrey.
“Stop it right this instant!” Chief Captain Karen demanded.
All of the boys came to a sliding halt on the pitching ship as best they could except for Edmund, who lunged after the telescope that Captain Geoffrey held just out of reach. A wave slapped over the ship's edge, nabbed Captain Edmund, and pulled him over the railing into the water.
“Boy overboard!” cried Captain Peg.
“Overboard!” echoed Polydorus.
“EDMUND!” Chief Captain Karen yelled out frantically.
“I’ll get him!” Captain Nigel cried to Chief Captain Karen.
Captain Nigel thrust the telescope into Karen's hands and jumped overboard to rescue the boy, heedless of Karen's screams.
“Boy overboard!” cried Captain Geoffrey from the crow’s nest.
“I’ll get him!” Captain Polly roared, tears streaming down his face.
At the stern, Captain Scratch tried desperately to steer the ship away from the menacing cloud ahead, but the wind continued to blow the ship inexorably in that direction.
“Make them trim the sails!” Captain Eagle prompted Chief Captain Karen.
“TRIM THE SAILS!” Chief Captain Karen yelled out.
There was a flurry of activity from the other pirates and the older boys, but the ship's motion prevented any sustained effort. Karen, unwilling to stand by idly, plunged into the activity of pulling at ropes although she had no idea of what she was doing. As they worked frantically, the dark unidentified floating object closed in on the ship. Two bright points of yellow light pierced its shadowy darkness and then a mouth opened and exposed an irregular set of sharp, glistening teeth.
“Monster ahoy!” cried Captain Geoffrey.
“Monster ahoy!” cried the parakeet.
“Order the crew to man the guns!” cried Captain Eagle.
“Man the guns!” yelled Chief Captain Karen, “but don't kill Captain Nigel or Captain Edmund!”
“Nigel! Edmund!” added the parakeet.
“NO!” cried Captain Dennis, as he tugged hard at the chief Captain’s arm.
“And why not?” roared Captain Eagle.
“Because that’s Kevin’s monster! Look at it!”
“And what if it isn’t?” Captain Hilary retorted.
“What if it is?” Captain Dennis pleaded.
“You won’t find out if it’s Kevin’s monster until it’s too late!” cried Captain Peg.
“But Melanie’s got the monster in her Web!” Captain Dennis shouted.
With the monster thrashing about in the darkness, it was hard to tell, but Karen thought maybe there was a purplish thread running between the monster and the ship.
“Ship’s cannons are stuffed with fuel, ready to shoot!” Captain Eagle reported.
“NO!” Captain Dennis wailed.
“DO NOT FIRE!” Chief Captain Karen ordered, as she came to the conclusion that her only hope was that the monster would be kind to the ship’s crew.
Chief Captain Karen searched frantically for Captain Nigel and Captain Edmund, but the two huge yellow eyes of the sea monster filled her line of vision.
“Give it rum, Chief Captain, Sir?” asked Captain Michael.
“Does it like rum?” asked Chief Captain Karen.
“Yes, my great aunt says—“ Captain Dennis answered.
‘GIVE IT RUM!” Chief Captain Karen ordered.
Two boys and two pirates came stumbling across the deck on the a run with a barrel between them. As soon as they reached the ship’s side, they hurled the barrel into the monster's mouth. The monster gave out a thunderous growl of what Chief Captain Karen hoped was approval as it chewed the barrel like a piece of candy. The ship lurched and bounced against the monster's chest. A huge paw rose out of the water and took hold of the ship. The wind howled, boys screamed, the parrot screeched, but the ship stopped pitching. Instead, it floated through the air until the crew felt a jolt and heard a crunching sound underneath the ship. Again, waves struck against the ship and what was left of the vessel crumbled like matchsticks.
“Steady, chief Captain,” said Captain Polly.
“We’re sinking!” cried Chief Captain Karen.
“Sinking, sinking,” echoed the parrot.
“Best get out of the tide before you drown,” said Captain Hilary, as he gave the Chief Captain a hand.
Only then did Chief Captain Karen realize that she was sitting on a rocky shore with water pouring over her knees. Only a faint twilight relieved the darkness, but there was light enough for the Chief Captain to see the ship falling apart and her crew huddling together on the shore. Out at sea, Chief Captain Karen saw a large dark shadow that could only be the sea monster. Desperately, she strained her eyes in search of Captain Edmund and Captain Nigel, but saw no sign of either.