by J.A. Sprouls
Chapter 4
"Okay, now we need to go out and find one of these Knarls so they can lead us to the Wind Hag. First though, we need to get the honey from the galley."
"Actually, sir, I grabbed a jar before we came back up on deck." Pill said and held it up so they could all see it.
"Great, Wicket and Tally will stay behind; Pill and I will head over to the first tree and start our quest for the Knarls. When we leave, pull up the rope ladder so no one can climb up it without your knowing it. When we get back we'll holler at you to let the ladder down, got it?"
"Yes sir, but don't you think it would be best if we decided on a code word. That way we would know for sure it was you," Wicket said.
"All you have to do is look down and you will see that it's us. How hard is that?"
"Well, someone could try and disguise themselves to look like you and from that great of a distance we might not be able to see that they are imposters. It could also take you a very long time and so it might be night fall before you get back and then we most definitely couldn't see if it was you or not. But if we had a special password then all you would have to do is yell it up to us and then we would know it was you, night or not," Wicket explained.
"Okay, I suppose that makes sense. After all, I don't know for sure how long this will take. Okay, what sort of password were you thinking of, Wicket?"
"What? I have to think of the password too? Isn't it enough that I figured out that we would need one to begin with?"
"Fine," Pigtail said through gritted teeth, "Tally think of a password, now!"
"A password, golly, there are so many good ones to choose from. There's hunkery dunkery, slippery dippery and even picot. Those are all good passwords but I'm not sure if any of them fit the moment. We need something that is appropriate for the setting. That is, if we're gonna do this right and proper. I know, how about 'landlocked?' That's a good one, eh?"
"Don't be ridiculous Tally. What if someone comes along and yells up to us 'looks like you gents are landlocked.' Boom, he said the password and so we would have to lower the ladder to him and then he might go and rob us. Okay, so he wouldn't get anything, but it would still be a traumatic experience, just the same. And that can only lead to nightmares and you know how much trouble you have sleeping anyway you don't need to add nightmares to it, now do ya?"
"Oh, yeah, right, I'll think of another password." He started thinking hard for a new password that couldn't be used in your everyday sentence. The strain of doing this was starting to make him cross-eyed and red in the face. Then finally he let out a deep breath and exclaimed, "I've got it, 'granny knot' that's the password. Now that's not gonna be used in your regular everyday sentence.
"I suppose so," said Wicket, "Unless, of course, someone comes along and hollers up to us 'Have you seen my Granny, not that it matters, I'm sure she'll find her way home soon anyways.' Then we've got to lower the ladder again because they did, in a sense, say the password. So think of another one and make it quick. The captain looks as though he's about to have a fit or something." This last sentence was said in a rather hushed voice so the captain wouldn't over hear him.
"Fine, though it's not as easy as you think it would be," Tally complained.
"Well do you think coming up with the password idea was all that great and easy a thing to do in the first place. I'll tell ya, it wasn't. So now all you have to do is come up with a password so get to it."
Tally thought and thought. Pill figured that it would be next spring before he finally had a good word so she decided in an effort to speed things along that she should give them a password.
"How about we use the word 'longitude' as the password? It's not gonna be your everyday word and mostly sailors know the word and I'm thinking that there aren't too many sailors out here in a landlocked area like this is."
"Good job, Pill. We'll go with 'longitude,' so the second you hear us say that word then let the ladder down, Okay?"
"Yes, but what if someone comes along and sees that we are depressed and says 'my, what long tudes you have.' Then what do we do?"
"Now why would anyone go and say something as stupid as that?" Tally asked him. "Tudes ain't even a word, now is it?"
"It's slang. It's a shortened version of attitudes. I can see someone at some time in the future shorting attitudes down to tudes. And they will be considered 'in style' for doing it," Wicket said with a note of irritation in his voice.
"Yeah, well, anyone who uses that or the phrase 'in style' for that matter, is gonna be stark raving mad so I wouldn't have anything to do with them in the first place," Tally said. "So I wouldn't throw the ladder down to him in the first place.
"Okay, you two, we have the password. It's 'longitude' and if anyone and I mean anyone, comes up to the ship and uses the word 'tudes' as a shorten form of attitudes then you have my permission to drop a cannon ball on his head. Let's go, Pill." Pigtail grabbed the railing, climbed over it and headed down the ladder before Wicket or Tally could come up some other excuse for not using that password, which would just end up making him even more frustrated and mad.
Pill followed trying to hold on to both the rope ladder and the jar of honey without losing grip on either. It was a lot harder then it looked, but she managed to do it successfully.
Meanwhile Tally and Wicket, after pulling the ladder back up, went down below to retrieve a cannon ball to drop on someone's head, just in case they used the word 'tudes.' It was, after all, best to be prepared.
Pill and Pigtail headed toward the tree the wagon master had pointed out. It was a small tree with twisted branches and sparse leaves. The leaves were oblong and there were thorns on the branches. Pill was looking closely at the tree when suddenly out of nowhere someone said, "There aren't any Knarls on this tree. You'll have to look for them on another one."
They turned around and saw a young girl standing a little off with her hands behind her back. She had straw colored hair that was very fine and brown eyes that seemed to take up most of her face. Her nose was small and her chin slightly pointed but she had a very big grin on her face.
"My name is Lark. My dad is the wagon master. He said you might need help finding a Knarl so he sent me to help. Let's go look at those trees over there, she said pointing to a small clump of trees just a few hundred yards off.
Pill was thrilled to see her. At least they wouldn't miss a Knarl. It also meant she had someone her own age that she could talk to. She wanted to tell her that she was a girl too but figured that the captain wouldn't appreciate that new bit of information. They followed the girl to the clump of trees with her talking nonstop.
"My dad said y'all are really far from home and need help getting back. Did you really come all the way from the Gulf? I've never seen the Gulf. I've never seen the ocean at all. But I want to. Is it as big as they say it is? I think it's great that you're here now," she said the latter while she was looking at Pill. "There aren't any kids on this particular wagon trip. Its older people or young couples who haven't had time to have kids, it's pretty boring without anyone to play with. Do you like to play? I do."
"I don't know. I've never played before. I've always had to work for as long as I can remember. My mother was not well and she couldn't do much so she washed clothes and I helped her. Then I would deliver the clothes to the people. Then when she died, I had to get another job because no one trusted a kid to clean their clothes, even though I had been doing most of the work there at the end anyway. So I got this job as cabin boy. Can you teach me how to play?"
"Boy, can I! I'll teach you how to play with dolls and how to rope and tie all sorts of stuff."
"Well, that would be helpful, seeing as to how Wicket and Tally aren't all that up on tying things." Pigtail said to Pill. "But right now we need to find a Knarl and get in to see this Wind Hag. So let's focus on that for the moment."
"Yes, sir, I just hope we have time for her to teach me how to play before we go back home." Pill never once thought it strange th
at Lark knew about dolls and roping and tying things.
They looked at four trees before Lark called out that she had found a Knarl. Pigtail and Pill opened the jar of honey and headed toward the indicated tree. Suddenly, out of nowhere a big stick with leaves for hair jumped from the tree and clamped onto the honey jar. It was shaped just like a branch with smaller branches for arms and legs extending out from its body. It stuck one of its branches into the jar and pulled it out, dripping with honey and stuck it in what appeared to be a small knot hole. There was a smacking noise and a sigh of satisfaction.
"We were wondering if you could, please, help us to get in to see the Wind Hag. It's very important that we talk to her. You're more than welcome to take the whole jar of honey in return for helping us," Pigtail told the Knarl.
The Knarl seemed more interested in eating the honey than listening to Pigtail or helping them out. Finally, Lark grabbed the jar and tried to pull the Knarl off of it. It wasn't easy to do. Knarls apparently have very strong grips and finally Lark asked Pill to hold the jar while she pulled. It took a few minutes and some straining to finally separate the creature from the jar but they did manage it.
"Okay, Mr. Knarl, if you want any more honey then you need to help us out. We need to see the Wind Hag. Now we know you serve her, so if you would please get us an audience with her as quickly as possible then we would appreciate it and you will get the rest of the honey. How about it?" Lark asked the Knarl.
"Give me the honey, then I'll consider taking you to her Highness. Otherwise, I ain't gonna do it." He crossed his limbs with a note of finality and stared at Lark. He had a rather high pitched voice that probably could have broken glass if he really tried.
"Nope, you've got to get us in to see her or no more honey. And you can try to demand more but we're not budging on that. It's very important that we see the Wind Hag. So either you get us an audience with her, now, or we walk away and take the honey with us. It's your choice, what's it gonna be?" Lark apparently had dealt with Knarls before. She had an authoritative attitude and it was apparent that the Knarl was going to fold. He had this helpless look on his face that turned to longing every time he would look at the honey jar.
"Fine and dandy, okey dokey, I'll have to go and contact her, which may take a while, if she's busy stirring things up. So why don't you give that honey so I'll have something to keep my strength up."
"No, you find her and get us an audience and then you take us to her and then and only then, do you get the honey. We'll be waiting over there by the big ship, Mr. Knarl," Lark told him.
"Ship, what are you, bonkers, girly? Tis no water or lake in this area so there's no ship either. You're just doing that to keep the honey from me and that ain't fair, I tell you!" he shook a tiny limb at Lark's face. Then he added, "My name ain't Mr. Knarl neither, it's Piteque with no Mr., Miss, or nothing else in front or back, for that matter."
"Now you know why we need to see the Wind Hag. Our ship was blown off course and landed here. We need her help to get another wind going to get us back home." Pigtail explained to the Knarl.
The Knarl let out a high pitched squeal. Pill figured it was his way of laughing because of the look on his face and fact that he was doubled over shaking. When he finally stopped he said to Pigtail, "Boy, I doesn't know what the heck you did to her Highness but you must have really set her off if she did this to you and your ship. Unless…" He trailed off, not finishing the sentence.
"Unless, what? Is there something we should know that you're not telling us?" Pigtail sounded a bit worried when he asked this question.
"Well, you are a handsome bloke, for a human, that is. So her Highness might have seen ya and taken a liking to ya, which would explain your being here. She brought you to her so you could court her." Piteque started to laugh again. Pill clapped her hands over her ears to keep the shrill sound from bursting her eardrums.
"I seriously doubt that, but if that was the case then shouldn't you take us to her because she is bound to be expecting us."
That got Piteque's attention and then he got a worried look on his face. It was clear he was thinking things through. This was evidenced by the strained look on his face. Pill guessed he wasn't used to having to think too much. Actually, Pill was starting to think he just might hurt himself from the strain when he finally said, "Okay, I'll go find her Highness and then come back and meet you at your ship. But you best have the honey ready to give me, got that girlie girl," he said to Lark.
"Thank you, but we will give you the honey only after you have taken us to the Wind Hag and not until then. And we would appreciate it if you found out the reason she created the storm that brought them here. That way they would know what they are facing." Lark added the last part because of the look the captain had had on his face when the Knarl mentioned that the Wind Hag could have a crush on him. She felt it would be best if they knew what they were in for before they had the actual meeting.
The Knarl was not happy but promised to get a meeting with the Wind Hag as soon as possible and he would come to the ship to let them know what he had arranged. He suddenly jumped down and scuttled down a hole at the base of the mesquite tree.
"Well, I guess that's it until we see him again. Um, that was a he wasn't it?" Pigtail inquired of Lark.
"Yes, I suppose so. I'm not sure if they have male or female Knarls or not. We just don't know that much about them. They are rather strange creatures. We only know of them because my dad was trying to chop down a mesquite tree for wood and one of the Knarls jumped on him and started hitting dad. It didn't hurt him at all but it certainly startled him. He's made a point of bringing something like honey, with him whenever he's out in this area. He figures he can use it to enlist the Knarls help if he ever got lost. Knarls are dead bang certain when it comes to directions."
"That's nice to know. I suppose we should get back to the ship and wait. Besides, I'm getting hungry. I hope Tally and Wicket haven't eaten everything up, though I wouldn't put it past them."
"Gosh, I think Tally and Wicket are okay, Captain. They always try their hardest to do things right. It's just that they never seem to manage to do it properly, do they?" Pill said.
"You've got a point. I think they have good hearts and are genuinely trying to please and do the job right. I just don't think it's in their makeup to actually achieve it. I also don't think that they have what it takes to be a pirate. No bloodlust. For that matter, I'm not so sure I have it in me either. But I aim to find out. That is if we ever get back to the Gulf." Pigtail was talking to himself primarily, though Pill felt he was directing the conversation towards her.
"So, since we're waiting for Piteque to return do you think, Captain, that I could go and have Lark teach me how to play? I've never played before but I've seen others do it and it looks like fun. So do I have your permission, Sir?"
"Sure, why not. But you have to play on board the ship. There's no way I'm staying there by myself with Tally and Wicket to keep me company. They can play with you two. That will keep them outta my hair and you can teach them about tying things up," He said to Lark.
Pill was thrilled about this and asked Lark, "Do you think your father will let you play on our ship?'
"Don't see why not. We're not going anywhere any time soon and he likes me to have fun and he wants me to have adventures too, so I think he will. I'll go run and ask him and then I'll grab some dolls and rope to play with. I'll be there in a jiffy," she said as she took off toward the covered wagons.
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