Me and Them

by S G Read

  Tammy and Tabby both looked like they had seen a ghost. Natasha hurried inside.

  'Wake up!' She cried, shaking me like I was dead.

  'I’m awake!' I declared and held her arms to stop more shaking. 'What’s up?'

  'The Coral Dancer is approaching from the direction the Bourgonvillier went and it has the Bourgonvillier with it!' She hissed.

  'Get ready for a battle girls!' I said loud enough for all those upstairs to hear, awake or not. 'The Coral dancer has outsmarted us and caught Carter and his wife. We must assume they know everything. We will defend on the horseshoe beach and in that area. We will leave no one here in case they come some other way, if you are in trouble but manage to escape, go to the pirate cave, the old pirate cave and hide.'

  'But if Carter has talked, won’t he have told them about that?' Natasha asked.

  'Possibly but they are more likely to have asked where we are and how many there are of us.' I answered.

  'My father wouldn’t have squealed!' Campbell shouted from the bottom of the ladder.

  'Does he love your mother?' I called back.

  'Yes!'

  'Then he might and we cannot take that chance!' I replied. 'To watch them torture a loved one, is sometimes worse than being tortured yourself! Sarah, I have a job for you!'

  'But I have my place all prepared!'

  'Let George go there and stay up here with me!' I retorted in a firm voice.

  She sighed and sat back down on her bed.

  When I came down the ladder the girls were lined up to use the toilet, those who had already been in there, were taking turns to look at the approaching boats.

  'You go when you are ready and stay out of sight even if I am taken. You know the Japanese navy is on its way here, George will let them know about our situation before she goes to the beach. You will be safe as soon as they get here, so stay hidden until then! I have tried to keep you alive and healthy since we arrived and I do not want you ending up dead or in their hands!'

  The queue changed, from the toilet to in front of me. One by one they kissed me and walked away, some on the lips the others on the cheek. Most chose to kiss Campbell as well. George raised the Japanese navy while it was going on and told them what was going on, part way through I heard her say 'hurry then daddy'. She walked over kissed me fully on the lips, shook Campbell’s hand and walked off.

  I picked up my gun and made sure it would work; I did the same with Campbell’s and then did the same to the hand guns. They would not take us without a fight! If they came from another direction other than the horseshoe bay then we would have to hide as well, regardless of what they were doing and to whom!

  I watched the boat as it approached, it turned larboard as it approached the island and disappeared behind the monolith. We hurried down the track as far as the path to the horseshoe bay and turned left. We reached the beach and waited, the Coral Dancer appeared past the island, it did not look like it had stopped to let anyone off but there was no way to be sure. When it passed the other cave we hurried back to the horseshoe beach. There was a line of rocks, bullet proof rocks at the end of the sand, high enough to hide behind and there was a bamboo seat by the end with a note on it. 'Sit Here'

  I sat on it while Campbell kept out of sight behind the rocks. I was visible but I could soon become invisible, if need be!

  The Coral Dancer, still flanked by the Bourgonvillier hove to near the horseshoe bay. The Coral Dancer was too big to come into the bay and turn round. The Bourgonvillier stopped as well and I could see Carter tied to the small mast on top of it. He had obviously suffered for his trouble.

  The pirates lowered a dinghy and sped up to the beach, its motor screaming as they came up at full speed. When they saw me they let the dinghy surge up on to the sand but sat there. One man climbed out, he walked forward.

  Next to me was a sign saying passport control. I smiled; even in such dire circumstances, the girls still had a sense of humour.

  'Do you have your passport with you?' I asked, officiously.

  'No, I do not have my passport with me,' The man replied, 'but I do have this!'

  He raised the machine gun he was carrying, it made my weapon look like a pea shooter.

  'Then you will have to come back with your passport.' I replied, getting ready to drop out of sight.

  The man took two more steps forward.

  'Stop right there buster!' A deep voice boomed from under the sand. 'One more step and you will end up a eunuch!'

  He stopped and looked about him. Two more men climbed out of the boat and walked forward.

  'You will all need passports to come ashore.' I warned.

  One raised his gun and pointed it in my direction. A crossbow bolt passed right through him and into the arm of the man next to him. One died there and then, the other screamed and dropped his gun, clawing at the bolt, which stuck right through his arm.

  'I take it you fancy becoming a eunuch.' I asked the man who was still there.

  He whipped up his gun and fired. I dropped to the floor, took two steps, rose up and fired back. Campbell did the same from where he stood. Crossbow bolts and arrows flew and soon the men in the boat we dead or past fighting. The dinghy was hissing gunshots, arrows and bolts had hit it. It was soon flat and the men on board sank into the sea, no one tried to swim away. I climbed back up onto my chair.

  'We have the woman here!' A man with megaphone cried and dragged Ashley to our side of the boat. 'Surrender or she will be thrown to the sharks.'

  At that moment a shark’s fin appeared near the boat and swam along the

  very side where she would fall. Ashley's hands were tied but her feet were free.

  'What's it going to be?' The man asked.

  By now I was back on my seat.

  Suddenly an arrow stuck in his neck, he staggered back and then forward, in doing so he fell over the side taking Ashley with him. The shark was swimming back and soon reached them. There was a flurry and neither of them were seen again. Campbell screamed and would have run out shooting had I not stopped him.

  'They killed my ma.' He hissed.

  'Sharks take the one bleeding, can she swim?' I retorted.

  'Yes.'

  'Then she will be fine but we still have to win this battle.'

  Another boat sallied forth and aimed to land in the fallen forest. An arrow hit it and it started to hiss, another then another hit it with the men on the boat trying to see where Andrea was firing from. In the end they sprayed the trees with bullets but the damage was done, the boat sank and the men preferred to swim away from the island than to land on it.

  There was movement aboard the Coral Dancer and I saw then setting up a mortar.

  'Incoming!' I shouted as the first round flew over.

  It exploded on the sand and I saw a foot, now uncovered by the blast. Another blast where she was and she was dead. The man stepped up with another round but before he could drop it in an arrow hit him! He staggered, dropped the mortar into the tube but he was in the way of the shell as it came out. It exploded and blew his head off, also making a big hole in the deck.

  'There she is!' A man cried and bullets rained where Andrea was hiding.

  She screamed and fell into the water. The shark was there in seconds and she did not surface. I heard a whine and looked for the man who had fired but I could not see who it was. The water on our side of the Coral Dancer erupted in two places.

  I looked around but I could not see anyone or anything who could have fired it, then two more came whining in. I tried to follow the noise back and just saw a wisp of smoke on the horizon. The shells exploded even closer to the Coral Dancer and I saw the pirates on board the Coral Dancer hurriedly raising the anchor and cutting the Bourgonvillier loose. The Coral Dancer surged forward and turned starboard round the end of the horseshoe. Two more shells straddled it. It reached the end of the island and turned starboard again to dodge behind the trees but this time one of the incoming shells hit it amidships and it blew
up.

  I slid of my seat and walked round to where I could see the foot with a little bit of leg uncovered.

  'Are you okay?' I asked.

  'Fine.' A bamboo enhanced voice said from somewhere else.

  'I can see your leg.'

  'Well cover it up again!'

  'Why the Coral Dancer just blew up!'

  'I know it did but my dad is on the cruiser and I want to surprise him!'

  I knew it was a princess but not which one. I covered her leg up with the blanket and covered her up with sand again, then stood watching as the cruiser approached. Two girls appeared from the sand and hurried into the fallen forest and started searching the shore for signs of Andrea or Ashley. They were both crying and calling for them.

  I walked down to the dinghy and retrieved the guns from the sand; the ones in the water could stay for now. No one was alive from the dinghy, so there was no chance of a surprise attack from that quarter. I looked across at the thin piece of land which formed the horseshoe. Two men staggered ashore, both still had guns. One was hit with a crossbow bolt and I heard a shot ring out and the second one fell back into the water. Now I knew where Tammy was!

  The cruiser approached. From the sand to our right Ashley, Andrea and Sarah came running, Andrea had a hastily applied bandage round her hand. Sarah was in the scuba suit.

  'Hey, you two!' I called to the two girls in the forest. 'Are you looking for these?'

  They came running, so did Campbell.

  'Mum you’re alive!' He shouted and ran to her.

  The two girls passed me at a fast run and reached the other three at the same time he did.

  'Andrea you are alive,' Tabby cried, 'but I saw you be eaten by the shark!'

  'I know I have a big mouth sometimes, Sarah declared, 'but I couldn’t eat all of her!'

  'You were the shark?' Alex asked.

  'Yes it was Walters’ idea. I had to wait in the water but not using up the air until I saw a chance to help. I had the shark skin complete with fin on my back so the pirates would think I was on their side!'

  'So you saved my mum?' Campbell cried.

  'Yes and finished of the man who threw me in!' Ashley declared.

  'Sorry that was my fault.' Andrea said contritely. 'I tried to kill him to stop you getting thrown in!'

  'It could not have worked out better!' Ashley declared and kissed her.

  The cruiser whooped as it reached as close as it was going to get and we watched as it launched its boat. This time there would be no hostile reception!

  I stood my ground on the beach with everyone who were not hiding under the sand behind me. I saw two men jump onto the Bourgonvillier to help Carter, I hoped he was alright. The dinghy ran up the beach next to the other one. Two Japanese sailors jumped out to hold it and the captain stepped onto the island. He walked up to me.

  As he was Japanese I bowed before I spoke.

  'I hope you speak English, my interpreter is a little tied up at the moment!'

  He bowed in returned.

  'I do speak English rather well,' He answered, 'but you have a very good interpreter.'

  A man who looked like any other tourist walked up.

  'I would like to talk to your interpreter and her sister!'

  'You are practically standing on one.' I replied. 'The other one I have no idea where she is.'

  He looked down and a little hand slid out and grabbed hold of his leg. Another one came out from another patch of sand and took hold of his other leg. Then the ground erupted and both girls stood next to him.

  'Hi daddy!' Charley greeted.

  'Hello father.' George said reservedly.

  'Is that all I get after all this time?' He asked and picked them both up as though they were dolls.

  Despite him being a king it was a normal father daughter greeting and it went on for some time.

  I turned to the Japanese captain.

  'Will you come to our house for a meal and to discuss what happens now?'

  'I will be delighted to. My men are scouring the island for any survivors and we have the prisoner from the other boat. I am sorry we had to shoot long but we had to make sure we did not hit the boat in tied on the back.'

  'Okay girls, front and centre.' I called.

  Natasha and Tammy came running from the thin strip of land which made the horseshoe and charley and George disentangled themselves from their father and fell in. I waited until they were all there.

  'Okay we are entertaining, something we have not done much of, get the food ready, we’ll use the best plates and break out the wine!'

  They ran off leaving Ashley, Fleur and Campbell.

  'I think these three would like to go and see Carter.' I said turning back to the Captain.

  'I will give the orders.'

  He walked back to his men and the king walked over to me.

  'I am told by my daughters that you are Rich King Walter of Horseshoe Island. Now you will have to be called Richer King Walter of Horseshoe Island. I put a ten million dollar reward out for the safe return of my daughters but as you are English I will make it pounds.'

  'It is not necessary. As I was responsible for them all being here I took it upon myself to keep them alive until we were rescued.'

  'Not many men turn down ten million pounds.'

  'I have my share of the pirate treasure so I have money.' I answered.

  'I hear you are a writer.' The king replied as though it was nothing.

  I nodded.

  'You will no doubt want to write about this, well I will fund you for that and handsomely, this is as well as the ten million-'

  'As long as you get to read the first draft so that you can have anything untoward written out of it!' I said interrupting.

  He nodded.

  'I will not publish anything without your approval.'

  'Thank you.' He looked where the girls had gone. 'They went to school whimpering ladies who were not allowed to lift a finger and now they are like wild animals! I wanted sons but maybe I can settle for those two now! As long as I keep my wife away from them!'

  The captain rejoined us.

  'There is a perimeter round the island, to make sure no survivors land and cause trouble.' He said when he arrived.

  'Good. Now come and eat. I have a wine which you might like to try!'

  As we ate the talk was of the battle and the part Sarah and Andrea played in it.

  'I think it was a very wise thing when I took you off that plane!' I said as I sipped my wine.

  'So do I Walter.' She agreed.

  'No it’s Richer King Walter of Horseshoe Island now!' The others chorused.

  Campbell rejoined us with news that Carter was going to be fine, a little scarred but fine. For the rest of the evening he walked around or sat holding hands with Sarah but I decided to let Ashley worry about it. We chose to sleep once more on the island, the last time and then recover our treasure in the morning before we left. There was no argument from the captain or the king, King Luchen, I found out during the evening.

  The Japanese navy stood guard as we slept, king Luchen decided to sleep with us but instead of sleep, it was talk and more talk until one by one the girls fell asleep. When they were all asleep upstairs king Luchen and I came down and talked some more before we went to sleep.

  Day 154 on the island.

  Dawn came and so did the captain. Four sailors went out with each pair except for the threesome, who had king Luchen with them as well as four sailors. Andrea and my treasure was loaded in our own box and put into the safe. They listed the treasure and described each piece to make sure it was all there when we collected it. I managed to borrow a camcorder and started making a record but it was soon taken by the girls and they added their own footage. They wanted everything we had found on the camcorder, to show the other girls at their school, even the pirate cave with the skeletons. When it was finished the skeletons were left where they were lying, somewhere in the back of my mind I had plans for them. The graves dug
by the modern day pirates, well the victims mostly, were marked for excavation by the authorities, to find out who were in them. We pointed out where the two boats we knew about were laying in case they were needed for any reason. With all we wanted to do, done, we walked along and out popped the boar with his family.

  'Hi Mr. Pig!' The girls chorused and ran up to him.

  I was worried in case he charged but he fled and for once, he took all his family with him. When everything was loaded, we were taken aboard the cruiser. That night I went to bed in my own cabin, alone. I had never felt as alone before, until now. I thought I would enjoy the peace and quiet but it seemed very odd. The door opened and Andrea crept in, she was in pyjamas for once. She sat on the back of my bunk with her legs over my legs which were under the duvet and her feet in front of my legs.

  'Can’t you sleep?' I asked.

  'Nope.' She answered. 'It doesn’t seem the same.'

  We talked for a while then the door opened and Alex walked in. She sat next to Andrea. It turned into a procession with girls finding somewhere to sit until the biggest surprise; we were joined by the two princesses.

  Day 155 but no longer on the island.

  A shake on the arm woke me. I opened my eyes to find I was still surrounded by girls. I looked up and there was king Luchen with a cup of tea for me.

  'I see you had company last night.' He said with a smile.

  'Yes. I think we were all finding it a bit odd.' I replied, dragging my feet from under the girls who were across them so that I could sit up.

  'I was not surprised that mine wanted to come, only surprised that they asked my permission.'

  'There is hope then.' I answered.

  He nodded.

  'They want you to lead them of when you disembark, in formation, like your army they said.'

  'All of them?'

  'Yes all of them, even this king has to go down and wait for you to send them to me, I will have great trouble keeping my wife where I am but it will be done as they want!'

  He smiled and left, Charley lifted her head, smiled at me then closed her eyes again.