Perfectly Timed

by Jamie Campbell

  “You’re right, I overheard them talking. How long will it be before we reach land?”

  “Weeks, perhaps months.”

  So hiding until then isn’t going to be an option. He really is stuffed, there is only one way off the ship and that is in the water to be shark bait. It’s a horrible prospect.

  I rack my brain trying to think of a plan, but escaping from pirates isn’t really big on my to-do list. I think back to everything the men discussed, weren’t they going to attack a cargo ship in the morning? Could that be a possible escape route?

  “What’s happening tomorrow?” I ask, hoping the kid has more information than I do. That couldn’t be too hard.

  “We’re intercepting a ship that belongs to the East India Trading Company. We’re going to take everything,” he explains. He seems to have calmed down a little, at least I managed to help in some way.

  “What happens to the ship once they’re done with it?”

  “If it’s a nice ship, sometimes they keep it. If it’s not so nice then they’ll set it adrift.”

  “And the crew? What happens to them?”

  “They die,” Gregor answers simply. I guess I should have thought of that, weren’t all pirates supposed to be bloodthirsty and without mercy? They were in movies, anyway.

  “Do any survive?” It was a long shot, but I had to ask anyway.

  “Some are captured. But they usually end up dead too.”

  So much for hoping for a hero in the East India Trading Company. “We’ll think of something.”

  He nods, looking impossibly young. After everything has gone quiet in the rest of the ship, I leave my hiding place to fetch Gregor some food and water. Every step I take is calculated as I try to avoid anyone and everyone.

  The food I take is basic, moldy bread and a pitcher of water. It is hardly appetizing but I return with it anyway. I give Gregor half and we eat in silence. If he finds the sudden appearance of the meal in front of him strange, he doesn’t say so. I just get a thank you for my troubles.

  We settle back into our barrels and await the dawn. We are going to have to play it by ear. I don’t see any other way out of the ship.

  Chapter 5

  The sound of yelling wakes me up with a start. I didn’t realize I had dozed off again. Sitting upright between a heavy wooden barrel and a sack of grains wasn’t exactly conducive to getting a good night’s sleep. I don’t know how I managed it.

  Gregor is already awake, probably terrified about what the day is about to bring. I am too but at least I am still invisible. As long as I keep my mouth shut I can’t be found.

  “Gregor,” I whisper. His head whips around. “What’s that noise?”

  “They’ve intercepted the ship and are fighting to get control of it,” he explains. An ear-splitting crack rings out, only slightly dulled by the walls of the ship. “And now they’re starting the cannons.”

  “We need to start moving then,” I say, standing. I don’t really have a plan, but I know we can’t stay on the pirate ship any longer. Perhaps if we can get on the trading ship, our luck will be better.

  “We can’t go anywhere, I’ll be seen. If they catch me…”

  I have to think, I can’t leave the kid here to go up against pirates by himself. There is no way I could live with myself knowing I had basically left him to his death, it wasn’t right.

  A thought strikes me but I’ve never tried it before. I have no idea if it could work. But I am willing to try anything. “Stand up. I’m going to hold your hand and you might turn invisible like me. Okay?”

  He nods, doing as he’s told and stands. Judging by the look on his face, I would say he is just as terrified at the thought of me touching him and turning invisible as he is of the pirates. Still, he stands, waiting for me.

  I slowly slide my hand into his, he jumps at the touch but doesn’t flinch away. I’ve never tried making a human invisible too. I know when I hold something it becomes naked to the human eye, but that’s things like food and silverware. I don’t know if it will translate to an entire human body.

  I study him intently, waiting to see if something changes. Then it happens. It starts with his arm and then travels upwards. Across his chest, down his torso, and to his legs. Finally, his head is the last piece of him to disappear before my eyes.

  I can still feel his hand in mine but my brain no longer registers his presence. To be honest, it’s a little creepy. Now I know why people freak out when they hear me, it is like hearing a ghost.

  “I can’t see you anymore, you are invisible.”

  “Really?” he asks in wonder. If I could see him, I’m sure I would see him hold out his arm and wonder how it is possible. He will be able to see himself, just like I can see my own body, but nobody else can.

  “Really, nobody can see you. We need to get up to the deck and onto the other ship, understand?” I get silence in return. On a hunch, I add: “If you’re nodding, I can’t see. You need to use your voice to communicate with me.”

  “Sorry, yes, I understand.”

  “Good, lead on.”

  Gregor heads toward the ladder that leads up to the little room I tried to hide in the day before. We have to weave to avoid other pirates as they hurry into the battle. Men in dire need of a shave and shower scatter everywhere, scurrying around like the rats of the ship. I’m almost glad to have Gregor here with me, at least he knows what’s going on.

  We have to climb the ladder together which is awkward to say the least. I can’t let go of my grip on Gregor otherwise he will be revealed to the others. He wouldn’t last an hour after he disobeyed orders last night. I can’t let that happen.

  Finally, we reach the top and stumble into the cabin. I get my first look outside and want to run back down to the hull again. People are everywhere, scrambling to cause as much damage to each other as possible.

  Stealing the cargo ship hasn’t exactly gone to plan by the looks of it. Men in better clothes hold swords while they battle it out with the pirates. Their beards aren’t as thick, their hair not as matted. Either they have better facilities on their ship or they haven’t been at sea as long as the pirates.

  “How do we get onto the cargo ship?” I whisper, praying Gregor will have some idea.

  “They will have used either ropes to swing over or planks of wood to walk over. We need to find whatever they used.”

  “Okay, can you find out?”

  “I will do my best,” Gregor says bravely. I can’t help but like the kid. My brother would be exactly the same if he was somehow in this bizarre situation.

  Gregor leads me out the door and the noise is overwhelming immediately. Men are yelling at each other, others are grunting as they diligently fight for their survival. The cannon goes off, making my free hand fly up to cover my ear. The boom is so loud I don’t know if I’ll regain my hearing again. Everything goes super quiet for a moment.

  It’s like I’m hearing everything through cotton wool. I hope Gregor isn’t saying anything because I certainly couldn’t tell. I follow his pull like a lost child, trusting he knows what he’s doing.

  I’m pretty confident he is doing the right thing. After all, it’s his mortality at stake and not mine. As long as I can keep my mouth shut, I can hide until I’m pulled away. He’s the one with the neck on the line.

  The cannon blasts again, but we are far enough away now just to feel the shockwaves as it makes the deck vibrate underfoot. The boom still makes me jump, but at least it doesn’t make me deaf again. Gregor doesn’t let it slow him down, he continues to weave through the chaos.

  A pirate runs into me as he’s locking swords with a trader, sending me sideways. I grip Gregor’s hand, my priority making sure he doesn’t fall away even if I hit the deck. I wait for the hard thump as I tumble to the floor but it doesn’t come. Gregor has somehow found my other arm and grabbed it, stopping my fall.

  “Thank you,” I whisper. He hesitates only a moment before dragging me away again.

  I ca
n finally see where we are heading, two thick ropes rest on the edge of the deck. Looking up, I can see they are attached to the mast of the pirate ship. Someone has used them to swing onto the trading ship and then again to return to the pirate ship.

  We reach the ropes and I make the mistake of looking down—it’s a long drop to the rough and immense ocean below. I don’t think I can do this, I’m not good with heights at the best of times, let alone swinging from a rope.

  “This is too dangerous,” I protest.

  “We’ll be fine, just make sure the rope is wound around your arm a bunch of times. It hurts like hell but it will hold you.”

  I wish I could see how he does it but the rope disappears as he touches it. Mine does the same when I take the other one. I wind it around my arm several times, right up to my underarm. He’s right, it does hurt when I put all my weight on it but hopefully it will hold. If not, I guess I’m going to be shark bait. It probably isn’t the worst way to die, right? It will be quick? I hope I don’t have to find out.

  We climb up to the edge of the deck and sit on the ledge. I count down our jump, gripping his hand tightly in my own. We leap off the deck and fly through the air. It’s both exhilarating and terrifying, kind of like riding an unstable rollercoaster where you aren’t sure if the ride will actually make it to the end.

  “Let go!” Gregor yells.

  It goes against all my instincts to let go of the rope and crash down to the deck of the trading ship. But I have no choice. If I don’t, then I’ll just swing back and probably hit the edge of the pirate ship—with Gregor’s weight attached to my arm.

  I cross my fingers and release my grip. The rope quickly unwinds from my arm, relieving the pressure it was causing and replacing it with a fast burning sensation. We freefall down to the wooden decking, landing with a definitive thud. I don’t know which hurts more, the rope burn or the short stop at the end. Either way, I don’t want to do that ever again.

  “We need to hide,” I whisper, pushing the kid downstairs. The fighting is just as bad on the trading ship with men locked in battle everywhere. We have to dodge the swords and daggers just to get inside.

  I slam the door behind us, hoping nobody will notice. We scurry down below to hide amongst the cargo. It smells marginally better on this ship. I think I was right in assuming it hasn’t been at sea as long as the pirates.

  “Now what?” Gregor asks, like I actually have a plan. My whole idea was to stay alive, how that was going to happen was beyond me. Still, did I want to freak him out by telling him so? Probably not.

  I squeeze his hand. “We wait and see what happens. I’m sure it will be fine.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Me too.” I rest my head against the wall, wishing I was anywhere else. It has only been two days at sea and it is two days too many. Whoever is pulling my strings is getting a good laugh about it, I’m sure.

  The sounds vibrating through the wall eventually calm down before stopping all together. When it gets silent, that’s when I really start to panic. I need to know what is happening above decks, lest we just sit here waiting to die.

  “Stay here while I go check out upstairs,” I whisper. Gregor must agree because he lets go of my hand. “I’ll be right back.”

  I sneak upstairs and peek over the top of the staircase. I expect to see pirates and dead bodies everywhere but I don’t. Instead, I see one of the traders steering the ship. The deck has been cleaned, only blood smears betray the carnage that occurred here. It appears the traders won, managing to escape with their ship. It is the good news I was hoping for.

  I creep back down to Gregor and take his hand again, making him vanish before my eyes. “The traders have control of their ship, the pirates are nowhere to be seen.”

  “Really?” Gregor can hardly believe it, it makes me smile knowing I may have saved his life.

  “Seriously, I think we’re going to be fine. All we have to do is wait for the ship to dock and you’re a free kid.”

  “How do I thank you?”

  “You don’t need to.” I give him a hug with my free arm, guessing where his shoulders are.

  It takes three days before the ship lands in port. By that time, I have found my sea legs and even grown used to the constant rocking of the ocean waves. The cargo ship was steadier than the pirate ship, which was a nice change.

  Gregor and I walk off the ship together. Finding an unused gangway, we don’t even have to use the ropes again. We head into town and find a quiet, private place to let go of one another. I release his hand and he appears before me. I wish I could do the same for him, at least so he knows I’m not just a ghost.

  “What are you going to do now?” I ask. I don’t want to leave a young kid by himself but it’s not like I’m his mother or anything. He probably knows more about survival than I do.

  “I will find my way, perhaps find a job in town here,” Gregor says hopefully. “I don’t wish to step foot on another ship for a long time.”

  “I don’t blame you,” I say, laughing. I hope I don’t have to see another ship either, five days is more than enough for me. “Good luck, kid.”

  “Good luck to you too.”

  I give him a hug but I have to be quick because I’m being tugged away. Typical, the moment I actually feel marginally safe, I get taken away. Why couldn’t it have happened five days ago?

  I don’t get to say goodbye before the bright light rips me from his arms. I close my eyes, praying for somewhere I can rest. I’m done with danger, I just want to be on a beach somewhere warm so I can bask in the sun and relax. Is that too much to ask?

  My feet hit the ground and the light subsides. I don’t want to open my eyes but know I should. It feels warm here, perhaps my wish has been answered. I force my eyelids to part.

  All I can see is green. Green leaves, green trees, green grass. I’m surrounded by the stuff. Not to mention bugs, they swarm around me like I’m their next feast. And it isn’t just warm, it’s unbearably hot and humid. My clothes instantly stick to my skin as I start to sweat. Perhaps that horrible smelly ship was better.

  Someone calls out in a language I don’t know, it just sounds like a lot of mumbo jumbo. He’s insistent though, something has got him riled up. I scan through the jungle to try to find the owner of the voice. He’s loud so he can’t be too far away.

  I almost choke on a bug when I see him. He’s not very tall but he is stocky. The only clothes he wears is a loincloth made out of some kind of animal hide. He isn’t alone either, three other men stand with him, all looking my way.

  He yells something again and points directly at me. I know they can’t see me so I turn around, fearing it might be something behind me. But there is nothing there. Suddenly, a spear comes flying my way, narrowly missing me by mere millimeters.

  My brain keeps telling me they can’t see me but my fight or flight instinct says otherwise. I start running. I can’t see where I’m stepping in the thick shrubbery, it’s too dense for me to even see the ground at times. The bugs fly with me, I have to remember to keep my mouth shut or I collect them as I go.

  I glance over my shoulder only to see the men close behind. All four of them are chasing me and they are far more adept at running through the jungle than I am. Within no time, they are going to catch up with me. I remember a cartoon that went like this once, the character ended up in a cauldron full of soup with cannibals looking on hungrily. I don’t want to end up as Ella soup.

  Something slaps against my head as I run, I didn’t manage to duck in time to avoid it. It was both warm and cold at the same time. I suddenly realize there are more living things in amongst the plants and trees than just bugs. I’m surrounded by snakes, both on the ground and in the branches. It’s like my worst nightmare.

  I can’t think of that though, I have to keep running. The snakes won’t hurt me like the men chasing me will. They will only bite, the guys will tear me limb from limb.

  The moist mud squelches underneath my shoes as
the plants start to get sparse. I think I’m heading for a river or something, otherwise it wouldn’t be damp. If I’m right, then I’m not going to be able to run any further once I hit the water. I need to either divert my course or hide.

  Seriously, what are the chances I can outrun the men? I decide to hide instead. I can’t believe they can see me, perhaps they are just chasing the noise I’m making? If I hide, I’m going to be silent and then they won’t be able to find me.

  There are plants all over the place with big leaves, I dive underneath one near a mossy tree. Tucking my legs up to my chest, I try to slow my breathing so they can’t hear me. It’s the only way they’re going to run right past my hiding spot.

  The bugs are even worse when I stop. Not only the flying ones, but the ones on the ground too. The biggest ants I have ever seen are making a pathway to me, trying to crawl over my skin. I can’t shake them off or I’ll make a noise. I hope they aren’t poisonous, I can’t do anything to remove them.

  I can see the men stop at the place I was standing only a second ago. They look around, the four of them hunting like a pack of wild animals. They look like wild animals with their dark eyes wide open and alert. I hope they aren’t using a sense of smell to track me down, after five days at sea I probably have a distinct odor to me. Perhaps the river would have been the better option? Too late now to change my mind.

  The one that was doing all the yelling before is now talking to the others and pointing in different directions. He’s giving them instructions, I don’t need to know their language to understand the heads nodding.

  The four split up and start walking in opposite directions. The leader is heading my way. I close my eyes and wish to be pulled away. It would be so nice to be able to control it and decide my own fate. So much for being able to control your future, I would just like to have a say in my day-to-day life.

  Not being able to see the man is worse than seeing him so I open my eyes again. He is close but he’s not at risk of falling over me just yet. It will only be a matter of time, surely. I watch him like a hawk, mentally urging him to go away.