The Green Beans, Volume 4: Shipwrecked on Smuttynose Island
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Only a few minutes ago, the occupants of the boat had been wearing T-shirts, happy to absorb the rays of sunshine and the pleasant winds. It had been a fine spring day off the coast of southeastern New Hampshire, and their mood had been upbeat and jubilant as they anticipated the adventure that lay ahead of them.
But as they had neared their destination, a place called Smuttynose Island, everyone aboard the boat had recognized a distinct transformation in the way the air felt upon their skin and within their lungs. Temperatures had plummeted, as had the barometric pressure, signaling the onset of precipitation. The pleasant winds decreased and finally stilled, ushering in the calm before the storm.
Most unsettling of all, dark clouds had materialized, blotting out the sun and swirling about in patterns of charcoal and onyx. The bright of day had been extinguished in a matter of moments, displaced by what seemed an improbable encroachment of night - as if the sun had forgotten what time it was and retired early. Hard weather had been on the move, and they sensed it would be upon them in instants.
Sensing what was to come, Lefty had instructed the others to adorn their life jackets and rain slickers. They had hurriedly done so, the hoods of which had been pulled up for additional protection against the rains and seawater, for what little good it did against the torrential pounding.
The small size of their boat, which was called the Quantum Conundrum, had a great deal to do with the state of unease that Lefty and his strange crew felt. It was nobody’s first choice, should they be caught upon the winds and rains of such an unearthly storm – but then again, nobody could have predicted such a weird development. They had never seen or heard of weather of this magnitude developing so quickly.
When the group of explorers had embarked upon their voyage, there had been little concern as to whether or not their boat would be capable enough for the task at hand. Their destination was not far, and the weather forecast had been for nothing but blue skies and sunshine – a forecast that had turned out to be disastrously incorrect.
It was true that the aforementioned pleasant weather had indeed been in abundance until a few moments earlier. But now… now, the skies told a different story.
The heavens had turned shadowy, broiling and roiling with clouds, ranging from grays to blacks that were of the darkest pitch of night. It was a frightening sight, but it was equally mesmerizing, projecting a strange sort of beauty that was instantly appreciated… even as those in its presence were humbled by its ferocity.
In the face of such a display, those upon the boat were made painfully aware of the vast power of nature, and of how insignificant they were by comparison. They were but ants in the face of an angry, impassable giant.
Lightning bolts lurched from the skies, exploding upon the surface of the ocean with flurries of spectacle. The winds were so forceful, they created a visual impression of horizontal movement, sending rain sideways.
Smuttynose Island was the place where Lefty and his crew had pinpointed their goal to exist. They were on a mission, one of exploration and scientific inquiry, where they planned to study a mysterious creature that had recently made a splash in their community. The island was only six miles off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and centered among the Isles of Shoals.
Seeing how as reaching the island would only take a half hour or so, Lefty had believed his small boat and its sparse supplies would be more than enough. And he would have been right… if not for the monstrous storm that had erupted from thin air, with only the scarcest of warnings of its formation.
“This makes no sense…” Lefty murmured to himself, as he struggled against the steering wheel. His glasses were spackled with so many drops of water, it was a wonder he could see at all. He continued thinking aloud. “There must be some explanation for this weather event. But it can’t be… surely, those legends can’t be true…”
Murphy squeaked into Lefty’s ear, encouraging him to continue the valiant struggle. The rodent was beginning to look a shade seasick, but he gamely stuck to his guns, retaining a stoic countenance upon his squirrelly features.
Behind them, there stood Noodles, the gangly, solar-powered robot that Lefty had built some time ago. He had a surprisingly good center of gravity, considering his ungainly height and thin limbs. The robot held onto the boat’s console for balance, uttering beeps and boops of alarm from his spherical head as he watched the foul weather envelope them.
Fortunately, his body was built from waterproof titanium, and the seals at his joints protected the sensitive electronics that were housed inside of his noodly body. The manner in which he was weathering the storm was most impressive, considering he was the least likely of all the passengers to be thrust into such a situation.
And so it was that this seafaring vessel, full of such an odd array of occupants, continued forth into the storm, seeking safe passage where it seemed there might be none to be had.
They were a strange fellowship, to be sure. But they had a great deal of faith in one another, and they knew they were in good company, for they had banded together and survived harrowing adventures before.
“Oh, come on, Jack, it’s not that bad!” Neil shouted, raising his voice to be heard above the gale force winds and bursts of thunder.
Jack could not respond, his head and stomach being in such a state of tumultuous turmoil. He did, however, cast his friend a sideways glance, and the expression on his face was clearly an inquisition as to the sanity of his friend. His eyes seemed to ask, have you gone bonkers?
Periodic booms and thooms and cah-chooms roared through the sky, as the thunderbolts seemed to tear the very air apart. The sound was like a volley of cannonballs from a warship, and the sky lit up with jagged forks of lightning.
“Just hang on, and try to enjoy the ride!” Neil shouted, whooping with glee as another surging wave rocked the boat.
Jack could only groan in reply, but he did tighten his grip even further upon the rail of the boat with one hand, and he squeezed the collar of Nibbler with the other until his fingers ached with exertion.
“I’m going to try to steer us toward the coast of Smuttynose! It’s our only chance to land - if we can power our way onto the beach, we should be okay!” Lefty shouted. He was hunkered over the wheel, fighting against the elements with every ounce of strength at his disposal. He peered into the wind and rain, trying his best to see. As his eyes fell upon something that startled him, his jaw dropped in astonishment. “Great Pythagorean Theorem! What is that?”
Chapter Three
Here There Be Monsters