Victims of Tragic Circumstance
There was an exchange of glances as the news sunk in. Whisker hadn’t shot the pie but he still felt responsible. It was his design and he should have insisted that Fred confirm the mysterious object before they fired.
The Captain stared accusingly at Whisker. Ruby stared at Horace. Horace stared at the ground.
‘Tell me who shot the pie,’ the Captain demanded.
Horace raised his hook without speaking.
‘And why would you do a thing like that?’ the Captain asked between clenched teeth.
‘Because Pete challenged me to,’ Horace mumbled.
‘He challenged you to?’ the Captain repeated. ‘Is this true, Pete?’
‘I-I honestly thought the boat was a rock,’ Pete blabbered. ‘And besides, I never thought Horace would actually hit it.’
‘THAT DOESN’T MATTER!’ the Captain roared. ‘Pick up a telescope next time. Why doesn’t anyone check before they fire anymore? First I get blasted off the ship by a trigger-happy recruit and the next minute the rest of you are taking pot shots at small boats.’ He looked at each crew member in disgust, even Ruby.
‘You’re responsible for the deck,’ he said to her crossly. ‘Make sure this never happens again.’
‘Yoo-hoo. Excuse me for interrupting,’ the grey mouse whistled. ‘But what’s going to happen to us?’ The children were bailing once more, but fighting a losing battle.
‘We’ll give you some wood to patch up your boat, and you can go on your way,’ the Captain mumbled with a dismissive wave of his paw.
‘But …’ pleaded the grey mouse, ‘How can we fix this? I’m just a teacher and these two orphans are my students. We’re not carpenters.’
‘No more tricks,’ the Captain snorted, ‘Save your stories for the fish!’ He turned his back and strode towards the helm.
Whisker could see the desperate look on the children’s faces and knew he couldn’t just stand there while their boat sank.
‘You can’t do this,’ he yelled.
The Captain froze.
‘What did you say?’ he said in a low growl.
‘I said you can’t let them drown,’ Whisker replied. ‘They haven’t done anything wrong. We destroyed their boat. So it’s our responsibility to help them.’
The Captain slowly turned. ‘The last time I looked, Whisker, I was the Captain and you were the apprentice. I make the orders and you follow them. Is that clear?’
‘No.’
‘What do you mean, ‘No’?’
‘No, Captain,’ Whisker said feebly. ‘I’m not going to follow your order. It’s wrong and you know it.’
‘HOW DARE YOU DEFY ME, YOU DISOBEDIENT BRAT!’
The rest of the crew looked away as the Captain exploded like one of Horace’s cannons.
‘IF I HADN’T MADE A PROMISE TO YOUR DEARLY DEPARTED FAMILY, YOU WOULD BE JOINING THE MICE ON THAT SINKING BOAT!’
Whisker felt a volcano of anger erupting in his body. At the mention of his family, the Captain had crossed a line. But Whisker wasn’t the Captain and he knew that fighting anger with anger would get him nowhere. He took a deep breath, calmed his writhing tail, and did the only thing he believed would work. He lied.
‘Captain,’ he said in a trembling voice, ‘according to the Pie Rat code it is your duty to call a vote.’
‘What?’ the Captain snapped. ‘During an attack the Captain has absolute authority. That means you follow my orders.’
‘That may be so,’ Whisker said firmly, ‘but the attack is over. In your own words we are now dealing with … victims of tragic circumstance.’
Whisker gave Pete a pleading look. He was certain Pete knew he was making it up, but this was his only hope.
Pete said nothing for a moment and then slowly nodded. ‘Call a vote, Captain.’
The Captain studied his crew. The disaster was their fault and their faces revealed how they would vote. They would support Whisker. The Captain set his jaw.
‘There will be no vote,’ he snarled in annoyance. ‘Bring the mice aboard.’ He scowled at Whisker and stomped off.
The mice were overjoyed as Fred helped them onto the deck. They had very few possessions – only a pile of books wrapped up in a maroon school flag.
‘Thanks,’ Whisker whispered to Pete.
‘I’m impressed,’ Pete replied. ‘I didn’t know you’d read so much of the Pie Rat code. The victims of tragic circumstance section isn’t until chapter thirty-six.’
Whisker gave him a polite smile but kept his mouth shut. It wasn’t often that a lie was so good, it was actually the truth.
Pete took the mice below, wrapped in warm blankets, while Whisker and Horace watched the blue boat disappear beneath the waves. It was an ominous reminder of what could happen to a small boat in a harsh ocean.
‘It takes a lot of nerve to stand up to the Captain,’ Horace said quietly.
Whisker shrugged. ‘What else could I do? They would have drowned.’
Horace shook his head. ‘The Captain appears crueller than he is.’
‘But you heard what he said,’ Whisker argued.
‘What he says and what he does are two different things,’ Horace reasoned. ‘If you hadn’t intervened, the Captain would have huffed and puffed until the very last moment and then ordered the evacuation. That’s the Captain’s style.’
‘So I made a fool out of myself for nothing?’ Whisker groaned.
‘Not at all,’ Horace said. ‘The Captain may be angry with you now, but he’ll respect your courage when he calms down.’
‘I hope so,’ Whisker sighed. ‘I don’t want to add the Captain to the list of people yelling at me. Ruby is enough for this boat.’
Horace smiled. ‘She’ll come around. Why don’t we talk to the mice? I’m sure they’ve got a few adventures to share.’
The mice had no exciting news, apart from a story about a flying pie that sank their boat, but Whisker already knew that one.
The nervous grey mouse was a teacher called Arthur Tribble. He was rather drab looking and continually fiddled with a small silver pen in his vest pocket.
The two children were orphaned twins under Mr Tribble’s care and attended his school in the town of Oakbridge, in southern Aladrya. Their names were Eaton and Emmaline (or Emmie, as she liked to be called). Both wore matching maroon school blazers, and if it weren’t for the ribbon around Emmie’s head, it would be difficult to tell them apart.
Emmie was the more outgoing of the two and immediately started calling Fred, Horace and Pete Uncle. She told Whisker and Ruby they were too young to be uncles and aunties so they became Cousin Whisker and Big Sister Ruby. Ruby wasn’t the least bit interested in becoming Emmie’s new sister, and even less thrilled when Pete informed her she would be sharing her room with the girl.
‘There’s no way I’m playing dress-ups,’ Ruby mumbled as she sulked off with Emmie to set up a spare bed.
Eaton was an awkward and shy little mouse. He was extremely bright, but it was clear that he preferred talking to himself than communicating with others. The first confident thing Whisker heard him say was, ‘Where is the library? I would like a book to read, please.’
Whisker and Horace both pointed in the direction of Pete’s cabin, and Eaton wandered down the passage with Pete clomping after him. Fred and Smudge went into the galley to prepare some food for the hungry mice, which left Whisker and Horace alone with Mr Tribble.
Whisker had already prepared his first question. ‘Did you happen to see a small red boat at any stage of your journey?’
Mr Tribble shook his head. ‘No, I’m afraid we haven’t seen any boats in this part of the ocean … wherever this part of the ocean is. I feel we may have drifted a little off course.’
‘Where were you headed?’ Horace asked.
‘We were circumnavigating the Isle of Aladrya,’ Mr Tribble said, fumbling with his pen. ‘It was meant to be an educational voyage for the children during the summer
holidays. All the other students are away with their families each year but Eaton and Emmie stay at school with me. This year I thought I would give them a treat – an ocean adventure. I spent my life savings on a lovely blue boat and off we went.’
Horace gave Whisker a guilty look.
‘So what will you do now?’ Whisker asked.
‘Our boat is gone,’ Mr Tribble said wearily. ‘So I guess we’ll head back home. You can probably drop us off at a seaside town and we can beg a ride back to Oakbridge. The children were so looking forward to an adventure, but what can we do?’
Whisker knew that a pirate ship wasn’t the most appropriate vessel for a school field trip, but he hoped the Captain wouldn’t just turf them out at the first opportunity.
‘The journey’s not over yet,’ Horace grinned. ‘Besides, none of the other students can say they’ve been on a real pirate ship for their holidays.’
As the mice settled into their new environment, the crew prepared to turn into the Northern Passage. The long outcrop of Pointer Island loomed in front of them like a shadowy finger against the dusk sky. It was the first island Whisker had seen since coming aboard and he suddenly missed the feel of earth beneath his toes.
‘Light no lanterns,’ the Captain ordered. ‘I want total darkness as we proceed through the passage. We sail due west, and with any luck the eastern trade winds will speed us past Lighthouse Rock unseen. The moon will not rise until mid-evening, so we have until then to get through.’
The Captain hadn’t moved from the helm since the mice incident, but Whisker could tell by the tone of his voice that he was much calmer.
The Pie Rats took turns monitoring the sails throughout the night as the mice slept. The sky was clear and speckled with stars. The wind was brisk and constant. The only sign of life in the silent wilderness was the beam of the lighthouse to the south of the passage.
When the mice awoke at dawn, the ship was safely inside the vast, sheltered Crescent Sea. Now that it was daylight, the eyes of the Blue Claw navy would be watching every inch of the coastline. As the sun moved across the sky, the crew went about their duties in silence. The mice stayed below deck. Emmie drew pictures with Uncle Pete’s coloured pencils and Eaton read with Mr Tribble. It was only in the hour before sunset, as Sea Shanty Island came into view, that the ship’s crew began to relax.
‘Lower the sails,’ the Captain commanded, ‘and drop the anchor. All paws are to report to the mess room in ten minutes. Smudge, you’re on lookout duties.’
Six rats and three mice gathered in the mess room. After an early dinner of strawberry pies, the Captain spoke.
‘This evening we will dock outside the small harbour of Sea Shanty Island. I have a suspicion that something is not quite right and have opted to dock in darkness and at a safe distance to remain as inconspicuous as possible. The purpose of this expedition is to gather supplies and information regarding a … unique item we wish to acquire. As you have all been at sea for some time, I am granting permission for everyone to go ashore. That includes the mice, who may remain on the island if they wish to do so.’
Mr Tribble shook his head.
‘Very well,’ the Captain agreed. ‘We will all be reboarding.’
Whisker was surprised at the turnaround in the Captain’s attitude. Instead of threatening to drown the mice, he was now giving them a free choice to stay or go. Horace was right, he thought. When the Captain wasn’t angry, he was a remarkably reasonable rat.
‘Smudge will be staying onboard to watch over the ship,’ the Captain stated. ‘Unfortunately, there are animals on the island that detest flies and it is safer that he doesn’t come with us. On the off chance that these animals also have a problem with rats, I would strongly advise that the crew is armed. Sea Shanty Island welcomes pirates, as you know. But where there are pirates, there are also enemies.’
Whisker gulped as he thought of the only other pirates he knew: The Cat Fish. The vision of running into this band of bloodthirsty rat-eaters had him spooked. He timidly raised his paw and croaked, ‘Excuse me, Captain. Does that mean I get to carry a sword, too?’
As the Captain processed his request, Ruby’s paw shot up.
‘Uncle … err, I mean, Captain, do you really think it’s wise to let an untrained apprentice carry a dangerous weapon in public? I mean, it could be a serious hazard to everyone, even the other crew members.’
Whisker felt Ruby’s eye looking straight at him, but he refused to meet her gaze. His tail worked itself into a knot.
Pete nodded in agreement. ‘In light of the unfortunate accident with the cannon …’
The Captain grimaced and Whisker’s fate was sealed.
‘I’m sorry,’ the Captain said to Whisker. ‘Until you have completed sufficient weapons training with Ruby, you won’t be permitted to carry a sword. If you stay close to one of the crew members at all times and avoid any trouble, you’ll be perfectly safe.’
Before Whisker could argue, the Captain addressed the entire crew. ‘You have one hour. I suggest you all go and prepare.’ He strode out of the room with a look of purpose, quickly followed by Pete, Fred and the three mice.
Whisker sensed Ruby was waiting to say something to him. To gloat in her victory, he thought. He sat like a statue and tried to ignore her. She quickly got the hint and with a huff, jumped up from the table. Whisker lifted his head and watched her prance out of the room.
He was about to stand up and leave when he noticed Horace sitting at the table grinning at him.
‘What?’ Whisker asked, puzzled.
‘You know what,’ Horace smirked. ‘I saw you looking at her.’
‘Looking at who?’ Whisker said in confusion.
‘Ruby,’ Horace said smugly.
‘Ruby?’ Whisker gasped. ‘What are you talking about?’
Horace shook his hook. ‘You don’t have to play games with me. I know young love when I see it. Don’t worry – I can keep a secret.’
Whisker’s jaw dropped in bewilderment. ‘You’re out of your mind, Horace.’
‘Am I?’ Horace replied.
‘But Ruby hates me,’ Whisker said. ‘… doesn’t she?’
Horace answered the question with another question.
‘And do you hate her?’
‘I … well …’ Whisker stammered. ‘She’s bossy and opinionated and a bit mean. But I don’t hate her. I don’t think I hate anyone.’
‘Arr, no enemies, no hatred,’ Horace mused. ‘More room for lurrrve!’
‘LOVE?’ Whisker exclaimed. ‘That’s ridiculous. I’m not in love. What have you been drinking, Horace? Has Fred given you some of his homemade Apple Fizz with extra bubbles again?’
Horace tipped his head to one side and sighed, ‘Alas, no, the barrel has run dry … But who needs Apple Fizz when there’s romance in the air?’ He winked at Whisker.
‘Romance?’ Whisker choked. ‘The only thing in the air is the stench of your mouldy pies!’
Horace sniffed an armpit and shrugged. ‘I’m sure you’ll agree, Whisker, that despite her shortcomings, Miss Ruby can be a very fine rat.’
‘I’m not agreeing with anything,’ Whisker said defiantly.
Horace stared back at him with a confident smirk on his face. Whisker wasn’t in the mood to argue with a self-proclaimed love god, and tried a different tactic.
‘Look, Horace. You’re the hopeless romantic. Maybe you’re in love with Ruby?’
Horace didn’t take the bait.
‘She’s too tall for me,’ he said with a dismissive wave of his hook. ‘Besides, I’ve seen the way she looks at you.’
‘The way she looks at me,’ Whisker gasped. ‘Are you kidding? She wants to rip off my head one minute and stuff my insides with squashed sea slugs the next!’
Horace stood up from the table. ‘You’re still young, Whisker. In a couple of years you may understand. But then again, I may have it all wrong … Good night, young Casanova.’ He raised his hook, did a small pirouette and da
nced out of the room, blowing kisses.
Whisker sat alone in the empty mess room. He let his head slump into his paws and groaned. He didn’t want to admit it, but deep down inside he hoped there was a small bit of truth to what Horace had said.
Sea Shanty Island
From the front of the rowboat, Whisker stared out at the twinkling lights of Sea Shanty Island. The sounds of jolly sea chants, out-of-tune accordions and breaking bottles drifted across the calm water towards him.
The Pie Rats had anchored the Apple Pie a few hundred metres from the entrance to the harbour and lowered their small rowboat to take them ashore. As usual, Fred was called upon to use his powerful shoulders to row the companions through the maze of pirate ships, fishing boats and makeshift rafts that filled the harbour.
Whisker turned his attention from the shops that surrounded the dock to the moored vessels around him. He was looking for two boats in particular. One was small and red, the other, long and silver. He saw neither.
The rowboat silently pulled alongside a short jetty. Horace secured the vessel to a barnacle-covered post and the passengers scampered out. No one breathed a word. It was only after they were safely off the jetty and onto the main dock that the Captain finally broke the silence.
‘I suggest we split up and try to blend in with the crowd,’ he whispered. He glanced down at the mice, dressed in a mishmash of Horace’s old clothing. ‘Stay close to Fred. No one will give you any grief with a bodyguard like him by your side. If you don’t mind visiting the Buccaneers’ Baking Shop, you’ll have a wonderful evening, I’m sure.’ The Captain slipped a few gold coins into Fred’s pocket. ‘We’ll meet back here at midnight. There’s a clock tower in the town square if you lose track of time. You’ll hear it chime on the hour.’
‘Let’s go shopping, Uncle Fred,’ Emmie squealed, grabbing hold of Fred’s huge, furry paw with her tiny mouse fingers.
As Fred and the mice disappeared down a lane, the Captain turned to Whisker. ‘Pete and I are headed for the post office in the town square. You are more than welcome to join us, or if you would prefer the company of …’
The Forgotten Map Page 7
