فصل 72

CHAPTER 72

HOOK’S DREAM

LEONARD ASTER, leaning over the rail of the flying ship, allowed himself to relax for the first time since sunrise. The Mollusks had won. The last of the Scorpions had crowded into the remaining canoes and were now paddling furiously out to sea, still pursued by the gigantic crocodile, which was thrusting itself easily forward with lazy sweeps of its powerful tail.

Leonard turned to Hook, who was also watching the crocodile, but not smiling.

“Mr. Hook, set her down,” said Leonard. “There, in the lagoon.”

“It’ll be hard on her hull,” Hook warned.

“Perhaps,” said Leonard. “But she might not stay up much longer even if we wanted her to.” The De Vliegen had taken to lurching every few minutes. “And,” Leonard continued, “those people down there need help.” He turned his gaze to the Mollusk compound, where families were joyfully reuniting after their forced separation by the Scorpions. Many of the Mollusk warriors had been injured in the battle; all of the tribe showed ill effects from hunger and mistreatment.

Hook gave Leonard an odd look, then spun the ship’s huge wheel and shouted some orders, which were repeated by George. The other boys complied; the ship turned slowly toward the turquoise lagoon and began to lose altitude. The fluttering sails and the loud ticking of the clock belowdecks were the only sounds. Leonard looked back out to sea. The canoes continued toward the horizon, though the crocodile had apparently given up. Leonard scanned the water looking for the beast, but saw no sign of it.

Hook and his young crew did a better job of bringing the ship down this time. It cut a gentler angle through the sky, descending low over the compound, getting a weak but heartfelt cheer from the Mollusks. Leonard, Bakari, and Molly waved from the rail; George, James, Slightly, and the other boys did the same from the rigging. The ship sank lower and lower, its hull just brushing the tops of the palm trees. The sparkling lagoon was up ahead.

“As close to shore as possible, Mr. Hook,” Leonard called. “I’m afraid we’ll have to swim in.”

“That you will,” said Hook, in a tone that sounded odd to Leonard. He looked back at the pirate, who seemed occupied with turning the wheel and watching the sails. The ship’s keel was now only ten feet off the water. Leonard and Bakari tied several thick ropes to the rail and heaved them over the stern, preparing to slide down them into the lagoon.

“Look, Father!” Molly shouted, pointing. The mermaids, along with Ammm and the other porpoises, were now alongside the descending ship. The porpoises rose to their tails and, racing backward, clapped their fins together as though applauding. Leonard, Bakari, and the children cheered and applauded back.

“Splendid, Mr. Hook!” called Leonard. “Right here will do!”

“Aye, aye,” said Hook. “Right here it is, Captain.” He said this in a tone so unmistakably hostile that Leonard, Molly, and Bakari all turned to look. As they did, Hook suddenly gave the wheel a furious yank, spinning it so fast that the spokes blurred. He then lunged to his left and pulled two pins from the port rail, releasing a total of four lines. Instantly two sails went slack. Hook then dove back to the wheel and wrapped his good arm around the steering post—an act that at first made no sense to Leonard.

Then, too late, he understood what Hook was up to: suddenly, violently, the De Vliegen tilted hard to starboard, as though hit by a hurricane wind. The boys aloft were hurled into the lagoon, followed quickly by everyone on the starboard rail—everyone, that is, except Leonard, who had managed to grab the rail with one arm. He hung on—barely—his feet dangling.

“Hook!” he yelled. “What in heaven’s name are you doing?”

“I’m throwing the rats off my ship,” Hook answered. “D’you hear, Aster? MY SHIP!” With that, Hook yanked the wheel again, and the ship shuddered, loosening Leonard’s grip; he, too, plummeted to the lagoon. Leonard plunged below the surface, then felt himself quickly being gripped by both arms and lifted up, propelled by the powerful tails of two laughing mermaids, who began towing him swiftly toward the beach. He looked around and saw that the other mermaids and the porpoises were rescuing Bakari, Molly, and the boys.

Meanwhile, Hook had gotten the De Vliegen upright again, but it had lost altitude; the stern was almost brushing the lagoon’s surface. Hook tied off the wheel and, working furiously with his one hand, started raising the sails he’d dropped. He looked around, quickly considering his options. The wind direction prevented him from steering the ship out to sea. Nor could he turn directly toward the island with its steep and tall central mountain peak. The best he could do without a crew was to maintain his current course. He was headed toward the side of the lagoon, just beyond which was a small mountain with a waterfall cascading down. He would have to gain enough altitude to clear that mountain. Then he and his flying ship would be free.

Hook darted around the deck, adjusting sails. When he’d done what he could, he raced back to the wheel, getting the course precisely right. Then he waited, expecting to feel the ship climb again.

The bow did, in fact, lift, and for a moment so did Hook’s heart. But then he felt it—something was wrong. The bow was well clear of the water, but the stern was not rising. The deck tilted steeply as the bow pointed still higher. Hook frowned. It was as if something was holding the stern down. He glanced ahead again; he needed to go higher, and quickly. He checked the sails again: there was nothing more to be done there. He decided he had to lighten the load at the stern. There were two large cannons in the captain’s quarters—stern chasers. If he could jettison those…

Hook tied the wheel once more and hurried down the companionway, his mind’s eye picturing the mountain getting ever closer. He darted into the captain’s cabin, which echoed with the loud ticking of the starstuff-infused clock, a massive pewter thing that sat, glowing, on a table in the corner. Hook kicked open the stern portholes, which allowed the cannons to be rolled into firing position. The lagoon’s soft, blue water played out behind the ship. Hook unfastened one of the cannons and grunted as he shoved it out of its stern hole. It splashed into the lagoon and was gone.

The stern barely rose an inch. Hook frowned. This was not right. He poked his head out the cannon window to see what could be the matter….

His heart stopped when he saw what was holding down the stern.

The crocodile.

The beast had its massive jaws clamped onto one of the thick ropes that Aster had tossed overboard. Its enormous body was being dragged along behind the ship like a giant sea anchor. Hook stared into the croc’s huge eyes—glowing red even in the daylight—and he felt a chill, for there was no doubt that Mister Grin was looking, hungrily, at him.

Hook looked frantically around for a blade—a knife or sword—to cut the rope. He saw none. He’d have to untie it. He raced up the companion way to the rail where the fat rope was tied. He struggled with the knot one-handed for a few seconds, then shouted an angry oath; the massive weight of the croc had pulled the knot too tight for mere human hands to undo. He looked around; the mountain loomed ahead. Hook’s mind raced. He had to make the croc open its jaws and keep them open long enough for Hook to pull the rope free….

A desperate plan came to him. He ran back down to the captain’s quarters, untied the sash at his waist, and let his pants drop to the floor, leaving him in a pair of threadbare knickers. Using his teeth and his good hand, he tied the pants to his handless forearm. He looked frantically around the cabin for something sizable that he could throw…the clock! He snatched it up—it was warm to the touch—and ran to the gun hole. He leaned out the window, waved his stump with the pants tied to it, and shouted, “HERE I AM, BEAST! COME HAVE A BITE!”

Mister Grin’s mighty tail swished, and the croc shot forward. The rope slackened, and the ship’s stern started to rise, but the crafty croc quickly stopped that, working his way up the rope, releasing it and grabbing it with lightning-quick snaps of his teeth, getting closer and closer to Hook and his dangling pants. Closer and closer…

Steady now…Hook tried to calm himself as the hungry beast reached the stern. Hook leaned farther out, dangling the pants as close to the nose of the beast as he could. The pants leg brushed the crocodile’s nose.

With a horrifying roar, Mister Grin lunged upward, his jaws opening to reveal rows of spiked teeth and a long, pink tongue the length of a tuna, with the rope lying across it. He was ready. Just as the jaws began to snap shut, Hook tossed the clock into the croc’s massive mouth, and at the same time let the knotted pant leg slip off his stump. He then grabbed the rope and quickly pulled it toward him; Mister Grin was trying to chomp down, but the clock, wedged in his teeth, prevented him from fully closing his mouth.

In a moment Hook had freed the rope—and with it, the De Vliegen. Instantly, the ship began to rise. Seeing his prey escaping, Mister Grin made a last lunging snap upward; he got close enough that Hook could see the clock tumble to the back of the beast’s mouth and disappear down its throat, along with the ripped remains of his pants. And then the croc fell back while the stern lifted out of the water into the air.

She was flying!

With the roar of the frustrated croc in his ears, Hook turned and, wearing nothing but a pair of knickers, hurried topside. He cursed when he reached the deck: the ship had reached the edge of the lagoon, and it was clearly not going to gain enough altitude to clear the mountain. Hook untied the wheel and frantically spun it. Slowly, the bow responded.

The ship continued its gentle climb, but now the sky ahead was blotted out by the green mountainside. It was so close that Hook could smell the dank soil of the jungle. He kept the wheel turned fully left, the bow moving faster now, the sails fluttering. The ship shuddered, nearly knocking Hook off balance as the hull brushed the tops of some palm trees. The ship was now traveling parallel to the mountainside, still gaining altitude but losing speed as it turned into the wind. A monkey jumped up onto the ship’s rail and screeched at Hook. He cursed at it, but halfheartedly; his attention was focused on a massive rock outcropping protruding from the hillside ahead. Hook could do nothing but watch as the black lava drew closer….

A sudden gust wafted up the mountain and caught the ship from the jungle side. The ship leaned heavily to port, its hull lifting and turning. For a moment Hook thought the ship would miss the rock entirely. He willed the ship to go higher, watching the bow rise inch by inch…

But it was not enough. With a violent lurch and a loud grinding noise, the keel struck the jagged rock. As Hook clung to the wheel, the De Vliegen bounced forward once, twice, three times, the masts shaking and groaning with each bump. And then…

It floated free!

Hook looked around; the outcropping was behind him. He now was heading over a lush valley laced with waterfalls and streams, at the head of which was a large spring—the source of all the fresh water on the island. From here Hook had an easy path out to sea. He turned the wheel and the ship responded nicely. He had made it! He, Captain Hook, the most feared pirate ever to roam the seas, was now in command of the air as well! He’d rename the ship, of course, with something that was more…piratical. And he’d get a crew of real cutthroats, not like the pathetic lot he’d had on this island. And then he’d…

Hook’s dream was cut short by a tremor passing up his legs. He frowned; the ship was high above the trees—it couldn’t have hit anything. He felt another tremor, this one more powerful. And then the entire ship was shaking, masts waving like palm trunks in a storm.

What the…?

He ran to look over the starboard rail and immediately staggered back, temporarily blinded. Where the valley had been, there was now only a light brighter than the sun, streaming from the ship’s hull.

“NO!” wailed Hook, as he felt the ship stop rising. He staggered to the wheel, holding it for support, and said “No,” again, softly this time, as the starstuff drained from the hull, cascading into the valley below, sinking into the springwater, then disappearing. And then the ship—his wonderful flying ship—began to descend toward the sea, never to soar again.

On the beach, Leonard, Bakari, and the children shielded their eyes as the brilliant light poured from the De Vliegen. Suddenly, the sky flashed with colors, and for a few moments a brilliant rainbow arced from the ship down toward the other side of the mountain. It was an enormous amount of starstuff, Leonard knew; what he didn’t know was what effect it might have on the island.

The rainbow flashed and was gone. Leonard scanned the skies and found the ship, sinking fast—almost falling—toward the sea. Hook was still on board, Leonard assumed. Apparently Mister Grin assumed the same thing; Leonard could see the giant croc swimming out of the lagoon in the direction of the descending ship. What would happen to the treacherous pirate, Leonard did not know; nor, at the moment, did he care. He had bigger concerns, such as the welfare of the Mollusks, the recovery of the starstuff, and the need to return to England and report to the rest of the Starcatchers. And, of course, Molly.

He turned and saw her; she was cheering, along with the other children, as Hook’s ship disappeared behind the mountain. Just then, Peter, having flown from the village, landed among the others. Molly hurried over to hug him, causing Peter to blush, and George to frown, and Tinker Bell to emit a rude sound.

Watching Peter and Molly embrace, Leonard was struck by two things: the first was how happy they made each other; the second was how much older Molly now looked than Peter. As if thinking the same thing, Peter, his face beet red, pushed himself away from her and walked over to join the other boys. Disappointment flashed across Molly’s face, and she started to follow him, but then she stopped, remaining where she was, next to George.