فصل 33

CHAPTER 33

ANOTHER PROBLEM

THEY TOOK A PACKED-DIRT PATH through the jungle, Bold Abalone leading, followed by two Mollusk warriors, then Sarah and J.D., then two more Mollusks bringing up the rear. The jungle crowded close on both sides, the vegetation overhead so thick that the sunlight was reduced to a dim green glow. From all around came the buzzing of insects and the cries of exotic birds flitting through the trees. Occasionally, from the mountainside, came a deeper, muffled sound, apparently emitted by a larger animal—though what kind it was, Sarah and J.D. couldn’t tell.

They followed the coastline, the water somewhere through the jungle off to their left, the mountainside rising steeply to their right. In about a half hour they came to a large clearing, at the far side of which was a tall log fence with a gate standing open. From inside the fence rose plumes of gray smoke. The air now carried the aroma of something cooking; Sarah and J.D. both became aware of how hungry they were.

As they approached the gate, children’s heads appeared, poking out from both sides of the opening, staring at them. Passing through the gate, they found themselves in a large compound with several dozen thatch-roofed huts arranged around cooking fires. There were at least a hundred Mollusks inside, adults and children, every one of them staring at the new arrivals.

Bold Abalone led them through the crowd to the middle of the compound, where a group of warriors was gathered in front of a large hut. Emerging from the hut was a tall, gray-haired man, older than the others, but still lean and muscular. He studied Sarah and J.D. with dark, intense eyes.

“Fighting Prawn,” whispered Sarah to J.D.

“What?” said J.D.

“He’s the chief. Bold Abalone’s father.”

“He doesn’t look thrilled to see us.”

Bold Abalone stopped in front of his father and spoke to him in a language consisting of odd-sounding grunts and clicks; the only word Sarah and J.D. understood was “Aster.” When he was done, Fighting Prawn nodded and looked at J.D.

“You are an Aster?” he said. He spoke with the same accent as his son.

“I am,” said J.D.

“A relative of Leonard Aster?”

“He was the uncle of my great-grandfather.”

“So you are a Starcatcher?”

“Um…sort of.”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s, uh…it’s kind of complicated.”

“But it is the reason you have come.”

“Yes.”

“And you,” said Fighting Prawn, turning to Sarah. “Are you a Starcatcher?”

“Not by birth,” said Sarah. “But I’ve become, um, involved with them. I’m really the reason we’re here. I did something really, really stupid.”

Fighting Prawn’s expression softened just a bit.

“You can explain it to me after dinner,” he said. “Would you like to join us?”

J.D. and Sarah accepted eagerly. The Mollusks ate in circles, sitting cross-legged on the ground. Sarah and J.D. sat with the chief and his family. They were given bowls made from what appeared to be large clamshells, filled with grain and chunks of a cooked meat neither recognized, but both ate ravenously. They drank water from coconut shells; both were struck by how sweet and pure it tasted and how energized it made them feel.

When the meal was finished, they thanked Fighting Prawn for his hospitality.

“That was delicious,” said J.D. “What kind of meat is that?”

“The Mollusk word for it,” said Fighting Prawn, “is…” Here he made a low-pitched nasal sound.

“What does that mean in English?” asked Sarah.

“Giant tree spider,” said Fighting Prawn.

“I need some more water,” said Sarah.

The Mollusks smiled with amusement as she and J.D. gulped from their coconuts.

“Now,” said Fighting Prawn when they were done. “Please explain your presence here.”

Sarah started at the beginning, leaving out nothing. She spoke for nearly a half hour uninterrupted. At that point J.D. picked up the story—the locket, Molly Aster’s diary, and the realization that Einstein had built the bridge. At the mention of the scientist’s name, Fighting Prawn smiled for the first time.

“Doctor Einstein was a great man,” he said. “You met him?” said J.D. “Yes,” said Fighting Prawn. “He came on the ship that brought the machine. Doctor Einstein met with us and explained what the machine would do, or at least what he believed it would do. He said there was no way to be certain it would work other than to try it. He said that if we did not want them to use the machine, they would not. We decided that it was worth the risk; more and more ships were coming to the island, and if we had done nothing, in time we would have lost everything, forever. Fortunately, it worked.”

“What was that like, when the island was moved?” said J.D.

“It was like a storm, a hurricane,” said Fighting Prawn. “But instead of wind, it was a storm of light—as if the island itself, and the sky and the sea, had all turned into light. Then it felt as if we were falling. We were all afraid, even the warriors. But when it was over, it was as if nothing had changed—except now we are free from outside threats. For that, we will be forever grateful to Doctor Einstein. I regret that I was never able to thank him. He never returned.”

“Did others return?” said J.D.

“Yes. One day, some years after the island was moved, we had two visitors. They came to tell us that they created a permanent bridge between our island and the world we once lived in, but that it would be carefully guarded and used only if absolutely necessary. One was an older gentleman named John Aster.”

“My grandfather,” said J.D.

“The other was a younger man, named…” Fighting Prawn frowned, trying to remember.

“Pete Carmoody?” said Sarah.

“Yes,” said Fighting Prawn, smiling. “A very capable man. Is he still…” Fighting Prawn’s voice trailed off.

“No,” said J.D. “He passed away. We were with his widow recently; that’s how we found the bridge.”

Sarah, with J.D.’s help, then resumed their story—getting the second locket from Mrs. Carmoody; realizing where the bridge had been hidden and how to activate it; Ombra’s capture of Aidan; and Sarah and J.D.’s frantic effort to use the bridge before Ombra/Aidan got to them. Fighting Prawn was confused by some of it—the concept of Disney World especially—but eventually he seemed satisfied that he understood the strange journey that had brought Sarah and J.D. to his island.

“To summarize,” he said, “you brought the starstuff here, to this world, so that Ombra can never have it.”

“Yes,” said Sarah.

“Where is it, then?”

Sarah looked down. “Captain Hook got it.”

Fighting Prawn’s eyebrows arched.

“Hook?” he said. “How did that happen?”

“He was there when we came across the bridge,” said J.D. “He grabbed us and took the golden box.”

“And he knows what it contains?”

“I’m afraid he does,” said Sarah. “They figured out how to open it. We escaped while they were floating around.”

Fighting Prawn shook his head. “That is very unfortunate,” he said. “Hook is a villain. We allow him to exist on his side of the island because he is an incompetent villain; he actually provides the rest of us with a measure of entertainment. But with starstuff in his possession, he is far more dangerous.”

“There’s another problem,” said J.D.

Fighting Prawn looked at him, waiting.

“We need some of that starstuff to get back to our world,” he said. “We have one locket left. But without starstuff, we can’t activate the bridge.”

Sarah put her hand to her mouth. “I didn’t think of that,” she said. “We have to get the box back!”

“I agree,” said Fighting Prawn. “For your sake as well as ours.” He turned to Bold Abalone and said something in the Mollusk language. His son responded, then left at a run, followed by most of the warriors. Fighting Prawn turned back to J.D. and Sarah. “My men will ready the war canoes. We will go after Hook at sundown.”

“Do you know where he is?” said J.D.

“At the moment, no. But Peter can find him quickly.”

Sarah’s eyes grew wide. “Peter?” she said. “He’s here?”

“He is indeed.”

“Where?”

Fighting Prawn smiled.

“Directly over your head.”