Nim at Sea (5 page)

N
IM AND THE BOY
stared at each other.

Fred and the boy stared at each other.

“Ben!” a girl called. “What are you doing?”

Ben didn’t answer.

“I’m coming up too!”

Nim’s boat rocked again, and Erin slithered in.

“Be quiet!” Ben hissed. “She’s a stowaway!”

“I thought you were the Professor’s kid!”

“I didn’t mean to stow away,” Nim explained, “but the Professor kidnapped Selkie.”

“Kidnapped!” Erin and Ben whispered together, crouching closer toward her in the bottom of the lifeboat.

“Who’s Selkie?” asked Erin.

“She’s our best friend! She’s a sea lion.”

“How are you going to rescue her all by yourself?” asked Ben.

So Nim told them her story. It was hard for Erin and Ben to believe, but they knew it was true.

“We’ll help!” said Erin.

“It’s not going to be easy,” said Nim. “We need to make a plan.”

“But first, we all need breakfast,” said Ben. Fred lifted his head and stared. He liked this Ben.

“You exit first, Ben,” said Erin. “No one’s ever surprised to see you popping out of strange places.”

With a quick peek over the edge, Ben swung down, and a second later he rapped twice on the metal frame to say the coast was clear. Erin followed. After a while there were two more raps, and Nim climbed out too. Erin was waiting at the open door of the cabin; Nim could see a man and a woman disappearing down the stairs with two small girls and Ben.

“Come inside, quick!” Erin whispered.

This cabin was bigger and fancier, with two beds and two sets of drawers and lamps, a desk, and a closet.

“Mom and Dad and the twins are in the cabin next door,” Erin said, “but they’ve gone to breakfast now, so we’ll be okay.” She opened the closet. “I’ve got some clothes for you.”

“But I’ve got clothes,” said Nim.

“Your shorts are great,” Erin said, “but if you’re going to hide on the ship, you need to look like the other kids.”

Erin was right, Nim thought.

In the bathroom, Erin gave Nim a bag with a toothbrush, a tiny tube of toothpaste, and a comb. “We got these on the plane. Meet us at the Kids’ Klub after you’ve visited Selkie—we’ll bring you some breakfast.”

Erin raced out to meet up with her family, and Nim had a shower. This time she closed the shower door so Fred couldn’t run in and out. She hung her towel up where Erin had shown her, changed into her new clothes, and slipped out of the cabin, her rubber thongs flip-flopping a strange music on her feet.

Down in the hold, the Animal Room was still locked. Nim sat outside the door, calling to Selkie through the crack, but she couldn’t hear any
whuffle
s on the other side. Finally the Professor came to unlock it, yawning and grumbling.

Selkie was sitting up in her cage, looking cross and bored. Nim rushed to her.

“Never hug the animals!” the Professor snarled.

“I only do it to help them learn tricks,” said Nim.

The Professor grunted. “So what do you think you could teach them?”

“I’ll bet the sea lion could catch fish,” said Nim.

Selkie barked yes.

Nim threw two fish high and twirling, and Selkie caught them both.

“That’s enough,” snapped the Professor. “She needs to be hungry enough to learn something more interesting.”

“She could probably do much better tricks in the water,” said Nim.

The Professor pointed to the bathtub.

“That’s not big enough!” But Selkie slid into it, because if she rolled and splashed, at least she could get wet.

The Professor sneered. “She’s just too fat!”

Selkie glared and slid out of the tub—and Fred scrabbled from Nim’s shoulder into the bit of water left behind, checking for seaweed.

Nim threw a fish into the tub. Fred didn’t eat fish, so he flicked it over the edge to Selkie. Selkie opened her mouth, and the fish disappeared.

“If they had a pool to practice in,” said Nim, “they could do fantastic tricks. Really, I’m an expert.”

“Hmph,” said the Professor. Nim wished she knew what that “hmph” meant, but at least he let her give Selkie the rest of her breakfast fish. She put out seeds for the birds too, and fruit for the monkeys and lizards, but most of the animals cowered at the back of their cages, too frightened to eat.

Fred clung tight to Nim’s shoulder. He was too afraid of being locked up to even steal food from the other lizards.

Selkie stuck close to Nim’s side,
whuffl
ing worriedly. She was afraid of being locked up again too, but she was more worried about what the bad man might do to Nim.

And so when the Professor ordered Selkie to her cage and Nim out of the room, Selkie didn’t complain so that Nim wouldn’t worry, and Nim didn’t cry so that Selkie wouldn’t worry.

Fred just waited till the Professor had gone the other way down the hall, with the key in his pocket—then he sneezed, hard.

After the gray misery of the Animal Room, the Kids’ Klub seemed like a strange kind of dream, with too many lights, too many colors, too much noise.

“Come on,” said Erin, “let’s go outside.”

They ran up the stairs to the Sea Lion Deck. “The perfect spot for planning a sea lion rescue!” Ben exclaimed.

It was hard not to feel a little happier as they lounged in the deck chairs beside the great blue pool, looking out over the deeper blue sea. Erin gave Nim a peanut butter sandwich on fresh white bread. The peanut butter was sticky, but Nim liked it after the first few bites. Ben had a banana in his pocket that was only a little bit squashed, and a piece of watermelon in a napkin that was completely smashed.

Fred loved the smashed watermelon.

And as they ate and talked, their plan grew—and grew and grew.

Alex Rover had no plans at all. Not one.

A young woman, with
VIRGINIA
on her name tag, knocked on her door with a glass of “good morning” juice. “I’m your steward for the trip, Ms. Dozer—is there anything I can do to help you settle in?”

“Could you have all my meals sent to my cabin, please?”

“Sure!” said Virginia. “But I hope you’re feeling well enough to get out and do things soon. The Professor’s lecturing on spider monkeys this afternoon. Poor little things…anyway, the Professor says they don’t mind being away from their mothers, and he’s the expert! So maybe you’ll feel well enough to go to that.”

“Maybe,” said Alex. Then she remembered that she’d been wearing the same blue T-shirt and red pants for two days and a night. “Is there anywhere on the ship to buy clothes?”

Virginia smiled. “Clothes, jewelry, sports gear…we’ve got absolutely everything!” She handed Alex a phone directory from the desk. “Do you know we’ve actually got one old lady who lives on the ship full-time? She says she never intends to go ashore again, because the ship has everything a city does and it’s easier to get around. I’m sure you’ll find what you need.”

Alex flipped through the directory and phoned the Troppo Ladies’ Leisurewear Shoppe to order a few new pairs of shorts and tops.

But when she opened her mouth, she heard herself ask for pajamas, because deep down, all she really wanted to do was stay in her bed until she had to get off the ship.

Maybe she’d become like the old lady and just stay on this ship for the rest of her life.

Jack had searched for Nim from one end of the island to the other and across the other side. When the sun came up, he was on top of Fire Mountain.

Far below him were Frigate Bird Cliffs, Turtle Beach’s pale gold sand, the grasslands and Shell Beach, the hut, Sea Lion Point, Keyhole Cove, and finally the grim black lava rock where the Emergency Cave was hidden.

But no matter which way or how far his binoculars searched, there was no sign of Nim.

“She’s not on the island,” Jack finally admitted to himself. “And Selkie would never let her fall into the sea and drown. She must be with Alex.”

The picture of the seaplane leaving was burned into his mind, but when he tried to decide if he could have seen the top of Nim’s wild hair in the back, behind Alex’s gold head, sometimes he could and sometimes he just couldn’t.

Jack was angry because they’d left without telling him, and he was frightened for Nim because she’d never been in a city before, even though he knew she’d be safe with Alex. But most of all Jack was sad because he was on the island without them and they were somewhere else without him, and they should all be together.

“Well, I’ll simply have to go and find them,” said Jack.

The problem was, he had absolutely no idea where to look.

T
WELVE WEEKS AGO
, a storm had taken Jack’s boat. The same storm that had brought Alex to the island. The boat never came back—and Jack hadn’t yet built a new one.

He’d have to take the seaplane, just like Alex and Nim. With a bit of luck, by the time it got here, he’d know where he was going.

Jack ran, slid, and skidded all the way down Fire Mountain back to the hut. He turned on the computer and checked his e-mails just in case there was one from Alex, and when there wasn’t, he wrote one to her.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date: Friday 9 July, 7:03 a.m.

Subject: WHERE ARE YOU?

Dear Alex, Why did you go? Where have you gone?

Why did you take Nim without telling me?

Please give her this message:

Dear Nim,

Stay with Alex; I’m coming.

Love,

Jack

Then, to make sure Nim knew he meant it, he added:

(as much as Selkie loves the ocean)

Next he wrote:

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date: Friday 9 July, 7:05 a.m.

Subject: Alex Rover

Dear Delia,

Alex has disappeared. She’s taken Nim. Do you know where she’s gone?

Yours truly,

Jack Rusoe

Finally he wrote:

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date: Friday 9 July, 7:08 a.m.

Subject: EMERGENCY!

Please return to the island where you brought supplies yesterday morning. I need to leave immediately.

Urgently,

Jack Rusoe

The computer dinged before he’d even had time to stand up.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date: Friday 9 July, 7:09 a.m.

Subject: re: Alex Rover

Thank you for your e-mail. I’m presently out of the office, due to the preparations for the launch of Alex Rover’s exciting new book on July 14. I can assure you, it will be worth the wait!

As you can appreciate, there is a large backlog of e-mails at this time; however, I will do my best to reply within five working days.

Regards,

Delia Defoe

“Five working days!” Jack shouted. “I can’t wait that long!”

The computer dinged again.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date: Friday 9 July, 7:10 a.m.

Subject: I’m on vacation!

I am going on vacation, so Sunshine Seaplane will be closed from Thursday evening, July 8, to Monday, August 30. I hope this doesn’t cause any inconvenience.

This is an automated response. Please do not reply, as this mailbox will not be checked until August 30.

Happy traveling!

Sam

Sunshine Seaplane

“How am I going to travel?” Jack shouted. “And,” he added as he typed “Troppo Tourists” into the search box, “I’M NOT HAPPY!”

Jack thought their island was the most beautiful island in the whole world, with birds and animals who were free and happy. He had tried to hide it from the Troppo Tourists, because he knew that if they came, they’d drive away the birds and animals and pick the plants—and then it wouldn’t be the most beautiful island in the world anymore.

But here’s the thing—Jack loved Nim more than he hated the Troppos. And since they’d brought Alex nearly all the way from Sunshine Island, maybe they could take him back.

GOODBYE ADVENTURE CHARTERS!

HELLO LUXURY CRUISES!

BIGGER AND BETTER IN EVERY WAY!

The Troppo Tourists have said farewell to the charter ship that took you on so many adventurous tours.

So come and join us on our glorious new luxury cruise ship! Click here for schedules.

Jack couldn’t bear to read any more. He switched off the computer.

“Luxury cruises!” he muttered, pulling the sleeping mats away from a wall.

The wall was built of strong bamboo poles, firmly laced together. It was the only one without a window. Jack grabbed the ax from behind the hut.

“Here’s to happy traveling!” he shouted, and chopped a raft-sized square out of the wall. He nailed a blanket across the hole, to keep out the dust and birds, and put an empty bag over the computer and science stuff. “That’ll have to do!” declared Jack.

With a thick rope, Jack hauled his raft across the sand to Shell Beach. He was hot, tired, and thirsty when he finished, but he stopped only long enough to split a coconut and drink its milk. It was strange not to have Fred begging for the coconut meat.

Fred might be on a plane!
Jack thought, and he almost smiled as he raced up the hill to Tabletop Garden.

Jack found two strong, slim lengths of bamboo just the right size for a mast and a crossbar, chopped them down, and raced back to the beach. He lashed the crossbar to the mast, cut a neat hole out of the center of his raft, and then, with wires and rope and bits of bamboo, fixed the mast in place.

“At least the sail will be easy,” said Jack. He pulled out a bag he’d unloaded from the seaplane just the day before, containing a sail for the boat he’d planned to build. It was a perfect, clean white sail, light and strong enough to catch any wind—but it was too tall and too wide for his little makeshift raft.

Jack had never had a brand-new sail before.

He took out his fat red pocketknife, cut a big square from the sail, and rigged it to the mast.

Then he stuffed six coconuts, a change of pants and shirt, and his toothbrush into the sail bag, dropped his compass into one of his pockets and his notebook and pen in another, and grabbed two fishing lines, two big containers of water, and some bananas.

Finally, he opened a metal box. It hadn’t been opened for a long, long time, but his wallet, checkbook, and passport were still there, clean and dry. Jack dropped them into his extra-safe pocket—the one with a loop and a string to tie it shut—and walked out of the hut.

“Do you know Alex Rover?” Nim asked Erin. She’d waited till Ben had gone to get ice cream, because some things are easier to tell one person than two.

“The famous writer?”

“She’s my friend,” said Nim. “And my dad’s friend. But I was mean to her, and now she’s gone home.”

“Everybody’s mean sometimes,” said Erin, though Nim knew Erin could never be as mean as she had been.

“My dad will be worrying that she’ll never come back,” said Nim, “and he might be worried about me too. Or…he might be glad I’m gone.”

“He won’t be glad you’re gone,” said Erin.

“I wish I could tell him where I am,” said Nim.

“You could e-mail him from the computer room.”

“Parents have to log their kids in,” said Ben, handing them each an ice cream cone.

“Write down the message and the address,” said Erin, “and I’ll send it.”

“Thanks,” said Nim. “Whew! I never knew ice cream was so
cold
!”

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date: Friday 9 July, 11:05 a.m.

Subject: Don’t worry!

Dear Jack,

My friend Erin is sending this because I can’t go to the computer room unless you sign me in.

I hope you got my message in a bottle. I’m on the Troppo Tourist ship heading toward New York City.

We have a plan but I don’t want to write it down in case someone sees the note when Erin is writing it.

I cleaned out the birdcages this morning, and four flaming orange doves had our island’s bands on their legs. I didn’t know people were allowed to catch animals just because they’re intelligent, unique, or interesting. The Professor says that’s the best way to keep them safe. I didn’t know that either. It’s strange because I don’t think he really likes animals.

I’m very, very sorry I was mean to Alex, and I know I was mean to you sometimes when you were talking to Alex. I wish I hadn’t been.

Love (as much as Fred loves Selkie),

Nim

She wrote one to Alex too, but in the end she couldn’t bear for Erin to read it, so she crumpled it up and put it in her pocket.

“It’s Pizza Night in the Kids’ Klub,” Ben announced, “so we can all have dinner there.”

“What’s pizza like?” asked Nim.

Ben explained. “But you can’t ask anyone except us stuff like that! They’ll guess…”

“That I’m a stowaway?”

“Or they might just think you’re weird,” said Ben, “and that’ll make them notice you. Even more than Fred.”

So when Erin came back from e-mailing, they found a spot behind a big white chest labeled
LIFE JACKETS
, up near the bow, where it was too windy for most people to sit, and Nim got lessons on how to look as if she belonged to parents on a cruise ship.

It was sort of like schoolwork with Jack, except that instead of learning about what turtles ate and how plankton grew, she was learning about what kids ate and what they said, what they did and what they had.

“There’s so much stuff!” Nim groaned. “And so much to learn! How am I going to remember it all?”

“Stick with us,” said Erin. “Just do what we do.”

As Ben looked at his watch, Nim looked up at the sun.

“But first,” she said, “Fred and I have to visit Selkie.”