Pelican Ocean Adventurer
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I, the Captain of Pelican, do hereby declare that my vessel is in perfect order and ready to sail for any destination. I further acknowledge that I am fully conversant with all my ship’s systems including navigation, engine, electrical, plumbing, and refrigeration, as well as all safety equipment.
All crew members are aware of their duties and responsibilities and have been properly trained by me or my chief officer. All cargo has been secured and stowed according to regulations. This certification is valid from today until revoked. Signed: (your name)
Captain Thomas G. Martin, Jr., M.B.E., Ph.D., D.N.O.A.
⁂
“You’ve got a good eye,” said Captain Tom Martin, Jr., who was looking over the man’s shoulder at the chart on the screen. “What do you think?”
The young man shrugged his shoulders and replied, “It looks like it’ll be about an hour before we reach the coordinates.”
Martin nodded thoughtfully, then looked up at the big clock above the navigation desk. “Well, let’s get going.” He turned toward the door but stopped when he saw the look on the other man’s face.
“What’s wrong? You don’t seem happy about this.”
The young sailor looked down at the screen again and sighed heavily. “This isn’t where we’re supposed to go.”
“Oh come now, what could possibly—”
“Sir, if you’ll just take a look at your own charts…” The young sailor pointed out the window to the open sea beyond the hull of the ship. In the distance was a tiny island—a rock, really—and there were several other rocks nearby.
“But how can that be?” asked Martin.
The man shook his head sadly. “It’s not right. There shouldn’t be anything here except more ocean…and maybe some coral reefs. But no islands!”
“I’m afraid I must agree with you, Mr. Smith. Let’s see what we can find.”
After checking the ship’s course one last time, Martin took off his captain’s hat, wiped his brow, and called out, “All hands! All hands on deck! We’re making a slight change in our route due to a navigational error. Please proceed directly to the lifeboat stations.”
There wasn’t much conversation on board once everyone heard those orders. The sailors hurriedly pulled themselves together and started getting everything into place for the emergency.
As soon as the sails went up, the wind filled them with a pleasant lapping sound. Soon they had picked up enough speed to begin moving away from the rocky island. A few minutes later, the island was completely gone behind them.
With a sigh of relief, Martin sat back down at his navigation table. His heart still beats faster than normal. He didn’t know why. It seemed to him that he should feel relieved, but instead, he felt frightened. He knew that something wasn’t quite right.
Something had happened aboard his ship, but he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what. He’d never seen the island before, nor did anyone else on board. Yet somehow, someone knew exactly where it was. And it had caused quite a stir among the crewmen.
Even though they’d known nothing about the island when they left port, many of them had been terrified by its sudden appearance. They had all been certain that something terrible would happen to the ship if she sailed too close. Now that they were clear of it, everyone relaxed.
Tom Martin began thinking about what he should do next. He needed to investigate this mystery. However, the only person who might be able to help was Dr. Henry Smith. Unfortunately, Dr. Smith hadn’t returned to the ship since the incident.
Had he decided that he wanted to stay on the island permanently? If so, then Tom Martin would need to hire another doctor to replace him. That wouldn’t be easy; most doctors were very particular about whom they worked with.
Some people simply refused to work with captains, while others refused to work with ships at all. Still, there would surely be someone willing to fill Dr. Smith’s position.
For a moment, Martin considered calling the island home himself but dismissed the idea almost immediately. It would be too lonely. He liked working with the men and women on his ship—even with all of their quirks, habits, and idiosyncrasies. Besides, he was already married.
He checked his watch again, and then stood up abruptly. Time was running short. He needed to make sure that Pelican was safely moored before heading ashore.
***
Dr. Henry Smith stared at the small, rocky island ahead of him. His eyes scanned the horizon for any sign of danger. When he spotted the sail coming closer, he watched intently as the ship slowly moved past his island.
Afterward, he waited impatiently as it continued farther away, wondering if it would ever return. He tried not to show his disappointment when the sails finally disappeared. For hours, he sat alone on the beach, waiting for the ship to reappear, but it didn’t. Finally, he gave up hope.
When evening came, Henry Smith found a secluded spot in the jungle to spend the night. Although it was a warm, humid night, he was shivering uncontrollably. His body ached. The cold water had taken its toll.
He hadn’t eaten anything in two days, and now he realized that he probably wouldn’t eat until morning. Hunger gnawed at him like a dog on a bone. He was desperate for food. As long as he had breath in his lungs, he would keep searching for his lost ship.
A few hours passed, and Henry Smith began hearing noises. He stopped to listen carefully. Was someone nearby? Then he heard it again: the sound of heavy footsteps. Someone was approaching from the direction of the shore. Slowly, he got to his feet and prepared for battle.
Henry Smith looked around quickly for an appropriate weapon and eventually settled on a large stone. He gripped it tightly, ready for the worst. Suddenly, the creature appeared. It walked slowly toward him.
The thing was hideous. Its skin was dark green, covered in scales. Its arms were thick, and it wore no clothes. On top of that, it was covered with patches of hair and stubble, which made it look even more repulsive. But its most striking feature was its face. The monster’s features were twisted into a horrible grimace. The thing was truly terrifying.
Henry Smith held the rock high over his head. The monster was unarmed. If it attacked him, he could easily smash the thing’s skull.
“Who are you?” asked Henry Smith through clenched teeth. “What do you want here?”
The monster just laughed. It sounded like nails scratching across glass. “I am the one who brought you here,” said the voice. “I am the one who will kill you.”
Henry Smith started shaking uncontrollably. This was no joke. Whatever it was, it was deadly. In fact, he was certain that it had killed his crew. It must have followed his ship. How else could it have known where to find him?
“Why did you bring me here?” demanded Henry Smith.
Suddenly, the monster lunged forward. Before Henry Smith could react, its hand grabbed his shoulder. Then, in one swift motion, the monster yanked Henry Smith off his feet. He landed hard on the ground, landing squarely on his back. He couldn’t breathe. Everything hurt. His chest felt as though it were being crushed by a giant foot. He rolled frantically onto his stomach and gasped for air.
The monster picked Henry Smith up again and threw him to the side. He tumbled awkwardly along the ground, hitting several rocks and branches, until finally stopping against a tree. The impact knocked the wind out of him. He lay helplessly for a moment, trying to regain his strength.
As soon as he could get to his feet, he ran in the opposite direction. He wasn’t going to let the beast catch him! He kept running blindly down the path, hoping to reach the beach. Soon, however, he saw a figure standing in front of him.
It was the monster.
Henry Smith stopped suddenly and turned around. “You can’t catch me!” he shouted defiantly.
The monster laughed again. “We’ll see about that, my friend.”
This time, the monster reached out and pulled Henry Smith close. With one quick movement, he slammed Henry Smith into a tree. The force of the blow sent Henry flying backward. He hit the ground so hard that his entire world went black.
***
Martin felt a surge of relief when he spotted the island. He had been walking for several hours without seeing a single boat or person. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever find the island. Now, after all this time, there it was. Just another mile or two, and I’m home free, he thought.
He glanced behind him. No signs of pursuit. That meant only one thing: they were still looking for him. Martin slowed his pace, thinking of how much trouble he would be in if anyone found him missing from school. He decided to continue walking, hoping to reach the island before anyone noticed.
He was almost there. Just a little further. Then he heard it—a loud scream coming from somewhere near the forest line. Something terrible was happening. Martin ran faster, hoping to get there before anyone else arrived. When he rounded a bend in the trail, he saw a man lying on the ground, struggling to crawl away from something. What was that? A monster? Or maybe…?
Then it dawned on him: It was Henry Smith!
Henry struggled to move away from the monster, but the thing wouldn’t stop chasing him. As soon as Henry tried to escape, it caught him by the arm, jerked him back, then slammed him against the ground. Once again, it lifted him up into the air, slamming him down onto the dirt. Henry cried out in pain as he bounced on the ground.
When the monster released him, Henry fell to the ground and crawled desperately toward safety. Finally, he reached the trees, but the monster was right beside him now. He didn’t know what to do. Should he run? Stay and fight? Neither seemed very likely at the moment.
“Stop!” cried Martin. “That’s not fair!”
The monster looked over at him. It stared silently at Martin for several moments, as if weighing whether to attack him. Finally, it walked slowly toward him.
“Stay back!” warned Martin.
But the creature continued moving closer.
“Wait!” Martin yelled. “Don’t come any closer!”
Finally, the monster came within reach of Martin. It stood over him, towering over him with its ugly face twisted into an evil grin. Its eyes burned with anger.
“Give me back my brother,” said the monster.
“No way!” exclaimed Martin. “You’ve got the wrong guy. My name is—”
The monster raised its fist. There was no doubt that it intended to strike him dead. But before it could throw the punch, a small figure jumped between them. It was the same boy who had attacked Martin earlier.
“Hey!” called the boy. “Leave him alone. Leave him alone!”
The monster froze. It looked angrily at the boy, then turned its attention to Martin.
“What are you doing?” asked the monster. “Get out of here. Get lost.”
“I think I have just the place,” replied the boy. “Come on. We’re leaving.”
With those words, he pushed past the monster. The monster stepped aside reluctantly, allowing the boy to pass. Without another word, the boy ran off through the woods.
The monster watched the boy disappear into the distance, then turned its attention back to Martin. “Well, well…” he sneered. “Looks like you finally made it.”
Martin didn’t reply. Instead, he simply glared at the monster. His mind raced. He knew he needed to say something. Anything. Otherwise, the monster might kill him. But he couldn’t think of anything to say.
Suddenly, the monster grabbed Martin by the collar.
“What are you waiting for?” demanded the monster. “Talk. You must know what we want.”
“Just give him some room, will you?” suggested the boy.
Without warning, the boy launched himself at the monster. He punched and kicked and scratched until the monster dropped Martin and backed away.
“Who are you people?” asked the monster.
“My name is Martin,” explained Martin. “And this is Henry Smith.”
“It’s all true?” asked the monster. “Everything your mother told us?”
“Yes, sir,” answered Martin.
“Good. Good,” said the monster. “Now listen carefully. This is important. Your parents have been arrested. They are being held in the village jailhouse. If you can find us their names, we’ll let you live. Understood?”
“Yes,” said Martin.
“We need their names immediately,” said the monster.
“Where is the jailhouse?” asked Martin.
“Right behind me,” responded the monster. “There isn’t much time.”
The End