Peter and the Starcatchers: Chapters 59–79

The Porpoise language has 237 words that mean “happy,” and Molly had actually chosen the one denoting the happiness derived from having one’s belly tickled by seaweed.

Peter and James trotted diagonally back to the beach, then on a parallel course with the porpoise, who kept popping up to make sure they were with him. Alf and the other boys, thoroughly mystified, trotted along behind.

Thomas and Prentiss said nothing, but—not wanting to be left alone on this increasingly strange island—trotted along with the group, as did the panting, incessantly complaining Tubby Ted.

Ammm was far ahead now, an intermittent speck of light gray in the dark roiling water.

So elated were they by their triumph, so absorbed with their prize—their creator—that only one of them, a young mermaid in the back of the school, happened to see the thing that flew across the face of the moon, too quick for a cloud, too big for a bird.

He grabbed the unconscious mermaid and hauled her upright, holding the knife at her neck. The mermaids wailed and keened in horror.

Slank and Little Richard lunged frantically back and forth in the boat, grunting, shouting, trying to keep them at bay, trying to keep the wildly gyrating boat from going over.

Pirates, he was sure of it. Who else could it be?
And they’ve got the trunk, I wager.

“They was after us like banshees, then they was gone!”

The girl, or fish, or whatever she was, moaned piteously, and writhed in pain.

Immediately a sphere of golden light blinded him; first his hands, then the rest of his body, experienced the now-familiar warmth and feeling of well-being. Peter wanted to luxuriate in that feeling, but forced himself to invert the locket and pour its contents onto the mermaid’s wounded forehead.

Seconds later, the whole group of mermaids surfaced twenty yards to Peter’s left, making sounds, gesticulating excitedly to one another.

But the others lagged at a considerable distance—Prentiss and Thomas, both miserable but gamely struggling forward, and Alf, far to the rear, now essentially carrying Tubby Ted.

So instead he acted as Little Richard’s ballast, holding the big man down as though he were a human balloon.

“Put it down NOW!” Slank ordered.
Little Richard reluctantly obeyed, gently setting the trunk onto the sand. He looked at it wistfully.

Molly saw it all, from under the palms: saw the pirates in trouble; saw Slank gloating in triumph; saw the trunk.

He fell facedown, and instantly something hard struck his head, again and again. He went dizzy, but managed to writhe sideways to see.

I grant you, we didn’t count on you being aboard the Never Land. And we surely didn’t expect that idiot pirate to come blundering into this business.

REPRIEVE

“Paddle, you dogs!” shouted Stache.

He crouched next to her, knife still poised.

Slank switched his attention to the water, watching for the dreaded Vs. He saw nothing, heard nothing, except for the swirling eddies caused by Little Richard’s steady strokes.

As they approached the Jolly Roger, which sparkled in the moonlight, Slank could see the inert forms of the hog-tied pirates slumped over the booms, just as he and Little Richard had left them.

Black Stache slogged to shore, his sword drawn, his men in front of him, where he could see them—especially the ones he’d thrown off the boat.

Black Stache slogged to shore, his sword drawn, his men in front of him, where he could see them—especially the ones he’d thrown off the boat. They’d been muttering and grumbling among themselves, and he sensed mutiny in the air.

Slank looked at the water astern, and there he saw them: the telltale Vs of the mermaids.

She was, as Peter had said, beautiful, her long blond tresses flowing elegantly down her front. Molly felt hideously dowdy in contrast; her dress was wet, her hair a tangled mess.

She bent to examine the chest, putting her hand on it, then quickly pulling it away, overwhelmed by the power she felt emanating from it.

From the beach, the scene on the rock looked unearthly: the Starcatchers, five men and three women, were clad head-to-toe in shiny gold-colored clothing, including gloves, boots, and helmets whose face masks had only the smallest of eye slits.

The Starcatchers stowed this trunk in the longboat, and removed their golden protective garb.

The men, especially Smee, were somewhat unnerved by the gleaming gold costumes, but Stache had convinced them that this was an indication of how rich, how fabulous, the treasure was—those who possessed it wore golden clothes!

Peter turned, rolled and dove again; this time it was Stache who did the thrusting, and Peter the parrying. Twice more, he swooped; twice more he just avoided Stache’s sword.

Peter was not a student of swordplay, but he’d noticed that when Stache lunged with his right, sword-holding hand, he threw his left out, as if for balance. He swooped again to test this observation; sure enough, the left hand was out there.
If I can feint him….

The first was that Peter caught a thought from Teacher. More of a feeling, really: a feeling of stark terror. Something dangerous was in the lagoon.

The second was that the pirates, seeing their captain grievously wounded, abandoned the stranded longboat, leaping into the water and sprinting toward the beach.

The Mollusks—generous hosts, when they weren’t trying to kill you—had brought a feast to the beach for their guests: smoked fish and luscious tropical fruits, served on glossy green leaves; gourds of cool water; sweet coconut meat right from the shell.

But all was quiet; even the lagoon was placid, as if resting after a tense, eventful night.

In the ensuing silence, James stepped away from the longboat, and went to stand next to Peter.

Leonard climbed into the longboat and conferred in a low voice with two of the Starcatchers.

They quickly donned their gold protective costumes, then went to the wooden trunk and, with great care, opened the lid, then busied themselves doing something with the box inside.

Peter looked at it. And then looked around him—at the lagoon; at the rock where the mermaids (Mermaids!) lounged; at the palm-fringed beach; at the tinkling fairy flitting over his head; at his new friends the Mollusks; at the jungle-covered, pirate-infested mountains looming over it all.