folded four arms across his chest, awaiting an apology. The wind blew him straight off the barrel.
‘Land ahoy!’ Ruby shouted. ‘Starboard side.’
The Captain raised a short telescope to his eye and peered through.
‘That’s our island,’ he declared. ‘And to think, we were sailing straight past it.’
There was a cacophony of bumps and thumps as Horace leapt onto the deck in a tangle of ropes and sinkers.
‘Shiver me shipwrecks!’ he cried, ‘What have I missed?’
‘A whole lot of rain …’ Ruby smirked. ‘Oh, and Fred found the Island of Destiny.’
Horace gave Fred a friendly prod with his hook. ‘Good work, big fella.’
Smudge waved two arms in the air as if to say, hey what about me? I saw it first.
The Captain lowered his telescope, swinging the wheel to his right. The Apple Pie turned eastward into the wind and an icy blast of rain smacked the crew head on.
‘Brrrr,’ Horace shivered dramatically.
‘Drop the anchor and haul in the sails,’ the Captain commanded. ‘We can’t sail into this headwind, and I won’t risk tacking and losing the island.’
Ruby, Whisker and Horace scrambled over to the sails, lowering the enormous items of clothing, while Fred attempted to drop the anchor. There was a loud CLUNK as the anchor line came to the end of the spool.
‘Oh dear, oh double dear,’ Fred groaned. ‘We’re in deep, deep water.’
Ruby leapt from the mast. ‘The anchor hasn’t reached the sea floor, Captain. We can’t just drift; the wind will blow us miles from the island.’
The Captain was silent, considering his options. Whisker looked east. The rain appeared to be clearing, though he still couldn’t see the island with his naked eye.
‘We have no choice,’ the Captain said, begrudgingly. ‘We’ll sail short legs to the south-east and then to the north-east to catch the wind. Hopefully we’ll reach the island before nightfall. I want Smudge and Fred at the bow of the ship. Let me know the moment you lose sight of the island. Ruby and Horace, you’re responsible for the sails. Whisker, you’re on the helm with me.’
‘Aye aye, Captain,’ cheered the crew.
Whisker hurried up the stairs to where the Captain waited anxiously behind the wheel.
‘Whisker,’ he said in a low voice, ‘you remember Rat Bait’s story about the island, don’t you?’
Whisker nodded slowly, but said nothing. It was a touchy subject, to say the least. The Captain’s father, Ratsputin, had once attempted to reach the Island of Destiny – and failed. Following his disastrous voyage, Ratsputin deserted his crew and his family. Whisker knew the Captain harboured a deep resentment towards his father and thought it safer if he kept his mouth shut and let the Captain do the talking.
The Captain continued speaking through gritted teeth, ‘My father experienced these exact conditions when he sailed to the island. It was a stormy afternoon. There were sharp rocks, pounding waves …’
‘The Treacherous Sea,’ Whisker said quietly. ‘The Princess Pie and her crew barely made it out.’
The Captain stroked his chin thoughtfully. ‘If we’re going to risk the Sea, we’ll need a safe passage. I doubt our hull will hold if we collide with a rock or a sea creature.’ He straightened his back. ‘My father may have failed, but he was ill-prepared. We know the dangers we face and we have the King’s Key – something he never possessed.’
‘I can examine the key for clues,’ Whisker said, eager to end the conversation. ‘Maybe there’s something we haven’t spotted.’
The Captain nodded. ‘This may be our only chance of finding the treasure.’
A treasure with the power to alter one’s very destiny, Whisker recalled. He dared to imagine – the power to find my family.
I’m depending on you, Whisker,’ the Captain said soberly. ‘We all are.’
The Rock of Hope
With the weight of the Apple Pie on his shoulders, Whisker descended the short flight of stairs to the navigation room.
He found the Forgotten Map and the King’s Key lying in the centre of the table. A rough tracing of the map sat nearby, courtesy of Pencil Leg Pete.
Just in case, Whisker thought.
He brushed the wet fringe out of his eyes and placed the King’s Key over the hole in the island, completing the map. Glancing down at the riddle, he read: Dark and Treacherous your voyage may be, keep Hope in your sights as you pass through the Sea.
Whisker examined the map closely, aware that the misplaced capitals were place names. The Treacherous Sea was a rocky lagoon surrounded by high cliffs. There was one entrance from the ocean and one place to go ashore: a river estuary flowing around the Rock of Hope.
Our destination, he told himself.
The rocks appeared to be concentrated in the centre of the lagoon, forming a deadly obstacle course. Whisker ran his finger to the left and right of the rocks.
Two clear passages, he pondered, and one sea creature.
He explored the map for clues, reading and rereading the riddle, but found no mention of the creature or which direction to sail.
Struggling for clarity, he thought back to the jungle citadel where the Pie Rats first discovered the key. He’d seen directional symbols carved on the palace doorways – Right passage up … left passage down … Whisker remembered two symbols in particular: the right paw of royalty and the left paw of despair.
Right leads to riches, Whisker considered. Maybe we should take the right passage through the lagoon?
He looked back at the Island of Destiny. The island had its own symbol – two arrows, representing the twin mountains of the island: Mt Mobziw and Mt Moochup.
The left mountain holds the treasure, Whisker thought, so maybe left, not right, is the correct direction …? He let his head drop into his paws in frustration.
‘There’s only one way to resolve this,’ he muttered.
He rolled up the map and slid it into a canister, sealing the top with a cork. Wedging the canister into his belt next to his green scissor sword, he picked up the key.
If the map can’t give me an answer, he thought, maybe
