Miguel sat in his hammock among all of the snoring sailors. It was almost sunrise, and it was time for him to get up and mop the decks. It wasn't fair that he had to get up early and work so hard while everyone else slept. But at least it was better than the orphanage.

There was no more Worsley or his little bratty children, no more days without food (although the food here wasn't exactly first class) and no more nights of being afraid.

Besides, the sailors were kind of nice to him. They nicknamed him Scrub, since he was usually found scrubbing everything the captain ordered to be cleaned.

He pulled his tattered shirt over his head, filled his bucket with water, grabbed his

mop and started to work. The first few days at sail, he would go to bed every night with his arms in agony, with painful forces every time his veins pumped. But now, he was used to it. He was actually in great shape from all of the work.

It would be at least an hour before the captain would wake up, so he stopped mopping for a while and looked out into the sea. He was finally sailing to places unknown, just like his father had. Maybe he would even meet some people that knew his father as well.

"Ahoy there Scrub!" Miguel looked up and saw the watchman up in the crow's nest. His name was Carlos, and he was a very thin Spaniard, with long black hair and a gold tooth. He was Miguel's true friend on the ship. "Why don't you come on up here and look at the view?" Miguel eagerly went to the rope ladder and climbed up, sort of afraid that he would fall. He finally got up to the crows nest and sat on a little stool that was in there.

"Hey Scrub, why don't you look through this?" he said, smiling and handing Miguel a telescope.

Miguel took the telescope and looked through it. "I don't see anything Carlos."

Carlos laughed. "Turn it a little bit to the left and up a bit. There you go. Now what do you see?"

Miguel squinted his eye tightly to make out a faint image. It was a dark strip, stretching over the horizon.

"It's land... IT'S LAND!! RING THE BELL, RING THE BELL!!"

"Why don't YOU do the honors?" He pointed to a golden bell that was hooked onto the mast.

Miguel shook on the tinny rope fast. "LAND HO!!! LAND HO-O-O-O!!!!!" Within seconds, the men burst onto the deck and started cheering and throwing their hats into the air. Others sounded off the cannons, letting the city know that they had finally arrived.

Gabriella was jumping up and down, squealing with delight. "LAND LAND LAND!!! She screamed and laughed with the others.

Miguel sat in the crow's nest, wondering what would be waiting for him there in Spain...

* * * * *

Miguel stepped off the plank and onto land for the first time in weeks. It felt good to be standing on solid, steady ground without the nauseating rocking that he had painfully come to adjust to. The docks were full of merchants checking to see if their shipments had come in, sailors kissing their girlfriends and wives, and little children running around, taking advantage of all the excitement the boat had brought.

"Miguel! Help me!" It was Gabriella, who was trying to carry an extremely large trunk off the boat.

"Gabby, what are you doing?! That thing is three time as big as you and ten times as heavy as you!"

"I was just trying to help Carlos." she whined.

"Why are you helping him? We aren't going to see him again anyway."

"Yes we are. He said so. Ask him if you don't believe me!"

He looked at her strangely; them walked over to Carlos, who was talking to the captain. "Carlos, I know this may sound strange, but... My sister seems to think that you're taking us with you."

Carlos smiled, his gold tooth gleaming brightly. "No it's true! You kids can be my little traveling buddies."

Miguel began to seem nervous about this unexpected invitation. Carlos seemed to sense that. "Aw don't worry, Scrub! I'd be glad to let you kids come with me. Besides, I'd feel bad if I let two little kids wander off in a big country that they've never been to before. What do ya say Scrub. I can whip some good food, and you kids can leave whenever yall are ready. Hmm?" He smiled a somewhat pleading smile. Almost like a begging puppy dog. It was hard to say no to.

"Well... OK. I guess we can stay with you for a while. But only until I get a job and can pay for a place to live."

"Fantastic! This will be great! And I promise, I will not harm you kids in any way. I'll treat you two like my own hijos!"

Miguel smiled at him. He was a very young man; maybe twenty, loved kids and animals, and was willing to do anything for anybody. "Come on Scrub. Let's go!" He lead both of them to a wobbly wagon with a fat burrow tied to the end of it. He put both of them in the back of the wagon, mounted the burrow, and they were off.

"Say, Scrub? Since we're not on the boat anymore, I think I should call you by your real name. What is it again?"

"My name's Miguel, and this is my sister, Gabriella."

"Ah, bonito!"

* * * * * *

Miguel woke up in his tent. They had been traveling for eight days now, trying to reach Madrid. His back and rump were soar from sitting in that wagon day after day. At least they were well fed, for Carlos was a pretty decent cook. But he felt so dirty. He hadn't taken a bath in days. His arms and legs itched with filth and his hair was so greasy, it was driving him mad.

Miguel got out of the tent and saw something very unusual. Nothing. No sign of Carlos anywhere. He was supposed to be cooking them breakfast, but he wasn't there. The fire hadn't even been started yet. There were only ashes from last night. Miguel began to worry.

"Carlos?!" he called, shaking. There was no response. "CARLOS?!?!" Nothing. He ran into the forest, blinded with fear. Fear for his sister. Fear for himself. Fear for Carlos. He ran as fast as he could, the forest floor tearing his feet into a bloody pulp. He ran until he came to a river, and a horrific sight came to his eyes. It was Carlos, lying halfway in the river, dead.

"Carlos!!!!" Miguel ran to the riverbed and turned him over on his back. His throat had been slit open and his face was gray and icy. His mouth was filled with blood, and his gold tooth was gone. "Robbers." Miguel said under his breath, trying not to vomit from the stench of blood.

He then realized something. He was by the river, but the camp was at least a mile away. Carlos must have led the robbers to the river.

"He saved us.," he cried, feeling a horrible pit of guilt in his chest. He thought Carlos wouldn't be good to them at the beginning. But now he realized that he was wrong. "He saved us."

* * * * * *

Miguel returned hours later with dirt all over his clothes, for he had just finished burying his friend. Gabriella was sitting on a log with Juany, with tear streaks running down her face.

"Miguel! Where were you?! You scared me, you big doodoo head. Don't leave me ever again!" Miguel said nothing at first. But then, with a stone face, uttered, "Get your things. We're leaving."

Just as they were leaving, Gabriella finally spoke. "What about Carlos? Where is he?" Miguel had to force the painful knot in his throat down before he spoke.

Then, with great sorrow in his voice, said, "He's gone. He's not coming with us."

Once again, they were alone.............