Three days after learning of Jim's extremely-dangerous mission, Sarah
was still desperately concerned and heavily shaken—even to the point where
she could no longer focus on running the Inn; she was just so, so...depressed
that Amelia and Delbert insisted that she give up her position until Jim
returned safely. So the Grumps, a family that had long been the Benbow's
first and most loyal clients and friends of the Hawkins and Dopplers, took
up some of the administrative duties. However, B.E.N. still needed
assistance in food preparation and procurement. So with Sarah's permission,
Mr. Grump posted a notice in the town for an experienced chef/cook who
could prepare excellent dishes and food platters for a substantial sum of
145 droubloons a month. But it was a little while before someone answered
the advertisement. In fact, it was two certain people who came calling one
day at the Benbow Inn....
"Miss-us Grump?", called a diner from one of the tables. "Yes, yes," answered the somewhat-flustered amphibianite as she pattered over to the dining area. My but this job was quite a chore; poor Sarah Hawkins must have had unnatural stamina to accommodate arriving guests, waiting on diners and overseeing the cooking, baking and other work that B.E.N. was up to his head in—literally! Anyway, the plump, affable Mr.s Grump had just seen to the guests order for more sweetened iced tea when the front door bell rang as the door was opened. Mr. Grump was sitting on a tall chair behind the lobby podium filling in the guestbook and revenue ledgers when two unknown men came up to the counter. Mr. Grump looked up with curiosity and then put down his quill pen. "Ah Gentlemen, Welcome to the Benbow Inn. What service may I be of to you both?" The bigger and evidently older of the two stepped forward to speak while his companion gazed all around the interior as far as he could see. "Well, I's jest here ya see, t' answer this here notice-", and he held up the paper requesting a cook, "-that yeh've got for a cook. Ya see, I's done more th'n me fair share of galley trade and fixin' hearty fillin's 'n such. And I's more'n ready ta be the best cook that yeh've ever seen b'fore." Mr. Grump smiled. "Very well then. If you are highly-skilled in culinary duties, your pay shall be increased by at least 25 more droubloons if that is sufficient for you, Sir." "Ahhh, tis more'n this 'ole body's used to. Yeh've got yerself a cook 'n yeh won't be displeased." With that, the big-bellied stranger stuck out his human hand—and Mr. Grump duly noted that the massive man was in fact a cyborg. Nonetheless, he extended his small, green hand and shook vigorously. "And how might you be served, Sir?" Mr. Grump addressed the other man who slowly turned with a bright-eyed stare and fascinated look. He walked over to the counter as well. "Is...I mean...does Sarah-Hawkins...still live here?", he asked with a puzzled expression. Mr. Grump didn't answer right away. Thee was something about the stranger that seemed quite familiar to him. Perhaps he was related to someone Mr. grump already knew or once-knew? He just shook his head to clear away such nonsense and cleared his throat. "Why, yes sir, this is the current residence of the honorable Mrs. Sarah Hawkins. And who shall I say asks for her, if I may be so bold?" The man was silent for a moment and then cleared his throat too. In a somewhat nervous tone he said, "Well...tell her that—"
Sarah was up in her room sitting at her dark, carved-wood desk and trying-just trying-to put down her thoughts, to pour out her anguish, her concerns and her tender love for her sometimes wayward-but-still-obedient- and-loyal son. In short, she was trying to write a love & gratitude letter for Jim. But with every thought that she tried to translate into written words through her hand, more tears graced her soft eyes and she could go no further than five words at a time. After a while, she just leaned her head in her hand and lowered her quill pen. Her thoughts continued unabated until there was a small knock on her bedroom door. Though it was only a little noise, Sarah was startled a bit. She turned to face it and wiped her eyes. Then she stood, walked over and opened it to find Mathilda Grump, the petite pig-tailed blonde girl that loved to help B.E.N. with food—mostly eating it though! "Oh Hello, Mathilda. What is it?" "Missus Sarah, there's a man, down the stairs that wants to speak with you." This came across as a little foreboding to the 36 year-old woman: Was it a messenger from Naval Command bringing bad news concerning Jim? Or could it be someone who just wanted to speak to her about the open position in the kitchen? These thoughts ran through her head before she gave up wondering and followed Mathilda down the 5 flights of stairs. Just as the two of them reached the main lobby floor, Sarah looked up and saw the two men standing inside of the dining hall doorway who saw her at the same time as well. One was a massive hulk with what appeared to be metal appendages for the right arm and leg. The other man...Sarah hesitantly walked forward to get a better look. Suddenly, she stopped and gasped as her eyes went wide as the mouth of a 64-pounder cannon. It, no, it couldn't be....after all these years....? She just stared and stared for the longest time ever. Finally, she got over her shock just enough to say the name of the man she'd long-loved and still wished for after more than 10 years.
Meanwhile, on the "pirate's" planet...
The first search group of pirates to scale the summit of the black mountain's ridgeline looked down upon the rich, sumptuous, fragrant, pure and unspoiled land that stretched for miles away from the Flint's domain. All six of them in the group stopped and the biggest one, a long-fanged black-wolf with bat-like wings and claws, stepped onto a nearby boulder. "You Servant-Girl!!!", he yelled with all the oxygen within his smoke- scarred lungs. "We know that you're out there, now HEAR THIS!!!!"
Jim and Beth both heard the echo of the command despite the distance of six miles that separated the duo from the jagged, dangerous border. They looked in that direction and listened. Beth was immediately frightened and instinctively wrapped her arms around Jim. Likewise, he embraced her tightly and turned his body as if to shield her from the vocal barrage.
But the fire-eyed lupine creature couldn't see them in the forest far away and continued. "We Know What You've Done!!! And The Captain is RIGHTFULLY DISMAYED with Yeh!! But IF you come back Now and Give yourself up,HE'LL BE SURE to Give YEH a Second Chance!! Now Don't Think Ye can HIDE From US; We're going to FIND YOU and Bring Yeh BACK, Dead or Alive!!!!! Now CHOOSE, WHAT'LL IT BE!?!?!?!" Having said this, the pirate extracted his giant spatha blade and pointed it out towards the expansive valley below. With several roars and jeers the band of space scum set off down the slope towards the plain below.
Beth was shaking with horror and fright. She did not want to give herself up, Not after what she received from the hand of Kearsarge Flint. "Oh Jim," she turned to him with anguish in her lovely voice. "Please don't let them take me." Jim was silent as his thoughts began to pile up one-by- one. He had not planned on his reconnaissance to suddenly end right here; there was still so much more that he needed to scout out and discover for the Galmuthian Squadron before they arrived. But if the pirates were fully- alert and on the prowl, then there would be very little chance of both him and Bethany slipping past them without detection. And if the pirates had any inclination that they were being spied upon, there was little chance of them being taken by surprise when the Naval fleet arrived. Jim realized that his job was still undone: he still needed to locate and analyze any artillery, booby traps, hidden passages and other defenses that the castle ruins contained.
Jim thought for a long while and then turned to speak to Beth's worried face. "Beth, no matter what happens, those pirates have already been found out. In fact, there's a large fleet of ships coming to destroy them and their hideout. But I've got to go and find out what the pirate's have to fight back with. If I don't, the Flint's will ambush and destroy the warship fleet. Then You and I will be easier for them to hunt down." Beth nodded even though she didn't fathom what Jim was going to say. "So what shall we do?" Jim was grim-faced for a moment and then looked back towards the mountains. "We've got to go back there and sneak past those rats coming this way. We do that and we can hide where they'll never expect you—right under the castle!" "You mean, where I just came from!?!?", questioned the now-terrified girl. "Oh, I don't want to go back and be discovered!" "Hey, hey, I'm here. I helped you before, I'll do my best to keep you out of their sight. We just got to be careful and very, very quiet. I know we can do it! And if they do find you, just say that you heard them coming and gave up and returned. That way, you can just make it look like you ran away to hide for a while." "But if they think someone helped me, how could they believe what I say to them?" "Just...insist that you were too stunned and hurt to see anything after he hit you and that you just ran to hide." Beth thought for a few long minutes and then nodded. "But Jim, please don't leave me to them! Don't let them take me and hurt me like before." She turned her sorrowful face down and whispered desperately. "Please...I'd rather die....but I want to live!" Jim cupped here smooth face and smiled widely at her. "Beth, I'd rather be pummeled myself by those pirates than let them hurt you in any way. You won't...uh...die. You're going to be fine; just stay with me and I'll guide you every step of the way."
He looked up, scanned the area and stood up. "We got to get going," he said as he offered his hand. She accepted and they briskly walked back to where Jim's bags and surfer were. Jim smoothly shouldered his backpack and weapons before kneeling down to turn on his board. As it whined and hummed to life, it rose about a foot off the ground which made Beth gasp and step back in shock. Jim looked back at her startled face and reached out his arm to her elbow. "Hey, it's okay, it's just a machine—something that I use to travel around a lot. Look," he slowly but gently pulled her closer although Beth was still wary of what she was seeing. To demonstrate, Jim stepped up on it and pressed the foot button to deploy the solar sail. But that only made Bethany jump back again. "Jim, please, I, I....don't, know what..." "It's alright, Beth. Here, take my hand. It won't hurt you, I promise...please, trust me?" But, she hesitated for a little while. "Look, those pirates could be along any moment. We've got to get as far away from them as we can. I said I'll keep you safe and I won't forget that. Please, just trust me." Finally, Beth sighed and though she was still nervous, she took Jim's hand and let him gently lead her up onto the levitating board. "Now hold on to this bar with both hands and don't let go until this ride is over.", Jim instructed her. Beth did so as Jim placed his hands next to hers on the grip bar himself so that his arms were on either side of her. Then, he stepped back with his right foot onto the ignition lever and the engine spewed a thick orange flame that rocketed them forward as Beth gave out a loooooooonng scream of terror from the heart-stopping speed. They raced between the trees & bushes and out into an open field where Jim steered the craft higher and higher into the sky until they were above the clouds. Jim reduced speed so they could just cruise along and talk. A few moments after the surfer had settled into the cruise mode, Beth turned to give Jim an angry glare. "You, You...you tricked me!! You said that..." "Hey, I'm sorry. This is just the way my solar surfer works, it always goes fast—even when it starts like this." "But...why didn't you tell me...that it goes like this?" "I'm sorry, Beth, I just wanted to get away before we were found. I was kind of in a hurry, but just 'cause this thing is fast doesn't mean it'll hurt you. I know, it can seem scary at first, but if you just be brave and keep riding it like I do, you'll get accustomed to it, I promise." "Oh, well then, if you say so. But don't surprise me like that again, promise?" "Yeah, I do." Jim smiled at her with a little smugness in his expression.
They continued on for a few more miles as they approached the still mass of black, smoke-like clouds that covered the Flint's domain. "Keep yourself steady," Jim instructed Beth, "We're going in." With that, Jim accelerated straight into the edge of the clouds and they disappeared from any sight.
Finally, after several minutes, Jim dropped altitude so that they were just under the cloud ceiling. Beth just had to look down and see the foreboding terrain below. Jim, however, was looking ahead to see the castle-fortress coming into view. He kept the surfer as high and close to the cloud ceiling as possible to avoid being sighted and fired on. Of course, Jim had constructed and outfitted his surfer to be stealthy and un-obtuse as possible for instances that required infiltration and scouting. So he reduced speed just enough to reduce the exhaust flume yet keep them at the current altitude. "Jim, how are we...going to...you know, get back on the ground?" "The same way we got up, except I just steer forward towards the ground below. But I got to warn you: we'll have to drop quickly or they'll see us. So, hold on as tight as you can! I'm going to stop the motor now," and Jim stepped on the lever again to shut off the engine which made a low descending, humming noise, "Now get ready! We're going to start slowing down and falling, but don't worry—I'm not letting go off you. We'll be on the ground soon, I Promise." Beth nodded apprehensively as she felt the machine slow and the board's nose gradually began to point down until they were aiming for the rocky surface below at a 55 degree angle. The surfer's altitude dial showed that they were less than 4,000 feet and falling faster. They continued to gain vertical speed—faster and faster 'til Beth felt that she was going to DIE! Her heart must be dropping out of her bosom and she nearly stopped breathing! This has never happened to her before! Oh when would it be over! Her wish came true when Jim suddenly reignited the engine and the surfer powered back to life again—only a hundred feet from the ground. Beth started gasping and hauling in as much air as her shrunken lungs needed; her heart's rhythm began to slow to normal once again as well. When she was steady again, she looked around at the landscape zooming by. "The castle's behind us," Jim answered her unspoken question. Beth twisted her head to her left and spotted the structure receding into the distance. But Jim wasn't going far and he dropped speed in order to land. The 9-foot board slowly, very slowly fell down and down until they were slowly sliding on a 1-foot layer of air. Finally, they came to a complete stop as the craft hovered in place. "Go ahead, it's safe to step down," Jim said. He took and held Beth's left hand as she gingerly lowered herself to the rocky ground.
"Miss-us Grump?", called a diner from one of the tables. "Yes, yes," answered the somewhat-flustered amphibianite as she pattered over to the dining area. My but this job was quite a chore; poor Sarah Hawkins must have had unnatural stamina to accommodate arriving guests, waiting on diners and overseeing the cooking, baking and other work that B.E.N. was up to his head in—literally! Anyway, the plump, affable Mr.s Grump had just seen to the guests order for more sweetened iced tea when the front door bell rang as the door was opened. Mr. Grump was sitting on a tall chair behind the lobby podium filling in the guestbook and revenue ledgers when two unknown men came up to the counter. Mr. Grump looked up with curiosity and then put down his quill pen. "Ah Gentlemen, Welcome to the Benbow Inn. What service may I be of to you both?" The bigger and evidently older of the two stepped forward to speak while his companion gazed all around the interior as far as he could see. "Well, I's jest here ya see, t' answer this here notice-", and he held up the paper requesting a cook, "-that yeh've got for a cook. Ya see, I's done more th'n me fair share of galley trade and fixin' hearty fillin's 'n such. And I's more'n ready ta be the best cook that yeh've ever seen b'fore." Mr. Grump smiled. "Very well then. If you are highly-skilled in culinary duties, your pay shall be increased by at least 25 more droubloons if that is sufficient for you, Sir." "Ahhh, tis more'n this 'ole body's used to. Yeh've got yerself a cook 'n yeh won't be displeased." With that, the big-bellied stranger stuck out his human hand—and Mr. Grump duly noted that the massive man was in fact a cyborg. Nonetheless, he extended his small, green hand and shook vigorously. "And how might you be served, Sir?" Mr. Grump addressed the other man who slowly turned with a bright-eyed stare and fascinated look. He walked over to the counter as well. "Is...I mean...does Sarah-Hawkins...still live here?", he asked with a puzzled expression. Mr. Grump didn't answer right away. Thee was something about the stranger that seemed quite familiar to him. Perhaps he was related to someone Mr. grump already knew or once-knew? He just shook his head to clear away such nonsense and cleared his throat. "Why, yes sir, this is the current residence of the honorable Mrs. Sarah Hawkins. And who shall I say asks for her, if I may be so bold?" The man was silent for a moment and then cleared his throat too. In a somewhat nervous tone he said, "Well...tell her that—"
Sarah was up in her room sitting at her dark, carved-wood desk and trying-just trying-to put down her thoughts, to pour out her anguish, her concerns and her tender love for her sometimes wayward-but-still-obedient- and-loyal son. In short, she was trying to write a love & gratitude letter for Jim. But with every thought that she tried to translate into written words through her hand, more tears graced her soft eyes and she could go no further than five words at a time. After a while, she just leaned her head in her hand and lowered her quill pen. Her thoughts continued unabated until there was a small knock on her bedroom door. Though it was only a little noise, Sarah was startled a bit. She turned to face it and wiped her eyes. Then she stood, walked over and opened it to find Mathilda Grump, the petite pig-tailed blonde girl that loved to help B.E.N. with food—mostly eating it though! "Oh Hello, Mathilda. What is it?" "Missus Sarah, there's a man, down the stairs that wants to speak with you." This came across as a little foreboding to the 36 year-old woman: Was it a messenger from Naval Command bringing bad news concerning Jim? Or could it be someone who just wanted to speak to her about the open position in the kitchen? These thoughts ran through her head before she gave up wondering and followed Mathilda down the 5 flights of stairs. Just as the two of them reached the main lobby floor, Sarah looked up and saw the two men standing inside of the dining hall doorway who saw her at the same time as well. One was a massive hulk with what appeared to be metal appendages for the right arm and leg. The other man...Sarah hesitantly walked forward to get a better look. Suddenly, she stopped and gasped as her eyes went wide as the mouth of a 64-pounder cannon. It, no, it couldn't be....after all these years....? She just stared and stared for the longest time ever. Finally, she got over her shock just enough to say the name of the man she'd long-loved and still wished for after more than 10 years.
Meanwhile, on the "pirate's" planet...
The first search group of pirates to scale the summit of the black mountain's ridgeline looked down upon the rich, sumptuous, fragrant, pure and unspoiled land that stretched for miles away from the Flint's domain. All six of them in the group stopped and the biggest one, a long-fanged black-wolf with bat-like wings and claws, stepped onto a nearby boulder. "You Servant-Girl!!!", he yelled with all the oxygen within his smoke- scarred lungs. "We know that you're out there, now HEAR THIS!!!!"
Jim and Beth both heard the echo of the command despite the distance of six miles that separated the duo from the jagged, dangerous border. They looked in that direction and listened. Beth was immediately frightened and instinctively wrapped her arms around Jim. Likewise, he embraced her tightly and turned his body as if to shield her from the vocal barrage.
But the fire-eyed lupine creature couldn't see them in the forest far away and continued. "We Know What You've Done!!! And The Captain is RIGHTFULLY DISMAYED with Yeh!! But IF you come back Now and Give yourself up,HE'LL BE SURE to Give YEH a Second Chance!! Now Don't Think Ye can HIDE From US; We're going to FIND YOU and Bring Yeh BACK, Dead or Alive!!!!! Now CHOOSE, WHAT'LL IT BE!?!?!?!" Having said this, the pirate extracted his giant spatha blade and pointed it out towards the expansive valley below. With several roars and jeers the band of space scum set off down the slope towards the plain below.
Beth was shaking with horror and fright. She did not want to give herself up, Not after what she received from the hand of Kearsarge Flint. "Oh Jim," she turned to him with anguish in her lovely voice. "Please don't let them take me." Jim was silent as his thoughts began to pile up one-by- one. He had not planned on his reconnaissance to suddenly end right here; there was still so much more that he needed to scout out and discover for the Galmuthian Squadron before they arrived. But if the pirates were fully- alert and on the prowl, then there would be very little chance of both him and Bethany slipping past them without detection. And if the pirates had any inclination that they were being spied upon, there was little chance of them being taken by surprise when the Naval fleet arrived. Jim realized that his job was still undone: he still needed to locate and analyze any artillery, booby traps, hidden passages and other defenses that the castle ruins contained.
Jim thought for a long while and then turned to speak to Beth's worried face. "Beth, no matter what happens, those pirates have already been found out. In fact, there's a large fleet of ships coming to destroy them and their hideout. But I've got to go and find out what the pirate's have to fight back with. If I don't, the Flint's will ambush and destroy the warship fleet. Then You and I will be easier for them to hunt down." Beth nodded even though she didn't fathom what Jim was going to say. "So what shall we do?" Jim was grim-faced for a moment and then looked back towards the mountains. "We've got to go back there and sneak past those rats coming this way. We do that and we can hide where they'll never expect you—right under the castle!" "You mean, where I just came from!?!?", questioned the now-terrified girl. "Oh, I don't want to go back and be discovered!" "Hey, hey, I'm here. I helped you before, I'll do my best to keep you out of their sight. We just got to be careful and very, very quiet. I know we can do it! And if they do find you, just say that you heard them coming and gave up and returned. That way, you can just make it look like you ran away to hide for a while." "But if they think someone helped me, how could they believe what I say to them?" "Just...insist that you were too stunned and hurt to see anything after he hit you and that you just ran to hide." Beth thought for a few long minutes and then nodded. "But Jim, please don't leave me to them! Don't let them take me and hurt me like before." She turned her sorrowful face down and whispered desperately. "Please...I'd rather die....but I want to live!" Jim cupped here smooth face and smiled widely at her. "Beth, I'd rather be pummeled myself by those pirates than let them hurt you in any way. You won't...uh...die. You're going to be fine; just stay with me and I'll guide you every step of the way."
He looked up, scanned the area and stood up. "We got to get going," he said as he offered his hand. She accepted and they briskly walked back to where Jim's bags and surfer were. Jim smoothly shouldered his backpack and weapons before kneeling down to turn on his board. As it whined and hummed to life, it rose about a foot off the ground which made Beth gasp and step back in shock. Jim looked back at her startled face and reached out his arm to her elbow. "Hey, it's okay, it's just a machine—something that I use to travel around a lot. Look," he slowly but gently pulled her closer although Beth was still wary of what she was seeing. To demonstrate, Jim stepped up on it and pressed the foot button to deploy the solar sail. But that only made Bethany jump back again. "Jim, please, I, I....don't, know what..." "It's alright, Beth. Here, take my hand. It won't hurt you, I promise...please, trust me?" But, she hesitated for a little while. "Look, those pirates could be along any moment. We've got to get as far away from them as we can. I said I'll keep you safe and I won't forget that. Please, just trust me." Finally, Beth sighed and though she was still nervous, she took Jim's hand and let him gently lead her up onto the levitating board. "Now hold on to this bar with both hands and don't let go until this ride is over.", Jim instructed her. Beth did so as Jim placed his hands next to hers on the grip bar himself so that his arms were on either side of her. Then, he stepped back with his right foot onto the ignition lever and the engine spewed a thick orange flame that rocketed them forward as Beth gave out a loooooooonng scream of terror from the heart-stopping speed. They raced between the trees & bushes and out into an open field where Jim steered the craft higher and higher into the sky until they were above the clouds. Jim reduced speed so they could just cruise along and talk. A few moments after the surfer had settled into the cruise mode, Beth turned to give Jim an angry glare. "You, You...you tricked me!! You said that..." "Hey, I'm sorry. This is just the way my solar surfer works, it always goes fast—even when it starts like this." "But...why didn't you tell me...that it goes like this?" "I'm sorry, Beth, I just wanted to get away before we were found. I was kind of in a hurry, but just 'cause this thing is fast doesn't mean it'll hurt you. I know, it can seem scary at first, but if you just be brave and keep riding it like I do, you'll get accustomed to it, I promise." "Oh, well then, if you say so. But don't surprise me like that again, promise?" "Yeah, I do." Jim smiled at her with a little smugness in his expression.
They continued on for a few more miles as they approached the still mass of black, smoke-like clouds that covered the Flint's domain. "Keep yourself steady," Jim instructed Beth, "We're going in." With that, Jim accelerated straight into the edge of the clouds and they disappeared from any sight.
Finally, after several minutes, Jim dropped altitude so that they were just under the cloud ceiling. Beth just had to look down and see the foreboding terrain below. Jim, however, was looking ahead to see the castle-fortress coming into view. He kept the surfer as high and close to the cloud ceiling as possible to avoid being sighted and fired on. Of course, Jim had constructed and outfitted his surfer to be stealthy and un-obtuse as possible for instances that required infiltration and scouting. So he reduced speed just enough to reduce the exhaust flume yet keep them at the current altitude. "Jim, how are we...going to...you know, get back on the ground?" "The same way we got up, except I just steer forward towards the ground below. But I got to warn you: we'll have to drop quickly or they'll see us. So, hold on as tight as you can! I'm going to stop the motor now," and Jim stepped on the lever again to shut off the engine which made a low descending, humming noise, "Now get ready! We're going to start slowing down and falling, but don't worry—I'm not letting go off you. We'll be on the ground soon, I Promise." Beth nodded apprehensively as she felt the machine slow and the board's nose gradually began to point down until they were aiming for the rocky surface below at a 55 degree angle. The surfer's altitude dial showed that they were less than 4,000 feet and falling faster. They continued to gain vertical speed—faster and faster 'til Beth felt that she was going to DIE! Her heart must be dropping out of her bosom and she nearly stopped breathing! This has never happened to her before! Oh when would it be over! Her wish came true when Jim suddenly reignited the engine and the surfer powered back to life again—only a hundred feet from the ground. Beth started gasping and hauling in as much air as her shrunken lungs needed; her heart's rhythm began to slow to normal once again as well. When she was steady again, she looked around at the landscape zooming by. "The castle's behind us," Jim answered her unspoken question. Beth twisted her head to her left and spotted the structure receding into the distance. But Jim wasn't going far and he dropped speed in order to land. The 9-foot board slowly, very slowly fell down and down until they were slowly sliding on a 1-foot layer of air. Finally, they came to a complete stop as the craft hovered in place. "Go ahead, it's safe to step down," Jim said. He took and held Beth's left hand as she gingerly lowered herself to the rocky ground.