Chapter 3

Now, as fate would have it that night, our just barely competent pirates rowed off out of sight with poor Kim just before Aunt Katherine made her way out on to the beach, dressed in a black cape over her normal clothes. "KIM! KIM? WHERE ARE YOU, KIM?" she called.

Just as she has yelled those words out, Ron and James trotted over to where she stood, beset with worry. "Hey, Aunt Katherine," James said with a smile. "Our treasure is finally hidden all secure-like, so those bloody pirates will never catch sight of it again."

Aunt Katherine said nothing at first, just looking around, clearly worried. She then turned to James with a scowl. "Those pirates can take all the gold they want in my opinion, James! I'm more worried about finding my Kim."

"What's this?" James demanded, concern replacing his former look of satisfaction.

"Why, yes. Weren't you listening? You see…she told me she was going to meet up with the two of you," Aunt Katherine explained.

James frowned upon hearing that news. "Well, Aunt Katherine dear…we two haven't seen hide nor hair o' her," he replied.

Now, Aunt Katherine was really worried! "You haven't?" Aunt Katherine asked, clearly puzzled.

"Hmm, that's mighty strange," Ron observed, becoming worried himself now. "Kim doesn´t usually walk alone in the middle of the night, you know."

James smiled gently. "Aye, you're right, lad, but she may now…as that was before she knew of someone else who likes to walk together with her, Ron." James laughed softly as he saw Ron´s face go red at his cheeks.

Aunt Katherine frowned at this simple horseplay. "Stop your joking, James! I´m worried about my Kim, blast you!" Aunt Katherine growled in protest.

"I know, I know, lass," James said, trying to comfort poor Aunt Katherine. "But, I know Kim very well, and if I´m not totally mistaken, I expect she´ll show up soon with a right proper explanation, so she will."

Ron, while James confered with Aunt Katherine, had been walking up and down the beach, searching for Kim, when he caught sight of something and called for James. "James, come quickly!" Ron hollered, his voice full of concern and excitement.

James ambled over to Ron's side, asking, "What is it now, you old pirate?" he teased.

"Look at this," Ron instructed and held up a dagger, the very one that Jim had thrown away earlier in fact.

James took the dagger, and gazed upon the crude weapon. "Aye, so? What about it?" James examined it carefully, then turned his attention back to Ron. "Look, Ron…I have found many a dagger in my days as a sailor…"

Ron snatched back the dagger, exclaiming, his face showing his concern plainly. "James, you don´t understand!" he protested weakly.

"Aye, I don´t at that, lad," James agreed, nodding.

Ron scowled, frustrated. "Grr! Look, I have seen this very dagger before, okay?"

"Really? And, lad…where have you seen its like before?" James asked.

Ron turned to him, deadly serious. "This knife here belonged to one Jim Pirate. You remember him now, don't you?" Ron pointed out.

James blinked in obvious surprise. "What?" he demanded, not wanting to believe, but grimaced when Ron just nodded.

Aunt Katherine, who had been listening to the two men, paled. "Oh! What are you saying, Ron? Have these pirates been here this very night? A night where my Kim has shown up missing?"

James looked worried as well. "Ar! Walk the plank and jump into the ocean!" he growled. "If what yer sayin' is true, boy…why then those scalawags must have been here, lookin' for the treasure while we two was away." He smiled then, which surprised his companions. "Ah, but fortunately they didn't find a single gold coin of it."

Aunt Katherine suddenly paled even further as she realised something. "Kim," she observed, turning to the boys, then sputtered and began to cry. "The pirates have kidnapped my poor little Kim!"

Ron understood Aunt Katherine's line of thought…perhaps all too well! "Oh boy. Suppose when those villians didn't find the treasure they was lookin' for, and so…instead they took her?" His fair face paled to ghost-like white.

Aunt Katherine turned to James, her eyes pleading and haunted. "We don´t have any choice, James. We need to give them every single coin to get our Kim back!"

James turns red. "No! Walk the plank and…!" he protested, but was very abruptly silenced by a most irate Aunt Katherine.

"NO, MY DEAR JAMES! YOU LISTEN TO ME THIS ONCE!" she thundered as both she and Ron---both of their faces pale and filled with awful anger---began to stalk together toward one very nervous James, forcing him back step by step. "JAMES THE RED… ARE YOU SO STUBBORN THAT YOU FORGET THAT KIM IS WORTH MORE THAN EVEN YOUR PRECIOUS TREASURE? ARE THOSE FLIM-FLAMS AND SPARKLES MORE IMPORTANT THAN SHE? WELL, ARE THEY?"

James face went red too, as his anger returned. "FLIMFLAMS? SPARKLES?" he questioned in reply, indignant.

"PRECISELY!" Aunt Katherine bellowed, Ron nodding his agreement. "MY DAUGHTER, MY KIM IS WORTH MORE THAN ALL TREASURES IN THE ENTIRE WORLD, JAMES!" After her outburst, Aunt Katherine was overcome with events and began crying brokenly. Ron moved over quickly to give her a comforting hug.

"I agree with her, James. I´d do anything to get Kim away from Captain Drakken…and you know it!" Ron told his mentor and friend.

James sympathsized, but still found himself in quite a quandry. "I know, I know, lad," he replied somberly, rubbing his temples.

"What can we do, James?" Aunt Katherine asked between sniffles.

James sighed, thinking a mile a minute. "Gar! There just has to be somethin' in this blasted world that even that wretch Drakken fears!" he growled. "But…what is it?"

Aunt Katherine snorted at that. "Hmpf! Well, in that case, James, it would be his own reflection," she grumped, but smiled wanly

Ron shook his head. "I appreciate your humor, Ma'am. But, Captain Drakken don´t know what fear is! Why, for years he's sailed his ship, the Dark Lady, through monsoons, squalls, and hurricanes…all to chase after treasure."

Aunt Katherine sniffed pitably, thinking only of her poor daughter. "That very well might be, Ron…but just what kind of threat can we simple, peaceful and God-fearing folks like us do against a TYRANT like Captain Drakken?"

James moved over to take the miserable Aunt Katherine in his arms to comfort her. "Aye, Katherine, you do have a point, so you do. However, even the most peaceful of us still can fight when we have to." He paused a moment, rocking Katherine in his arms, then continued. "Especially when what they love the most is threatened."

Ron smiled, then gasped as he suddenly remembering something. "Wait! The only thing Captain Drakken is even the least bit scared of is ghosts. Look…I remember one time when he paled and dashed below deck one stormy night. The night the Flying Dutchman sailed past us upon the open sea." Ron stood back then, pleased with himself for having remembered something that important.

Both James and Katherine laughed to hear that, and then Aunt Katherine joked. "What a good idea you've had there, Ron…why all we need to do then now is walk down to the village and rent ourselves a ghost, aye?"

Ron sighed heavily, understanding precisely what she was saying to him.

James shook his head. "No, Katherine…I´m afraid we living folk are going to have to manage this alone," he concluded.

Aunt Katherine turned to James. "There is one thing we can do, James. We need to go and get Gabriel the Horribles' treasure, pack it up, and had it over to Captain Drakken…every single coin of it! Kim needs to saving, and that's all there is to it!"

James sighed, but came to a decision. "Much as I might hate it…I agree with you, Aunt Katherine. The most important thing now is getting our Kim back to the Middle cove, safe and sound," he declared stoutly.

Aunt Katherine smiled. "I knew that I could count upon you, my dear, dear James," she proclaime, kissing his cheek warmly.

Ron laughed at seeing James' blush. "Hey, nice color there, James. I always wondered why they call you James the Red. Now I know," he teased, then ran away as James made a grab for his head.

James stared hard at the grinning young man a moment. "Now, Ron, you need to get serious, my boy. It's not going to help to be makin' light o' me, if we're to get ourselves out of this tight spot."

"I know. I'm sorry, James," Ron replied, even if he still was grinning. "So, what would you have me do instead?"

James grinned, liking this young man. "Now, Ron lad…you're going to run and fetch our treasure here as fast as your legs can manage it, y'hear? Because, my boy, we're going to need it here when Captain Drakken comes to call."

Ron nodded, and saluted. "Got it!" he proclaimed, then took off like the devil himself was chasing him.