"What are you waiting for?! Go! Go in after her!!" shouted Curllini, panicking.
"I don't swim."
"Only dawg paddle."
"AAARRGH!!" The genius clenched his fists and gritted his teeth furiously. "Can you at least tell where she went?" They listened, straining to hear the sounds of kicking.
But Helganna had already gone into the breast-stroke, and was swimming noiselessly through the water. She had no idea where she was headed--she had jumped into the sea without thinking, but now realized the predicament she was in. They were miles away from any land and it was almost pitch black. Her only thought was to try and reach the other ship--whoever it was, they had to be better than her kidnappers. She swam as quickly as she could, hoping for a miracle.
All of a sudden, she heard the sounds of something in the water, something swimming nearby. Out of the darkness behind her came Curllini's voice. "Do you know what that sound is, Highness?" He sounded cheery, almost as if he were gloating. "Those are the shrieking eels. Hundreds of the huge, carnivorous beasts come out at this time of night. If you don't believe me.....just wait..." He chuckled malevolently. "They always grow louder, ...right...before...they...feed."
She hesitated, treading water. The sounds did seem to be louder than before, but she couldn't tell how close they were.
"If you swim back now, or scream, or somehow tell us where you are.....I promise--no harm will come to you. I highly doubt you will get such an offer from the eels."
She kept her mouth shut. Then, she felt something long and slimy brush her leg,
...and suddenly, the water was full of giant shapes, moving quickly in circles around her. They surfaced, and she could just see the moonlight shining on their glistening wet skin, and reflections of light flashing in their eyes as they swam past--but still she didn't make a sound.
If you're going to kick the bucket, Helganna ol' girl, you're going to do it on your own terms, she thought stubbornly. She braced herself, preparing for the worst.
Then without warning, the eels attacked.
"She doesn't get eaten by the eels, Short-man," Grandpa said.
Arnold blinked and sat up. "Huh? Wh--what was that?"
"The eels don't get her. I'm tellin' you because you looked like you were getting a little too involved--nervous, maybe?"
Arnold looked down at his hands, and realised he had been clutching his bed sheets so tightly that his knuckles were white and his hands were sweating. He grinned sheepishly. "I wasn't nervous," he said, letting go of the sheets. "Come on, Grandpa...I knew they wouldn't eat her."
"...Because I can stop now, if it's gonna get you all worked up like that..."
"I'm fine," Arnold insisted. "Keep going."
"Okay--you're the boss. Let's see.....she was in the water, the eels were all around her, and--oh, yeah! Then....."
Then without warning, the eels attacked. They thrashed and squirmed, sending waves through the sea. She blindly turned this way and that, trying her best to defend herself against the unseen threat, although she knew it was hopeless. The eels were shrieking loudly, now, from all sides. The last thing she heard was a deafening shriek not three inches away from her ear.....
.....then two pairs of hands grabbed her and she was pulled out of the water.
"Hurry up! Get her on deck!" shouted Curllini as Festinky and Geraldo lifted her over the side of the boat. They wrapped a blanket around her and she sat in the corner, suddenly tired and weak and shivering from the whole ordeal. Curllini looked her straight in the eye. "You must think you're pretty brave," he said quietly.
"Only compared to you," she snapped.
The three kidnappers went back to other business and left Helganna alone in her corner. She turned to face the mysterious ship, still sailing along behind them like a ghost in the moonlight. It had to be following them, she told herself. There was no other logical explanation, despite what Curllini said. Looking at the ship gave her an eerie feeling.....was that a friend--or an enemy, waiting out there, watching? Either way.....what would happen once they caught up?