Baloo's Clues
Part 4
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Shakenquake Island
Kit squeaked, "Captain Juan Toomanie? The scourge of the Seven Seas?"
"The greatest pirate ever?" Molly added.
"Not to mention the handsomest..." Rebecca said with a dreamy look in her eyes.
Baloo was the only one who wasn't impressed. "Wait a doggone minute! You're that guy who has a flea-brained parrot for a pet!"
A green parrot with a tuft of blue feathers atop his head flew out of the bushes. He looked indignantly down his hooked beak at Baloo. "Who are you calling flea-brained, tubby?"
"A talking birdy!" Molly squealed happily.
"It's Ignatz!" Kit said, recognizing his friend.
Baloo groaned. "Aw, man, now we got trouble."
As Ignatz circled around Baloo, he said in perfect imitation of Grouchy Marks, "I never forget a face, but in your case, I'll be glad to make an exception."
"Why, you...!" the big bear growled, attempting to swat at the bird.
"Why me?" the parrot rejoined with an exaggerated sigh as he easily dodged around Baloo's hands.
"What are you doing here, Ignatz?" Kit asked.
Ignatz settled on the boy's shoulder. "The Museum of Natural History let me have a vacation, so I thought I'd revisit my old home. Bwak! What are you doing here?"
"Treasure hunting." Kit quickly brought his feathered friend up-to-date.
"That sketchbook was part of Captain Juan Toomanie's plan to pass on his legacy to one member of his pirate crew," Ignatz explained. "The way he meant it to work was that whoever could decipher the clues would gain control of all of his wealth as well as become Captain. But before he could tell any of them about his plan, he died. After his death, the pirates, who weren't very bright, sold everything they thought wasn't of value, including yours truly, to that flea market."
Before Baloo could make a snide comment involving Ignatz and fleas, Rebecca said eagerly, "You mean there really is treasure here?"
"Yes. Bwak!" Ignatz replied, nodding. "Juan Toomanie was a smart old pirate. He hid his loot in several places all over the world. The largest stashes were Carlsbear Caverns and here. But thanks to a fat bear, who shall remain nameless..." he shot a pointed look at Baloo, "the loot at the Carlsbear Cavern is buried under two tons of rubble. Hey, that's almost as much as you weigh, Baloo."
Rebecca giggled.
Baloo glowered at her, then glowered at the bird. "Anyone up for a little snack, say, fricasseed parrot?"
Kit asked, "Can you take us to the treasure, Ignatz?"
"Sorry, Kit. I solemnly promised Captain Toomanie that I would take that secret to my grave."
"Which might be sooner than you think," the pilot said, menacingly rolling up his sleeves.
Rebecca chided him like a naughty little boy. "Oh, stop arguing with the bird, Baloo."
Sullenly, Baloo muttered, "He started it."
At the Lake
After going over the hill and through the woods, er, jungle, the Higher for Hire crew finally made it to their destination - a sparkling, sprawling lake cupped in the basin of the extinct volcano.
Ignatz took a deep breath as he took in the beauty of the calm waters, the gently sloping vine-tangled banks surrounding them, and the puffy clouds lazily floating overhead. A faraway look came into his beady black eyes. "Captain Toomanie always thought this place was the cat's pajamas, the bee's knees, the best thing since sliced bread, the..."
"Speakin' of bread, where's the dough?" Baloo interrupted impatiently. Ignatz was getting on his nerves. Ever since the parrot had met up with them, he hadn't stopped chattering.
Kit consulted the sketchbook. "In the picture, the letter 'S' is written in the middle of the lake."
"The treasure is at the bottom of the lake?" Molly cried. "How are we s'posed to get it?"
As Baloo moved closer to the lake, he slipped on some wet vegetation. Arms flailing wildly, he slid down the embankment and banged into a vine-covered rock. "Yeow!"
"What are you doing, Baloo?" Rebecca said sternly.
"It ain't the jitterbug," he said through clenched teeth as he hopped up and down in pain. "I stubbed my toe on somethin'."
Smiling sarcastically, Ignatz said, "You know what they say: Time wounds all heels."
When Baloo noticed something gleaming through the vines covering the rock that he had just stubbed his toe on, he began to rip off the vegetation. "Hey, guys, take a gander at this."
It turned out not to be an ordinary rock, but a grey stone dias. It stood about four feet tall with a narrow cylindrical pedestal and a round top. There were six small indentations in the center of the top - five round, one oblong.
But what really caught their attention were four large jewels sunk into the perimeter of the top of the dias like the four points of a compass. Each had been carved into a different shape - a ruby heart, an amethyst flower, an emerald bird, and a topaz sun.
Baloo turned to Ignatz, who was sitting on an overhead branch. "Does this have something to do with the treasure?"
Ignatz folded his wings and gave the big bear an impudent look from his lofty perch. "I'm not saying one single word."
"Aw, c'mon. A minute ago, we couldn't shut ya up."
"Fiddle-dee-dee," Ignatz replied in imitation of Scarlett O'Mara.
Kit brushed the remaining leaves and dirt from the top of the dias. "Look, there's an inscription carved around the outside. 'In time of need, turn to what you treasure most.'"
Rebecca, who was almost salivating over the jewels, asked, "How can you choose?"
"Whatever you do, choose carefully," Ignatz warned. "Juan Toomanie sure liked booby traps."
Rebecca traced the six indentations with her finger. "What could these be for? They're in the shape of a...a triangle with a stem?"
"Looks like an arrow to me," Kit surmised.
Molly piped up, "What about the marbles?"
"Honey, this is no time to be playing marbles," Rebecca said absently, trying to pry the amethyst off the dias with her fingernails.
"Molly's right," Baloo said. "I bet the marbles would fit in them holes. Wish we had 'em now."
"But we do, Baloo." The little girl fished the five marbles that they had collected from all over the world out of her pockets and dropped them into the indentations. Once the marbles were in place, it was easier to see that indentations did indeed form the shape of an arrow.
They all waited expectantly, their eyes fixed on the dias. However, nothing happened.
After a few moments, Kit said musingly, "That last hole looks like a keyhole. Do you have the key that we found in Tundra City, Molly?"
"Yuh-huh," the little bearess mumbled, digging into her pocket again.
When the little brass key was fitted into the slot at the base of the 'arrow' where the stem met the head, there was a click. The middle portion of the dias top popped up slightly as if a spring had been released. It was now able to swing freely like a Lazy Susan, meaning that the 'arrow' could be rotated to point at one of the four jeweled figures.
"'Turn to what you treasure most'," Rebecca murmured. "What would Juan Toomanie treasure most?"
Baloo shrugged. "Pirates treasure... treasure."
Kit glanced at Ignatz, who was watching them from above, for help. Instinctively, he knew what Captain Juan Toomanie had meant. "Try the bird shape, Miz Cunningham."
Trembling with excitement mixed with a healthy dose of nervousness, Rebecca gingerly grasped the key and used it to turn the arrow so that it pointed to the emerald bird.
Almost immediately, the loud rumbling and earth quaking that they had come to know so well began.
The Higher for Hire gang, huddling together in order to keep their balance, gasped in fright when the lake began to bubble and froth. Slowly but steadily, something started to rise from it. At first, it appeared to be a sea monster, but as it continued to surface, they could see that it was a large, round structure. More specifically, it looked like a giant marble adorned with blue and bronze swirls.
As door-sized partition of the massive marble unfolded to create a bridge from the treasure trove to the shore, Rebecca gasped breathlessly, "Oh, my!"
"Wow..." Kit murmured.
Molly echoed his sentiment. "Double wow!"
"Why, it's made entirely out of marbles!" Baloo exclaimed, taking a closer look at the exterior of the structure. "A whole mess of little marbles."
Ignatz, who had alighted on Kit's shoulder, explained, "Captain Juan Toomanie was good with details, and he had a lot of time on his hands."
"Well, we're going to take some treasure off his hands. Come on!" As giddy as a schoolgirl, Rebecca tripped lightly across the bridge.
Molly scooped up the marbles and followed her mother with Baloo and Ignatz right behind.
Kit got halfway across the translucent bridge, then paused when something below in the lake caught his eye. Through the rippling water, he could see outlines of what looked like a network of pipes.
"Coming, Kit?" Ignatz said from just inside the door.
"Uh, yeah." Puzzled by what he had just seen, Kit followed the parrot inside.
Inside the treasure trove, blue and bronze light danced over the dazzling spectacle of mounds upon mounds of jewelry, precious gems, gold, and silver gathered from the four corners of the earth.
When Kit entered, Baloo was letting a handful of jewels trickle through his fingers while Molly tried on a tiara. Rebecca flitted from pile to pile, stuffing whatever she could into her pockets or could drape around her neck.
"Wow, look at all this loot. It's Karnage's dream come true," Kit murmured, gazing around at the overwhelming piles of pirate plunder. Finally, his eyes were drawn to a large pillar in the middle of the room. It was encrusted with marbles and reached almost to the ceiling. Taking a step backwards, he could see that there was something large and sparkly perched on top of the pillar. "What's up there, Ignatz?"
"That was Captain Toomanie's most prized possession, the famed Hopeless Diamond."
Rebecca dropped the brooch she had been holding. "Did you say the Hopeless Diamond? The Hopeless Diamond? The one that's worth millions?"
"Billions," Ignatz corrected.
"B-b-b-b-billions?" Baloo stammered.
Baloo and Rebecca turned wary, suspicious eyes towards each other. Tension hung thickly in the air for a moment before Rebecca made a dash towards the mound of jewels closest to the pillar and started to scramble up it.
"Oh, no, you don't!" Baloo yelled, snagging her cardigan.
"Oh, yes, I do!" Rebecca gave his hand a savage pinch.
"Yeow!" Baloo yelped, releasing her sweater. Scowling, he clambered up the pile, dislodging coins and jewels from their resting places with each step.
When Rebecca reached the top, she had to shield her eyes from the light radiating from the humongous jewel. "Goodness, what a lovely diamond!" she gushed, peeking through her fingers at it.
Mimicking Mae East, Ignatz said, "Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie." In his own voice, he added, "I wouldn't touch that if I were you. Captain Toomanie wouldn't even let his men touch it under penalty of death."
"But he's not here now, is he?" Rebecca retorted, becoming greedier by the minute. She started to tug on the diamond, which was bigger than Molly, but it wouldn't budge. "Don't just stand there gaping, Baloo, help me!"
"I really wouldn't do that if I were you," Ignatz warned.
"Why, is Captain Toomanie gonna come back from the dead and stop us?" Baloo said with a scornful laugh.
When they had finally wrenched the diamond from the pedestal, Shakenquake Island once again lived up to its name.
"You could say that." Ignatz sighed sadly.
Amid the clinking of jewels and coins falling to the floor came Molly's very frightened, "Mommy!"
"It's okay, honey," Rebecca reassured her as she and Baloo clung to the top of the pedestal. "It's just another earthquake."
Ignatz quipped, "Or that fat bear's stomach."
"Hey!" Baloo said angrily.
Just when they thought that the situation couldn't get any worse, water started spraying from out of the top of the pedestal with the force of a fire hose. Simultaneously, the door began to close and the marble treasure trove slowly sank.
Over the roar of the water, Kit yelled, "This is no ordinary earthquake. Run!"
Everyone sloshed through the rising water towards the swiftly-closing door, except Rebecca. She was still stubbornly struggling to move the huge diamond.
"Leave that!" Baloo shouted up to her. "Gettin' the Hopeless Diamond outta here is hopeless."
"I'm not leaving this," she retorted through gritted teeth, continuing to futilely tug at the gigantic jewel. "Think of the money."
"Think of the drowning!"
"Well, when you put it that way..." Rebecca said reluctantly after she finally acknowledged the dangerous situation. Leaving the diamond, she slid down the mound of coins and jewels and splashed into the waist-deep water. She then tried to get to her feet. However, because she was laden down by the weight of the loot that she had in her pockets and around her neck, she was sucked under the surface. "Bal...glug!"
"Beckers!" Baloo glanced at the closing door, the rapidly rising water, and made a split-second decision. "You kids get to the Duck."
Kit protested, "But...!"
"Now!" Baloo commanded in a tone that left no room for argument.
Ignatz said, "For once, the fat bear is right. Let's get out of this place."
After the cubs and Ignatz squeezed through the door, Baloo mumbled, "Talk about gettin' in over your head." He took a deep breath and dove under the water just as the door slammed shut with an ominous, resounding boom.
Outside, things weren't much better. The shaking, rumbling island was literally crumbling beneath them as they headed for the seaplane and safety. All around them trees were being uprooted and fissures were forming in the earth where water was blasting through like geysers.
Kit led a wide-eyed Molly through it all, relying on his inner compass, his quick reflexes, and the aerial view of his feathered friend.
Ignatz quickly dodged around a geyser and shouted, "This way!"
"Whoa!" the cubs cried as they suddenly found themselves on the edge of a ravine. A river had sprung up that hadn't been there a second before.
Seeing a palm tree that had just toppled over, thus forming a bridge across the river, Ignatz said, "That way!"
Without hesitation, they crossed the river via the tree trunk and ran up, up, up the hill, jumping over fallen trees, dodging around rocks, and weaving around geysers. Kit didn't know which was shaking more - the ground or himself.
At the top of the hill, they paused for a moment to catch their breaths. Below them, they could see the churning lake where only the top half of the giant marble was visible. There was no sign of Baloo and Rebecca.
Molly said nothing, but her chin trembled. Kit swallowed a lump in his throat. The kids shared a look, then started to hurry down the hill towards the cove where the seaplane was moored.
Meanwhile...
The Treasure Trove
Baloo and Rebecca splashed to the surface, coughing and spluttering. The ceiling was close above their heads and the light was quickly diminishing as the giant marble sank beneath the waves.
"Where are the kids?" Rebecca asked, wiping her hair out of her face.
Tapping water out of his ears, Baloo replied, "Back at the Duck...I hope."
"You hope?" she shrieked, causing the pilot to wince in pain. "You don't know?"
"I woulda known if I haven't stayed behind to save you, lady," he growled.
Clinging tighter to Baloo's neck, Rebecca snapped petulantly, "We're not saved yet. We're trapped and we're sinking!"
"Tell me somethin' I don't know."
"Well, think of something."
"I'm thinkin'! I'm thinkin'!" Baloo said, squinting through the semidarkness to survey their situation.
"Think faster!" she said, the tremor in her voice betraying her fear. They had two feet of airspace and it was quickly shrinking.
Baloo ran his hand across the bumpy surface of the ceiling. The marbles seemed to be securely cemented together. Finally, in desperation, he started to pound at the ceiling with his fist.
"Wha...what are you doing?" Rebecca gasped and spluttered. His movements were causing water to splash in her face.
"Tryin' to break through this glass ceiling," Baloo said, putting as much force behind each blow as he possibly could.
Rebecca also began to punch at the ceiling, saying with a shaky laugh, "I've been trying to do that for years."
After what seemed like an eternity, but was in actuality only a few minutes, the ceiling splintered, allowing sunlight to pour in.
"Ladies first. Ally-oop!" Baloo said as he hoisted Rebecca through the hole.
Meanwhile...
At the Cove
As they yellow seaplane came into view, Molly asked, "What's wrong with the Sea Duck?"
The Conwing L-16 was tilted to one side with one wingtip nearly touching the water.
Despite the fact that he was exhausted, Kit redoubled his speed. "The tree it's tethered to is pulling it down with the rest of the island. It'll sink if we don't cut that rope."
Molly reminded him, "But we don't have a knife."
"I'll do it." Ignatz proclaimed. He flew to the rope and chomped it in two, causing the seaplane to spring upright on its pontoons. "Come on!" he motioned from atop the Sea Duck.
Around the island, the water had been whipped into a white frenzy, making it too dangerous to swim. To make matters worse, the Sea Duck was drifting farther and farther away from shore with each passing second.
"Easy for you to say," Kit said sarcastically.
"Yeah, you can fly," Molly added.
"Fly!" Kit said, snapping his fingers. "That's it!" Cupping his hands to his mouth, he shouted over the rumbling, "Ignatz can you give me that rope, the one that you just cut?"
"Roger Wilcox. Bwak!" Ignatz retrieved the portion of the rope that was still connected to the seaplane, then flew to the shore and dropped the end of the rope into Kit's hand, saying, "Here you go."
"Thanks." Kit pulled out his airfoil, flicked it open, and put it on the ground. "Hop on, Molly, and hold tight to me." When both cubs were on the airfoil, Kit pulled on the rope, thus causing them to wing their way into the open back hatch.
Once inside, Ignatz shook off his wet feathers, saying a la the Hunchback of Notre Dame, "Sanctuary. Sanctuary."
"Baloo will save Mommy, right?" Molly asked, climbing into the navigator's seat.
"Yeah, but now we've got to save both of them." Kit's hands shook as he flipped the switches to start the engine. He'd always wanted to fly the Sea Duck solo, but not under these conditions.
Meanwhile...
Shakenquake Island
"Step on it, Becky!" Baloo commanded, practically dragging his boss up to the highest point of the island.
"I'm stepping! I'm stepping!" Rebecca gasped out. In addition to the treacherous terrain, the weight of the jewels she had stashed on her person was making it difficult to run.
"This island's crumblin' faster'n a month-old cookie."
"How would you know? Cookies don't last that long around you."
Baloo glared at her. "If we can just get to the Duck..." When they got to the top of the hill, he looked north, south, east, and west. However, there was no sign of the yellow seaplane. "The Duck! Where's my Sea Duck?"
"Now what?" Rebecca panted. She watched helplessly as the land that they were standing on became surrounded by a whirlpool that was sucking the whole island into its deadly undertow. "We're sinking!"
"Just like my tummy."
Shakenquake Island, once a tiny speck in the ocean, was becoming an even tinier speck in the ocean. In mere minutes both they and the entire island would be completely engulfed by the merciless waves.
When the Sea Duck flew over, Baloo wildly waved his arms and shouted, "Hey, Li'l Britches! Over here!" Hope turned to despair as the seaplane soared towards the horizon. The big bear's shoulders slumped. "They can't see us, Becky."
"I'll fix that." Rebecca tilted the large ruby pendant she was wearing around her neck towards the sun. "Come on..."
Meanwhile...
The Sea Duck
Tears came to Molly's eyes as she watched the island sinking beneath the foaming waves.
"Bwak! Don't worry, Molly," Ignatz said, alighting on her shoulder. "Baloo carries his own floatation device under that thick skin of his. He and your mom will float like corks."
"Keep your eyes peeled," Kit said, diving the plane as low as he dared. "They've gotta be down there someplace."
Seeing a flash of red, Ignatz exclaimed, "There! There!"
Simultaneously, Kit and Molly said, "Where? Where?"
"Off the starboard bow."
Kit looked around, but the crowbar that was usually used as the autopilot was nowhere to be found. "Molly, take the controls while I get the ladder ready."
"Me?" the little girl squeaked. "B-but I can't fly!"
"Sure you can. Danger Woman can do anything," Kit said with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Just hold it steady."
"Okay." Molly reluctantly climbed into the pilot's seat and took hold of the control yoke. She let out a surprised squeal when she accidentally yanked too hard to the left.
"Molly!" Kit picked himself up off the floor, saying, "Whatever you do, don't crash."
"Don't crash. Meh," Molly said, sticking her tongue out at Kit.
"I'll help her," Ignatz offered. "I'm a natural at flying."
Kit ran into the cargo hold, grabbed the rope ladder from where it hung on the wall, and quickly fastened the hooks to the seaplane's hull. He then threw it out the cargo hold door, thus causing it to unroll. "Hope that holds," he murmured, racing back to the cockpit.
Taking the controls from Molly, he said, "Here goes everything," as he swung the Sea Duck back around towards the island.
Spotting the red flash again, Ignatz said, "I spy with my eagle eyes two bears. Fly as low as you can, Kit. I'll help direct you there."
"Okay..." Gulping nervously, the boy pushed the control yoke forward. He knew he only got one shot at this.
Meanwhile...
On What Was Left of Shakenquake Island
Baloo, who was more nervous than Kit, paced around the tiny piece of land and murmured directions as the Sea Duck approached. What worried him more than being sucked into a whirling vortex of terror was Kit flying solo. He wished that he had some way to communicate with the boy. "Get your nose up, kiddo. Little more to port. Whoops, too much. Swing her back the other way, son. Easy...easy... There ya go. Spot on. Okay, now, lower, lower. I see ya got the ladder out. Good thinkin', partner."
His mutterings ceased when Rebecca kissed him on the cheek.
Surprised, the big bear put a hand to his face. "What was that for?"
Her eyes intently focused on the approaching seaplane, Rebecca said, "For luck. We're gonna need all that we can get."
Baloo smiled a little. "You got that right, lady." He then returned his attention back to the seaplane, which was coming closer, closer... "Come on, Li'l Britches..."
The moment that the Sea Duck passed overhead, Baloo with his arm around Rebecca, grabbed the bottom rung of the ladder just as the last vestige of the island disappeared beneath the angry, churning waves.
Being towed along at two hundred screaming miles per hour, Baloo felt as if his arm was being torn out of its socket. Not only was he losing his grip on the rope, but he was losing his grip on Rebecca. Therefore, there was no possible way that he could carry her and climb into the Sea Duck. Then there was one other problem. "Uh, Becky..." he said with a gulp. "I just remembered something."
"What?" she snapped.
"I, uh, was gonna replace this ladder."
"Why?" Looking further up the ladder, she saw the problem. Towards the top, both of the parallel ropes were beginning to fray.
"We might be at the end of our ropes," Baloo said with a sheepish grin.
A very frightened Rebecca dug her fingers into his shirt and shouted, "Don't you dare drop me, buster!"
"I don't wanna, but all them gewgaws are makin' you heavy."
"What do we do?" she said, panicking.
"You gotta lose some weight."
Rebecca looked annoyed. "I have to lose weight? You're the one who needs to go on a diet, buster."
"No time," Baloo said, feeling the ladder fraying more. "The treasure! The treasure!"
"Oh, no!"
"Oh, yes! I really hate to say it, Becky, but it's either that or us."
Rebecca glanced down several thousand feet at the blue ocean speeding by. With a pained look that was normally reserved for trips to the dentist, she started emptying her pockets of coins and precious jewels.
"More! Drop more!" Baloo urged.
"But these are pearls," Rebecca said, clutching the last of the treasure. "Every woman loves pearls."
"Hope you love swimmin'." As if to corroborate his statement, one of the parallel ropes severed completely.
Rebecca kissed the necklace, shut her eyes, and let it go with a whimper.
"I'm gonna need both hands for hoistin' us up, so hang on tight." Before the other side of the ladder could break, Baloo climbed hand over hand up the rope.
When they finally reached the Sea Duck's cargo hold and had closed the door behind them, both flopped down on the deck with sighs of relief.
"I don't know how to thank you, Baloo," Rebecca said softly.
Helping her to her feet, he said with a twinkle in his eye, "How about a big, fat pay raise or a couple of weeks off?"
"Don't press your luck, buster," Rebecca retorted with a wry smile as they made their way to the cockpit.
"They made it!" Molly squealed with delight. Undoing her seatbelt, the little girl ran over and latched onto her mother, who eagerly returned the warm hug.
"Nice flyin', Li'l Britches," Baloo said, tousling the boy's hair. "You're gonna be an ace yet."
Kit beamed as he took his place in navigator's seat. "Thanks, but Ignatz helped me a lot."
Baloo opened his mouth to make a snide comment, then shut it. Instead, he respectfully doffed his hat to the parrot. "Thank you... sir."
Ignatz replied, "Don't mention it... tubby." He chuckled a little at Baloo's annoyed expression.
Taking her customary seat on crate behind the pilot's seat, Rebecca said, "I'm afraid to ask. Did we get out with anything but our lives?"
Baloo and Kit felt around in their pockets then solemnly shook their heads.
Molly, sitting on Rebecca's lap, emptied her marble bag into her mother's hand. "I saved the marbles that we found in the little treasure chests. See?"
"That's nice, Pumpkin, but I'm afraid marbles aren't worth anything," Rebecca said with a sad smile.
"Think again," Ignatz interjected. "Those happen to be Juan Toomanie's oldest and rarest marbles. To the right buyer, they might be worth, say, five hundred dollars."
Rebecca gasped. In the blink of an eye, her expression changed from hopeless to hopeful. She tightened her grip on the now-precious marbles. "Really? On the way home, Baloo, can we stop off at Stu's Secondhand Store? I mean, if these little, tiny marbles are worth that much, think what an antique desk or lamp would be worth. Or maybe we'll find another treasure map!"
Baloo groaned, "Here we go again."
The End