Yes, of course I dream about Englehorn, haha. I'm glad you all liked this! It's so much fun to write about this crazy dream!

Chapter Two

Captain Englehorn blinked his blue eyes. "How do you know my name?"

Uh-oh. How was I going to explain this one? Actually, I think I'm from another dimension in which you are only a fictional character whom I find quite attractive… No. That wasn't going to work. "Uhm… Actually, I was hoping to find you out here." Mostly the truth. I don't care for lying. But I don't want to sound crazy. Maybe I'll work up to the amazing truth and tell him one day… "I--I'd like to volunteer."

"Volunteer?" He was still looking at me as if I had just escaped from an insane asylum.

"Yes." My nose suddenly itched. I neglected to scratch it, not wanting to look childish. "I thought you might… need some help."

He raised one eyebrow. "Really? Where are you from?"

"North Carolina. In the United States."

"And how did you get here?"

Oh boy. "Uhm, a patroness of mine sponsored my journey here. She got me to the jungle, and I hiked the rest of the way." Completely true. I was sure Miss Lucy wouldn't mind being called my patroness.

Englehorn shoved his pistol back into its holster. "Do you have any experience in babysitting?"

I nearly laughed. "Yes. I do. I work at a child care center."

"Good. Come with me." He turned his back to me and started walking.

Dazed, excited, and massively curious, I followed. Babysitting? Who needed a babysitter out here in this jungle?

My favorite fictional (well, not fictional anymore) ship's captain led me down the path between the bamboo and trees. My eyes must have been the size of tennis balls. This jungle was beautiful!

Englehorn turned to glance at me, smiling wryly. "Never been to the jungle before, Miss… Richardson?"

I shook my head. "No. Never." As soon as he turned his back to me, I scratched my nose.

Then, suddenly, the bamboo path ended. And I was in a tropical paradise. There was a huge tree in front of me. Lining the path to it were two rows of torches. I was sure they would be beautiful at night. And in that tree was a tree house. I stopped walking and peered up at it incredulously. "Wow! Just like in the Swiss Family Robinson!" I couldn't help but exclaim.

Englehorn gave a short laugh and turned back around to face me. "Actually, that's the tree house it's based on. Jimmy was reading that book at the time."

I had been thinking of the old Disney movie, but I nodded as if I had meant the book. Then I said, "Jimmy? He's here, too?"

Both of the captain's eyebrows rose this time. "You know him?"

Darn it, Marina! You're supposed to be the smart one in the family! "No. But my patroness mentioned that he was one of your crew," I explained, hoping that was believable.

It must have been. Englehorn shrugged. "You'll get to meet him. Now, let me see if I can find--"

"Who is that with you, Captain?" someone called down from the tree house. Someone female.

Let me guess. It's Ann.

"She's the new babysitter, Mrs. Driscoll," Englehorn called.

Yes, Ann. And married to Jack, just like in my story.

Ann, formerly Darrow, now Driscoll, came flying down the winding rope-and-board staircase (just like in the Swiss Family movie) and ran to my side. "I'm so glad you're here!" she gushed.

"Me, too," I replied, grinning.

Ann took my hand. "Let me introduce you to your charges."

I was, by this time, ecstatic and nearly giddy. This was like a dream come true! I was going to become friends with my favorite characters from my favorite movie and baby-sit their children! Wait… I glanced at Englehorn, who seemed preoccupied with staring up at the tree house. Did he have children? That wasn't a pleasant thought. I was rather attracted to the man…

I wondered what his first name really was…

"What's your name?" Ann asked as she led me up into the tree house.

"Marina. Marina Richardson." Ha! That would be like James Bond saying, "James. James Bond." Odd thought…

"How did you find out that we needed a babysitter?" Ann asked. She sounded almost as excited as I felt.

"Well… a friend of mine recommended me…" Thank-you, God, and thank-you, Miss Lucy!

Ann led me into a beautiful little circle-shaped room built between the enormous branches of the tree. Sitting on a colorful round rug in the middle of the room was a little boy. He was playing with a puffy gray kitten.

"That's Joseph, my son." Ann smiled proudly. She turned to the little boy. "Come here, Joseph. Come meet your new babysitter."

The little fellow hopped to his feet and ran to face me. He was adorable! He was delicate like his mother, with Jack's dark hair and eyes.

"Why, hello, Joseph," I said, smiling at him. "How old are you?"

He held up two fingers and said, "Fo-ah."

"He's almost four," Ann translated quickly.

I looked around. She had said charges…

"He's our only child," Ann explained. "Your other charge is his cat, Muffin."

So Englehorn didn't have children… I was relieved. "Well, this seems like a nice deal to me."

Ann looked at me strangely. "Miss Richardson, we haven't even talked about the pay yet."

"Psht." I flicked my wrist at her. "I'll do this for free. Being out here in this jungle, all the adventure--that's pay enough. And you can call me Marina."

Ann grinned. "I think we're going to be friends," she said.

"Yeah. Me, too." I was still completely amazed at actually being in the jungle with these people. "So… what are you all doing out here, anyway?"

"We're exploring." Ann looked around the room, half smiling. "After everything that happened to us… we couldn't go back to our normal lives." She glanced at me quickly. "I suppose you know the story."

"Yes." I know more than you think, too.

Ann sighed. "No sense in dwelling on the past. Now, Jack and I are filming our own movie out here--without Carl Denham. And somehow, we talked the captain into bringing us here, to this jungle."

"Are you the only ones out here? I heard the captain mention someone else. Someone named Jimmy."

"It's just us, the captain, Jimmy (he's Englehorn's cabin boy), and our friend Preston," Ann explained. "Preston handles all the camera equipment. He used to work for Denham."

"Oh." Yes, Ann, I know about him, too. "So… how often will I be needed?"

"Well, do you think you can manage every day?" Ann asked.

"I'm not sure, uhm…" I thought fast, wondering what sort of time difference there was between this 1930's jungle world and the world in which I lived. Miss Lucy had told me not to worry about time, that time would take care of itself. I decided to trust her. "I think I can. I'll try."

Ann eyed me closely. "Marina, where exactly are you thinking of going home at night?"

"Well, there's this woman I know who lives near here--"

"No one lives near here."

Darn it. "I'll explain it to you later, okay? Just trust me." Please God, let her trust me… This is the opportunity of a lifetime!

"You seem trustable to me," Ann declared after a moment's pause. "How about we let today be your trial? If you do well today, I'll keep you."

"That sounds good."

We shook hands on it, smiling.

Suddenly, the sound of gunshots exploded in the air.

"Joseph!" Ann exclaimed. She ran to her son.

I was close on her heels. "Is there anywhere safe we can go?"

"This place is about the safest there is," Ann explained.

The three of us huddled against the wall, trying to stay away from the windows.

I was itching to get out there and see what was going on. I had weapons. Maybe I could help…

I suddenly heard a familiar voice (Jack's) yell, "Stop it! Stop it! It's going to the tree-house!"

More shouts and gunfire.

I drew my pistol from its holster. "Ann, I've got a weapon. If whatever it is gets up here, I'll stop it, okay? So stay behind me, all right?"

She nodded, holding her son tightly in her arms. "Be careful," she whispered.

For a moment we just sat there. Worried thoughts raced through my head. I was a pretty good shot with a rifle, but I didn't have much experience with pistols… Would I really be able to hit whatever it was that was coming toward us?

Then we heard it. The buzzing sound.

My throat constricted. Another giant wasp. My old fear of stinging insects sat cold and hard in the pit of my stomach. I stood slowly, trying not to shake. "Ann, Joseph, stay back," I whispered.

The buzzing grew louder, and then it appeared, its blocky form taking up the doorway. Yes, it was another giant wasp.

Wasps don't just attack people, I thought frantically. They have to be provoked. Maybe if I don't provoke this one…

Suddenly, Muffin, the little cat, bounded forward at the wasp. The kitten obviously thought the wasp was friendly, for it started batting at it.

"Muffin! No!" Joseph cried.

The wasp finally noticed the kitten, and its buzzing grew louder.

I stomped and hissed at the kitten, trying to get it to run away. Muffin finally took the hint and ran back to Joseph, who scooped his kitten up eagerly.

But now, the wasp was annoyed with me and my noisemaking. It spun on me, wings vibrating.

Aiming the pistol at the hulking creature, I pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The gun kicked. The bullet scraped the wasp's side, and it hovered back, buzzing angrily.

Ha! I can shoot a pistol! I aimed again and pulled the trigger.

Click.

Nothing but a click.

"NO!" I cried, shaking the gun. Was I out of bullets? Had the gun jammed?

The wasp was advancing once again.

I slid my pistol back into its holster and reached behind me for my machetes. I drew them both quickly, feeling a sudden surge of adrenaline at the sound of steel hissing out of its scabbards. "Come and get me!" I shouted at the wasp.

Perhaps the thing understood English, because it came at me, buzzing madly.

I took a stance, waiting for the right moment. The wasp was now so close, I could touch it.

Ann screamed, "Marina! Kill it!"

And I swung. It was a bit jarring when one of my blades met the wasp's body, but I kept my hold on the handle and managed to swing the other machete down toward the insect's head. It was another hit.

The wasp dropped out of the sky, dragging me and my weapons down with it.

I jerked out the machetes and stood, panting and shaky. The wasp twitched out its final breaths at my feet. Behind me, Ann, Joseph, and Muffin were utterly silent.

There was the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Jack and Englehorn came into view, weapons drawn.

Jack grinned at me. "Good work! You got it!" Then he looked behind me for his family. "Ann! Joseph!" He ran to meet them, slinging down his rifle, then scooping up his son in his arms and kissing his wife.

I stood frozen to the spot, my eyes wandering down to the carcass before me, my hands still clenched on my machetes.

Englehorn came to kneel on the other side of the creature, holstering his pistol. "It's dead," he said.

"I know," I replied.

"You killed it."

"I know."

He looked at it a moment longer, then stood, hands on his hips, staring at me. "I hope they keep you on as babysitter," he said quietly. There was a hint of a smile on his lips and a twinkle in his cerulean eyes. "You might be useful to me as well." My confusion at that last statement must have shown on my face, because he added, "As a fighter, a defender. You are good with weapons."

I smiled at him then. "Thank-you."

Ann extracted herself from her husband, son, and cat and walked to my side. She gave me an abrupt hug, beaming, and said, "You're hired."