Chapter 4
Race to the Village
"Over here!"
Vidia nearly jumped from her skin. "High Eagle?" she whispered.
"Chuck – here!"
She spotted him climbing onto the side of the ship. "Come on – we have to swim to the beach – we have to beat the pirates to the village."
Vidia climbed down to meet him, then grabbed his hair for balance as she stood on his shoulder.
"Okay, I'm ready."
As if he could understand her, High Eagle started swimming.
Treasure Chest
High Eagle suddenly stood up in the water. Vidia nearly lost her balance, and realized that it was shallow enough for him to touch the sand. He walked to the shore and sat down on the dry sand. He let Vidia jump off. She was relieved to be back on dry land. She flittered her wings a bit, but she had no Pixie dust.
Suddenly she remembed the pirates.
"High! We need to get to the village before the pirates do!" she cried,
"I can't understand you, Chuck." High Eagle reminded her.
Vidia stomped her foot impatiently and pointed toward the village.
"I've just swum miles – give me a moment." he was out of breath.
"I don't think it was miles." Vidia sat down on the sand beside him. "But all right."
After a few minutes, High Eagle got up and they headed for the Indian Village. He slowed as they neared the Indian village.
"Do you see any pirates?" High Eagle whispered, glancing around.
Vidia shook her head. "Nope." He saw her shake her head, so they went on.
Since they had beat the pirates there, High Eagle's steps became hurried, and he started to run. Vidia almost slid off his shoulder when he stopped abruptly.
A pirate stood in front of them. He drew his sword, stepping toward High Eagle who jumped back and grabbed a stick to fight with.
The pirate smile and swung his sword. High Eagle tried to block with the stick, but the pirate cut it cleanly in half.
Vidia stepped back on High Eagle's shoulder, then ran and jumped.
She landed lightly on the pirate's elbow, but nearly fell off as he swung his sword at High Eagle again. She climbed up to his shoulder, then onto his cap.
Grabbing the edge firmly, she slid off, holding the cap in both hands. It slid down with her and she got it firmly over his eyes.
He dropped his sword in a panic, and reached both hands to get his cap from over his eyes. Flapping his hands wildly, he swatted her away.
Vidia watched the trees and leaves fly by as she sailed helplessly through the air. She landed on the dry leaves gently, and slid to a stop.
She pulled a leaf from her head and looked up just in time to see High Eagle knock the pirate out with his short stick.
"Chuck?" High Eagle looked around for the fairy.
"Down here!" Vidia waved both arms. "Here!"
He quickly found her. "The pirates got here before us. What should we do?"
"We should go straight to -" Vidia paused, seeing High Eagle's confused face. She cleared away the leaves and drew a rough sketch of a ship in the dirt.
"We should go to the ship?"
Vidia nodded. "Exactly, and when we're there -" she pointed to the Indian boy, then mimicked being knocked out, then pointed to the pirates.
"We'll defeat the pirates – then swim from the boat to shore and tell the Chief of the attack." High Eagle got it. "Let's go."
"Right." Vidia grabbed his wrist as he offered her a hand, and climbed up to his shoulder.
Treasure Chest
High Eagle lifted himself from the water, breathing as lightly as possible. He paused a moment, letting his clothes drip water. Vidia jumped from his shoulder and climbed up a rope. She peeked up onto the deck and paused a moment.
"All clear." She called back down to High Eagle, who climbed up more slowly. He looked up at her, not understanding, so she beckoned.
She jumped up on the deck and looked around. She could see the pirates on the lower deck beneath them, so she crept over to the stairs. High Eagle crawled after her.
"Do you have a plan of attack?" he asked.
Vidia shrugged. "Wait a minute for me. I'll distract them."
"What?" High Eagle whispered.
Vidia pointed to the pirates, then her eyes, then herself. Then she pointed to High Eagle and tapped herself gently on the back of the head.
"You'll distract them?"
She nodded. "That wasn't so hard." She rolled her eyes, tired of not being understood.
Vidia climbed up onto the rail and untied a rope. It was fastened above on the other side of the ship, so she knew it would swing where she wanted it to. She took a running start and jumped. Swinging over the pirate's heads, she reached down as far as she could and grabbed the hat of one, taking it with her across the deck. The pirate yelled in surprise as a rope swung by and grabbed his hat.
High Eagle leaped from the upper deck onto the shoulders of another pirate and knocked him to the ground.
"They're trying to stop the plan!" A pirate shouted. "Shoot the cannon – quick!"
Vidia jumped to the other rail and ran to the cannons. She jumped up onto the top of the cannon a pirate was holding a flame to.
She kicked the match out of the way and stood between the pirate and the cannon fuse.
He stepped back, surprised to face a fairy in battle, but then knocked her out of the way. She landed on the deck, hard. She sat up, just in time to see High Eagle knock out the third pirate and drag all three to the upper deck. She saw the flame on the fuse just on top of the cannon, and jumped to her feet.
"High Eagle!" she shouted. "The cannon!" He couldn't understand her – and he couldn't have lifted the cannon in time anyway.
Vidia stood still, frozen, for a fraction of a second. Then she gestured to High Eagle, pretending to turn the wheel.
"Turn the ship!" High Eagle realized, and raced to the wheel. Vidia ran to the cannon and pulled the chocks out of the way just as High Eagle turned the wheel.
The ship tilted, and the cannon rolled all the way across the deck – and when it hit the rail on the other side, the barrel of the cannon tipped up – straight up.
The cannon fired, but the cannonball shot harmlessly straight up into the air.
Vidia breathed a sigh of relief. She jumped as the cannonball fell again and broke through the floorboards of the deck.
High Eagle fastened the wheel carefully. "I have to go warn my people. Chuck, will you stay here and watch the unconscious pirates?"
Vidia nodded.
High Eagle jumped over the side of the ship and started swimming toward the shore.
Vidia climbed up to the crows nest and watched High Eagle get out of the water on the shore and call to his people. The braves all reached for their arrows and nocked them to the string. She couldn't see far enough to know exactly what happened, but only minutes later she could tell the Indians had won the fight.
Sure hope High Eagle doesn't forget me here. She worried. Of course he won't. She chided herself, and glanced downward to check on the pirates. She stared.
Waves were washing across the lower deck. The water was much closer than it should be.
That cannonball – it started a leak! The ship is sinking!
Sorry for this being so late, and if it isn't as well-connected as the others. I lost all the info on my hard drive, and had about 15 stories to rewrite. Hope you enjoy, M.J.J.