Part 128
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Where are they? The boat is gone? Where could they have gone?" Norman rambled as he paced the beach while the storm threatened to begin at any moment.
Hobbes shook his head. "I'm so sorry, sir. I'm so sorry. I will find them."
Norman wondered if he should call Rosita right as the decision was taken away from him. The teal Cadillac pulled up to the house and his wife got out.
She smiled at him and called. "We decided to hold off on seeing the third location with this storm kicking up." She frowned as her mom instincts read the situation. "What's wrong?"
————————
In the cave, Caspar looked at the boat floating away. "No! I forgot to tie the boat! No!" He tried to jump in the water to swim after it but Sarah grabbed his hand.
"Caspar! No one could swim in those waves! We're stuck here!" Sarah cried out. "Help!" She screamed, hoping against hope that someone out there would hear her. She began crying in her fear. "I want my Onkel Gunter."
Caspar's own lip trembled. She was right. Swimming after the boat would not end well but it was starting to get cold and he knew they were both hungry.
A sharp bolt of lightning proceeded a loud roar of thunder. Sarah screamed with terror and ran back into the tunnel.
He followed after her, idly noting the strange orange light that was now illuminating the cave.
In the belly of the cave, a fire burned in the fire pit and a plate with two burgers. The piglets stared at the fire and the food. "Did you?" Caspar asked but Sarah shook her head.
"How could I? I was with you," she replied as they looked around.
The cave was empty. It was only them. Caspar bit his lip. "I guess we should eat the burgers. Mommy says we shouldn't let good food go to waste…" They sat together on the logs in front of the fire.
"What do we do, Caspar? What if no one comes?" She asked while she tried to eat and not cry.
Caspar looked into the fire. "Someone will come, Sarah. I know they will. Don't be scared, Sarah." He tried to reassure her. He forced himself to eat the sandwich. It filled him but he couldn't even taste it. He was telling Sarah not to be afraid but he was terrified. "It'll be okay." But he wasn't sure it would be and it was all his fault. Because he wanted an adventure. However, he couldn't show how scared he was. Sarah needed him to be calm and optimistic. Desperate for a way to help them both, he began to sing in his almost angelic voice. "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens." In order to listen, she had to stop sniffling and sit up straighter. "Brown paper packages tied up with strings. These are a few of my favorite things."
————————
Rosita glared at her husband. "You lost our son! And Sarah too! How do you do that?" She felt herself beginning to hyperventilate.
Hobbes stood in front of Norman. "It's not his fault, ma'am. I was watching after them and my attention became diverted. It is my fault. I will find them." He started for the beach.
Norman shook his head. "You can't try swimming in that. It's too dangerous. Frederick, you know this area better than we do. Where can we get another boat?"
The ram nodded. "I had a motorboat in the garage but it's been broken down for years. I had dreams once of fixing it up with my boy but…" he looked over at Eddie who sighed.
"Well… It's still there. So, let's see if we can get it running," the sheep replied. "That's my little brother out there. But I don't know anything about motors."
"Maybe Marcus can help us," Gunter said. "I'll call him." He wanted to be mad but he knew the penguin didn't intentionally lose his niece. It was more important to focus on finding them.
Hobbes looked at Rosita. "Ma'am, I can swim in any weather and I can go fast. While you get the motorboat running, let me at least try to find them. Time is of the essence."
She sighed and looked out at the ocean. "Do you really think you can handle this?"
He nodded. "I may be old, ma'am, but I am a strong swimmer. You might say I was built for it."
The mother pig considered the options. "Alright, but be careful, Hobbes."
He nodded as he removed his collar. "Don't worry about me, ma'am. I'll be fine." He ran to the shore and jumped into the water. Next thing she knew, he was zipping away in one direction to begin the search.
Gunter was trying to pull up Marcus' contact information but it was setting in that his niece was missing. Missing out in the ocean somewhere. She could be anywhere. She and Caspar could have been pulled away by a rip current. They could be capsized.
Eddie saw he was trembling like a leaf and gently took the phone, hugging him. "It'll be okay, Gunter. We'll find them. I know they're okay."
Satisfied that everyone else was too involved with the crisis to see them, Gunter whispered. "How do you know?"
"Because I know Buster is looking after them. He won't let them be hurt," he rubbed his back. "I'll call Marcus. Meet me in the garage, help Papa and Mr. Noodleman pull out the motorboat." He gently placed a comforting kiss on his lover's cheek.
Rosita pulled out her phone. She sent a message to their friends. She didn't know why except she wanted them there now. It just came naturally to involve them when a crisis hit.
————————
After seeing the condo with the selling agent, Ash had no reservations about making an offer that was quickly accepted. Now, she sat at Meena's dining room table filling out the paperwork while she and her best friend shared cups of decaffeinated herbal tea and the twins took their naps on Meena's sofa.
"I can't believe we're actually going to be neighbors," Meena bubbled as she placed a platter of snacks on the table. "When do you get to move in?"
"As soon as they approve my application. They've accepted my offer, I just need to pass the usual checks," Ash said. "Raquelle and Lancey are so excited. They each have their own room. Tyler is going to help Lancey pick out his decor, I'll help Raquelle. And we'll have a guest room. So while Alphie is gone, you could bunk there with us, if you wanted. So you don't have to be alone if you don't want to be."
Meena nodded. "I might take you up on that offer." She laughed as her phone rang. "Hello, this is Meena Ramirez."
"Meena, it's Gina Farsett, from church," a voice replied.
She wondered why someone from church would be calling. "Hey, Gina, what's up?" She turned on the speaker so she could pour another cup of tea.
"I was just calling to ask if you planned to be at church tomorrow?" She asked.
"I believe so, why?" Meena asked curiously.
The other woman laughed. "You'll find out tomorrow. Off hand do you know if Mrs. Beaumont will be there?"
Ash smiled. "I'm right here, Gina. Yeah, I'll be there."
"Great, wonderful," she replied excitedly. "Remember, with the holiday, there's no Sunday School but they are serving breakfast for all the moms tomorrow, starting at 8am. And if you know any other moms, please, bring them."
"We'll invite the moms that we know," Meena promised. "We know a few. See you tomorrow." She giggled as she hung up. "Well, a Mother's Day breakfast. Except I'm not quite a mom yet. I still have another year before this baby comes."
Ash shook her head. "You are too. You became a mom the moment you conceived that baby." She looked out the window. "Wow, look at that wind! We're going to get a doozy."
Suddenly, Meena and Ash's phone both buzzed. They read the message and looked at each other with alarm.
Meena dialed. "Rosita, we saw your message. What can we do?" She asked.
"Gunter is too distraught to help look after the other children and Hobbes is searching the ocean and I love Miss Crawly but… I would really feel better if we had some additional hands," Rosita pleaded. "Please…"
Meena nodded. "Let me call Alphonso. Do you mind if we bring the twins?"
"Of course not but please, please. I need to help find my son," she begged.
"Rosita, you're always there for us. No matter what. No what time, nothing has ever stopped you. We're there for you," Ash reassured her.
"Yeah," Meena agreed. "Don't worry. We are on our way." She promised.
——————————
Hobbes took off in the ocean, following the current. He went up the coast hoping Caspar would at least have the sense to stay near the shore. He felt hope well up when he saw the rowboat. Those hopes fell when the boat came up empty.
He jumped into the boat, looking around. He cupped his mouth and shouted. "CASPAR! SARAH! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" His mouth fell open when he saw the cave in the distance. He grabbed the boat's rope in his mouth and swam towards the cave.
The wind and the waves fought his strength. They wanted to take him away from the cave. He fought back until finally he reached the shore. He tied the boat securely to the post and went into the tunnel, following the flickering flame.
He froze when he reached the inner cavern. Around the fire pit, the two piglets lay sleeping, likely for lack of anything else to do besides wait for rescue. He chuckled and shook Caspar. "Young Master Caspar, Miss Sarah, it's time to wake up so I can take you home."
Caspar's blue eyes opened and he looked up at Hobbes. "Mr Hobbes! You found us! You came!" He latched onto the penguin and began crying with relief.
Soon he had a handful of both piglets, crying at having been found. Sarah looked at him. "We were so scared!"
He nodded. "I'm sure you were. Your mother is very worried, Young Master. And Miss Sarah, your uncles are just beside themselves. Why did you two just take off in the boat without asking?" When they just bit their lips, looking guilty, he sighed. "Don't worry about it for now. Getting you home is the highest priority." He led them back to the boat. The waves were getting worse but the penguin felt confident in his ability to get them home safe. "Into the boat, children. I see we didn't wear our life jackets." He gave them pointed looks. "We always wear our life jacket. But it's too late now."
Caspar and Sarah got into the boat and he grabbed the rope. "Hold on tight, kids. I'm going to have to try to beat this storm."
Hobbes leaped into the water, the rope between his teeth, and he took off into the tumultuous ocean like a torpedo. He hoped by going fast enough, he would be able to keep the boat steady enough to get over the waves.
——————————
In the garage, Frederick Noodleman found the dusty old motorboat. Gunter helped him pull it out from under the other crap that littered the garage. "I bought this when Eddie was three. I kept saying one day, me and my boy would fix it up and we'd go on fishing trips." He looked at the hog. His eyes were pointed at the ocean. "She'll be alright. We will find them both."
Gunter studied him. "You spend all of Eddie's life making him feel like less of a person. But… now…"
Frederick nodded. "I know. I was a terrible father. I wanted to be a good father. When I was growing up, my father and mother were not very active in my life. My parents were always traveling. You know. Nana Noodleman, famous opera singer. I was left here with Nanny and later my governess. The Nana Noodleman that you knew was not the one that I knew."
The hog looked down. "What changed?" He asked softly.
"Well, I was eighteen when my father became very sick and he couldn't travel anymore. So Mother came home with him. She would spend the rest of her career at the theater you all love so much…." He sighed. "They said they regretted not being here for me when I needed them and they wanted to try but… I only had eight weeks with them before my father passed. You can't cram 18 years into 8 weeks. I loved my mother and father but I didn't have what all of you had with her. Adelaide saw my loneliness and she latched on. She focused all of her energy on making me happy and making me feel loved." He smiled wistfully before his face fell. "Mother saw right through her and she tried to warn me. But I didn't listen. Mother only gave her blessing when Adelaide promised to give me the child I wanted so badly. And at first, Adelaide was starting to get excited. When she was pregnant, everyone pampered her and she loved the attention. She was excited to be a mother. Until Eddie came and everyone gave that attention to him."
Gunter was about to answer when he heard Marcus' truck pull in. He pulled out his toolbox. "Help is here!" He called as he ran over. "I understood we have a motorboat to fix so we can go find those kids."
Rosita and Eddie joined them. "Yes. Hobbes is out looking for them but he hasn't come back. I'm worried. He's very old."
"Hobbes is a strong swimmer, Mrs. Suarez. His body may look old but he is strong," Frederick assured her.
Marcus pulled out a wrench. "Let me at that thing. I'll have it running in no time." He promised.
The sheep backed away from the motorboat, letting the gorilla have access to the motor.
————————
Hobbes popped out from under the ocean. He was suddenly not able to see well and the current was too tumultuous to tell which he came from. He couldn't see the land.
"What's wrong, Mr. Hobbes?" Sarah asked curiously.
He hopped into the boat. "I thought I could follow the current back but the storm has churned up the currents. There are too many to be sure where I'm going." He looked around. He couldn't even see the cave. With all the fog building up, he could barely see a few feet in any direction.
Caspar could tell by his expression that they were in big trouble. "What do we do? Ah!" He screamed as a wave smacked into the boat.
The penguin pulled the children close. "We need to wait out the storm. Hopefully rescue will come soon or the fog will clear and we'll be able to see. It'll be alright, children." He closed his eyes. "Please, ma'am, help me get these children home safely." He whispered.
AN: I know another cliffhanger. Will Hobbes be able to get them home? Will Marcus be able to fix the motor? Find out next time.