Dr. D.
Sheena ran at them, flailing at them with her puny little fists.
Of course that didn’t do any good. The third masked man grabbed her arms and
pinned them behind her back.
“Kick him, Sheena!” I yelled through the glass.
She tried to kick the man who held her, but he just tightened his grip. She
couldn’t move.
“Let them go!” I screamed desperately.
“What should we do with them?” asked one of the men.
“Whatever you do, do it quickly,” said Alexander. “We’ve got to get out of
here.”
The man who held Sheena glanced in at me. I was frantically treading water,
trying to stay above the surface.
“They might call the island police or the Coast Guard,” he said, frowning.
“We’d better kill them.”
“Throw them all in the tank!” suggested one of his partners.
22
“Alexander!” Dr. D. shouted. “I know you’re not a cruel man. Don’t let them
do this.”
Alexander avoided my uncle’s hard stare. “Sorry, Dr. D.,” he muttered. “I
can’t stop them. If I try to, they’ll kill me, too.”
Without another word, he lowered himself onto the other boat.
What a creep, I thought angrily.
Two of the masked men lifted Dr. D. up high and dropped him into the tank. He
landed beside me with a splash.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
He rubbed the back of his head and nodded.
Sheena was next. They tossed her in easily. She flew through the air,
flailing her arms and legs. Then she plopped into the water.
The men replaced the screen lid. They clamped it shut.
I stared out at them, realizing in horror that we had no way to escape.
The water in the tank was about six feet deep. We all kicked and paddled,
trying to stay above the surface. There was barely enough room for the three of
us.
“All right,” said one of the men. “Let’s go.”
“Wait!” Dr. D. shouted. “You can’t just leave us here!”
The three men exchanged glances. “You’re right. We can’t,” said one.
They stepped toward us.
So they aren’t heartless monsters after all, I thought. They weren’t going to
leave us.
But what were they going to do?
The first man signaled the other two. They raised their hands to one side of
the tank.
“One, two, three—” the first man called out.
On three, they pushed the tank over the side of the deck.
We were thrown together. Then our bodies slammed against the side of the tank
as it dropped into the ocean.
Ocean water seeped into the tank.
“The tank—it’s sinking!” cried Dr. D.
We watched the kidnappers’ boat as it roared away. Our tank rocked in its
wake. Then it started to sink.
“We’re going under!” Sheena screamed. “We’re going to drown!”
23
All three of us desperately pushed against the screen. I beat my fists
against it. Dr. D. tried to get his shoulder against it.
But the tank tilted in the water, and we were all tossed back.
The screen was made of heavy steel mesh, and clamped onto the top of the
tank. We couldn’t reach the clamps from inside, so we had to try to break
through it.
We pushed with all our strength. It wouldn’t budge.
The tank slowly sank deeper below the surface of the dark, rolling water. The
moon disappeared behind a blanket of clouds, leaving us in total darkness.
We had only a minute or two before the tank dropped completely below the
surface.
Sheena started to cry. “I’m so afraid!” she shrieked. “I’m so afraid!”
Dr. D. pounded his fists against the glass tank wall, trying to break
through.
I ran my hands all along the top of the tank, looking for a weak spot in the
screen.
Then I hit something.
A tiny latch.
“Look!” I cried, pointing to the latch.
I fumbled with it, trying to open it. “It’s stuck!”
“Let me try.” Dr. D. tore at the latch with his fingers. “It’s jammed shut,”
he said.
Sheena took a red barrette from her hair. “Maybe we can loosen it with this,”
she said.
Dr. D. took the barrette and scraped
Sheena ran at them, flailing at them with her puny little fists.
Of course that didn’t do any good. The third masked man grabbed her arms and
pinned them behind her back.
“Kick him, Sheena!” I yelled through the glass.
She tried to kick the man who held her, but he just tightened his grip. She
couldn’t move.
“Let them go!” I screamed desperately.
“What should we do with them?” asked one of the men.
“Whatever you do, do it quickly,” said Alexander. “We’ve got to get out of
here.”
The man who held Sheena glanced in at me. I was frantically treading water,
trying to stay above the surface.
“They might call the island police or the Coast Guard,” he said, frowning.
“We’d better kill them.”
“Throw them all in the tank!” suggested one of his partners.
22
“Alexander!” Dr. D. shouted. “I know you’re not a cruel man. Don’t let them
do this.”
Alexander avoided my uncle’s hard stare. “Sorry, Dr. D.,” he muttered. “I
can’t stop them. If I try to, they’ll kill me, too.”
Without another word, he lowered himself onto the other boat.
What a creep, I thought angrily.
Two of the masked men lifted Dr. D. up high and dropped him into the tank. He
landed beside me with a splash.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
He rubbed the back of his head and nodded.
Sheena was next. They tossed her in easily. She flew through the air,
flailing her arms and legs. Then she plopped into the water.
The men replaced the screen lid. They clamped it shut.
I stared out at them, realizing in horror that we had no way to escape.
The water in the tank was about six feet deep. We all kicked and paddled,
trying to stay above the surface. There was barely enough room for the three of
us.
“All right,” said one of the men. “Let’s go.”
“Wait!” Dr. D. shouted. “You can’t just leave us here!”
The three men exchanged glances. “You’re right. We can’t,” said one.
They stepped toward us.
So they aren’t heartless monsters after all, I thought. They weren’t going to
leave us.
But what were they going to do?
The first man signaled the other two. They raised their hands to one side of
the tank.
“One, two, three—” the first man called out.
On three, they pushed the tank over the side of the deck.
We were thrown together. Then our bodies slammed against the side of the tank
as it dropped into the ocean.
Ocean water seeped into the tank.
“The tank—it’s sinking!” cried Dr. D.
We watched the kidnappers’ boat as it roared away. Our tank rocked in its
wake. Then it started to sink.
“We’re going under!” Sheena screamed. “We’re going to drown!”
23
All three of us desperately pushed against the screen. I beat my fists
against it. Dr. D. tried to get his shoulder against it.
But the tank tilted in the water, and we were all tossed back.
The screen was made of heavy steel mesh, and clamped onto the top of the
tank. We couldn’t reach the clamps from inside, so we had to try to break
through it.
We pushed with all our strength. It wouldn’t budge.
The tank slowly sank deeper below the surface of the dark, rolling water. The
moon disappeared behind a blanket of clouds, leaving us in total darkness.
We had only a minute or two before the tank dropped completely below the
surface.
Sheena started to cry. “I’m so afraid!” she shrieked. “I’m so afraid!”
Dr. D. pounded his fists against the glass tank wall, trying to break
through.
I ran my hands all along the top of the tank, looking for a weak spot in the
screen.
Then I hit something.
A tiny latch.
“Look!” I cried, pointing to the latch.
I fumbled with it, trying to open it. “It’s stuck!”
“Let me try.” Dr. D. tore at the latch with his fingers. “It’s jammed shut,”
he said.
Sheena took a red barrette from her hair. “Maybe we can loosen it with this,”
she said.
Dr. D. took the barrette and scraped
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