about browsing the aisles of neat piles arranged according to category: life preservers from a thousand different ships and boats, wristwatches, footwear (usually singletons), toy boats, sunglasses, kites, and balls. In the last pile, Jesse spied something that looked like a Thunder Egg, but it turned out to be a soggy old softball.
“You know,” Jesse said, tossing it in his hand and watching it rise and fall in slow motion, “I think this might be the one I lost last summer.”
“Then by all means,” said Fluke, “feel free to claim it.”
Jesse tucked the softball into the pouch of his hoodie and couldn’t help remembering how, when he had first found Emmy’s Thunder Egg, he had slid it into the pouch of the same sweatshirt.
Fluke permitted only the briefest glimpse of the next portal, which was studded with gold and silver and precious stones. Jesse and Daisy got a fleeting impression of open treasure chests overflowing with ancient coins, jeweled crowns, and toppling piles of gold bars. The same thought ran through both Jesse’s and Daisy’s heads: Dragons thrived on gold and silver and precious stones. This would be the perfect hiding place.
“Buried and sunken treasure,” Yar explained briefly. “This room’s only for special occasions, as you might imagine.”
Jesse and Daisy stared at the closed door and wondered how and when they might get a chance to conduct a thorough search of this portal.
When Jesse turned around, he was startled to find that they had come to the end of the hallway. Moments before, the hallway had seemed unending, but now it had somehow shortened itself.
“Here we are,” Yar said.
They hovered before a lacquered door with a polished brass knob and a plaque upon which was etched in fancy lettering CAPTAIN BELLEWEATHER .
“Is this the captain’s personal portal?” Daisy asked.
“It’s the
door
to the captain’s
cabin
,” Fluke said. “Would you care to inspect it while we’re here?”
“Ess,” said Emmy emphatically.
Jesse and Daisy nodded in agreement. Perhaps the captain’s cabin would tell them something about the character of its former occupant.
Yar swung open the door and stood at attention next to it. Fluke bowed and waved the three of them in. They floated over the high threshold and entered the cabin.
It was a proper captain’s quarters with a bigsquare table strewn with charts with a brass lamp hanging over it. On top of the charts was a navigational tool, called a sextant, which Jesse recognized from the one in Polly’s house. There was a high row of windows, with a porthole on either side. Standing before the windows was a long brass telescope mounted on a tripod that was bolted to the floor.
Jesse looked through the telescope and saw a rainbow of water sprites streaming past, riding dolphins. The sprites whipped their tasseled hands over their heads like rodeo cowboys swinging flaming lassos.
“Try the captain’s chair on for size, why don’t you?” Yar said to Jesse.
Jesse wasn’t particularly interested but he didn’t want to be rude. He sat in the captain’s chair and gave it an obligatory swivel. “Very nice,” he said politely.
Yar and Fluke watched him indulgently.
“Jolly good, what?” Yar said to Fluke.
Fluke nodded. “Now the pet,” she said.
Emmy flitted over to the chair and circled above it, then settled down in the seat, fluffing her fins like a red hen.
Fluke and Yar stared at Emmy long and hard; then a knowing look passed between them.
“What’s wrong?” said Daisy.
“Oh, nothing at all,” said Yar. “Thought I felt a tremor is all. Underwater quakes, don’t you know?”
“How about you, miss?” said Fluke to Daisy.
Daisy took her turn in the captain’s chair. “I could get used to this,” she said as, tail tucked neatly beneath her, she giddily swiveled around and around.
“What’s the big deal with the chair?” Jesse muttered to himself as he turned back to examine the wooden counter
“You know,” Jesse said, tossing it in his hand and watching it rise and fall in slow motion, “I think this might be the one I lost last summer.”
“Then by all means,” said Fluke, “feel free to claim it.”
Jesse tucked the softball into the pouch of his hoodie and couldn’t help remembering how, when he had first found Emmy’s Thunder Egg, he had slid it into the pouch of the same sweatshirt.
Fluke permitted only the briefest glimpse of the next portal, which was studded with gold and silver and precious stones. Jesse and Daisy got a fleeting impression of open treasure chests overflowing with ancient coins, jeweled crowns, and toppling piles of gold bars. The same thought ran through both Jesse’s and Daisy’s heads: Dragons thrived on gold and silver and precious stones. This would be the perfect hiding place.
“Buried and sunken treasure,” Yar explained briefly. “This room’s only for special occasions, as you might imagine.”
Jesse and Daisy stared at the closed door and wondered how and when they might get a chance to conduct a thorough search of this portal.
When Jesse turned around, he was startled to find that they had come to the end of the hallway. Moments before, the hallway had seemed unending, but now it had somehow shortened itself.
“Here we are,” Yar said.
They hovered before a lacquered door with a polished brass knob and a plaque upon which was etched in fancy lettering CAPTAIN BELLEWEATHER .
“Is this the captain’s personal portal?” Daisy asked.
“It’s the
door
to the captain’s
cabin
,” Fluke said. “Would you care to inspect it while we’re here?”
“Ess,” said Emmy emphatically.
Jesse and Daisy nodded in agreement. Perhaps the captain’s cabin would tell them something about the character of its former occupant.
Yar swung open the door and stood at attention next to it. Fluke bowed and waved the three of them in. They floated over the high threshold and entered the cabin.
It was a proper captain’s quarters with a bigsquare table strewn with charts with a brass lamp hanging over it. On top of the charts was a navigational tool, called a sextant, which Jesse recognized from the one in Polly’s house. There was a high row of windows, with a porthole on either side. Standing before the windows was a long brass telescope mounted on a tripod that was bolted to the floor.
Jesse looked through the telescope and saw a rainbow of water sprites streaming past, riding dolphins. The sprites whipped their tasseled hands over their heads like rodeo cowboys swinging flaming lassos.
“Try the captain’s chair on for size, why don’t you?” Yar said to Jesse.
Jesse wasn’t particularly interested but he didn’t want to be rude. He sat in the captain’s chair and gave it an obligatory swivel. “Very nice,” he said politely.
Yar and Fluke watched him indulgently.
“Jolly good, what?” Yar said to Fluke.
Fluke nodded. “Now the pet,” she said.
Emmy flitted over to the chair and circled above it, then settled down in the seat, fluffing her fins like a red hen.
Fluke and Yar stared at Emmy long and hard; then a knowing look passed between them.
“What’s wrong?” said Daisy.
“Oh, nothing at all,” said Yar. “Thought I felt a tremor is all. Underwater quakes, don’t you know?”
“How about you, miss?” said Fluke to Daisy.
Daisy took her turn in the captain’s chair. “I could get used to this,” she said as, tail tucked neatly beneath her, she giddily swiveled around and around.
“What’s the big deal with the chair?” Jesse muttered to himself as he turned back to examine the wooden counter
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