Bee and the Boy

Chapter 8

Bee

I pull against the ropes binding my hands together, trying desperately to loosen them. I was a fool to trust Marina, and I was a fool for hurting the one person who actually cared about me.

I never even told him I was sorry. 

I give up my struggle as I let my arms fall still. 'It's all pointless' I think to myself as I hang my head in defeat.

Just then I hear a small squeak. Lifting my head I remember, the baby shrew. I remember that it's not all about me. 

"Hey, don't worry." I work at the ropes again. "I'll get you out." The ropes start to give as I pull one of my hands out. Then I'm free.

After untying and calming the shrew down, I gather it up in my arms. I look up to the horizon, knowing what I have to do. So I start walking down the path that I saw Marina head down with her crew.

The road ahead is long and winding. Just when I think it can't get any worse, it starts pouring. It gets heavier and heavier. Running for safety, I slip on the slick mud and fall face first. The shrew bolts out as I use my hands to break my fall. 

The mouse runs to the front porch of what appears to be an abandoned wreck of a cabin. With a face full of mud, I stagger to my feet and stumble forward.

As I suspected, the cabin is empty, and it reeks of rot. But it's dry. and there's a fireplace.

"I hope this works,"  I think to myself as I grab some logs from the wood rack and light them in the grate. Before I know it I'm falling asleep on the threadbare rug. The shrew darts beside me and snuggles up in my arms.

I wake up to nibbling on my ear. "How long did I sleep?" I jerk upwards and see to shrews in front of me. One is the one from the circus, but the other is wild. I look out the window, the sun hasn't risen yet. I might be able to reach the port before Marina and her crew if I leave now. 

Slinging my pack over my head, I kneel down and hold out a hand for my shrew. It twitches its nose at the wild one, but it stays where it is sitting. 

"Oh." Just from seeing the two animals sitting there side by side, I know that this is how it has to be. 

"This soon, huh?" I withdraw my hand.  I smile and get to my feet. As I turn to leave, the shrew runs up to me and circles around my feet. I crouch down and give it a goodbye pet. "Just promise me you won't get caught again by any bad people." The shrew licks my nose and darts back to its new mate. 

"I need to find my kind too," I say to no one as I give the dilapidated cabin one last glance before walking away. 

~

Reaching port, I grab an unsuspecting man's coat, and another man's hat and quickly throw on my disguise and weave myself into the crowd. I stop in my tracks when I overhear a group of people talking. I take a breath and approach them.

"You guys are against animal cruelty?" I ask.

"Yes." a lady, who I guess is the main one of the group turns to me. "We fight for all those that can't fight for themselves."

I tell them all about the circus. They ask me to join them, but I shake my head and say that they can handle it better than I ever could and that I have to save a friend. I do draw them a quick map, however.

~

As I reach the less populated area, I see Marina's crew about to take sail across the Okanagan sea. I'm running out of time, and I need to act fast. Just then I see my opening with a rope hanging off the starboard. As the ship begins to leave I take a deep breath I break into a run and jump for the rope. 

I manage to grab it, then I slide down to the end of it. But I'm still holding on. I remember back to gym class when the coach forced us to climb ropes. I never thought it would ever be a skill I would need, and I lacked the upper body strength to do it, but this time is different. I only have one chance to save Skater.

So I put one hand in front of the other and pull.