The toothbrush man

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Two weeks had passed since their last gathering, and now everyone was busy persuading their parents to let them go on the trip. But the real challenge? Scraping together enough money to afford it.
Rose took up mowing lawns around her neighborhood, earning a steady income with each cut. Jade, on the other hand, spent two exhausting weeks babysitting a wild child—an experience that nearly made her want to quit life, but somehow, she survived. Eddie decided to part with some of his favorite toys, selling them off to make ends meet. Oliver spent his afternoons washing cars, working hard to save up.
Then there was Peter. Unlike the others, he simply asked his parents for the money—and, just like that, they gave it to him.
"I made $2,000. Not bad, right?" Rose said, throwing the money in front of the group.
"I made $2,875. Still think I deserve more— that kid was an animal," Jade claimed, clutching her money tightly before tossing it down next to Rose’s.
"I made $2,200 from selling my toys. I'll never forget you, Mr. Squarepants," Eddie said dramatically, patting his pile of money as if it were a long-lost friend.
"I got $3,000. That explains my dry hands," Oliver added, throwing his money on the table and showing his hands, which were visibly cracked and dry from all the water and soap. "Peter, how much have you got?" Oliver asked, turning to him.
Peter stayed quiet for a moment before slowly opening his wallet and pulling out a massive wad of cash. "I, uh... I got £10,000, which converts to about—"
"$13,200," Rose interrupted, her jaw dropping at the amount.
Jade, utterly stunned by the revelation, clenched her teeth in frustration. "You... you have that much, and you left me to babysit that devil in despair?" Jade growled, trying to lunge at Peter, but Rose held her back, preventing her from committing a crime

A few days had passed since their last meeting. Everyone was busy packing their bags, making sure they didn't forget anything important for the trip. Their focus shifted to finding a trustworthy sponsor and a large enough ship to take them on their journey. However, they kept their true intentions under wraps, telling people it was just a typical trip to the Tahiti Islands. After all, they'd learned that Tahiti was the closest stop to Ruby Island, their actual destination. They planned to find a ship there to continue their quest. But what they hadn’t expected was just how difficult it would be to find a captain willing to sail in that direction. Every sailor they approached refused, claiming the area was too dangerous.

"Please, sir, we’ll pay you handsomely, I promise!" Peter pleaded, chasing after yet another captain. But when the man ignored him, Peter stopped in defeat. "This is useless. No one’s willing to take us there. He’s the 13th one so far."
"Yeah, who knew this island would be so impossible to reach?" Eddie mused aloud. After a few minutes of silence and hopelessness, the sound of a heated argument caught their attention. They followed the voices and arrived just in time to witness Oliver in a shouting match with a tall, black-haired man whose appearance resembled a toothbrush—his hair was a wild mess, and he was tall and thin.
"I saw you taking money from my pocket!" Oliver shouted at the man.
"Boy, I don’t know who you are, but I can assure you I didn’t do anything," the toothbrush man retorted defensively. Peter noticed that both Rose and Jade were standing behind Oliver, clearly siding with him and equally angry at the man, who seemed to have attempted pickpocketing Oliver.
"Listen, we saw you trying to take Oliver’s wallet! You stopped only when Rose screamed at you," Jade accused, glaring at him.
"Look, mister, just admit it and apologize. We’ll leave you alone after that," Rose added, trying to de-escalate the situation.
"Nonsense! I didn’t steal anything!" the man insisted, his denial only fueling Oliver’s anger, as he appeared ready to throw a punch. Peter quickly stepped in and grabbed Oliver’s arms to stop him.
"Oliver, stop! You still have your money, right? Let’s leave this plonker alone," Peter urged. He then addressed the crowd that had gathered. "Everything’s fine, folks. No need to worry. You can all get back to your business. There’s nothing you can help us with, unless..." He paused dramatically. "Unless you can take us to the Tahiti Islands?"
Predictably, the crowd dispersed quickly, uninterested in accepting the offer.
But one person didn’t leave. The toothbrush man.
"The Tahiti Islands, you say? I can take you there. I’m a captain, after all," the man said, pointing to a sleek, modern ship docked nearby—easily five times larger than the other ships around it. "Six thousand dollars, one way. Fourteen for both ways, with food."
The kids exchanged glances, their faces a mixture of awe and confusion. They were amazed but also wary that this man was offering to take them. Still, Oliver sensed an opportunity.
"How about six thousand, one way, with food? And it looks like you could use the money—no offense," Oliver offered, trying to strike a deal.
The toothbrush man puffed up, clearly offended as he straightened his disheveled shirt in a failed attempt to look more presentable. "I can’t take you there with food and this ship for only six thousand. The lowest I can do is seven thousand," he countered, raising his head in an attempt to appear more dignified.
"Sixty-five hundred!" Oliver shot back. "You owe us after what you did."
"I didn’t do anything!" the man protested again. "Six thousand eight hundred."
"Six thousand six hundred, that’s my final offer!" Oliver huffed, his patience wearing thin.
"No deal. See you again—hopefully not!" the man barked as he turned to leave.
"No, no, no!" Peter jumped between them. "Oliver was just joking! We’ll take the $7,000 offer, thank you."
The toothbrush man’s face brightened as he eagerly grabbed Peter’s hand and shook it forcefully. "Deal! Now, let me show you your ship. Meet my beautiful daughter, Pumpkin Pie!" he announced proudly, referring to the ship.
The kids were overwhelmed by the oddity of the man naming his ship after a dessert, but they shrugged it off.
"Well, Mr.—" Rose began, but the man quickly interrupted her.
"Ah, Captain! I’m Captain Atlas Fletcher, but you won’t need to use the title much. Now, follow along!" Captain Fletcher said, leading the way.
"Thank you so much, Peter. Seven thousand dollars and a journey with this guy. What a dream come true," Jade muttered sarcastically.
"You’re welcome, Jade. And don’t worry—I’ll pay the difference," Peter said, grinning.
"Of course you will. You always do," Jade mumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes.
"That’s Edna! Edna Wilson. Mrs. Wilson to you, of course. She’ll be the one taking care of us during our lovely journey. She’ll cook, clean—everything. She’s good at it, don’t worry," Captain Fletcher said, gesturing to an elderly woman sitting in the corner, crocheting a velvet scarf. She wore a gray cardigan, half-moon glasses, and had silver hair, giving the impression that she was at least 60 years old.
"She’s... the one taking care of us? Shouldn’t we be doing that?" Eddie mumbled under his breath, but Rose elbowed him in the stomach to make him stop.
"So, what do you think, kids?" Captain Fletcher asked with a grin.

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