Sky-Water

Pirates

It took some time to talk out our options with the captain before we finally decided that our the safest bet was to do what the pirates wanted and dock at the castle.

"Hopefully, all they want is money and not anyone's life," my uncle said.

So we docked our ship in the wet-porch and I prepared myself to speak to the pirates by clearing my throat and wiping the sweat off my shaking hands.

"It'll be okay," Maypop said, holding onto my arm. "Dr. Lima always said that the Moon-Castle was the safest place in the whole world because so many different countries were invested in it. Any pirate that tries to harm us will have all the nations hunting them down!"

Afon didn't say anything, but held his chin in deep contemplation.

I had to be the first to step out of the ship and onto the gangplank, but I wasn't alone. My uncle and Captain Akash kept right on my heels and behind the, four crew members who kept their firearms tucked beneath their clothes and kept careful watch on everything around us.

Beneath the gangplank, I could see a pirate ship hovering in the water, blocking our way out of the wet-porch. In front of us, at the bottom of the gangplank, Dr. Lima and Dr. Chen stood with a group of strangers dressed in layers of dirty, torn clothes. They didn't try to hide their guns.

One particular man stood out from the rest with clothing that looked a bit more elaborate and a bit less worn than the others. My uncle had said that the pirates followed them from America and spoke English, but looking at this man made me question if they were the same pirates at all. His skin tone and facial structure didn't look American--at least not from the part of America that I had previously assumed. But as I worked through the evidence in front of me, I surmised that he was most likely from Denali--the biggest port city on the North American continent. It was a frozen mountain city close to the North Pole, which would explain the other oddity: on his shoulder sat the watery mantle of a small, arctic octopus, its legs stretching across his chest and down his arm.

I stopped a few feet from the group and bowed stiffly. A show of respect was the best way to start off any conversation, regardless of whom it was with. Rising from my bow, I glanced over the scientists quickly to gather what little information I could from the looks on their faces.

Dr. Lima had the look of someone at a most uncomfortable social gathering. It was fear so much as social discomfort in her eyes that darted from one person to the next. Dr. Chen looked much more concerned, as if everyone's safety rested in his hands. But neither of them said a word to me.

"My name is Nuru Ndangi," I said in English. "I am the translator for this ship. Do you speak English?"

The man puffed out his chest with a casual breath and took a step closer to me--a common intimidation tactic. "You're a little young to be working, aren't you?" He said, dropping his face down close to mine--another intimidation tactic.

"I am of age and well qualified. Now, what is it that you want?"

"Is he in charge?" The man said, pointing to Captain Akash behind me. "Or him?" He pointed at my uncle.

"Mr. Ndagi," I said, nodding toward my uncle, "Is in charge of the Sweet Water Company. Captain Akash is in charge of this ship.

"I see," the man said and stepped by me to put his face in the face of my uncle, grabbing the front of my uncle's shirt as he did so. "You like to hide behind this little boy?" He said to my uncle, who looked at me for help.

"He doesn't speak English," I said to the man. "That's why I'm here. Speak to me, please, and I can translate for him."

The pirate didn't let go of my uncle, nor did he take his eyes off of him or his face away from him. "Tell him that Arctic Waters now own his ship and everything on it. He'll be signing it over to Miki, here, from the Arctic octopus family."