The Silent Thief

XXVI

XXVI

       After what had happened the last time we were on an island, I was reluctant to go into the forest. Sir William wouldn’t tell me why we couldn’t have waited for the morning to start searching. When I had asked him, all he did was mumble something about running out of time.

“Oh how ridiculous! How are you running out of time? Do you have somewhere more important to be?” I asked.

He turned to look at me and I saw those same sad eyes. He had said in almost a whisper, “I am not the one running out of time, my dear.” With that he started leading the rest of the men into the forest.

I had stood there puzzled for a moment considering every meaning he possibly could’ve meant. With my lantern I was given, I followed the line of men inland.

My father walked behind me the whole way, making me feel safer. A few minutes later, the men started parting letting me walk to the front. Sir William and Captain James were talking when I approached them but their conversation stopped as Sir William turned his attention toward me. I glanced at Captain James but his gaze would not meat mine.

“Now is your time, master thief. Show us the way,” Sir William stated.

I considered what he had called me: A master thief; such a name for a small girl as I.

Stop doubting yourself. That’s all it is, doubt trying to keep you from your goal. I thought as I stepped forward.

At first I tried looking for clues as in the stories Tia Rosa used to tell me. The stories were usually about evil pirates, but I never paid attention to the moral, but rather how the mad men acted. I recalled a story of a mighty pirate who sought to find another pirate’s buried treasure. The mighty pirate first looked for prints or freshly disturbed dirt, rocks, or mud.

I did not see anything except for the tall trees and moss all around me. I closed my eyes frustrated and prayed. Finishing, I opened my eyes and there appeared to be a light glowing ahead.

“Father,” I called behind me.

“Yes?”

I motioned to the light I was seeing, “Don’t you see it? Up there.”

“See what?” he asked with a plain face. Either he was kidding with me or a tree was blocking his sight.

“There’s a light right there,” I said now pointing.

Every eye behind me looked intently for what I was pointing at. They all returned to me with confusion evident in them.

“How can you not see it? It’s nearly twenty feet away!”

Sir William and my father shared a look.

“What is it?” I asked them.

“Keep going, Ace. We are close,” Sir William said nodding.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” Jake’s voice came from beside me. I could hear his joking tone it that sentence. He said it just to taunt me.

“Shut up, Jake,” I replied walking ahead.

“Alright then, oh Fierce One,” he teased back.

I ignored him while getting closer to the light. When I got five feet of it, my lantern’s light went out. I could still see because of the source in front of me, yet I was still perplexed as to why my lantern went out. It was full of fuel and in its closed container, wind could not have been blown out.

I turned around and saw that the other lanterns were still lit. I shook my head and didn’t say anything for the men would probably think I was crazy now.