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Fred enjoyed the days at sea. He was used to the movement of the ship now, and he enjoyed the nights, were they told stories about their adventures over a fire. Soon afterwards, they neared the end of the known maps.
‘We’re here at last mates,’ Captain Ryhander bellowed, ‘the edge of the known world. Are we going to back out now?’
‘No!’ bellowed the crew.
‘Are we going to tun back?’ Captain Ryhander shouted.
‘No!’ shouted the crew.
‘Will we go on?’ Captain Ryhander yelled.
‘Yes!’ yelled the crew. Then, they started moving again. Little did they know that not all of them would come back alive.
Fred climbed up to the crow’s nest as they cut through the water. He could see for miles around. The sky was blue, and the ocean like a pane of glass. The sails billowed out from under him. It was just him, Harrier, the sky, and the big blue ocean. He looked down, and saw the crew milling about underneath him, doing their jobs efficiently and quickly.
The entire scene felt wonderful. It felt like he had been caged in the little village of Danner, and now was free. Harrier screeched, and Fred jerked back into reality to see a land mass up ahead.
‘Land ahoy!’ he shouted down. There was great excitement in the air, as the crew all crowded to the prow of the boat. Fred climbed (and tumbled) down to the deck. Soon, it was in sight. It looked magnificent. There were trees as tall as the mystic things in books called skyscrapers, and as thick as houses. A beach stretched for veeps around. It was calm and felt like the perfect home. This must have been the Ember Jungle.
Then, a terrifying shriek cut the air, and Fred fell back in terror. He wasn’t the only one. The Lemoroy triplets fell, one on top of each other from the rigging. Shirly drew 8 daggers, each between her fingers. Dr Barry turned white. Jack drew his guns.
There was a long silence. Then, Paul shouted, ‘lower the anchor! We’re close enough!’ Gary thundered over to the anchor, and tossed it overboard. There was a muffled clunk as it hit the ground.
‘Lower the row boats,’ Captain Ryhander said, ‘we’re getting off this boat and onto that land.’
‘No disrespect Captain,’ Paul said, ‘but that would be extremely unwise. Whatever that was, it sounds deadly.’
‘That’s why I intend to get on the land,’ Captain Ryhander said, ‘so I can battle the beast face to face.’
‘Aye,’ shouted the crew.
With that, they left Valiant, and rowed to the shore. The beach cool under their feet, as they walked up. Fred took out his dagger. He noticed others taking out weapons too. Harrier perched on his shoulder as they entered the forest, and Captain Ryhander took the lead, macheting through the forest. The shriek sounded again, and they headed towards it. Shirly stayed behind, to watch the ship.
After an hour of walking, they came to a clearing. The shriek came, and Fred pushed aside some leaves to find a kitten perched on a stick.
‘Aw,’ Fred said. The kitten mewled, and licked itself on the paw. Fred reached out to pick the kitten up, and Leena cried, ‘Don’t!’ but it was too late. Fred grabbed the kitten with his right hand, and a huge mouth closed over his hand. Two grotesque eyeballs stared up at him. The creature was oval shaped, with small tubby legs, and one long hand perched on the top of its head. Fred realised that the ‘kitten on a stick’ was a tongue. Then, the burning began. Fred screamed.
Chapter 7
The creature shrieked, while keeping its mouth shut. Paul ran to Fred’s side, and started to hack at the little thing’s head, while Harrier clawed at its head. Fred continued screaming, and tried to jerk his hand away, but the creature was jerked with him. It screeched louder, and the hand grabbed his face and dragged him back.
Paul, giving up on slashing it, prised his knife under the mouth of the small beast, far away from Fred’s hand, and gave a jerk up. Fred yanked his hand out, and Gary smashed the creature.
Fred’s hand was burnt, red and blistered. Dr Barry cooled the acid burn (for that was what it was) with water, cleaned it of any leftover acid, and wrapped it.
‘This land is dangerous captain,’ Massie said, ‘we should turn back now!’
‘Aye,’ Jack said.
‘We came here to map the land, and we’re going to map the land!’ Captain Ryhander said, ‘But anyone too chicken can go back to the safe little ship, and stay there. You got that?’
Just then, a scream came from the ship’s direction. Fred froze. That sounded like Leena!
‘Come on!’ Fred yelled, and trying (but mostly failing) to ignore the pain in his hand, he dashed to the ship, with the rest of the crew in tow.
When they reached Valiant, they were greeted with a terrible sight. Three giant wormy things were surrounding the ship. They had no eyes, and their mouths were circular and had sharp teeth sticking out of them. Their bodies were a pale shade of pink, and covered in a clear kind of slime.
‘Ballian gramhookers!’ Massie, Nate 1, Nate 2, and Nate 3 all yelled at the same time. Leena was struggling with another of the wormy creatures on the sand of the beach. The ballian gramhooker had its mouth latched on her leg, and was slowly becoming a red colour. Shirly was digging dagger after dagger in its body, and the creature was bleeding a violet substance.
Gary rushed it, and slammed his hammer on its body. It shrieked, as its body split in two. The two halves instantly grew heads and tails, and started attacking Gary. Suddenly, an eerie sound came from the jungle. The ballian gramhookers stopped their assault at once. All 4 (now 5) dove into the sand, and tunnelled away.
‘Supplies!’ Captain Ryhander bellowed.
‘Aye,’ Massie bellowed back. She swam out to the ship, and took a quick look around. She came back looking grim.
‘All supplies gone, and the ships in no condition to sail,’ she said, ‘we’re stranded here, on this island.’ There was a long silence.
‘We’re stuck here with no idea about what lives here, with no food, no water, and no supplies except the ones we had on us, and two of us are injured! How could this possibly get worse?’ Then, the floor opened up underneath them, and, screaming, they plunged down into the abyss.
‘We’re here at last mates,’ Captain Ryhander bellowed, ‘the edge of the known world. Are we going to back out now?’
‘No!’ bellowed the crew.
‘Are we going to tun back?’ Captain Ryhander shouted.
‘No!’ shouted the crew.
‘Will we go on?’ Captain Ryhander yelled.
‘Yes!’ yelled the crew. Then, they started moving again. Little did they know that not all of them would come back alive.
Fred climbed up to the crow’s nest as they cut through the water. He could see for miles around. The sky was blue, and the ocean like a pane of glass. The sails billowed out from under him. It was just him, Harrier, the sky, and the big blue ocean. He looked down, and saw the crew milling about underneath him, doing their jobs efficiently and quickly.
The entire scene felt wonderful. It felt like he had been caged in the little village of Danner, and now was free. Harrier screeched, and Fred jerked back into reality to see a land mass up ahead.
‘Land ahoy!’ he shouted down. There was great excitement in the air, as the crew all crowded to the prow of the boat. Fred climbed (and tumbled) down to the deck. Soon, it was in sight. It looked magnificent. There were trees as tall as the mystic things in books called skyscrapers, and as thick as houses. A beach stretched for veeps around. It was calm and felt like the perfect home. This must have been the Ember Jungle.
Then, a terrifying shriek cut the air, and Fred fell back in terror. He wasn’t the only one. The Lemoroy triplets fell, one on top of each other from the rigging. Shirly drew 8 daggers, each between her fingers. Dr Barry turned white. Jack drew his guns.
There was a long silence. Then, Paul shouted, ‘lower the anchor! We’re close enough!’ Gary thundered over to the anchor, and tossed it overboard. There was a muffled clunk as it hit the ground.
‘Lower the row boats,’ Captain Ryhander said, ‘we’re getting off this boat and onto that land.’
‘No disrespect Captain,’ Paul said, ‘but that would be extremely unwise. Whatever that was, it sounds deadly.’
‘That’s why I intend to get on the land,’ Captain Ryhander said, ‘so I can battle the beast face to face.’
‘Aye,’ shouted the crew.
With that, they left Valiant, and rowed to the shore. The beach cool under their feet, as they walked up. Fred took out his dagger. He noticed others taking out weapons too. Harrier perched on his shoulder as they entered the forest, and Captain Ryhander took the lead, macheting through the forest. The shriek sounded again, and they headed towards it. Shirly stayed behind, to watch the ship.
After an hour of walking, they came to a clearing. The shriek came, and Fred pushed aside some leaves to find a kitten perched on a stick.
‘Aw,’ Fred said. The kitten mewled, and licked itself on the paw. Fred reached out to pick the kitten up, and Leena cried, ‘Don’t!’ but it was too late. Fred grabbed the kitten with his right hand, and a huge mouth closed over his hand. Two grotesque eyeballs stared up at him. The creature was oval shaped, with small tubby legs, and one long hand perched on the top of its head. Fred realised that the ‘kitten on a stick’ was a tongue. Then, the burning began. Fred screamed.
Chapter 7
The creature shrieked, while keeping its mouth shut. Paul ran to Fred’s side, and started to hack at the little thing’s head, while Harrier clawed at its head. Fred continued screaming, and tried to jerk his hand away, but the creature was jerked with him. It screeched louder, and the hand grabbed his face and dragged him back.
Paul, giving up on slashing it, prised his knife under the mouth of the small beast, far away from Fred’s hand, and gave a jerk up. Fred yanked his hand out, and Gary smashed the creature.
Fred’s hand was burnt, red and blistered. Dr Barry cooled the acid burn (for that was what it was) with water, cleaned it of any leftover acid, and wrapped it.
‘This land is dangerous captain,’ Massie said, ‘we should turn back now!’
‘Aye,’ Jack said.
‘We came here to map the land, and we’re going to map the land!’ Captain Ryhander said, ‘But anyone too chicken can go back to the safe little ship, and stay there. You got that?’
Just then, a scream came from the ship’s direction. Fred froze. That sounded like Leena!
‘Come on!’ Fred yelled, and trying (but mostly failing) to ignore the pain in his hand, he dashed to the ship, with the rest of the crew in tow.
When they reached Valiant, they were greeted with a terrible sight. Three giant wormy things were surrounding the ship. They had no eyes, and their mouths were circular and had sharp teeth sticking out of them. Their bodies were a pale shade of pink, and covered in a clear kind of slime.
‘Ballian gramhookers!’ Massie, Nate 1, Nate 2, and Nate 3 all yelled at the same time. Leena was struggling with another of the wormy creatures on the sand of the beach. The ballian gramhooker had its mouth latched on her leg, and was slowly becoming a red colour. Shirly was digging dagger after dagger in its body, and the creature was bleeding a violet substance.
Gary rushed it, and slammed his hammer on its body. It shrieked, as its body split in two. The two halves instantly grew heads and tails, and started attacking Gary. Suddenly, an eerie sound came from the jungle. The ballian gramhookers stopped their assault at once. All 4 (now 5) dove into the sand, and tunnelled away.
‘Supplies!’ Captain Ryhander bellowed.
‘Aye,’ Massie bellowed back. She swam out to the ship, and took a quick look around. She came back looking grim.
‘All supplies gone, and the ships in no condition to sail,’ she said, ‘we’re stranded here, on this island.’ There was a long silence.
‘We’re stuck here with no idea about what lives here, with no food, no water, and no supplies except the ones we had on us, and two of us are injured! How could this possibly get worse?’ Then, the floor opened up underneath them, and, screaming, they plunged down into the abyss.