The Secret Invasion of Port Isabel (2 page)

‘What do you
mean?’

‘They aren’t
seen every four years but when they are seen, the time since their
last visit can be evenly divided by four.’

Harry thought
for a minute. ‘He’s right! I saw the
Interloper
eight years
ago and then they hadn’t been seen for four years before that. Then
there was a long absence so we’d thought they were gone for good. I
think it was… sixteen years, yes it was. They’re all evenly
divisible by four.’

‘Four? But why
four?’ Flossy asked.

Larry put two
fingers together and used them to jump the salt shaker, which was
lying on its side.

‘Not only are
the visits four years apart,’ said Reginald, smiling, ‘but Larry
says they’re leap years. And so they are. He’s a clever chimp.’

Larry looked
down shyly. His cheeks were pink and Harry could see a tiny
smile.

‘What’s a leap
year?’ Flossy asked.

‘Every four
years a year is 366 days long instead of 365,’ answered Reginald,
happy for a chance to share his knowledge. ‘It keeps the seasons
starting on the same day each year, which helps the farmers know
when to sow their seed and when to harvest. Without a leap year the
first day of winter would eventually overtake spring, spring would
overtake summer and so on. Crops would fail and people would
starve. So we add a day every so often, you see.’

‘But why would
Sometimes Gap only open on a leap year?’ asked Harry.

Everyone was
silent, wondering. Harry thought: perhaps the giants who made the
canal open up the Gap every four years for some reason. But he
dismissed the thought. Giants were only in stories told to keep
young animals in their beds at night. He would have to go and see
Sometimes Gap for himself, while it was open, and find out what
caused it to open and close so punctually. But he would need to act
quickly. It might be the only way out of the Gulf of Mexico and it
could close at any time. He couldn’t bear waiting another four
years for it to reopen.

Larry ran his
finger down the map through a picture of a submerged reef and then
straight through Sometimes Gap. He made a sign like he was looking
into the distance with something in his hands. He opened up one
hand above his head and made his fingers twinkle.

‘Larry says
the Gap can be found using that reef,
Gateway Reef
, the
North Star and a sextant,’ said Reginald. ‘All you have to do is
find the reef then head south and you’ll find the Gap and a way out
of the Gulf.’

Larry grinned
with all his teeth and nodded, eyes twinkling.

‘It’s spooky
how do you do that, Reginald,’ said Flossy. ‘How do you know what
Larry’s saying all the time?’

‘I can read
minds, of course. Like all elephants can. Comes with the big brain,
you see. Didn’t you know?’

Flossy looked
uncertain, as if she didn’t know whether Reginald was joking.

‘Think of a
number between one and a hundred,’ he said.

‘Okay, I have
one.’

‘What’s the
number?’ Reginald asked.

‘Ah,
sixty-five.’

‘Exactly!’
said Reginald, triumphant.

Flossy looked
blank for a moment, and then half-laughed. Harry groaned and Larry
smiled.

‘Not a very
good joke I’m afraid, though it always trips up my younger
students. And you know I’m only joking about the mind-reading,
Flossy. No one can read minds. Larry and I have just been around
each other long enough to develop a little non-verbal language of
our own. And I think I’m beginning to understand how he
thinks.’

Harry studied
the map. ‘There are dozens of islands in the Caribbean Sea. This
map changes everything. I have a way out of the Gulf. I’d love to
know who or what lives on those islands.’

‘Maybe
Flossy’s parents? Pirates don’t always drop their captives in the
sea,’ Reginald ventured.

‘Or eat them,’
Harry added.

A looked of
horror filled Flossy’s face.

‘Oh, I’m
sorry, Flossy. That was thoughtless of me. Reginald’s probably
right, they’ll be one of the islands. When I see them, I’ll be sure
to them where to find you.’

Harry turned
back to the map.

Flossy
stiffened. ‘You’re not leaving me behind Harry, I’m coming with
you!’

Harry looked
up. ‘I can’t guaranty your safety. You may be tall for an animal
but only because you walk on two legs. You’re still only a child.’
Harry was thinking of Flossy’s safety, and of protecting her from
the pirates who would want her back. He thought very highly of her
and knew no other young animal as capable or courageous. He’d heard
about how she’d bested a mountain gorilla on Port Isabel’s slippery
rooftops before the riot that destroyed the museum, and the way she
dived into the ocean in pursuit of Larry left him in no doubt.

Flossy
darkened. ‘I can take perfect care of myself. I may be “only a
child”, as you say, but I know my way round a ship and I know how
to fight. My time on the
Interloper
wasn’t completely
wasted. I knew I’d only get one chance when the time came so I
determined always to be ready. I learned everything the dogs were
willing to teach, and I trained with the sword every day.’

Flossy looked
earnestly at Harry. ‘I will come with you Harry and I will work my
keep. You’ll find me an apt sailor and a good friend in a pinch.
And if you don’t take me, you can’t have my map.’ She picked up the
map.

Harry placed a
paw on her hand. ‘Very well, you can come on one condition,’ he
said, holding back a smile.

‘It’s a deal
then.’ She put the map back down.

‘Don’t you
even want to know the condition?’ Harry asked.

Reginald and
Larry watched, wondering.

‘Harry, you
seem like a perfectly reasonable animal. And so I can’t believe the
condition would be worse than the alternative of staying here
knowing my parents are out there looking for me, and I
know
it will be infinitely better than playing cabin-girl to Pirate
Pratt and his filthy, flea-ridden mutts. So, no, I don’t need to
know to agree.’

Harry grew
thoughtful as he warmed his paws on his half-empty mug. ‘Are all
humans as impulsive and quick to action, Flossy? In the short time
I’ve know you, I’ve seen you dive into the sea after Larry without
knowing who Larry was or what he was doing, you just jumped. I’ve
seen you stand between me and Mayor Lion who, judging by his
deafening roar, was not at all happy to see you. As far as you knew
at the time he was going to tear you in half, yet you stood there
brandishing your skewer-sword against the whole town and shouted:
“Show yourselves, cowards!”’ He mimicked Flossy as he said this but
it was a poor attempt and Reginald laughed. ‘You then leapt after
Larry across slippery rooftops in the dark and fog even though
you’d known him only a few hours. I even heard that you took on a
fully grown mountain gorilla, and won! And here you are agreeing
unconditionally to my condition without any idea what the condition
is.’

Harry grinned.
‘If there are other humans out there and they’re like you, well, I
sure want to meet them.’

‘I don’t know
if they’re others like me, Harry,’ said Flossy, serious. ‘I’ve
really only known those aboard the
Enterprise
, my parent’s
ship. But I do know I can trust you. You saved me, with Larry’s
help.’ She smiled warmly at Larry who turned away, abashed. ‘And
the look on your face this morning when you discovered Larry and I
were alive told me all I need to know: that you care about people,
no matter what their ilk. You ran to us with your arms wide, a big
grin on your fury face.’ Flossy rested a hand on Harry’s paw, eyes
glistening. ‘I didn’t tell you, but my father’s a navy man. In
fact, my whole family’s an old navy family. And you know what
belonging to an old navy family teaches you?’

Harry shook
his head.

‘The value of
a leader is measured by the quality of care shown to those in his
charge. You’re a leader, Harry, and I trust you to do right by me.
So I agree to your condition even though I don’t know what it
is.’

‘Oh, for
goodness sake,’ said Reginald. ‘What is the condition, Harry? What
could be so onerous as to inspire such wonderful, heart-wrenching
speeches? Tell us, Harry, what is this all-important
condition?’

Harry paused
and looked at each friend in turn as the ostrich waitress,
polishing a table nearby, pretended not to listen.

Harry sipped
from his mug.

‘Well?’ said
Reginald, ears flapping impatiently.

Harry put down
his mug and licked the chocolate powder from the fur around his
mouth. ‘I was only going to insist that Flossy give me her last
marshmallow, as she clearly doesn’t want it.’

Reginald,
Flossy and Larry stared at Harry unbelieving, and then
simultaneously burst out laughing.

_{CHAPTER 2}

_{FIGHTING OVER PANCAKES}

Harry’s tummy was
rumbling when the pancakes arrived. He moved his sunglasses out of
the way to make room for the large, round plates. The steaming
stacks were each ten high and topped with a mountain of
blueberries. Sticky sweet maple syrup covered the berries and ran
down the sides like a slow moving, golden waterfall.

Flossy’s eyes
went wide and she liked her lips. ‘Mmm… I feel like I haven’t eaten
for a year. You’ve no idea how bad dog food is; pirates don’t even
cook it.’

Reginald’s
pancake stack was wheeled out on a low trolley for it was far too
heavy to lift. There were ten pancakes, each as big as a pizza and
as fat as a history book. Blueberries had tumbled from the mountain
top to the sea of syrup pooling on the enormous plate and steam
tumbled into the air, lingering as it cooled at the open window. He
sniffed the buttery fragrance with his trunk and sighed
contentedly.

‘Let me know
if you need any help,’ said Harry, laughing as he licked his
lips.

‘I think your
eyes might be too big, even for
your
stomach, Harry,’
admonished Reginald. ‘I’d be surprised if you can finish your
own.’

‘That’s
because you have no idea how famished I am!’ said Harry.

He used a folk
to slice off a corner and tuckered in hungrily. Warm, doughy-sweet
flavours exploded in his mouth. ‘
Mmm
!’ he moaned, rolling
back in his seat.

Flossy was
eating enthusiastically too. ‘ease are elicious,’ she said, mouth
crammed full. Maple syrup dribbled down her chin and she wiped it
away with a napkin.

‘Didn’t they
teach you to eat with your mouth closed?’ said Harry, eyes
sparkling.

‘Doesn’t apply
to pirates!’ said Flossy between mouthfuls. She picked up her mug,
headless of sticky fingers. A loud and deliberate slurp followed.
‘Neither does slurping, by the way.’

Reginald
burped so loudly that the windows rattled and everyone in the café
looked towards their table. ‘I’ll not be outdone by a pirate,’ he
said, grinning.

Everyone but
Larry laughed.

Apart for
‘mmm’ and ‘yum’ now and then, everyone but Larry ate with gusto
until their tower heights were halved.

Larry toyed
with his pancake stack and nibbled at the edges, his face like a
deep ocean, thoughts elsewhere. He didn’t touch his hot chocolate
either.

‘Hey, the
middles are filled with melted chocolate!’ said Flossy, licking
chocolate from her lips. ‘It’s been
so
long since I’ve eaten
chocolate. I love chocolate!’

‘The
speciality of the house,’ said Harry, ‘is best eaten with a spoon.’
He lifted a pancake to reveal the stack’s melted chocolate heart.
Picking up a shiny, silver spoon he scooped up the precious
chocolate and placed it felicitously in his mouth. It tasted even
better than he remembered.

Reginald
rolled up each enormous pancake and inserted them neatly into his
mouth. He worked his way through his stack faster than the others
and upon reaching the plate, used his trunk to vacuum it clean of
syrup and blueberries.

‘Need any help
finishing that, Harry?’ asked Reginald, reaching for Harry’s
stack.

Harry jabbed
at Reginald’s trunk with his spoon. ‘On-guard, vermin!’ he
challenged, playfully.

Reginald
picked up a fork and jabbed at Harry’s remaining pancakes. Harry
easily deflected the attack.

‘You think you
can defeat me because you’re bigger, bully? Ha! You should know
that I am a trained spoon-master and will defend my pancakes to the
death, preferably yours you greedy pachyderm.’

‘To the death,
then!’ grimaced Reginald as he lunged, a smile loitering at the
corner of his leathery mouth.

Flossy laughed
as Harry and Reginald duelled with spoon and fork. The only real
casualty was the saltshaker, knocked over but otherwise
unharmed.