The Time Hunters and the Box of Eternity (7 page)

Uncle Percy gestured towards the gigantic chandelier above them.
‘
Barbie, I do believe
there
’
s a
cobweb on the far side of the chandelier. Would you get rid of it for me,
please?
’

‘
Certainly, sir,
’
Barbie said, as a
bright blue feather duster shot from her index finger.

Suddenly, Becky heard a soft drone and, without warning, the little
robot flew through the air like a rocket, circling the chandelier twice before
stopping, giving it a quick polish and hurtling back, landing at precisely the
same spot she had stood before.
‘
The web has been removed, sir.
’

‘
Thank you, Barbie,
’
Uncle Percy said,
bowing.

‘
Knock me down with a
Bison
’
s
hump!
’
Bruce exclaimed.

‘
She can fly?
’
Joe gasped.

‘
She can do more than
fly, Joe,
’
Uncle Percy replied.
‘
Barbie, I believe I left a cup of tea in my chemistry lab on Floor
minus 2 at 9.30am. Would you be so kind as to get it for me, please?
’

Just then, an electrical charge engulfed Barbie and -
pop
-
she vanished. Becky didn
’
t even have time to process this when Barbie reappeared, clutching a
cup of tea, thin slivers of steam coiling from its surface. She passed it to
Uncle Percy.
‘
Just as you left it, sir.
’

‘
Thank you, Barbie.
’

‘
S-she
’
s a time machine?
’
Becky stammered.

‘
She
’
s many things, Becky.
She has knowledge beyond human comprehension, she can speak every recorded
language, she knows every mathematical equation, she can lift up to four tonnes
in weight, she never tires, never complains. And she
’
s charming company.
’

Barbie curtseyed.
‘
Thank you, sir. I do hope Master Joe thinks I
’
m cool enough for him
now.
’

Joe nodded madly.
‘
Barbie, you own cool.
’

‘
You sure are somethin
’
else, Percy,
’
Bruce said simply.
‘
If only the world knew
what a doggone brainbox you were, you
’
d win that Nobel Prize every year.
’

Uncle Percy chuckled.
‘
I like things just the way they are, thank you, Bruce. Anyway, shall
we take a pew and you can tell me what
’
s up?
’
He sat down and poured a round of drinks.

Becky settled into her seat and watched Bruce
’
s expression turn
solemn as he pulled out a small brown leather pouch, tied at the top by a
length of twine. Hesitantly, he emptied it and two gold coins rolled on to the
tabletop.

‘
I heard about your
experiences with the Golden Fleece,
’
Bruce said in a low voice.
‘
Well, I believe you might have another problem.
Heck, the entire world might have a problem.
’

‘
What do you mean?
’
Uncle Percy said.

‘
Pick one up,
’
Bruce insisted.

Hesitantly, Uncle Percy leaned over and his fingers curled round the
coin closest to him. The instant flesh touched metal, his face changed; his
eyes blazed with fury, his body tensed, filled with a sudden, blistering rage.

Becky couldn
’
t believe it.
‘
Uncle Percy …Drop it!
’
she cried, seizing his hand and forcing it open. The coin clattered
to the table. Terrified, she stared at him to see his usual colour return; all
trace of his shocking metamorphosis had evaporated.

‘
Oh, no,
’
Uncle Percy exhaled,
slightly disorientated as though waking from a bad dream.
‘
This is bad! This is
very bad …
’

Chapter 8

The Box of Eternity

Slowly, Bruce looped off his neckerchief, draped his hand in the
material until no trace of skin was visible, and picked up the coins, sliding
them back in the pouch. Then his eyes met each one of theirs in turn.

‘
That rage you just
felt …
’
He
nodded at Uncle Percy.
‘
You don
’
t have to be in contact with the coins either for it to take over
you, either.
 
If I
’
d left them out long
enough, we wudda all been affected. Those coins … they radiate evil, sure as my
Momma
’
s
cornbread was as tough as snakeskin boots.
’

The words lingered in the air. Eventually, it was Uncle Percy who
spoke,
‘
How
did you acquire them, Bruce?
’

Bruce sat back in his chair.
‘
Well, I ain
’
t ashamed to admit I
’
ve got a soft spot for
gambling. And outside the great gambling towns of the old West
–
Tombstone, Dodge,
Virginia City - my favourite haunts are the Pirate ports of the Caribbean.
Those buccaneers just about love their gambling. Anyway, a few days ago I was
in Fat Annie
’
s bar in Tortuga, playin
’
a few rounds of Bone Ace, when this grizzly old sea dog, Gilbert
Threepwood, pulls up a chair at the table and whips out the coins. We played a
few hands and I won them. To be honest, and I only found this out later, he was
glad to get shot of
‘
em. After they were mine, he told me the whole strange story…
’
His gaze fell grimly
on the pouch before he looked up again.
‘
And it ain
’
t a pretty one.
’

‘
And what
’
s that?
’
Joe asked eagerly.

‘
He said he cut them outta
the belly of the nastiest Hammerhead to swim the Seven Seas.
’

‘
Hammerhead?
’
Becky cut in.

‘
It
’
s a shark,
’
Joe clarified.

Bruce gave a weighty sigh.
‘
But here
’
s the rub: accordin
’
to Threepwood, this
shark shouldn
’
t have been alive at all. Half of its body had been eaten away. It
shudda been dead. And if that don
’
t give you the heebie jeebies, check this out …
’
Bruce leaned in as if
reciting a ghost story.
‘
Threepwood believed it was already dead when they fished it outta
the water … dead but alive!
’

‘
A zombie shark?
’
Joe said skeptically.

‘
Hey, I
’
m just sayin
’
what I been told.
Anyway, the crew had to bash its brains to mush before it finally stopped
moving.
’

Becky
’
s face creased.
‘
Urghh!
’

‘
I said it wasn
’
t a pretty story.
Anyway, the coins were passed round the crew, but like what happened with your
Uncle Percy here, the ones holdin
’
them became enraged. Threepwood said it was about all he could do
to stop them tearing each other apart. Anyway, when the ship docked in Tortuga,
Threepwood moseyed over to Fat Annies and that
’
s when he lost them to me. Still, word must
’
ve got out because who
strolls into Fat Annies the very next night asking about the coins but Otto
Kruger …
’

‘
Otto Kruger?
’
Uncle Percy said with
dismay.

Bruce nodded.
‘
The very same. But he wasn
’
t calling the shots.
’

‘
Emerson Drake was
there?
’

‘
Nah,
’
Bruce replied.
‘
Not Drake. This was
some gangly dude with a thick walrus moustache. Strange accent. At first
glance, he looked all hat and no cattle … pale-faced, no meat on his bones, a
bit of a dork, but I tell you, his eyes wudda scared the devil himself. Black
eyes. Soulless eyes. Even Kruger seemed to be treading carefully round him.
Anyway, moustache man had obviously heard
‘
bout my winning the coins and came over. A
second later, he pressed a scalpel to my throat and demanded I pass them over.
But I got buddies in Fat Annies, and before moustache man knew what was goin
’
on, he was smack dang
in the middle of an old-fashioned pirate brawl. Anyway, after landin
’
a couple of good
punches on Kruger
’
s goons, I got outta there and returned to the twenty first century.
And that
’
s
when I get thinkin
’
‘
bout you, Perce, and
your little summer adventure.
’
He looked darkly at Uncle Percy.
‘
Just now, when you touched them coins, is that how
it felt when you touched the Golden Fleece?
’

Uncle Percy
’
s brow furrowed and he took a moment to reflect before he answered.
‘
No… And yes. When I
touched the Fleece, it was
–
well, otherworldly, divine, like some higher power had personally
touched it.
’
He nodded at the coins.
‘
These feel like they
’
ve had contact with something powerful, something like the Fleece,
but merely echo its power, like a scent that hangs in the air even after the
wearer has gone.
’

Bruce took to his feet and began to pace up and down.
‘
That
’
s exactly what I
thought. That
’
s why it
’
s taken me twenty-four hours to come and see you, Perce. You see, I
did some research of my own and discovered a curious story that might tie in
with all of this. It tells of an English Galley ship, The Whydah, which, under
the command of Captain Lawrence Prince, had been navigating the Windward
Passage when it was attacked and taken by a pirate, Black Sam Bellamy. Anyway,
The Whydah was allegedly carrying a magnificent chest, which was being transported
to England as a gift for King George.
 
Anyhow, the story goes that this chest had been in a remote African
village for thousands of years, and had never been opened. You see … the
villagers believed all the evils of the world were contained in that chest and
if opened, would be released to destroy everyone and everything. Now, Perce,
does that remind you of another famous story?
’

A look of disbelief crossed Uncle Percy
’
s face.
 
‘
You
’
re talking about Pandora
’
s Box?
’

‘
Yes, Sir,
’
Bruce said, sitting
down again.
‘
That I am.
’

Becky
’
s mind raced.
‘
I
’
ve heard of that,
’
she said.
‘
It
’
s another Greek myth, isn
’
t it?
’

‘
Yes, Becky, it is.
’
Uncle Percy said
somberly.

‘
Tell me then,
’
Joe pressed.

 
Becky searched her memory.
‘
It
’
s about a woman called
Pandora, who was given some kind of box by a God - Zeus, I think - but was told
not to open it. Anyway, after a while, she got curious and opened it anyway.
Unluckily for her, the box contained all kinds of nasty stuff, which got
released into the world.
’

‘
Or as Hesiod wrote,
’
Uncle Percy said.
“All of the burdensome toil and sickness that brings death to men.”

‘
So Pandora
’
s Box exists?
’
Joe gasped.
‘
And Drake is looking
for it?
’

Uncle Percy
’
s body deflated.
‘
Let
’
s not jump to conclusions, Joe.
’

Bruce shook his head.
‘
You
’
re wrong there, Perce. I think you should jump to conclusions …
because I think that
’
s precisely what
’
s goin
’
down here.
’

‘
Great!
’
Joe said.
‘
Then we
’
ll have to go and get
it.
’

‘
Now, now … let
’
s not get ahead of
ourselves,
’
Uncle Percy said.
‘
You
’
re supposed to be enjoying a relaxing half-term break.
’

‘
Stuff that,
’
Joe replied.
‘
We want to stop Drake
getting his hands on Pandora
’
s Box, don
’
t we, Becky?
’

Becky hesitated for a second.
‘
Yes.
’

Uncle Percy ignored them and turned to Bruce.
‘
You said that Black Sam
Bellamy had acquired the chest. Have you any idea what happened to it?
’

‘
Well …
’
Bruce
’
s voice dropped to a
whisper,
‘
this
is where the tale gets as cloudy as a sandstorm, but I do know for sure that
Black Sam owed a debt to another pirate - a pirate no one, not even the
hardiest buccaneer messed with. A debt he supposedly paid with a chest full of
gold coins. Does the name Edward Teach mean anything to y
’
all?
’

Uncle Percy
’
s face turned a dull white.
‘
Crikey.
’

Becky could see that Uncle Percy recognised the name.
‘
Who
’
s Edward Teach?
’

‘
My knowledge of the
Golden Age of Piracy is scant to say the least,
’
Uncle Percy said.
‘
However, I do know
that Edward Teach was supposedly the most feared, most infamous pirate of them all.
You may know him by his cognomen … Blackbeard.
’