Cash asked, “What?”
Nacho handed her the bottle, which she sniffed. Her eyes widened. “Bizarre.” She quickly handed the bottle back to Nacho, who replaced the stopper and returned it to Marco.
Nacho asked, “Who do you think lived in that house?”
Marco shrugged. He finished the banana and peeled the other one.
“Do you think they’re still here?” asked Nacho.
Marco took a bite and shook his head.
“Do you think they’re coming back?” asked Nacho.
Marco and Sarah looked at each other. Sarah said, “Hopefully we’ll get out of here before we even have to worry about that.”
Marco finished chewing and swallowed. Half of the banana remained, but he tossed it into the fire. All of a sudden, he wasn’t hungry anymore.
5
Sarah finished eating and stood up. “Anyone seen Ahab?” She stuck her fingers in her mouth and blew an ear-shattering whistle.
Nacho asked, “How’d you do that?”
Sarah shrugged. “I just taught myself.” When Ahab didn’t show, she put her hands on her hips. “Where is he?” She whistled again and Ahab pranced up from the direction of the beach, his fur wet. “Hey, boy!”
He shook himself before he reached them, and Sarah reached out to pet him. “Where were you?”
Marco stood up. “I’m gonna go help my mom with the tree house.”
Since Sarah had finally seen the little house, and because it creeped her out, she decided that staying in it wasn’t at the top of her list after all. And the cave had been so dark and damp. A tree house actually sounded appealing. “I’ll help too,” she said.
Nacho and Cash seemed content where they were.
Marco headed toward the monkey pod trees and Sarah followed, Ahab at her side. Her dad gave her a quick hug. “You two want to help me get the platform into the tree?”
They both nodded.
The three of them carried the bamboo square over to the tree and leaned it there. John said, “I’ll climb up there, then if you can lift it up to me, I can pull it the rest of the way.” He quickly climbed the biggest monkey pod tree, so that he was about ten feet off the ground. “Okay, just lift from the bottom. Go straight up to me.”
Sarah squatted next to Marco as they both got a grip on the edge of the bamboo square. She straightened her legs and the square lifted up, so that the top edge reached her dad’s feet. He grabbed it and pulled. “Now push!”
Marco and Sarah shoved, and the bamboo square inched upward until it leveled and then was above their heads. Sarah watched as her dad maneuvered it into place, edges resting on both of the trees. He pounded on it with his hand. “Seems solid. But here’s the real test.”
He put a foot on it and pushed a little.
Yvonna came and stood next to Sarah. She called up, “Be careful!”
John smiled down at them. “Don’t you trust my engineering skills?”
Sarah held her breath as her dad stepped onto the platform. It didn’t budge. She clapped. “You did it!”
Her dad moved back over to the tree. “This is enough room for the three girls to sleep. Now we can start working on the boys’ side.”
Marco asked, “What if someone rolls off?”
John shook his head. “I’ll rig up some railings. Nobody will fall off.” He climbed back down and picked up the machete. “I’m going to cut more bamboo. You two help Yvonna with the vines.”
Sarah didn’t like the idea of her dad going off alone. She asked, “You want to take Ahab?”
“Sure.” He pointed down the beach. “If anyone needs me, the bamboo stand is down the beach a ways, then I cut into the trees.” He and Ahab headed down toward the water, and soon disappeared around the corner.
Sarah and Marco sat on either side of Yvonna. She handed them each a handful of long vines. “Take several and separate them into three groups, then braid.”
Sarah started in on the task, but Yvonna suddenly put a hand to her mouth.
“Mom?” asked Marco. “Are you—”
Yvonna got to her feet and lurched into the trees. Sarah heard her throwing up. She frowned and asked Marco, “Is she sick?”
He shrugged. “She’s been sick for a couple days now.”
“When? She seemed fine to me,” said Sarah.
“It’s not all the time,” Marco said. “She’ll be okay.”
They kept working on their ropes, and a few minutes later, Yvonna came out of the trees, staggering a bit.
Marco jumped up. “Mom!” He ran to her just as she began to fall. He held her up, and Sarah quickly went to help.
Yvonna said, “I’m feeling a little woozy. Maybe I should sit for a few minutes.”
They helped her over to one of the tree trunks, and she sat down, leaning back against it. Her face was sweaty.
Sarah got a bottle of water and brought it to her. “Here.”
“Thank you,” said Yvonna. She took a sip, and then breathed out. “Probably the heat getting to me.” She shut her eyes.
“Do you want me to go get my dad?” asked Sarah.
Yvonna shook her head. “No, I’ll be fine.”
Sarah went over to the fire. Nacho and Cash were poking sticks in the flames. Nacho asked, “What are you guys doing?”
“Making ropes out of vines,” she said. Sarah picked up a blanket and a couple of pillows.
“What are those for?” asked Nacho.
Sarah sighed, wondering if she should say anything. “To lean against the tree while we work.”
Neither Cash nor Nacho said anything else, so Sarah headed back. She told Yvonna, “Here, lean forward.” She stuck the pillows between Yvonna and the tree. Then she folded up the blanket and stuck it under Yvonna’s feet.
“Thank you, sweetie,” mumbled Yvonna. Her eyes were closed.
Marco looked worried, and Sarah whispered, “Should we get my dad?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe she’ll be fine once she gets some rest.”
Sarah nodded and sat back down. “Do you think everyone believed what you told them?”
Marco shrugged. “I didn’t hold back anything, that’s for sure. The bird, the bottle. Your kangaroo. I don’t know if they believed me. I mean, they were a little freaked by the bottle, but I don’t know if it was enough to convince them that Cash’s story was true.”
Sarah asked, “Do you think it is?”
“After everything?” Marco frowned. “Mostly I guess. I mean we’ve seen some weird stuff here. The whole thing about the Curator though? That seemed a little … strange.”
“Even though the sheets at the house were the same as where she was imprisoned?” asked Sarah.
“We don’t know if that’s true or if she made it up,” said Marco.
Suddenly, Yvonna got on her knees and crawled a few yards away. Sarah heard her throw up again.
“What’s wrong with Mom?” Nacho was there, right behind them.
Marco stood up. “Duh, she’s sick.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Nacho smacked Marco’s arm. “I’m her kid too.”
Marco said, “Because there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Yvonna stood and walked back over to them. “Sorry, guys. I can’t seem to stop throwing up.” She sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. “My head feels a little better though.” She leaned down and picked up the pillows and blanket. “I’m going to lie down over there.” She pointed about twenty yards away, where another monkey pod tree had a big pool of shade under it. “Just to get a little quiet. Keep working on the ropes; John will want them when he comes back with the bamboo.”
“Are you okay?” asked Nacho.
She nodded and set a hand on his head, then slowly walked off.
Sarah picked up the bottle of water. “She needs to stay hydrated.” She ran after Yvonna and handed her the bottle of water.
“Here. You need to drink.”
Yvonna took it. “Thanks. I know, I’m trying to keep so
me down.” She sighed. “You’d think I’d be used to this.”
Sarah walked beside her. “Used to what?”
Yvonna shook her head. “Nothing.” She reached the tree and started to spread the blanket out, but Sarah took care of it, and set the pillows down. Yvonna slowly dropped to her knees and then laid her head down on the pillows. She closed her eyes. “I’ll be over in a bit,” she said. “I just need a little nap, I think.”
“Take your time,” said Sarah. She walked back to the boys under the monkey pod trees. Cash joined them. Sarah sat down and picked up her vine, thinking as she braided. She did hope Yvonna was okay. And she hoped her dad got back very soon.
6
Marco couldn’t help glancing over at his mom under the tree, hoping she would be fine. And he appreciated Sarah being nice to her. He whispered, “Thanks for that.”
Sarah nodded. “Of course. I hope she feels better.”
The four of them worked hard at their task without speaking for a few moments. Then Nacho asked Cash, “So when do you think Sarge will come back?”
“I don’t know.” Cash held her vines still in her lap for a moment. “Fox has to find his treasure first.”
Sarah looked up. “Treasure? I thought it was cargo?”
Cash froze. “Well, yeah. It is cargo. I mean, I guess I just accidentally called it that.”
Again, Marco wondered whether she was keeping something from them. Did she know what Fox was looking for? Other than the landmark—the face rock—did she know something else? What the cargo—or treasure—was? And if she did, why had she kept that from them?
Or maybe her entire story was fake and she would keep making mistakes as she forgot what versions she told.
Cash shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter, right? I mean, this island isn’t the one he was looking for. He said that himself. Once they do find it, Sarge will come back to get me and that’ll be that. We can all get off the island then.” She stuck a Pop-Tart in her mouth and took a big bite.
Nacho said, “It could be gold coins or something! That would be cool.”
The talk of treasure made Marco remember the trunk from the sailboat. He glanced over at the pile of things from the boat. He needed something to distract the others, and he knew just the thing. “You guys want to see something cool?”
Sarah said, “Only if it isn’t alive.”
Marco smiled. “Nope. I promise.”
He stood up. At first, he didn’t see what he was looking for. Then he remembered that he’d draped a burlap sack over it when they first arrived. He swept aside the burlap, revealing the trunk.
“Oh, I saw that on the beach before,” said Sarah. “Where did it come from?” She and the others set their vines aside and joined Marco.
“It was on Moonflight,” said Marco. “Belonged to Captain Norm, I guess. We rescued it from the boat, thinking maybe we could get it back to his family or something.” He didn’t add that he hoped he would be able to keep it when this adventure was all over.
“Where do you think he got it?” asked Nacho. “It is so awesome.”
In the sun, the dark wood looked lighter and shinier, showing more details of the intricately carved scenes. The colorful abalone inlays sparkled as Sarah and Nacho ran their hands over them.
“They’re so smooth,” said Sarah. “This mermaid’s eyes look like rubies.”
Marco stepped closer. Writing ran around the lid of the trunk, but not in any letters he recognized. He wondered what language it was, and why he hadn’t noticed it before, but the light in the cabin of the boat had been dim.
Sarah asked, “Is that Latin or something?”
Marco shrugged.
“Check out the sea serpent!” said Nacho. He peered more closely, his nose nearly touching the front of the trunk. “His teeth look sharp.” He ran his fingers over the sea serpent’s mouth. “Ow!” He jerked his hand back. “They are sharp.”
Marco laughed. “What do you think?” he asked Cash.
But she just stood there in a daze, staring at the trunk with her mouth half open.
Marco said, “Cash?”
“Huh?” Her eyes snapped back into focus and she smiled quickly. “It’s cool.” She stepped forward and ran her hand over the inlay of a ship. “Really cool.”
Marco frowned as he watched the three inspect the outside of the trunk. Cash was acting weird. Like she recognized the trunk. Had she seen it before? Or maybe … had someone told her about it?
She turned to him and asked, “Can we open it?”
“Yeah!” said Nacho. “Let’s open it!”
“No!” snapped Marco, before he could stop himself. For a moment, he wished he had kept the trunk to himself and not shown them. They all acted as if it was community property and belonged to them as well. He didn’t like it. “I mean, no. I tried before. It won’t open.”
Nacho knelt in front of the trunk and inspected the latch. He pushed it and rapped his knuckles on it. He shook his head. “I think we need a key or something.”
Cash asked, “What about a knife? Do y’all have one of those around here?”
Sarah started to say, “Yeah, over—”
“Just stop.” Marco interrupted her. “All of you. We’re not going to wreck it just to see what’s inside.”
Nacho wrinkled his nose at Marco. “Who put you in charge?”
Marco jabbed a thumb at his own chest. “I found it. I dragged it off the boat.”
“My dad helped, probably,” said Sarah. Then she shrugged. “But you’re right.” She ran a hand over the top of the trunk. “It’s too pretty to mess with. Maybe there isn’t even anything in there.”
Nacho looked disappointed. “Whatever.” He sat back down and picked up his vines.
Sarah sat down too.
Cash’s gaze lingered on the trunk for a beat too long before she turned and joined them.
Marco watched her for a moment. Then he retrieved the burlap bag and carefully covered up the trunk before joining the others. He finished his vine and began another.
Sarah said, “Captain Norm believed in mermaids.”
“Huh?” asked Marco.
Sarah nodded. “He told me about it. When he was young he sailed in the Caribbean and he met sailors who believed they saw mermaids.”
Marco made a face. “You’re kidding.”
Sarah shook her head, “No, I’m serious! So maybe he thought the trunk was some kind of mermaid thing. With some kind of mermaid magic.”
Nacho said, “Mermaids aren’t magic.”
Cash asked, “How do you know?”
Nacho said, “The aquatic ape theory.”
Marco laughed. “What are you talking about?”
“Seriously,” said Nacho. “I saw it on Animal Planet.”
Cash rolled her eyes at Sarah, who asked, “What did it say?”
“Well, the theory is kinda cool.” Nacho got a serious look on his face. “So like millions of years ago, there was a lot of flooding along the coasts of all the land on Earth. Half our ancestors went inland, but half went into the water.”
“Ancestors?” Marco raised his eyebrows. “Like cavemen?”
Nacho shook his head. “Probably older than that. More like ape ancestors.”
Sarah shook her head and concentrated on her rope. “I don’t believe it.”
“You don’t have to.” Nacho smiled at her. “It’s just a theory. Anyway, the ones that went in the water adapted. And the theory is that’s where the mermaids came from: a branch of evolution that went into the water.”
Sarah said, “You know how ridiculous that sounds, right? Apes in the water?”
“Maybe.” Nacho shrugged. “But here’s the really cool part. There are lots of things about us modern people, which back up the theory that we once lived in the ocean. One.” He held up a finger. “Humans are the only primates with webbing between the fingers.”
Marco glanced down at his hands and spread them out. He was pretty sure that the slight we
bbing could be explained in any number of ways other than that the human race used to live in the ocean.
Nacho held up another finger. “Two. Humans have way less body hair than other primates. It would have created drag in the water.”
“Olympic swimmers do shave their whole bodies,” said Cash.
Nacho held up another finger. “Three. Humans are the only land animals with a layer of the same fat that helps insulate dolphins and whales.” Another finger. “Four. Humans can hold their breath longer than any other land animal. Oh! And five.” He snapped up his thumb. “We’re the only land animal with an instinctive ability to swim.”
“Other land animals can swim,” said Marco.
“Yeah,” said Nacho. “But it’s not as natural as it is with humans.”
Sarah and Cash exchanged a glance. Marco didn’t want them to make fun of Nacho, so he said, “Well, it’s just a theory. Interesting anyway.” He wanted to get off the subject, so he asked, “Anybody want to help me start tying the bamboo together? Maybe there’s enough to make another platform.”
7
About an hour later, they had several ropes made and another group of bamboo poles tied together. The rectangle was big enough to fit across the remaining space between the trees. Sarah said, “Let’s get it up there before my dad gets back. We’ll surprise him.”
“I think we should wait,” said Nacho. “That’s pretty high up.”
Marco shook his head. “No it’s not. We’ll just connect vines to it, like a pulley, and I’ll go up there and reel it in.” He climbed up to the platform already there and sat on it. His feet dangled over the edge. “Okay, hook the vine in between two poles and secure it.”
Cash and Sarah did as he asked, then Nacho helped them lift it up as Marco strained to pull it. “You guys gotta hold it higher!”
Sarah grunted as she shoved the platform higher. What did he expect from them? She yelled, “We’re trying!”
“You’re the one that wanted to do this before your dad got back!” snapped Marco.
Sarah made a face at him. But he was right. “Fine,” she said. “Let’s do it.”
Marco leaned back for more leverage and managed to get the edge of the bamboo over the platform already in place. He grabbed hold of the edge and said, “Okay, now just push it a little more.”