Chapter 49 - Lucy and Sandy

            Narteb, Skaife and Pip walked down the path towards the docks.

            “I can’t believe that we are actually going to Kuma!” said Pip.

            “That’s so exciting,” said Skaife, “You guys should write to me when you get there, to tell me what its like.”

            “Skaife,” said Narteb, “I have an idea way better than that.  You should come with us.”

            “What?” said Skaife.  She  had never really considered going with them as an option.

            “It’ll be lots of fun!” said Narteb, “A whole new country and culture to explore.”

            Skaife began to feel very excited.  She was a person who loved to learn things about the world, and here was an opportunity to go to Kuma, a place she’d always been interested in.  Only this time she wasn’t reading about it from a book.  Presented before her now was an opportunity to actually go there herself.

            Her whole body was telling her yes!

            “Why not?” she said with a smile.

            “Why not, indeed!” said Pip.

            “Fantastic!” said Narteb.

            The three of them were suddenly feeling quite light on their feet, and continued down the crunching gravel path until they reached the dock. They saw a lot of ships and people milling about.  They asked someone about how to book passage to Kuma, and a man told them they needed to speak to the girl in red down the far end.

            “You young ‘uns are either very brave or very foolish for wanting to go to Kuma.”

            The three of them just nodded, not sure what to say to that and followed the path right down to the end of the dock.  It was there they saw the girl, who seemed to be in her late teens, wearing a red jacket and a red hat that was close fitting and slanted at the top.  A bone whistle hung from a leather necklace she wore.

            “I’m Lucy,” said the girl, “What are you lot staring at?”

            “I like your hat,” said Pip.

            “Eyes off!” said Lucy, “I’m the only person in Tuscan with a red beret that I know of, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

            “We would like to book passage to Kuma,” said Narteb.

            Lucy’s face brightened.  “Well today is your lucky day, because I happen to be the only person that has transport to Kuma from this port.  And we have just started a new mode of travel.”

            “A new mode of travel?” said Pip.

            Lucy winked at them and put the bone whistle to her lips and blew.  The sound was loud, but pleasant.

            Then she stopped and turned to face the sea.

            The water began bubbling; slowly at first, and then more violently.  Suddenly a huge beast emerged from the water!

            “No way!” said Pip, “That is too cool!”

            It was some kind of sea creature.  It had a plump, round body, and a long neck.  Smooth skin like that of a dolphin, except blue.  At the moment its head was high up above them, so looking up at it, with the sun glaring behind it was quite a sight.

            “Presenting, Sandy the Pleiosaur!” said Lucy, “The fastest way to get to Kuma.”

            Narteb, Skaife and Pip all looked at each other, barely able to contain their excitement.

            “So you guys aren’t scared?” said Lucy.

            “I wanna ride the Pleiosaur!” said Narteb.

            “That’s great,” said Lucy, “All the other people today were too scared.  Just because she’s never been tested properly doesn’t mean she can’t make the distance.  We also have a deal.  If she doesn’t get you to Kuma, then you can ask for half your money back if you survive.”

            “Don’t you mean get ‘us’ to Kuma?” said Skaife.

            “Heck, no!” said Lucy, “Do I look crazy to you?  Who knows if she’ll make it.  Its all theory at this point.  I’m staying here where its safe.  Okay, so time to pay for tickets.  Are all three of you going?”

            Narteb and company nodded.

            “That will be fourteen gold each,” said Lucy, “Except for you,” she pointed at Narteb, “I like your face.  You pay ten.”

            Narteb looked at Pip and said, “High charisma.”

            Pip chuckled, but then got serious, “We don’t have fourteen gold, let alone enough for three of us.”

            Narteb frowned.  “How much do we have?”

            “Well, together we have eight gold.  That’s not even enough for one ticket.”

            Narteb furrowed his brow, which meant he was in thinking mode.

            Skaife opened the leather pouch that was hanging at her waist and looked inside.

            “I have enough,” said Skaife.  She looked at Lucy and said, “I’d like to buy three tickets to Kuma, please,” and then she added, “On the Pleiosaur!”

            “What? No!” said Narteb, “We can’t let you do that!”

            Skaife put her finger on Narteb’s mouth, “Shh.  We are a party, right?  Where I’m from, this is what companions do for each other.”

            Lucy held out two cupped hands and Skaife poured in practically all the gold in her pouch.  She was left with one gold and two bronze.

            Lucy put the coins in her bag and then took one coin and bit it with her tteth.  “Good stuff,” she said.  She wrote them out three tickets and handed it to each of them and said, “You can leave whenever you are ready.”

            Narteb looked at Skaife and said, “I don’t know what to say.  Thank you!”

            “You’re welcome,” said Skaife.

            Narteb really liked this girl.  They stared at each other.

            Lucy butted inbetween them and said, “So are you guys ready to leave to another country on a giant sea monster?”

            Suddenly, there was the loudest, spine tingling roar from above!

            “Sorry!  Sorry, Sandy!” said Lucy, “I mean sea creature.”

            Sandy the Pleiosaur looked pleased.

            The three companions, who had their jaws open in shock and wonder, started laughing.

            Finally, Narteb said, “So, are we ready?”

            “Ready!” said Pip and Skaife in unison.

            “Let’s ride!” said Narteb.