Chapter 9

The next day, Jane got up really early.  She couldn’t sleep.  She was thinking about what she had said, and she regretted it.  ‘Maybe I was a bit harsh,’ she thought.  ‘I know what they’re doing is bad, but maybe they don’t.  Maybe I should apologize.’  If she had learned one thing on her trip, it was that you should never say something when you’re really angry, because you’ll be mad at yourself later for saying it.

Eric came into her room soon after she got up.  She asked him, “You couldn’t sleep either?”

He shook his head.  “I was up all night planning.  We’re going to have to ask Mr. Robert and Mr. Lou if we can go with them before breakfast, if we want to be gone by the time everyone else is gone.”

Jane squirmed in the fluffy armchair next to her bed.  “I was thinking, Eric.  Maybe I was wrong, and we shouldn’t leave.  Do you still think we should?”

“I was thinking about leaving anyway.  We won’t be able to do much here if we’re stuck inside the castle while everyone else is looking for the person or the people who kidnapped us,” Eric pointed out.  “It’s just easier to leave now.  If it makes you feel any better, you can write a note explaining what we’re doing so they won’t think that we were kidnapped again.”

“That’s a good idea!” Jane exclaimed.  She jumped out of the armchair and raced to the desk on the other side of the room, opening one of the drawers and rustling through it until she found a notepad and a pencil.  She chose her words carefully, saying that they wanted to go and find Bem’s mother soon, and that they were going with some friends.  Reading over her letter, she smiled and folded it before setting it down on the table.  Then she turned to Eric and said, “I’m ready.”

“Did you pack your bag?”

She paused.  “I had to pack a bag?”

He sighed and replied, “Yes, Jane.  With all of your clothes and stuff that the people here have lent to you?  We’re going to need soap and food and stuff.”

“Oh.  Right.”  Jane raced over to the drawer and got a little knapsack, stuffing clothes in and not caring if they got wrinkled or not.  Eric decided that he would repack her bag for her later, but for then it was fine.

“Now we have to find Bem,” Eric said.

Jane smiled.  “Bem!  We’re going to go play on that boat again!  Do you want to come with?”

Immediately, Bem raced into the room and skidded to a stop in front of them.  He said cheerfully, “B-e-e-e-m-m.”

Jane giggled.  “Come on.  I’m sure Mr. Robert and Mr. Lou will have some breakfast for us when we get down there.  Now, when we go to the kitchen, we have to be really quiet, because it’s early and we don’t want to wake anyone up.”

Bem nodded and swiftly trotted down the stairs, changing into a cat halfway there when his claws made a loud clicking noise on the tile floors.

In just a few minutes they were in the cave with the boat, looking around for Mr. Robert and Mr. Lou.  Jane asked Eric, “Do you think they sleep here?  I mean, the bedrooms are already all set up, so they could if they wanted to.”

Eric thought for a minute.  “I’m not sure.  Do you want to look for them?”

“Sure.”  Jane climbed up the ladder and stomped to the door to the cabins.  Eric would have been amazed if Mr. Robert or Mr. Lou had been able to sleep through that.  More quietly, he and Bem followed behind her.

“Mr. Robert!  Mr. Lou!  Is the boat ready?  Can we leave today?” Jane called, setting her knapsack down in the middle of the hallway.

Eric nearly tripped on it.  “Jane!  Don’t be so annoying!”

“I’m sure they don’t mind.  As long as they don’t mind, I’m not annoying,” she argued in a normal voice.  Louder she called, “Mr. Robert!  Mr. Lou!”

“We’re up, we’re up!  How do you kids get up so early?  You’re always so full of energy,” Mr. Lou complained as he slowly walked out of his room.  “Have you had breakfast yet?”

“We were hoping you’d make some for us,” Jane replied.

“Why not?  Do you want toast or eggs?”

Bem squealed, “M-e-e-e-a-a-a-t!”

Mr. Lou laughed.  “Meat, is it?  How about bacon and eggs, and a ham sandwich for lunch and fish for dinner?”

“M-e-e-e-a-a-a-t!”

“I’ll take that to mean that the menu sounds good,” Mr. Lou said, walking to the kitchen.

Mr. Robert came in just then.  “You people are too loud for the morning.  Have any of you ever heard of sleeping in?”

“We were too excited to sleep, because we were so happy that we were leaving today,” Jane replied.

Mr. Lou laughed.  “Well, I guess that’s a good thing, because you’re going to need all of that energy.  Sailing a boat is a lot of work, especially when it’s big like this one is.”

“I can help.  My dad taught me a little bit about boats,” Eric offered.

“That’s great!” Mr. Robert said.  “Mr. Lou, if you would be so kind as to make breakfast, we will be able to head out as soon as we was the dishes.”

Mr. Lou nodded and got out the skillet to make the bacon and eggs.  Just as he was about to light the gas stove, they all could hear voices from outside of the boat.  Eric got up from his seat and said, “I’ll go look and see what’s going on.  You can stay here.”

“I want to come, too!” Jane said, following him out the door.  Seeing that his two friends were leaving the room, Bem also followed.

When they got to the deck, Eric and Jane were shocked.  Standing on the shore were Margo and Bill and some other people that they didn’t know.  Jane asked, “What are you doing here?”

“We came to find you!  Everyone was worried that you were kidnapped again,” Bill explained.  “Why don’t you come down from there and we’ll give you some breakfast?  You don’t want to go on a silly adventure with a bunny and a turtle, now do you?”

“He’s a rabbit,” Jane replied.  “And yes we do.  We want to find Bem’s mom.”

Margo sighed.  “We don’t think you’ll be able to, kids.  It’s just too hard to find one person in such a big world.”

“Nothing is too hard if you really try,” Eric replied.  “Besides, we said that we were going with Mr. Robert and Mr. Lou, so you didn’t have to worry about us being kidnapped at all.”

“We still did, because you’re just kids,” Margo explained.  “Don’t you want your breakfast?”

“We’re having breakfast with Mr. Robert and Mr. Lou, and after we finish washing the dishes then we’re going to go and look for Bem’s mom,” Jane replied.  “Now please let us be.”

Margo said to Bill, “I had really hoped that we wouldn’t have to do this.  We’re going to have to get up there and get them.  Now where’s the ladder.”

Afraid that Margo and Bill would make them stay in the castle instead of going with Mr. Robert and Mr. Lou for an adventure, Jane ran over to the edge and pulled the rope ladder up from the shore before Margo or Bill could start climbing up it.

“Eric, go tell Mr. Robert and Mr. Lou that breakfast will have to wait.  We have to get out of here!” Jane said as she hauled the rope over the edge.  Eric nodded and raced down to the kitchen, explaining to Mr. Robert and Mr. Lou what was happening.

Mr. Robert said, “Then there’s no time to waste!  Come on, Mr. Lou, we have to get moving if we want to move this boat!”  He set down the bacon he had been slicing and hopped out of the door and to the steering room faster than you could say “bunny rabbit.”

Unfortunately, Bill and Margo had found a spare ladder in the corner of the giant cave, and neither Jane nor Eric were strong enough to move it.  Not even Bem could push it over, but he was able to move it a little bit.  They weren’t even able to move it when they pushed it together.  The only way they could get away was if Mr. Robert and Mr. Lou started up the steam engine.

But that would be a problem as well.  This engine needed two people to start the engine, and Mr. Lou was still in the kitchen.

“Hurry up, Mr. Lou!  You need to go to the steering room!” Jane called from the door.

“I’m going as fast as I can, but it may me a while,” he called back.

“Oh, fiddlesticks,” Jane said, looking worriedly at the controls.  Then she realized something.  She told Eric, “I’ve read about how to start these.  I think I know how!”

“Then do something.  We don’t have a lot of time,” Eric pointed out.

She walked over and looked at Mr. Robert from across the room.  He nodded, and at the same time they pulled down their levers and pressed their buttons, and in no time at all the engine had started and the boat was moving!

“We did it!” Jane cheered, running up and hugging Eric and Bem.

“You sure did.  Now let’s go tell Mr. Lou that he doesn’t have to come up to the steering room anymore,” Eric said.

Mr. Lou appeared at the door just as Eric finished saying that.  He asked, “So I did all of that work for nothing?”

Jane giggled.  “I guess so!  Let’s go make breakfast.  I’ll make the toast.”

“Don’t burn it this time,” Eric laughed, following her out the door.

Jane and Eric laughed as they walked back down to the kitchen with Bem following closely behind them as usual.  They were excited and happy and free.  And they were in for the adventure of their lives.