Chapter 4: On the Ocean
Dindi paced nervously along the length of the Kai, a traditional ocean-going sailboat. The Kai was heading slowly out of the Tokyo Bay, through the Uraga Channel and into the Pacific Ocean. It headed south toward the Izu island chain.
The Kai had barely entered the open ocean when the captain shouted to her crew, “Steady on the ropes, boys, looks like there’s a storm ahead!” The first mate ordered the dozen or so passengers into the cargo hold.
“It’s for your own good. Could get kinda wet up here till this squall blows by. So everyone, down you go.” The first mate cast an angry glance toward Dindi. “That includes stowaways. Get down there as well. The Captain and I will deal with you later.”
Dindi was miserable in the small ship’s dank, musty cargo hold. The hold smelled mainly of fish, which wasn’t surprising since the Kai demonstrated traditional fishing techniques. Dindi wasn’t particularly fond of fish to begin with, but that wasn’t the real problem. Back when he was a cub, Dindi travelled in the hold of a much larger ship that sailed from Durban, South Africa to Tokyo. The voyage had been far too long and too scary and too dark; since then Dindi had always been uncomfortable inside small, enclosed places. For the same reason, he didn’t like the ocean very much. “Just stay calm, Dindi,” the cheetah said to himself. “It could be worse.”
Just as he said that, from above a blinding light flashed so brightly that it lit up the hold for a split-second. At the same instant, an ear-splitting CRASH! shook the boat to its keel. There followed the sickening sound of snapping wood, and then another huge BOOM! as something very heavy struck the ship. The power went out, and the hold was plunged into darkness.
Dindi realized that his paws were getting wet. He licked one; it tasted salty. The Kai had sprung a leak. Maybe a lot of leaks. The sound of splintering wood continued to echo through the hold. “Not good,” Dindi thought to himself. “Not good at all.”
The large door atop the hold swung open, and a torrent of rain cascaded down on Dindi and the passengers. A flashlight beam played across the bottom of the Kai's hold. Dindi could see that the water at the boat’s bottom was already almost an inch deep. From behind the flashlight a voice rang out. “I'm the captain. Lightning just struck our main mast, and broke her in two. We are going to have to abandon ship.”
Several of the passengers began to cry out, but the captain, climbing halfway down the ladder into the hold, silenced them with a wave of his hand. “Everyone, stay calm!” he shouted. “The crew is lowering the life raft right now. There’s room enough for everyone.” Then he aimed the flashlight at Dindi. “Everyone but stowaways, that is. Sorry, cat, but you’re on your own. Maybe I’m wrong and the Kai will stay afloat until dawn. The lightning blew out our radio, and we’re out of cell phone range. When we make it to the nearest island, I’ll let the Coast Guard know you’re out here. That’s the best I can do.”
A few minutes later, Dindi watched from the broken deck of the Kai as the life raft, with its small motor, puttered northward back toward Tokyo Bay. The storm seemed to be easing, and the waves weren’t as white-cappy as when the lightning bold hit. But it was still going to be a rough ride for the twenty passengers and crew squeezed into the raft.
The dark-grey and rainy skies were slowly brightening, and in the growing light of dawn Dindi surveyed the damage to the Kai. There was a lot to survey. The main mast was splintered like an enormous toothpick. The broken half, with part of the sail still attached, lay across the middle of the boat. Even worse, a large crack had formed at the point where the mast struck the Kai’s midsection. The crack extended below the waterline, which was why the hold was steadily filling with water. Without the proper tools, Dindi knew he couldn’t seal the leak.
The Kai had barely entered the open ocean when the captain shouted to her crew, “Steady on the ropes, boys, looks like there’s a storm ahead!” The first mate ordered the dozen or so passengers into the cargo hold.
“It’s for your own good. Could get kinda wet up here till this squall blows by. So everyone, down you go.” The first mate cast an angry glance toward Dindi. “That includes stowaways. Get down there as well. The Captain and I will deal with you later.”
Dindi was miserable in the small ship’s dank, musty cargo hold. The hold smelled mainly of fish, which wasn’t surprising since the Kai demonstrated traditional fishing techniques. Dindi wasn’t particularly fond of fish to begin with, but that wasn’t the real problem. Back when he was a cub, Dindi travelled in the hold of a much larger ship that sailed from Durban, South Africa to Tokyo. The voyage had been far too long and too scary and too dark; since then Dindi had always been uncomfortable inside small, enclosed places. For the same reason, he didn’t like the ocean very much. “Just stay calm, Dindi,” the cheetah said to himself. “It could be worse.”
Just as he said that, from above a blinding light flashed so brightly that it lit up the hold for a split-second. At the same instant, an ear-splitting CRASH! shook the boat to its keel. There followed the sickening sound of snapping wood, and then another huge BOOM! as something very heavy struck the ship. The power went out, and the hold was plunged into darkness.
Dindi realized that his paws were getting wet. He licked one; it tasted salty. The Kai had sprung a leak. Maybe a lot of leaks. The sound of splintering wood continued to echo through the hold. “Not good,” Dindi thought to himself. “Not good at all.”
The large door atop the hold swung open, and a torrent of rain cascaded down on Dindi and the passengers. A flashlight beam played across the bottom of the Kai's hold. Dindi could see that the water at the boat’s bottom was already almost an inch deep. From behind the flashlight a voice rang out. “I'm the captain. Lightning just struck our main mast, and broke her in two. We are going to have to abandon ship.”
Several of the passengers began to cry out, but the captain, climbing halfway down the ladder into the hold, silenced them with a wave of his hand. “Everyone, stay calm!” he shouted. “The crew is lowering the life raft right now. There’s room enough for everyone.” Then he aimed the flashlight at Dindi. “Everyone but stowaways, that is. Sorry, cat, but you’re on your own. Maybe I’m wrong and the Kai will stay afloat until dawn. The lightning blew out our radio, and we’re out of cell phone range. When we make it to the nearest island, I’ll let the Coast Guard know you’re out here. That’s the best I can do.”
A few minutes later, Dindi watched from the broken deck of the Kai as the life raft, with its small motor, puttered northward back toward Tokyo Bay. The storm seemed to be easing, and the waves weren’t as white-cappy as when the lightning bold hit. But it was still going to be a rough ride for the twenty passengers and crew squeezed into the raft.
The dark-grey and rainy skies were slowly brightening, and in the growing light of dawn Dindi surveyed the damage to the Kai. There was a lot to survey. The main mast was splintered like an enormous toothpick. The broken half, with part of the sail still attached, lay across the middle of the boat. Even worse, a large crack had formed at the point where the mast struck the Kai’s midsection. The crack extended below the waterline, which was why the hold was steadily filling with water. Without the proper tools, Dindi knew he couldn’t seal the leak.
Dindi knew he couldn’t seal the leak
Just then, a ship’s horn blared across the water. Dindi looked up, and about a mile away a large container ship was slowly passing by. Thinking quickly, Dindi ran to the Kai’s bridge and looked for the locker of emergency supplies. He found a flare gun, ran back outside, aimed high, and pulled the trigger. To his dismay, nothing happened! Looking carefully at the gun, Dindi realized that it was as waterlogged as the rest of the Kai’s equipment. Useless.
As the cargo vessel disappeared over the horizon, Dindi felt another violent shudder under his paws. Looking down into the hold, Dindi could see that it was halfway filled with water, and more was spilling in every second. “Well Dindi,” the cheetah said to himself, “time to make my own life-raft.”
* * * * *
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS EARLIER
Dindi D. Cheetah lay in a hammock in his tree house home high above the Tokyo Zoo. “This is the good life!” he said to no one in particular. “Annie Conda and the Poison Dart Gang are on vacation in South America, and I don’t have a care in the world. Nothing can possibly go wrong now!”
Dindi was just beginning to drift off for a nap when he heard a tap-tap-tapping on the glass of his living room window. He looked up to see, of all things, a cute Izu Thrush anxiously waving a wing toward him.
As the cargo vessel disappeared over the horizon, Dindi felt another violent shudder under his paws. Looking down into the hold, Dindi could see that it was halfway filled with water, and more was spilling in every second. “Well Dindi,” the cheetah said to himself, “time to make my own life-raft.”
* * * * *
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS EARLIER
Dindi D. Cheetah lay in a hammock in his tree house home high above the Tokyo Zoo. “This is the good life!” he said to no one in particular. “Annie Conda and the Poison Dart Gang are on vacation in South America, and I don’t have a care in the world. Nothing can possibly go wrong now!”
Dindi was just beginning to drift off for a nap when he heard a tap-tap-tapping on the glass of his living room window. He looked up to see, of all things, a cute Izu Thrush anxiously waving a wing toward him.
An Izu thrush was at Dindi’s Window
“Hey there, little feller, c’mon in!” Dindi opened the window and the thrush glided in.
“Oh, oh, oh, I’m so glad I found you! I’m so glad, I’m so glad. I’m so…” And with that the bird promptly passed out.
Oh dear, thought Dindi to himself. He quickly brewed some lemon tea and held a thimbleful to the bird’s beak. The thrush soon awakened. “Thanks, Mr. Cheetah, I needed that.”
“You can call me Dindi. Everyone does.”
“OK, Mr. Dindi, I mean Mr. Cheetah, I mean, I mean…” The little bird looked like he was about to collapse again, so Dindi patted him gently on the back..
“That’s OK, you can call me anything you want. Now, why don’t you tell me who you are and why you’re here.”
“Well, Mr…Dindi, my name is Thad Thrush, and I just flew here from Miyake-jima, because we need your help. My grandmammy Thelma Thrush says we’re all in terrible danger!”
Dindi took down a map of Japan and studied it. He found Miyake Island (or Miyake-jima), part of a chain of islands south of Tokyo. “I remember Miyake now,” Dindi said. Isn’t that where Mount Oyama is?”
“That’s right,” said Thad. “And that’s the problem. My grandmammy is the oldest bird on the island, the only one who was alive when Oyama last erupted 12 years ago.“
Dindi tapped his head. “That’s right!” he said. Oyama is a volcano! I remember now.”
“Oh, oh, oh, I’m so glad I found you! I’m so glad, I’m so glad. I’m so…” And with that the bird promptly passed out.
Oh dear, thought Dindi to himself. He quickly brewed some lemon tea and held a thimbleful to the bird’s beak. The thrush soon awakened. “Thanks, Mr. Cheetah, I needed that.”
“You can call me Dindi. Everyone does.”
“OK, Mr. Dindi, I mean Mr. Cheetah, I mean, I mean…” The little bird looked like he was about to collapse again, so Dindi patted him gently on the back..
“That’s OK, you can call me anything you want. Now, why don’t you tell me who you are and why you’re here.”
“Well, Mr…Dindi, my name is Thad Thrush, and I just flew here from Miyake-jima, because we need your help. My grandmammy Thelma Thrush says we’re all in terrible danger!”
Dindi took down a map of Japan and studied it. He found Miyake Island (or Miyake-jima), part of a chain of islands south of Tokyo. “I remember Miyake now,” Dindi said. Isn’t that where Mount Oyama is?”
“That’s right,” said Thad. “And that’s the problem. My grandmammy is the oldest bird on the island, the only one who was alive when Oyama last erupted 12 years ago.“
Dindi tapped his head. “That’s right!” he said. Oyama is a volcano! I remember now.”
That’s right! Oyama is a volcano!
“My grandmammy says Oyama is going to go off again any day now! That’s why I’m here. She and Wilma Wagtail’s granny are friends, and she heard how you helped her. My grandmammy says that if anyone’s clever enough to help us, it’s you!
Dindi walked over to his computer and checked the Tokyo news and geological sites. “Thad, I don’t see anything here that suggests Oyama is going to erupt. Sure, it’s smoking, but it’s been doing that for years.” I don’t see why…”
“She knows it’s been smoking, Dindi,” said Thad anxiously. “That’s how she knows the volcano is going to go off. She says the smoke started smelling differently about three days ago. When she was a baby bird, twelve years ago, she remembers smelling that exact same smell just before the last big eruption. She’s been flying over the volcano ever day her whole life, even now when she can’t fly so well anymore. And she says the smell is back, and that the volcano is sure to erupt and so we need your help!”
“Thad, even if your grandmammy is right, what can I do about it? I can’t stop a volcano from erupting.”
“Of course you can’t, Mr. Dindi. That’s not the problem. The problem is that I’m the only person who believes grandmammy. No one will listen to us and get off the island! Grandmammy thinks that you may be able to convince the animals on Miyake-jima to leave while there’s still time.”
Dindi looked back at the computer screen, then to Thad. There wasn’t a shred of evidence to back up the thrush’s story. But still… “Thad, if I’ve learned anything in my life, its that when a grandmother is certain of something, there’s got to be a good reason behind it. You fly home now, and tell your grandmammy I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
A few hours later, Dindi was at the Tokyo docks looking for transport to Miyake-jima. Unfortunately, on short notice there were not many options. The island only has a few thousand human inhabitants and the next passenger ferry wasn’t due to depart for two days. The only option he found was a private sailboat, the Kai, which taught traditional Japanese fishing techniques to interested tourists. The boat was leaving right away for the Izu islands, with Miyake-jima its first stop. Perfect.
Perfect, that is, until Dindi spoke with the Captain. “Sorry, um, cat, but I’m all full up with paying customers. What’s the hurry, anyway? The ferry’ll take you there day after tomorrow.”
“I know that, Captain,” replied Dindi. “But I’ve got reason to believe that Mt. Oyama is going to erupt very soon, and so I’ve got to get there right away.”
The captain chortled. “Two things, cat. First thing, if you think a volcano is going to erupt, you should be fighting to get away from it, not toward it. Second, Oyama isn’t going to erupt.”
“YOU’RE WRONG!” shouted Dindi. “Oyama IS going to go off again, and soon!” A couple of the tourists heading on board the Kai turned and looked at the captain with worried looks.
“What’s going on with Mount Oyama?” one of them asked.
“Nothing,” replied the captain with a tight smile. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” As the passengers walked aboard, the captain’s smile vanished. “Now listen here, cat. You almost cost me business. Now move along and wait for that ferry. Believe me, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Oyama’s been quiet for years.”
So Dindi did as the captain asked…for about ten minutes. He hid behind some crates until the captain and his first officer were out of sight, and then, using his camouflage ability, carefully climbed along the mooring line and onto the Kai. Minutes later, still camouflaged, he heard the shouts of the crew as the lines were released and the Kai set sail.
Later that afternoon, when the Kai was far away from Tokyo harbor, Dindi decided to come out of hiding. He reasoned that if a passenger stumbled across a cheetah on the deck, there might be trouble. So with a shake of his tail and body, Dindi’s camouflage disappeared and he became easily visible…just as the first officer walked by.
“Well, what do we have here?” said the first officer. “C’mon, you, let’s go see the captain.”
* * * * * * *
Dindi looked around. There wasn’t much to make a raft with. The hull was too big, and it was sinking faster and faster. The life jackets had been taken by the passengers and crew, so finally Dindi decided to see if he could pull some of the mast, which was already almost in two pieces, into the water. With some strategic chewing, he managed to get the top half separated. With a SPLASH! it fell into the ocean and bobbed like a long skinny cork.
And just in time. Because only a minute or two after Dindi hopped off the deck and onto the mast, the Kai, with a shudder of twisting metal and splintering wood, flipped on her side and then disappeared under the surface of the water. Perched precariously on the mast, Dindi was alone in the vast ocean.
“Hmmm,” thought the cheetah to himself. “Now what?”
Dindi drifted off to sleep. He was awakened later in the afternoon by the sound of bump-bump-bumping against the mast. He looked around. The skies were clear, and the seas were calm. So what was causing the bump-bump-bumping? He looked down, and as he did so, Dindi’s heart sank. For there, in the water, were several dozen cookie-cutter sharks. They weren’t very large, and if there had been only one or two, Dindi might have been able to fend them off. But not this many Dindi didn’t have a clue about what to do. The sharks were busy at work, gnawing at the mast from the underside. If they managed to weaken the mast enough, Dindi would end up in the water and at the sharks mercy.
Dindi thought for a minute, then he carefully shinnied along the mast until he came to a spot where a nail hung loosely enough for him to grab it with his mouth. He put the nail in his tail, and then camouflaged the tail to look like seawater. Carefully dipping it in the ocean, he managed to jab a couple of the sharks who swam away. But just as he was beginning to feel confident about his chances, he got a cramp in his tail and dropped the nail.
While he was thinking about what to do next, he felt the mast tremble. A long crack formed along its length. Dindi tried desperately to hold the pieces together, but it was no use – the mast was far too heavy. With a KER-SPLASH! Dindi dropped between the split halves of the mast and into the ocean. Within seconds, the hungry sharks surrounded him.
“Well,” said Dindi to the sharks, “I hope you don’t think I’m going down without a fight!” And with that he flicked his two front paws into the face of two sharks, sending each of them sprawling up and out of the water, falling back down with a heavy SPLOOSH! “You want a piece of me?” shouted Dindi. “You think you can take me?”
“Yes we do,” said the remaining sharks. “Yes we think we can.”
At that moment, a shadow blocked the sun for an instant. Dindi looked up. “Strange,” he said to the sharks. “Do you see any clouds?”
The sharks looked around. “Nope, can’t say that we do. Why do you ask?”
“Because I just saw a shadow and I wondered what could have caused it.”
“Well, said the sharks, “we’ll have a look around…after lunch.”
Dindi walked over to his computer and checked the Tokyo news and geological sites. “Thad, I don’t see anything here that suggests Oyama is going to erupt. Sure, it’s smoking, but it’s been doing that for years.” I don’t see why…”
“She knows it’s been smoking, Dindi,” said Thad anxiously. “That’s how she knows the volcano is going to go off. She says the smoke started smelling differently about three days ago. When she was a baby bird, twelve years ago, she remembers smelling that exact same smell just before the last big eruption. She’s been flying over the volcano ever day her whole life, even now when she can’t fly so well anymore. And she says the smell is back, and that the volcano is sure to erupt and so we need your help!”
“Thad, even if your grandmammy is right, what can I do about it? I can’t stop a volcano from erupting.”
“Of course you can’t, Mr. Dindi. That’s not the problem. The problem is that I’m the only person who believes grandmammy. No one will listen to us and get off the island! Grandmammy thinks that you may be able to convince the animals on Miyake-jima to leave while there’s still time.”
Dindi looked back at the computer screen, then to Thad. There wasn’t a shred of evidence to back up the thrush’s story. But still… “Thad, if I’ve learned anything in my life, its that when a grandmother is certain of something, there’s got to be a good reason behind it. You fly home now, and tell your grandmammy I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
A few hours later, Dindi was at the Tokyo docks looking for transport to Miyake-jima. Unfortunately, on short notice there were not many options. The island only has a few thousand human inhabitants and the next passenger ferry wasn’t due to depart for two days. The only option he found was a private sailboat, the Kai, which taught traditional Japanese fishing techniques to interested tourists. The boat was leaving right away for the Izu islands, with Miyake-jima its first stop. Perfect.
Perfect, that is, until Dindi spoke with the Captain. “Sorry, um, cat, but I’m all full up with paying customers. What’s the hurry, anyway? The ferry’ll take you there day after tomorrow.”
“I know that, Captain,” replied Dindi. “But I’ve got reason to believe that Mt. Oyama is going to erupt very soon, and so I’ve got to get there right away.”
The captain chortled. “Two things, cat. First thing, if you think a volcano is going to erupt, you should be fighting to get away from it, not toward it. Second, Oyama isn’t going to erupt.”
“YOU’RE WRONG!” shouted Dindi. “Oyama IS going to go off again, and soon!” A couple of the tourists heading on board the Kai turned and looked at the captain with worried looks.
“What’s going on with Mount Oyama?” one of them asked.
“Nothing,” replied the captain with a tight smile. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” As the passengers walked aboard, the captain’s smile vanished. “Now listen here, cat. You almost cost me business. Now move along and wait for that ferry. Believe me, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Oyama’s been quiet for years.”
So Dindi did as the captain asked…for about ten minutes. He hid behind some crates until the captain and his first officer were out of sight, and then, using his camouflage ability, carefully climbed along the mooring line and onto the Kai. Minutes later, still camouflaged, he heard the shouts of the crew as the lines were released and the Kai set sail.
Later that afternoon, when the Kai was far away from Tokyo harbor, Dindi decided to come out of hiding. He reasoned that if a passenger stumbled across a cheetah on the deck, there might be trouble. So with a shake of his tail and body, Dindi’s camouflage disappeared and he became easily visible…just as the first officer walked by.
“Well, what do we have here?” said the first officer. “C’mon, you, let’s go see the captain.”
* * * * * * *
Dindi looked around. There wasn’t much to make a raft with. The hull was too big, and it was sinking faster and faster. The life jackets had been taken by the passengers and crew, so finally Dindi decided to see if he could pull some of the mast, which was already almost in two pieces, into the water. With some strategic chewing, he managed to get the top half separated. With a SPLASH! it fell into the ocean and bobbed like a long skinny cork.
And just in time. Because only a minute or two after Dindi hopped off the deck and onto the mast, the Kai, with a shudder of twisting metal and splintering wood, flipped on her side and then disappeared under the surface of the water. Perched precariously on the mast, Dindi was alone in the vast ocean.
“Hmmm,” thought the cheetah to himself. “Now what?”
Dindi drifted off to sleep. He was awakened later in the afternoon by the sound of bump-bump-bumping against the mast. He looked around. The skies were clear, and the seas were calm. So what was causing the bump-bump-bumping? He looked down, and as he did so, Dindi’s heart sank. For there, in the water, were several dozen cookie-cutter sharks. They weren’t very large, and if there had been only one or two, Dindi might have been able to fend them off. But not this many Dindi didn’t have a clue about what to do. The sharks were busy at work, gnawing at the mast from the underside. If they managed to weaken the mast enough, Dindi would end up in the water and at the sharks mercy.
Dindi thought for a minute, then he carefully shinnied along the mast until he came to a spot where a nail hung loosely enough for him to grab it with his mouth. He put the nail in his tail, and then camouflaged the tail to look like seawater. Carefully dipping it in the ocean, he managed to jab a couple of the sharks who swam away. But just as he was beginning to feel confident about his chances, he got a cramp in his tail and dropped the nail.
While he was thinking about what to do next, he felt the mast tremble. A long crack formed along its length. Dindi tried desperately to hold the pieces together, but it was no use – the mast was far too heavy. With a KER-SPLASH! Dindi dropped between the split halves of the mast and into the ocean. Within seconds, the hungry sharks surrounded him.
“Well,” said Dindi to the sharks, “I hope you don’t think I’m going down without a fight!” And with that he flicked his two front paws into the face of two sharks, sending each of them sprawling up and out of the water, falling back down with a heavy SPLOOSH! “You want a piece of me?” shouted Dindi. “You think you can take me?”
“Yes we do,” said the remaining sharks. “Yes we think we can.”
At that moment, a shadow blocked the sun for an instant. Dindi looked up. “Strange,” he said to the sharks. “Do you see any clouds?”
The sharks looked around. “Nope, can’t say that we do. Why do you ask?”
“Because I just saw a shadow and I wondered what could have caused it.”
“Well, said the sharks, “we’ll have a look around…after lunch.”
"We'll have a look around...after lunch"
The cookiecutters surrounded Dindi and began swimming slowly toward him. Dindi’s claws were ready, and he figured that if he camouflaged himself it would buy him a little extra time, when…
From the sky, in an explosion of black and white wings and orange-yellow talons, the sea around Dindi was roiling with a dozen Stellar’s eagles, each taking on one of the sharks.
One bird, the largest of them all, hovered above Dindi. “Grab onto my talons!” she shouted.
From the sky, in an explosion of black and white wings and orange-yellow talons, the sea around Dindi was roiling with a dozen Stellar’s eagles, each taking on one of the sharks.
One bird, the largest of them all, hovered above Dindi. “Grab onto my talons!” she shouted.
“Grab onto my talons!” she shouted.
“Excuse me?” asked Dindi.
“I’m sorry. You are in a position to discuss? Such a cheetah I have not seen before. Maybe I should have said, ‘Grab onto my talons if you want to live!’ There are lot more sharks in the water than you can see, and we can’t hold them off forever.”
“But aren’t you’re …and I’m a…”
“Oy! I should have said, Thad sent us. We’re on our way to Miyake-jima.”
“Well,” said Dindi, “in that case I’d be delighted.” The cheetah lifted his front paws over his head, and felt the strong pull of talons against his fur. With a few powerful beats of her enormous wings, the eagle and the cat rose above the ocean and flew south toward a green island with a large smoking mountain rising from its middle.
“Welcome to Miyake-jima,” said the eagle as they landed on the northern edge of the island.
“Thank you for saving my life. I don’t even know your name.”
“It’s Stella, Dindi-san.”
“Stella the Stellar’s Eagle? I should have known. Anyway, now that I’m here, do you know where I can find Thad and his grandmother?
That’s easy, said Stella. Thad and his Bubbe are together – in the island’s jail. The local constable had them arrested for disturbing the peace. They were making everyone plotz over the mountain erupting again.
“Wait, don’t you believe them?” asked Dindi. “I assumed, since you came to get me, that you were on their side.”
“Side, shmide,” said Stella. “What do I know from volcanos? Thad’s family and mine are old friends, so this favor I was happy to do. But this meshugenah idea about Mount Oyama?
“I’m not so sure, Stella. They seem pretty convinced, and if it’s true that Thad’s grandmother was alive back when Oyama last erupted, maybe she does know what she’s talking about. Anyway, I’d like to find out if I can. Can you point the way to town?”
“Come on, bubbelah, it’s just over the hill. I would fly you, but I’m already schvitzing like you woudn’t believe.”
The eagle and the cheetah crossed highway 214 and headed into town. As they walked, Dindi noticed a large metal pole with what looked like a dozen enormous trumpets on the top
“Stella, what’s that?” Dindi asked, pointing to the pole.
“I’m sorry. You are in a position to discuss? Such a cheetah I have not seen before. Maybe I should have said, ‘Grab onto my talons if you want to live!’ There are lot more sharks in the water than you can see, and we can’t hold them off forever.”
“But aren’t you’re …and I’m a…”
“Oy! I should have said, Thad sent us. We’re on our way to Miyake-jima.”
“Well,” said Dindi, “in that case I’d be delighted.” The cheetah lifted his front paws over his head, and felt the strong pull of talons against his fur. With a few powerful beats of her enormous wings, the eagle and the cat rose above the ocean and flew south toward a green island with a large smoking mountain rising from its middle.
“Welcome to Miyake-jima,” said the eagle as they landed on the northern edge of the island.
“Thank you for saving my life. I don’t even know your name.”
“It’s Stella, Dindi-san.”
“Stella the Stellar’s Eagle? I should have known. Anyway, now that I’m here, do you know where I can find Thad and his grandmother?
That’s easy, said Stella. Thad and his Bubbe are together – in the island’s jail. The local constable had them arrested for disturbing the peace. They were making everyone plotz over the mountain erupting again.
“Wait, don’t you believe them?” asked Dindi. “I assumed, since you came to get me, that you were on their side.”
“Side, shmide,” said Stella. “What do I know from volcanos? Thad’s family and mine are old friends, so this favor I was happy to do. But this meshugenah idea about Mount Oyama?
“I’m not so sure, Stella. They seem pretty convinced, and if it’s true that Thad’s grandmother was alive back when Oyama last erupted, maybe she does know what she’s talking about. Anyway, I’d like to find out if I can. Can you point the way to town?”
“Come on, bubbelah, it’s just over the hill. I would fly you, but I’m already schvitzing like you woudn’t believe.”
The eagle and the cheetah crossed highway 214 and headed into town. As they walked, Dindi noticed a large metal pole with what looked like a dozen enormous trumpets on the top
“Stella, what’s that?” Dindi asked, pointing to the pole.
That’s one of the volcano emergency sirens.
“That’s one of the volcano emergency sirens. They are all around the island. You hear the siren, you know it’s time to go.”
“Where are they controlled?” asked Dindi.
“There is an observation tower near the top of the mountain. The big red button is there. Push it, and oy! Such a noise you won’t believe!”
“Where are they controlled?” asked Dindi.
“There is an observation tower near the top of the mountain. The big red button is there. Push it, and oy! Such a noise you won’t believe!”
Such a noise you won’t believe!
“Got it. Well, Stella, if you’re game, we’ve got a job to do. We’ve got to get Thad and his grandma out of jail, find out if the mountain really is about to blow, and if it is, we have to warn the island.”
“Will it be dangerous?” Stella asked.
“Probably.”
“Will we succeed?”
“Hard to say.”
“Will we get into trouble?”
Dindi laughed. “Oh yes. Trouble we will get into.”
Stella’s eyes twinkled. “Then I’m in!”
They rounded a corner, and the police station came into view. “Stella, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
FINISH THE STORY.
1. Try to find Thad and his grandmother.
2. Release them – one way or another.
3. Gather some more evidence about the volcano.
4. If grandmammy is right, then get to that red button and push it!
5. Help the animals of Miyake-jima get off the island safely.
THIS STORY IS DUE ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19
“Will it be dangerous?” Stella asked.
“Probably.”
“Will we succeed?”
“Hard to say.”
“Will we get into trouble?”
Dindi laughed. “Oh yes. Trouble we will get into.”
Stella’s eyes twinkled. “Then I’m in!”
They rounded a corner, and the police station came into view. “Stella, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
FINISH THE STORY.
1. Try to find Thad and his grandmother.
2. Release them – one way or another.
3. Gather some more evidence about the volcano.
4. If grandmammy is right, then get to that red button and push it!
5. Help the animals of Miyake-jima get off the island safely.
THIS STORY IS DUE ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19