The four arrived at another giant coconut but this one was different. It was purple and reeked immensely. Elise's button nose wrinkled. "Why does it smell so icky?"

Tito chuckled. "This coconut is as old as my gramps!"

"Shouldn't gramps move to another one," Archibell said, pinching his nose. "Like a retirement coconut?"

"Nope," Tito said. "It's the greatest honor for a person of the Helloha tribe to live in a coconut from birth to death."

"A very smelly honor," Archibell said as they entered.

Unfortunately, the smell did get better when they entered, in fact, it snelled ten times worse.

The milky texture of the inside of the coconut mixed with the mildew and mold, creating a truly repugnant sensation that made Elise's nose want to hop off her face and go on a permanent vacation. It was cold, cavernous and damp as well.

At the end of the coconut, was an elderly man as pale as the sheets himself. He was frail and sickly and it was hard to believe that a kid as braggart as Tito was his descendant. He reminded her of Sei, but much tinier with a large rounded head.

Javier, the head advisor stood by the elder, holding a torch over him to warm his bones. He looked distrustfully at Elise and her friends. "Weren't you suppose to leave out fair island and never return?"

"Never mind that," Tito shouted. "Gramps! I've found a bunch of heroes who can protect us from Rotten Rogers."

The old man opened one of his squinted eyes. "Good...Tito…" he rasped. "Who….are they…?,"

"Elise McGill," Elise said, proudly stepping forward.

Tony Da Troutface," Tony barked, proudly from Elise's hands.

"And you already know me," the captain said, "But in case you don't, Captain Jonas Archibell...the great….and a half."

The elder turned to Javier. "Why's the last guy….naked?"

"I don't know!" Archibell shouted. "I wish someone would tell me!"

"Does...that..mean…" the elder said, with a sickly chortle. "That Tito...you are ready to...lead our village?"

Suddenly Tito lost all traces of the manly confidence Elise thought he possessed. His shoulders shrank away and he mumbled beneath his breath. "Uh...no...I uh…"

"That...day…" Elder Kolama said, "Is coming soon...and you will have to perform…the Hellohaian Rite of Passage….that only those of my bloodline can do…"

Again, Tito displayed no such confidence he had when playing with a whale or outsmarting Archibell.

"What's wrong," Archibell cawed. "Live trout in your pants?"

"What?" Tito stammered. "No!"

"I can arrange that," Archibell said, eyeing Tony.

"Don't try it, pally," Tony shouted.

The bickering was interupted by a loud gunshot that reverberated throughout the purple coconut.

Everyone looked to the entranceway, where a tall weedy looking man stood with a smoking gun. He had a hooked nose like the beak of a culture, shifty eyes, a red bandana and a leather vest and pants.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Eek!" Elise screamed. "Rotten Rogers!"

The pirate gave a scratchy, throaty laugh. "Narr...I be Terrible Tom, me Captain's fearsome second mate."

"Second mate?!" Archibell said, raising an eyebrow. "Your captain doesn't trust his first mate with this sordid business?"

Terrible Tom growled, looking very annoyed. "The cap'ms first mate, Nasty Ned is a more hands on person if you know what I mean."

"What do you mean?" Elise asked innocently. "It's a long story, and I only be here for a short time."

Archibell gasped and everyone turned to him. The good captain turned paler than a ghost.

"Nasty Ned?" He nearly choked. "Sever my tentacle and call me a septopus. I killed that scurvy scoundrel in front of Rotten's singular eye. How does he still sail in the seas of the living?"

"Ah!" Terrible Tom rasped. "Jonas Archibell. I've heard blood curdling stories from the cap'm about you. Let's just say, Nasty Ned had another chance at reanimation...and both him and the cap'm are dying to see you pushing up sea anemones."

Now it was Elise's turn to shiver. What did Terrible Tom mean by 'reanimation.' Had Nasty Ned made a deal with the sea reaper and now he sailed the seas as a moldy sea zombie? It was much too frightening to think of.

"Now…" Terrible Tom said," A pirate ultimatum if you will. Surrender this island's greatest treasure or we shall lay waste to every single person on this island, including you."

The elder, despite being in such pain and misery, turned away from Tom. Javier spoke instead. "Give up the crystal coconut? The source of our islands life and vitality? You'd have to pluck it from our corpses before we'd hand it to you."

A sharp blade-like grin spread on Terrible Tom's face. "Stealing from corpses is what we do best. Other than the mandatory looting and pillaging. Speaking of which…"

Terrible Tom whipped out a murky, grey mushroom and chucked it on the floor and smoke erupted. There was a gunshot, followed by a scream and when the smoke disapaited, Tom was gone and Javier was lying on the floor holding his arm.

Elise, Archibell and Tony all kept Javier company as he clutched his arm on the floor. The elder had Tito fetch the village doctor, and all they could do is comfort the man as he lay groaning in pain. When Tito returned, he had brought a woman with eyes that matched his. She had long dark hair with a singular white stripe of hair, glasses, a lab-coat and a grass skirt. “You’re the town doctor?” Archibell squawked, clearly astounded by her dignified get-up.

“Were you expecting a witch-doctor?” she responded, dryly. “We aren’t that primitive. I got my PhD on Institution Island like the rest."

The woman looked down at Tito. "Tito, who are these people?”

“They’re my new friends…mom,” Tito said with a smile. “And Archibell.”

“So, you have a mom,” Archibell laughed. “And a silver fox at that.”

“I didn’t come here to get cat-called,” Tito’s mom said, “Or fox-called in this case. Where is Javier?”

“Right here, Astrid,” Javier called from the ground, and Astrid immediately tended to him. She poured an oil that smelled like lemons and coconuts into his wound, causing him to wince. She then proceeded to wrap a gauze like palm leaf around his wound.

“This pirate really got you good,” Astrid said, as she leaned Javier up against the wall of the coconut.

“He got me in my fighting arm too,” the head advisor complained. “Now I can't even protect Elder Kolama from this Rotten scourge.”

“I wouldn’t advise it,” Astrid said, but she was interrupted by the creak of elder Kolama.

“It…is now time…” the elder said. “It is now time for…the young master…to lead the charge…”

Tito turned paler than both the man who had been shot and the elder with ghost blight. Elder Kolama raised a finger. “It is truly a test of your cunning and wit…Tito. Do you…have what it takes…to be the future leader of our people…”

“I…I…” Tito stammered.

“Elder…” Javier said, “With all due respect, this kid is more interested in playing with whales in the bay than leading anything. His greatest accomplishment is putting glow spores in my morning coconut milk.”

“And stealing from innocent pirates,” Archibell added.

"An innocent pirate is an oxymoron," Astrid said, glancing over at Archibell. " Except in your case…."

"Thanks momma docta," Archibell said.

Astrid continued. "You're just a moron."

Once again, Elise was baffled on why Archibell was hated by so many women he had never met...unless...

“That…may…well be…" the elder spoke, "That Tito is young and naive...But every great leader was once a child playing with animals…However… this is in his blood…I’m sure…Tito will…”

But everyone turned to look at the lad, and Tito had run out of the coconut. He left them all standing alone and about to be invaded by a cabal of pirates.