Chapter 126

Big Ella Small Fry

Boggo

Every ship carried huge bulbous sacks of Pinky-chew’s breaths. They were such big sacks that they reminded me of underground chambers back north. A whole bestie family could live inside, or it could be used to fit four goblins, or it could be filled with enough fish to last Thrush an hour! The sacks were instead each filled to bursting with something like gales. In use, every ship of the Admiral’s fleet skipped over troughs from crest to crest. The speed was enough to keep my ears back and pull water from the corners of my eyes.

The goblins weren’t the only ones working hard. Ella and I had been the absolute best lookouts along the voyage. We’d been the ones to first spot the wreckage of goblin freebooter ships. Pinky-chew had been very thankful that we screeched from our crow’s nest. Goblins—desperately treading water—had been fished out and swiftly put to work, and the wreckage had been pulled in by net to be towed.

I worried that our calls weren’t loud enough at times. What could two besties do with such small chests? Especially when one had a bum rib that pinched his lung every once in a while? Still, we had our duties!

Ahead, laying like a well hidden island, was Float-some barge—had to be!

Ella and I pulled in deep breaths. “Maybe-land-ho!”

After a moment, goblins rushed to the prow, but I heard no command. Oh, where was she?

“Barnacle-eyes!” I yelped.

We scanned the galleon.

Ella pointed. “Admiral! …Oh, she’s in a deep sleep.”

Barnacle-eyes was curled up in the hammock-wide leaf of a gigantic onion. Ella pulled another fish-on-stick out of the mug I carried, slurped down a fry, and then entered the crow’s nest. I followed her down the tunnel of the mast, out of the tunnel which led us on deck, through tunnels in the raised beds, and then we dug ourselves out of the dirt at the giant onion where Barnacle-eyes slept. We climbed the onion and walked on the long bobbing leaf.

I marched right over Barnacle-eyes’ belly. “Hey! Pst! Wake up!”

Ella nudged her, and Barnacle-eyes stirred. “Level…level 900…Almost…silver…almost…mmm…onion…good, so good…” Ella poked her.

The goblin bolted up. “Up! I’m up!” She peered at Ella, then blinked at her. “Wow, Ella!” Barnacle-eyes poked Ella back. “You’re getting bigger and bigger.”

Why, what a thing to say to my dear Ella! If she thinks she’s getting away with something like that…even a truthful thing… “Geez, Barnacle-eyes! She’s just a little poofy today.”

Ella closed her teeth over one small fry and pulled it from the stick. “It’s the humidity,” she said.

“Yeah, it’s the humidity,” I said.

Barnacle-eyes squinted at Ella’s poofy belly. “You look like Thrush after he’s eaten a field of Elodon.”

Ella waved her empty stick around. “Don’t worry about me.” She handed me the bare stick, and she snatched out another fish-on-stick from the mug. “Maybe-land-ho, Admiral! We think it’s Float-some barge.”

Barnacle-eyes flipped off the leaf which bounced high enough to almost knock Ella and me off our feet. The Admiral hit the deck running, shouting. “Spickle-Spack! Pinky-chew! Soft-song!”

Gabby fell from a higher leaf and landed in the dirt with a thud. She woke, gasping out a startled, “Please thank you,” and then she stumbled after Barnacle-eyes.

Stumble-not was suddenly there, rounding the onion. “As requested, Captain Ella!” He held out another mug of fish-on-sticks, and I traded my empty one with his.

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“Back to our posts!” said Ella.

∞

The sails were lowered as we approached. Goblins crowded both port and starboard. The fleet tightened formation.

Float-some barge had both us speechless. It was like one big goblin freebooter ship; but it was an island, not a ship. Mixed material constructed the floating base and the buildings atop it. There were trunks of bleached trees, the perimeter was stuffed with sticks, scraps of metal shone in the sun every here and there, rope-bound boards were erected atop similar structures, and hundreds of canvases flapped in the sea wind. The foundation was uneven, and it seemed that for every goblin on the island, another was constructing or deconstructing some structure.

Ella nudged me and pointed at the water. A raft, filled with goblins, sailed straight for the galleon from Float-some barge. They hauled a long tinkling chain. A stocky goblin stood and crossed his arms.

“I be The-pushes! Who be yer big ‘un?”

Barnacle-eyes scratched her head and then said, “Uh, I think I’m the big ‘un.” Her goblins nodded vigorously. “Yup, that’s me! I’m Admiral Barnacle-eyes.”

“Don’t come any closer!” said The-pushes. “It be for yer safety. We’ve got beavers.”

“Beavers?”

“The beavers will disassemble yer ships. Anchor on the chain!” The-pushes heaved the end of the hauled chain out of the water. Dark sea water sluiced over the links.

“Churn the capstan!” said Barnacle-eyes, and flags were waved to communicate with the rest of the fleet.

“Please thank you!”

“Moor on the chain!”

“Please thank you!”

The-pushes and his goblins must have arrived at the hull port side—I couldn’t see him, but I could hear him. “We be boarding?” he said.

Barnacle-eyes leaned over the taffrail as the ship lurched. “I’ll give you the galleon tour!”

Goblins climbed the netting which held wreckage. Goblin hands pulled up goblin hands and feet and ears. The ears came up with “Ouch”s. Barnacle-eyes was pulling goblins aboard like she was reeling rope.

One of the goblins embraced her in a flash. “Barnacle-eyes? Barnacle-eyes from Lavenfauvish! It’s me, Pock-ears! Wasn’t sure if you were just telling me what I wanted to hear back then!” Pock-ears helped pull The-pushes up behind him. “She’s the Admiral with the spit beer I was telling you about.”

“Promise fulfilled!” said Barnacle-eyes, performing a pirouette. “Come to the deck house.”

Boots and bare feet slapped the wet deck. Barnacle-eyes led the goblins with a skip and a hum.

“Do you remember Pock-ears?” said Ella.

“I didn’t spend much time at Green-fin.”

Ella rummaged the now almost empty mug of fish-on-sticks. “Let’s go get some dreambons.”

Dreambons? “We had a dozen this morning!”

Round as a barrel, Ella dove head first down the tunnel of the mast. I scampered after her, careful not to lose any fish-on-sticks. With claws digging into the wood, we spiraled down. Through the wood I heard the shroud brush the mast. And as the ship swayed with the waves, it felt like I was climbing down the shaft of a swinging pendulum.

Near the tunnels which met at the cargo hold, goblin laughter pealed from the deckhouse; so did their muffled conversation.

“Brought some mud oysters to share,” said The-pushes.

Ella skidded to a halt, turned, and ran down the tunnel which led to the deckhouse. “Did you hear that? Oysters!”

“Ella, stop. Wait! …I’m not sure we’re invited.”

We paused at the tunnel exit which dumped us out into the corner of the deckhouse behind a stack of filled barrels filled with planks. We only paused because I held Ella back.

“There’s several things you need to know before you set toe on Float-some barge,” said The-pushes.

“Several, several things!” said Pock-ears.

“It’s constantly under construction,” said The-pushes

“Constantly! Like, all the time; even now,’ said Pock-ears.

“It’s a paradise out here, believe me.”

“Believe me, you should believe him.”

I lowered my voice. “Maybe we should head back.”

“Where are they?” said Ella. “I can’t see the oysters!”

“Float-some barge attracts all the ships and all the wrecks and all the things that float,” said The-pushes. “Beavers too!”

“Oh, the beavers!” said Pock-ears. “They’re like sloop rats but worse. And they’re all over the place. Slapping around with their webbed feet! Stealing over here. Stealing over there.”

“The beavers built the bottom of this island. With some goblin hard-thinking, we’ve been able to build on top of it. Problem is, they keep taking our material to expand the island, and then we have to take their material to build higher.”

“And on and on top, and on and on top it goes, just like that.”

“So we’re safe here?” said Barnacle-eyes.

“Should be. Keep your distance, and you’ll keep your ships.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? We’ve got lots of spit beer to drink together!”

Ella ripped small fry off another fish-on-stick. “I’m so hungry,” she said.

I peered down at my mug which was once again empty.