Chapter 65
Jelly
We passed several other islands on our way straight west. A cold front had swept in. Our noses were wet, and the constant brisk wind kept tears in our eyes.
The goblins were on deck laboring over disassembling a new catch. The strangest creature lay sprawled on deck.
“You must have seen something like this before,” I said.
“Never ever,” said Ella. “Not this color; not this big.”
A massive gloop of pink slime lay at the prow of the galleon. The deck could be seen through the pink creature. Goblins wrestled long squirming tentacles that lapped around all the raised bends and tangled with the flora.
“If one goblin can’t do it, add another,” said Barnacle-eyes. “That’s what Slime-tooth used to say.”
“Also,” said Always-missing, “If another can’t do it, add another. Keep adding goblins until what can’t be done can be done.”
“All snots on deck,” hollers Barnacle-eyes.
“Please, thank you!”
“Aye Aye, Admiral!”
“We need every snot available to chop up the monster jellyfish!”
“Please thank you!”
“Aye aye, Admiral!”
“Sending some help!” Cried Soft-song.
One of his two jolly boat crew mates clambers up the hull and leapt over the taffrail—Remember-not! Of course, she was training under Captain Soft-song this week!
She paused over a tendril of jellyfish, then dove to the deck and grappled the tentacle like a mad cat. The jellyfish slurped when it moved. Goblin elbows and knees banged against the deck. Nearly a hundred growls and grunts rose from the attack. We heard an occasional hiss too. Within the hour, the monster jellyfish had been chopped up, the sloops had been rounded in, and goblins were feasting while nursing their stung hands and stung tongue.
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“I wonder what… Ella?”
She had been right beside me. She wasn’t in the crow’s nest. She wasn’t on the main mast at all! How could a yellow puffball have gone out of sight so quickly! That was when I heard squishing coming from the hollow of the mast. A slimy pink dome rose from the hole. But how could it still move after the goblins chopped it up! Trembling, teeth chattering, I scrambled for my hammer and brandished it. I would protect Ella.
The pink dome slipped right out of the hole and fell splat on the floor. Ella popped out of the hole right after it.
“Snagged a piece!” she said. “Are you excited? I’ve never had jellyfish before.”
My heart was racing. I set the hammer against the wall and plopped down. “I thought…”
“You all right?” said Ella. “Your rib?”
“You scared me, that’s all.
With her teeth she ripped a strip of pink jelly away. “Here, let’s take this adventure together.”
Still shaking, I sat with Ella at the threshold of the crow’s nest. …What a strange food!
A goblin below said it best when he quoted Slime-tooth. “If it looks good and it tastes good and it sits well in the belly, it’s good for you!”
“I’m one hundred percent sure Slime-tooth never said half of these things,” said Ella.
“It’s all bits and pieces from the Slime-tooth in our game.”
“Even Barnacle-eyes is starting to collect them.”
She held up a strip of the pink jellyfish between us and peered through. “You look purple,” she said.
“You look orange!”
Giggling and chuckling, chuckling and giggling, we stuffed our faces with pink jellyfish. Much crunchier than I would have ever thought!
“Do you ever think about the original besties?” said Ella after we split a dreambon in half.
“From time to time, a lot more after meeting with Thrush and the elder red bestie.”
“I wonder if they really had clear coats or silver coats. I really hope to meet more besties. Wouldn’t it be nice to connect?”
“It’s a little scary…”
“Maybe the monsters! We’re bringing Belut home. There’s gotta be a lot more like him there. …But meeting besties won’t be scary!”
“I think it is. What if they reject us? What if it’s dangerous to get there?”
“I see. We’re going together, and if we ever need, we can call Thrush or Barnacle-eyes for help.”
“...Do you think we could sell more warm-warm beer?”
“The red loved Hawkin’s beer.”
“...You know what I’m looking forward to the most? Creating memories with you. Collecting moments in time and exploring where no bestie has ever gone. I want to bring stories back to the blue besties one day and share everything with them.”
“Are you missing home?”
The sun glinted in millions of pieces on the sea. The dark sea forever moved. The wind tousled our fur.
“...Just anxious.”
Barnacle-eyes called for the capstan to be churned. Sails needed to be raised. Lines needed to be tethered. The wind was strong and we still had sea to cross. It was time to leap from rig to rig!