The Dead Pirate’s Cave

By Soumya Sundar Mukherjee

Present: Waiting for Dawn

The dark waves of the great Indian Ocean crashed at the bottom of our ship. I lay on the gently swaying deck and listened to the sound of water. At a distance, the darker silhouette of the island waited for us with a silent malice.

We were supposed to go there at sunrise, and, perhaps, never return.

Captain Natwar walked past me, eyeing my shivering body with compassionless eyes. Pawan crawled by my side and asked, “What do you think will happen tomorrow, Sima?”

Pawan’s fate was even worse than mine. As I was the inventor’s daughter, sometimes the crew members gave an extra bit of bread to me. But Pawan, a thin boy of my age, had to really earn his food by the sweat of his brow. And that was expected. Pirates were never noted for their hospitality.

I said, “The worst? We’ll die.”

“But do you really believe that the treasure’s real?” he asked, his face glowing with excitement.

I smiled. “What could we do with it if it is? Both of us are probably going to die in that forest or in the cave - either at the hands of the wild things in the forest or in an explosion in the cave or at the hands of that monster.”

“The monster!” Pawan mused. “When I was serving ale to the captain and the first mate this evening, they were talking about it. The captain said that it was far more ferocious than a Royal Bengal tiger. He was the first mate of the notorious Captain Dash, you know.”

“And then Captain Dash sealed the entrance with explosive booby traps,” I yawned. “Yeah, I know the story, boy. That’s what’s expected from a pirate to protect his treasure for the ages. I wish I could meet him for once.”

“Meet Captain Dash?” Pawan stared at me as if he couldn’t believe his ears. “He was not, you know, one of the friendliest people. He was cruel, bloodthirsty and clever as a fox. Besides, he is dead. Why do you have such a deadly wish?”

I looked at the dark island from our anchored ship. “I just want to ask him what exactly happened to my mom when they visited the island for the last time.”

Past: Old Friends

They came with two revolvers and one shotgun to our house and since Dad was incapable of moving, I had to open the door for the unwelcome guests. They replied in a civil manner by shoving a revolver on my face.

“Don’t shout,” one of them hissed.

“I won’t, I promise,” I said, trembling with fear.

They had a big wooden case, but there was no way to know what was inside it. They carried it in and placed it beside the door.

“Who’s there, Sima?” Dad asked from his bed.

“Old friends, Alok,” said the one with a scar on his right cheek.

Even from the door, I could see the shock in Dad’s face. But he promptly regained control of himself and calmly said, “Yes, that’s true, Natwar. Where’s the dear Captain?”

Natwar gritted his teeth. “So eager to see old Captain Dash! Remember whom you buried in the island, Alok?”

My dad’s eyes burnt with anger, but he kept silent in front of the three guns.

The tallest one said, “We need your help with something, Alok.”

“You? Need my help?” Dad laughed. “After what you did to me, do you still expect me to humbly serve you pirates with a friendly smile? No, Vipin, time has changed. You killed Ratna, don’t ever forget that.”

“We didn’t kill your wife,” said the man with the shotgun. “Captain Dash took her to that cave. All of us were with you in the ship. Later, you recovered her corpse from outside the cave. Don’t you remember that? We didn’t kill your wife, man; Captain Dash did. You and Dash—both of you were mumbo-jumbo doers and the woman died because of your witchcraft.”

Dad sighed. “It was not witchcraft, Satish. It’s called ‘science,’ but leave it; you’ll never understand.”

“We do understand a little science, Alok, like you press a trigger and crack! You got a dead man. Enough for our business,” Natwar pointed his revolver at me and gestured. “Hey girl! Come here and don’t try to run, or your lame father here will take a bullet.”

I came and sat beside Dad quietly, although my heart was beating very fast. Mom was killed by a pirate? Why hasn’t Dad told me anything about it?

Dad could understand what was going inside my head. He put a hand on my shoulder, as if trying to say, “Don’t worry, I’m still here.”

“What help do you need, Natwar?” Dad asked. “Where’s your captain?”

Natwar said, “The rumour is that Captain Dash is dead.”

Dad laughed so loudly that I started, just like the three pirates. “That’s why you’ve come to me, you greedy jackals. Now I understand it all. You want to visit the Cave of Treasures, don’t you? And who’ll be the new captain, Natwar? You?”

Nobody answered his questions, but their faces told me that Dad was correct every time.

Dad spoke again. “As you can see, old mates, I don’t have legs. I can’t go with you in your treasure hunt.”

“We know that you can’t,” Vipin said. “We’ve decided to take a replacement.”

All three of them stared at me and Dad shouted, “No!”

Vipin smiled like a wolf, knowing that he had hit Dad in his weakest spot.

I hated to give them the satisfaction of seeing my fear. I said, “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll go.”

Dad’s eyes were full of tears. I knew that he was afraid of losing me, but I had to do this. I couldn’t let them get an upper hand on Dad.

Natwar said, “Do you remember, Alok, what gifts you gave to your friend?”

Dad’s face darkened. “I know that I had friends whom I should never have trusted.”

Natwar smiled and gestured to Vipin who started unpacking the big wooden case they had brought with them. The metallic right hand came out first, and then the torso. I could see the horror of recognition in Dad’s eyes.

“What’s this, Dad?” I asked.

“One of my greatest mistakes,” Dad replied.

Shotgun Satish reverently said, “A dangerous piece of witchcraft—this thing, I say.”

“Who’s this friend of yours?” I asked again, still looking at the unboxing of this strange thing.

“Oh, you don’t know!” Natwar laughed like a demon. “Perhaps your father forgot to tell you about him. Why don’t you tell her his name, Alok?”

I stared at Dad. His jaws tightened as he lowered his eyes and said, “Yes, Sima, Captain Dash was my friend.”

Present: To the Island

Morning arrived with the squawking of seagulls. The eastern horizon poured bright blood over the waves as the red sun gradually started moving upwards. On the deck, the sailors were getting ready. Captain Natwar and Vipin came to the place where I was standing with Pawan. Natwar said, “Pawan, this’ll be your test. If you fail…” He made a gesture of slicing his own throat.

Pawan nodded. “I know.”

Pawan had told me the story he had told to these pirates. The infamous Captain Dash spent his last days in his house. Captain Dash, a paying guest in Pawan’s household, had been suffering from a high fever and passed away recently. The little dagger-locket on the gold chain on Pawan’s neck had belonged to Captain Dash, every one of the pirates confirmed that. “The last gift on his deathbed,” Pawan said, “along with the directions to the cave.”

Vipin said, “If you can’t lead us to the Cave of Treasures, boy, I myself will take the responsibility of flaying you alive.”

Vipin was known for his unique ideas of torturing people. One of the crewmates once told me never to enrage him, for he enjoyed doing bad things to people.

Pawan smiled and said, “I know what you’re capable of, Vipin.”

I liked his courage in the face of imminent danger. Pawan smiled recklessly at me, and I could see the twinkle of mischief in his eyes. It’s good to have a friend who can keep a cool head in time of need. The thought gave me a little hope as I looked around us. The blue waves of the Indian Ocean were streaked with ever-changing white lines of foam. The morning air seemed so cold on the deck that I rubbed my hands together to keep myself warm.

“Lower the boats,” Natwar ordered.

Satish came over with his shotgun and nudged us from behind. “Get in the boats.”

The two motorboats sped over the water to the island. The green of the island was very soothing to the eyes against the dazzling blue of the sea-waves in the bright morning.The sun was comfortably warm upon my skin. The whirring sound of the motorboat, the seagulls overhead and the waves under the boat—all of it made the journey quite pleasant, even though I knew that it was going to be just the opposite of ‘pleasant’ once we set foot on the island.

“They say that the treasure consists of kilos of gold coins and jewellery,” Pawan whispered in my ear, the dagger-locket dangling from his neck as he leaned over. “All the loot that Captain Dash hid. Can you imagine how big that is?”

Perhaps Pawan doesn’t know that a pirate’s gold is always stained with blood. The thought reminded me of Dad and I tried not to cry.

Shotgun Satish came a little forward, probably to listen to what we were talking about.

I said, “You know, Pawan, I’ve no interest in the treasure. All I know is that my father lost his legs and my mother lost her life because of this cursed treasure. I’ll be the happiest person on Earth if this whole thing goes to hell for good.”

“A little girl on the ship is already a bad thing,” Shotgun Satish growled. “Don’t bring more bad omens by speaking ill of the treasure, I warn you.” He pointed his shotgun at me.

Superstitious pirate! My heart was beating faster as we neared the shore. From here, we could see the yellow shoreline and the greenery behind it. At a distance, we could see the topmost portion of a brown hill with green patches that stood like a giant from fairy tales.

Somewhere near that hill, Dad had buried Mom’s body.

Natwar jumped on the low water and waded to the beach. Vipin went after him, an AK-47 slung around his shoulder. Shotgun Satish ordered us to follow, “Move, you two.”

There was another man named Rahul with us. He was a short, bearded man with a long sword in his hand. Satish had told us that he was one of the finest swordsmen in all Southwest Asia. I wondered why they needed the swordsman when they had all the guns, but I didn’t ask.

The beach was full of soft yellow sand. The forest waited for us beyond a mile from the beach. We could see the grey outline of the hill from here. In this forest, my Dad placed two… But I had no time to finish the thought.

As we gathered on the beach, Natwar said, “Now, Pawan, show us the map again.”

Pawan hesitated for a moment. Natwar said, “I don’t have all day, boy. When I tell you to show it to me, you show it to me. Remember, I can easily cut your hand from your shoulder and use it as my portable guide to the treasure.” He gestured at the naked sword in Rahul’s hand, dazzling in the morning light.

Pawan rolled up his shirtsleeve and for the first time, I could see the map tattooed on his forearm. The pirates surrounded him like dung-beetles over a fresh heap of cow dung. He looked at me and said, “Captain Dash drew it himself a few days before his death. He gave me a gold coin for the pain of making the tattoo and made me promise to always wear full-sleeve shirts.”

Shotgun Satish added, “Captain Dash never trusted any one of us.”

For good reason.

“And you,” Natwar turned to me, “You need to keep our journey through the jungle and the cave safe. What your father gave to that damned captain is your responsibility now. If you fail, you know what will happen to your father.” He showed me the satellite phone bulging in his pocket. “I just need to send one voice command.”

“Don’t do anything to Dad,” I said. “Please. I’ll do what I can, I promise.”

“Good,” Natwar said. “Now Satish, you and Rahul will be at the front of the line. The kids will be at the middle and Vipin and I’ll cover the rear. Let’s move, guys. The treasure of Captain Dash is waiting for us.”

“Yay!” Vipin and Satish yelled together. Rahul only smiled. He was not very fond of speaking, I had noticed.

Just then, there was a little tremor in the ground. Earthquake? Or something else? Satish and Rahul started walking toward the forest anyway, as if they didn’t feel it. Pawan mouthed at me, “Let’s go.”

I sighed. My dad had created some monsters and let them roam free in the forest. Now it was my job to stop them. Somehow.

Past: Dad’s Story

They unpacked the robot and activated it. The red lights in its eye-sockets sparked with life. “Do you remember him, creator?” Vipin asked.

“I remember every mistake of my life, Vipin,” Dad said. “With much regret.”

“The personal bodyguard you once made for Dash will be your jailor now,” Natwar clarified. “If your daughter disobeys us, she’ll be killed, you know that. But she must know that if she takes some reckless step like fleeing from us, I only need to give the jailor a voice command over the sat phone and her father’s head will be separated from his body.”

The jailor robot stood like a statue. I looked at Dad’s face and knew at once that Natwar was not bluffing. The robot could really do what he just told us.

“Why do you want to take her?” Dad asked, though I sensed that he already knew the answer.

The three pirates laughed. Natwar said, “Don’t you know why, old buddy? The beautiful things Captain Dash made you release in the forest, they smell humans. They know yours and Dash’s smells as the only friendly ones. Dash is already dead and you are a legless and useless man. But your daughter will serve the purpose. Those things will smell you in her and thus we can go safely to the cave. If possible, we can also kill those things with a little help from her.”

“What if they can’t smell Dad in me?” I asked suddenly.

“Then I promise we’ll give your dead body a fine burial,” Vipin said, showing his uneven teeth. “At least what’ll be left of it.”

Dad said, “Just do me a little favour, Natwar.”

Natwar said, “A favour? From me? Just ask for it, dear scientist.”

“I need some time with my daughter. Alone.”

The three pirates looked at each other and I could see them decide that it was a harmless enough request. Natwar said, “Well, your wish is granted, old friend. We’re leaving for now. One hour, max. The jailor will be here to keep an eye on both of you, of course.”

Dad nodded. The three of them left while the jailor’s red eyes stared at us from its lidless sockets. As soon as they went out of sight, the expression on Dad’s face changed. He straightened his body and said in an urgent tone of voice, “Listen carefully, Sima. We don’t have much time.”

I listened with rapt attention as Dad began his story:

In your life, you meet a lot of people. Some of them are good, some are bad, and some are very, very bad. Captain Dash belonged to this last group.

He was a scientist – at least that’s how I knew him at first. He was a biochemist preoccupied with the search for an element that could prolong a man’s life indefinitely. He wanted to find the mythical elixir of life and he believed that he would one day be able to make it.

When I first heard that idea from him, I dismissed it as the ravings of a crazy man.

As a scientist, my own field was robotics. I had a theory that I could make a robot more human-like by extracting memories from a living person and uploading them into the brain of the robot. But my research needed a lot of funding, and nobody was willing to invest so much money in a project so fantastic in nature. One of the leading scientists in my field even called my project “visionary, but impossible.”

Imagine my state of mind. I was married to your mother, she was pregnant and my dream project was just dismissed by the Einstein of Robotics. I didn’t have enough money to support my family. I was in such a mess.

Just then my old friend appeared almost out of the blue. One day he came to my door and asked, “Remember me, Alok?”

I could, not by his face, which had changed quite a lot in the past few years since I had seen him last, but by the golden dagger-locket that dangled above the second button-hole of his shirt. I invited him in. I didn’t know then that I was inviting the devil himself to my house.

He knew all about my financial condition. He said that he had himself faced the same problem but he had overcome it. He proposed a high paying job to me. My head started spinning when he told me the amount. “What would I have to do?” I asked.

“You’re good at handling artificial-intelligence, aren’t you?” he said. “I just want to use your talent in that field. You need to build me a few machines according to my specifications.”

I at once agreed.

“There’s another condition,” he said.

“What?”

“Both of you need to come with me to the island where you’ll activate the things I want you to make.”

At first I disagreed, but I had no other way to convince him. I asked Ratna and she, too, agreed, because the money Dash was willing to pay was so big that we could never have earned it in our lifetime.

Dash said, “Take your time, Alok. I need to make preparations myself for the journey. I’m paying you in advance to make things easy for you. I will need at least two years to become fully prepared.”

“Prepared for what?” I asked.

He smiled mysteriously and said, “To complete my own research work.”

The money he gave us solved every problem we were in. He gave me detailed instructions of what kind of robots he wanted. It turned out that he wanted two ferocious machine-beasts that would kill anything that come into their territory. I started building those beasts and ended up with a wolf and a tiger; both of these could smell humans and they would kill anybody except Dash or me. They recognized the smell of our blood as the only friendly ones. Dash also made me write a manual for transferring intelligence into a robot in writing with charts and diagrams.

After that, Dash took me and Ratna in his ship, and only then we realised that we were in the middle of a crew of modern day pirates. And I was helpless in the hands of the villain who used me to build dangerous murderous weapons. Once he became angry with a crew member and just threw him to the wolf on the ship. Then he enjoyed his screams from outside the closed doors. Later we recovered the bloody corpse of the man and caged the beast again.

I knew that I had made the mistake of my life by making a deal with this devil.

He also instructed me to build another robot—the one that Natwar and others referred to as ‘the monster.’ It was by far the most dangerous and most sophisticated thing I had ever built. It was placed inside the Cave of Treasure.

That afternoon he ordered Ratna to go with him to the island. I was locked into a room while the pirates enjoyed my shouts. Captain Dash came back to the ship after almost three hours and Ratna was not with him when he came to my room. I asked him where the hell my wife was and he just said, “Dead.”

I pushed past him and jumped in a boat and rowed madly to the island.

“Don’t go,” the captain shouted from behind, but I was in no mood to listen to him. The wolf and the tiger did nothing to me as I ran past them. In front of the sealed entrance of the Cave of Treasures, I found her lying dead, her body as cold as ice, but without a mark from a single wound. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

You know, Sima, I still think that it was a punishment from God for my greed. I buried her there, crying. I thought of killing myself, but then I remembered your face and I came back to the ship.

The pirates surrounded me and started beating me. Captain Dash laughed and said, “You disobeyed a direct order, Alok, and rowed away me. Break his legs, boys.”

And those bloody pirates started beating me with yells of joy. I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I couldn’t feel my legs.

I’m glad that the villain is gone for good. I know that now I’ve no other alternative to letting you go with them, but this is my final advice to you, my girl: NEVER trust anyone on that ship. Remember what your father paid for believing one who came as a friend.

Present: Wild Metal

We saw the wolf first.

Or perhaps it saw us first.

It was waiting for us behind a tree. The forest was dense enough to prevent us from going in a straight line to the hill where a dead pirate’s treasure waited for us. I could see the excitement in the men’s faces. I was feeling a little excited, too, although I’d never admit it to Pawan, who seemed to think that gold was the most intoxicating thing in the whole world.

Rahul cut the creepers and little branches with the ruthless swiftness of his sword. We moved forward, treading upon the freshly-cut vegetation and leaving a plant-scented trail of destruction behind.

Bloody pirates! Leaving a trail of destruction wherever they went!

Suddenly, Rahul stopped.

“Captain! I think I saw one of them,” said Shotgun Satish.

Before Natwar could reply, the beast came out in the open. I couldn’t take my eyes off my Dad’s creation—so dangerous and so beautiful!

Sunlight dazzled on its silver skin, while its red eyes glared at us, trying to find a weak spot in the group. “Go ahead, girl,” Vipin ordered.

“Yes, go ahead,” Natwar echoed.

Pawan said, “Don’t worry, it’ll smell your father in you, and think that the whole group is friendly.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat and felt my heart beating faster than usual. The beast stared at me as I slowly walked towards it. It sniffed the air and started retreating. The red glare in its eyes softened.

“Now, Rahul!” Natwar roared from behind me.

Rahul jumped upon the beast and in a flash severed its head from its metallic body. “One gone!” Vipin exclaimed.

I didn’t know why tears came to my eyes. I knew that it was not a living animal, but still my whole being wanted to protest against this barbarism. But I could see the bloodlust in their eyes and controlled myself.

“Good job, mate!” Satish patted Rahul’s shoulder.

I looked at Pawan to see his expression and found him gazing at the map on his arm with a stony face, as if he was totally unaware of what just happened. Sometimes I really didn’t understand him.

We walked as Pawan directed the way. The forest seemed to be getting a bit thinner as we progressed.

“The tiger’s behind us,” Vipin shouted.

But thanks to the timely warning, the men were ready. The animal was just as clever as the real Royal Bengal tiger; I never heard it coming. No rustle of paws on leaves, no sound of footsteps, nothing. We could only see its metallic body jumping like a flash of silver lightning under the bright sunlight, missing Natwar by an inch or two as he ducked just in time. It stood firmly on the ground, eyeing us, waiting for our next move.

Intelligent machine! What did you do, Dad?

Something fell from Natwar’s pocket, and I quickly hid it.

Rahul again came bravely forward to face this beast, but this time the machine won. As soon as he jumped with his sword, the tiger promptly moved and hit him on the neck with one powerful paw.

The swordsman fell on the ground and never moved again.

Vipin only said, “Good. One less share for the treasure.”

“It’s your turn, girl,” Natwar said. “Rahul should have waited.”

I moved forward. Although I just saw what it did to Rahul, I was not afraid this time. The animal hesitated as it saw me approach. As I came near it, it sniffed the air, just like the wolf had, and started retreating. “Kill it!” Natwar ordered.

Shotgun Satish and Vipin both fired their weapons. The bright tiger collapsed on the dark green forest floor.

Vipin said, “Look, girl, both of your father’s creations are done for.”

“Great achievement!” I muttered under my breath.

“The monster is still in that cave,” Natwar reminded.

Pawan said, “We’re not very far from it. Look.”

We could see the hill from this part of the forest where the trees were thinner. Before us was a grassland from which the hill was just a short walk away. I had secretly named it Mother’s Home, and the hope of finding some trace of her there made me want to walk faster.

“At last!” Natwar heaved a sigh of relief. “Captain Dash! Your treasure will be mine!”

“Ours!” Vipin reminded him.

“Yes, ours!” Natwar quickly corrected himself.

Present: Mother’s Home

“Nobody’s going inside the cave except you two,” Natwar said.

Pawan and I looked at each other. We were standing in front of the hill, a mound of brownish rock, but here and there were patches of moss that made it look like an alien panther.

We knew that the pirates wouldn’t risk their lives, but still when they told us to go, I realised that the last moment of my life had come. I’ll miss you, Dad.

Pawan, on the other hand, looked excited. “Why so tense, Sima? We’re going to find the treasure of Captain Dash, can you imagine?”

“We’re doing it, you fool!” I said. “We don’t need to imagine it. It’s not just the monster; this cave is booby-trapped with explosives. How are we going to survive that?”

“Leave that to me. Captain Dash told me everything,” he laughed as if this was the greatest joke he made in his entire life.

Vipin aimed his AK-47 at us. “Now get going, kids.”

We started climbing the hill. Pawan said, “Take that right; we need to move to the other side of the hill to find the entrance.”

I climbed according to his instructions. It was not very steep, so the climbing was not very exhausting. We took the right turn and the three pirates vanished from our sight.

Inside this hill the monster we all fear is waiting for us. It was harder to climb after I thought about that.

“Come here, Sima,” Pawan called. “I think I’ve got it.” A giant boulder blocked the end of the path. We had to push it aside with all the strength we could manage and even then, it moved only enough to let us in. The inside of the cave seemed to be pitch dark at first.

“Wait a minute,” Pawan whispered.

We waited until our pupils adjusted to the darkness inside. After a few minutes, we realised that it was not completely dark and could see that the walls of the cave were rough. The tunnel we were in led to a broader space inside. The monster wasn’t visible yet but I prepared myself for anything.

The cave shook with another earthquake. “Come on,” I said, regaining my balance. We had to get this over with.

Pawan followed me closely as we walked over the uneven stones of the tunnel. The large open space inside had several low mounds on its floor. On one of which rested…

Six great iron chests! Captain Dash’s treasure!

“That’s it!” Pawan shouted.

“Shush!” I warned him. “Have you lost it? Do you want to invite the monster or what?”

Pawan grabbed my hand and went to stand in the middle of the cave where the boxes had waited for the touch of human beings for years. “Come on, girl! Let’s have a look at the gold!”

The inside of the cave was silent except for our voices. Where the hell is the guardian monster of this treasure? But instead I asked a different question. “Where are the explosive booby traps, Pawan?” I asked.

Pawan stiffened. “Those were just stories to prevent people from searching for the treasure. Captain Dash was a great liar, you know.”

I know.

“And what about the guardian monster? Is that a legend, too?”

Pawan smiled. “No. That’s very real. In fact, you’re standing on it. Now, I have to kill you, Sima. And all others, too.”

Suddenly it seemed like time had stopped; my head started spinning as the eyes of the thin boy in front of me glowed with an almost unearthly wickedness. “Wake up, Princess!” Pawan’s voice-command echoed from the cave walls.

Then the stones shook under my feet and from under one mound, the monster stood up. It was not very tall, perhaps only six feet, but it had talons like an eagle. Its whole body was made of a white metal, and its eyes were flashing red, just like the tiger and the wolf. It was a robot built to kill. Its long, extremely powerful metallic arms, I thought, could strangle even a horse. The tiger and the wolf would have seemed tame before this monstrosity.

Oh Dad! What’ve you done?

Pawan opened one of the chests and fished out a handful of gold coins. “My gold! After so many years!” He kissed the coins and let them cascade back to the chest.

The monster robot advanced upon me, but Pawan called from behind. “Wait, Princess.”

The walking death halted. I stared at him and said, “Who are you?”

“I am,” Pawan bowed, “the one and only Captain Dash.”

Present: Bloody Pirates

“I needed you to make sure that the wolf and the tiger can be crossed safely,” Pawan said. “I was not sure that they would recognise me in this new form with their lower capacity for smell recognition. To create them, I gave your father the brain of a dying tiger and a dying wolf, and he uploaded their memory in those machines. But you know, they were just beasts! They needed to be tested continuously. That’s why I suggested to Natwar and Vipin to fetch you from your father for this journey.”

“You suggested that!”

“Yes. I came to Natwar and my ex-first mate didn’t even recognise me. I told them that I was there at the deathbed of Captain Dash and that he had told me how to find the treasure. And they fell for everything I’ve told them since then”

The monster stood like a statue. Looking at it, I suddenly had an impossible thought. I tried to reject it the moment it came to me. No, that’s crazy! That can’t be!

“Your dad once called my idea of preparing an elixir of life a delirium. I never forgot that insult and vowed revenge upon him, which, I must say, has been sweet. But, as you can see, I successfully created the elixir. What’s the secret of long life, Sima? Continuing to live in the same body? No, that’s where everybody got it wrong. My elixir gave birth to new cells and destroyed the old ones. It gave me a new body of a teenager. Captain Dash is back in a new container, but with the same old spirit.” He scratched his neck with the dagger-locket.

“What did you do my mom?” My voice trembled.

Captain Dash laughed. “That bit of information I’m not going to share even with you, because you’re intelligent enough to use it against me.” He looked at the robot and ordered, “Kill her, Princess.”

The robot’s metallic hand grabbed my throat.

No time! Do it, you crazy girl! I must be right, or why did Dash want the brain-uploading manual from Dad?

Before it could crush my windpipe, I screamed, “MOM! IT’S ME, SIMA!”

Two things happened at the same time: Captain Dash shouted “No, no, no!” and the robot woman’s grip on my throat loosened as it looked into my eyes with a twinkle of sudden recognition and as much wonder as a machine was capable of displaying. I hugged her metallic body tightly and began crying like a child.

The robot turned to the thin boy trying to hide behind his chests of gold. In a thundering voice, she said, “You traitor! You promised me that you’d spare my husband and my girl in exchange for my life!”

The infamous pirate Captain Dash tried to run, but he was powerless against the machine. Mom caught him by the neck; I could see the anger radiating from the reddish glow of her eyes. I said, “Don’t kill him, Mom!”

The red in her eyes softened as she lowered him on the ground. She walked us out of the cave into the sun, still holding Pawan by the back of his neck, and I followed them.

But there were still people outside who wanted to kill us. The entrance of the cave was surrounded by the three pirates, all pointing their weapons at us. “Good job, kids,” Natwar said. “The monster looks harmless enough. You’ve done well. Now comrades,” He looked at the other two pirates, “kill them all!”

Mom spoke and the three pirates froze. “You need to leave this island. Now. Or you’ll die.” Mom shoved Pawan to the ground.

“You’re in no position to threaten us, junk-lady!” Vipin said.

“Don’t talk about death, you witch!” Satish shouted.

“Kill them!” Natwar demanded again.

Mom did a thing that I never expected her to do. She shouted “Come on, Sima”, and grabbed me by the waist as she rocketed into the air, and there we were: a flying robot-lady with a little girl, going to the seashore. Jets of long, white smoke came from the exhaust pipe from her metal backpack.

It must have been a sight for those sky-watching pirates! “To the ship!” I said. We landed on the boat and rowed quickly to the almost empty ship. The two or three pirates still on the ship were no problem for Mom.

Epilogue

“Your father invented an earthquake predictor,” she said. “You experienced a few quakes on the island, didn’t you? I detected radon emission from the rocks underneath it. The island had been gradually sinking into the sea for years; my robotic sensors were telling me so. They’re not going to make it. It will be gone within two days.”

I had bought a hat, overcoat, sunglasses and trousers for Mom. As we walked to our house, I showed her Natwar’s sat phone. I had stolen it when they were busy fighting the tiger. She made a noise like a laugh and said, “your dad’s genius was inherited.”

The morning sun felt refreshingly warm after so many days in the sea. I knocked on our door. The jailor didn’t get a chance to make a noise. Its severed head flew like a golf ball to the ceiling.

“Who’s there?” Dad called from his bed. “Sima, is that you?”

“Yes, Dad,” I announced. “I’ve brought someone with me.”

Even from this distance, I knew that Dad had recognized who it was. The teardrops on his cheeks were unmistakable.