CHAPTER 7
It was hard to fall back asleep that night, but Gabby, Miles, and Skylar were exhausted enough that they finally slept. In the morning, they woke up starving.
Miles tried to eat a strip of the dried fish, but the taste almost made him throw up.
“We can’t eat this,” he said. “I don’t think it’s safe.” He looked like he was going to cry. Then he tossed the fish overboard.
As the hours went on, Gabby began to cough more and more. Skylar’s sunburn hurt really badly, and it was starting to blister.
All three of them were moving very slowly. More than half of their water was gone.
“Look!” Gabby said, sitting up. She pointed at the sky with a shaky finger. “Who knew flamingos lived this far north?” she asked. “Or do you think we floated all the way down to Florida?”
Miles and Skylar looked where she was pointing. There were no birds of any kind.
“Either way, if they’re here,” Gabby said, “we must be near land.”
“You should try to sleep,” Miles told Gabby.
Gabby lay back down, but didn’t close her eyes. She just stared up at the sky.
Skylar looked upset. “Gabby is seeing things,” she whispered to Miles. “I’m really worried about her.”
“Me too,” Miles said quietly.
“There’s another one,” Gabby said, pointing again.
Miles didn’t look up. Skylar peered into the bright sky. Then she gasped. “Look, Miles!” Skylar said.
Miles rolled his eyes. “You’re seeing things too, huh?” he said.
“No, really, look!” Skylar shouted.
Miles looked up. His eyes were wide when he saw the plane. He whispered, “They found us.”
This time, none of them shouted or waved. They just waited.
Within five minutes, the small plane landed on the ocean, not far from the raft. The door swung open and a man stuck his head out.
“You must be Miles, Skylar, and Gabby,” he called. “Your parents sent me to get you.”
He threw a rope to the raft. Miles grabbed it and tied it to the raft. Then the man pulled the raft to the plane.
“So our parents are alive,” Miles said. He smiled and hugged his sister. Gabby smiled too.
“Yes, they’re fine,” the pilot said. “They were picked up an hour after the ship went down.” He smiled.
“But of course they have been worried sick about you,” the pilot added. “Now, climb into the plane. My name’s Jack, by the way.”
One by one, the kids took Jack’s hand. They each climbed into the small airplane.
“How’d you find us?” Miles asked once everyone was inside.
“Another pilot saw your signal last night,” Jack told them. “They sent out five planes looking for you. I’m really sorry it took so long. The ocean can push a raft miles away in less time than you’d think. Well, you’re safe now.”
“Where are our parents?” Gabby asked quietly.
“They’re back at your house, waiting,” Jack said.
“Will you take us to them?” Gabby asked.
“We’ll take you to the hospital first,” Jack said. “Make sure you’re all right. But your parents will meet us there. Now try to stay quiet and relax. We’ll be there soon.”
As the plane rose above the water, the kids glanced down at Tub. It had been their home for the past 68 hours.
Skylar waved at it. “What about the raft?” she asked.
“I’ll radio the boat to come get it,” Jack said. Then he added, “You must be starving.”
“Yes. For anything,” Miles said. “Even pineapple pizza.”
“This is all I have, but we’ll be on land in no time,” Jack said.
He handed them a box of crackers. They were shaped like little orange goldfish.
“Of all the food in the world, it had to be fish, didn’t it?” Gabby said. She laughed.
In less than a minute, the box was empty.