Saleesi is already too tall to stay in Rusty Bus with the other kids, her feet sticking way out into the aisle, so everyone gets busy building her a shack.
We use the top of a car for her roof so she’s got a dome roof and roof windows. She can stand on a chair and look out, or wind the windows down to let the heat out with handles Uncle Sorren has made from scrap metal. The walls is a frame of wood with panels of car metal hammered around, and there’s a nice cool brick floor. It’s not big, but big enough for a bed and a chair which come from salvage, and another car door to enter and leave by. Ma says maybe they’ll extend it and I can move in there with her too one day coz of how I have a ‘calming influence’ on Saleesi. Mainly coz she carries that big cutlass everywhere, and if anyone crosses her she says she’s gonna whomp them. She’s mostly kidding, I think.
Uncle Sorren pulls the Valley of the Sun boat out from its hiding place up the creek and we take off the golden sun and tidy it up and name it Fish Whomper. Saleesi says it’s her salvage and the Valley of the Sun will have to fight her for it, but Marta called them on her new handset and they said we could add it to our fishing fleet for the price of a crew meal next time they’s passing. Me and Jag teach Saleesi all we know about making lures and fishing on the inland sea, and how to avoid snags, and specially about cooking fish before you eat them.
Jag learned a lot working on Valley of the Sun pulling things to bits. He uses the power source to hook up Marta’s old cottage and get her electric lights working again like years ago before the risen sea. We don’t think it’s illegal, but Marta says she’ll mention it next time the Valley of the Sun comes to tea.
None of us really want to go beyond the surf coast towers again, knowing what we do about crocs that leap on boats, giant sharks and maybe a very mad pirate woman still sailing around looking for us. Saleesi says nothing can kill that old pirate hag and I believe her.
Right now, we’re all perfectly happy being the best fisher team and best salvage team on the whole of the inland sea. All three of us.
