chapter 2

Rose Hips and River Water

The sun was just dipping below the horizon; darkness would soon be upon them. There was no reason to try to explore the wall or find any way around it. Basil set the anchor for the night.

Nervous about the barricade looming over them, and chilled by the nighttime air, they tossed uneasily on the deck of the ship, sleeping fitfully when they could. It was still dark when they heard the first distant morning birdsong. They stretched, shivering and stiff.

Lily sent a bucket over the railing and hauled some water up, as Twig examined their cache of food. “Looks like the last of it,” he said. “We’re going to have to find some more food soon. We have a few rose hips left, and some acorns. Not much.”

“Rose hips and river water, rose hips and river water,” Lily said. “Wouldn’t a nice, steaming cup of sassafras tea be good right about now?” She smiled wistfully. “And a walnut muffin?”

Basil frowned at her. Being seasick had made him thin, and grouchy. “Please. Don’t mention food.”

From the deck, Twig and Lily nibbled acorns and examined the giant wall. In the dim morning light they could see that the wall stretched from one side of the river to the other, an enormous distance. It was constructed of thousands of branches and limbs and sticks. Mud was chinked in between, and in many places grasses and weeds and small trees had taken root in the mud. The massive structure towered above them.

Just then the morning sun poured onto the river, illuminating the landscape. “It’s a beaver dam!” Lily exclaimed. “Just like Professor Fern told us about. I’ve never seen one, but that’s got to be what it is!”

Twig grinned. “Of course!”

“Well, what good does that do us, knowing that it’s a beaver dam?” Basil said. “We’re still blocked. We can’t go forward and we can’t back up. We’re stuck.”

Twig looked thoughtfully at the dam. “Maybe if we get on top of it, we can see if there’s a way around it.”

“How are you going to do that, Twig?” Lily asked.

“I’m going to jump. From the crow’s nest I can make it to that overhanging branch. See?” He pointed to a sturdy-looking limb that jutted out closest to the Captive.

With that, Twig scurried up the rope ladder to the crow’s nest. The jutting branch was tantalizingly close, but dangerously distant.

“Are you sure you can do this?” Basil called up.

“We’ll find out!” Twig called back.

“Gruk!” croaked Char with concern.

Just as Twig was crouched and ready to leap, another voice called out.

“Hello!”

They looked up to see the cheerful face of a beaver beaming at them from the top of the dam. “Hello there!” it said again.

“Hello!” shouted Lily. “Good morning!”

The beaver was dark and slick as it moved agilely over the mountain of branches and made its way to the edge of the river. “Good morning to you!” The beaver stared at the Captive. “My, you’ve found an interesting way of travel! I’ve never seen such a thing!”

“We’re trying to get downriver,” Twig explained. “But your dam has blocked our way. Can you help us?”

The beaver looked at the ship. “Hmm. Yep. Think so.” With that, it scrambled across the dam, and then returned shortly with a length of grapevine.

“Here! Tie this somewhere, and I’ll pull you to a good spot. You’ll see!”

Lily lashed the vine to the railing on the bow. “Ready!”

With the other end of the vine in its mouth, the beaver began to tug. Slowly the boat began to move through the water. The beaver ducked under and climbed over and around the myriad of limbs, pulling the Captive along the edge of the dam.

Soon they heard the gushing sound of rushing water. “A break in the dam!” the beaver called out. “Lucky for you, but on our checklist to repair it today.”

“Huh?” Twig shouted.

“Don’t worry! You’ll make it!”

The current began to carry them through the opening in the dam.

“But careful of the waterfall!” the beaver warned. “The current may be a little strong!”

“Now he tells us!” Basil moaned, grabbing onto the railing.

A torrent of water poured through the break in the beaver dam, and the Captive wobbled and swayed.

“Hold on!” Twig yelled.

Lily gave a yelp. “Whoa!”

The ship pitched and dipped as it was carried through the dam, down, down, down a series of waterfalls and rapids. Several times it nearly capsized, careening side to side.

One sail was snagged on a sharp branch, turning the boat around and causing it to spin in circles.

“Make it stop!” Basil squeaked. “Please make it stop!”

Suddenly, with a splash, the ship plunged through the dam and into the calm water on the other side, the current pushing them along into open water again.

“G’bye! Safe journey!” They turned to see the beaver calling to them from on top of the dam.

“Thank you!” Lily answered back.

The morning sun warmed their backs as they hoisted sails and caught a stiff breeze from the south. Twig’s whiskers twitched in the wind. He stood at the wheel and pointed the Captive downriver. It felt good to be moving again.

Lily sat with Char and held his head. The dragon blinked and looked out across the water. He seemed to sense something. “Char knows we’re trying to help him,” she said.

Twig nodded. “I hope we’re on the right track.”

Basil was at the railing, looking miserable. “What’s that?” He pointed to some floating vegetation. “It looks funny.”

They were sailing through small patches of green aquatic plants that swirled and danced as the ship passed.

“They may be edible,” Lily remarked. With that, she darted down to the ship’s hold and rummaged through their collection of vines and ropes, then carried them up onto the deck. It wasn’t long before she had fashioned a small net and was dragging it through the water.

“Here! Let’s see what we’ve got,” she said, hauling the net up with its tangle of green weeds. She munched on a leaf. “Not bad!”

Twig took a nibble. “Agreed! It’s pretty good!”

Basil looked gray. “No thanks. I can’t handle green and squishy.”

But Char looked up from his spot on the deck and sniffed.

“Here, buddy,” Twig said, offering the dragon some of the slick, wet sea grass. “Hey! He likes it!” Char gobbled up the offering, then sniffed for more. “This is great! We found something Char likes!”

Basil looked even worse as he watched Char munching the greens. “I can’t take it!” And he raced to the back of the boat.

The crew was exhausted, after a sleepless night before and the strenuous day. With the warm sun on their tired bodies, they collapsed on the deck and slept.

Twig woke up to the sound of a rasping snore and looked over to find Char snuggled up beside him, sound asleep.

Night had fallen. He looked up to see a half-moon, and millions of stars, brilliant and sharp, like silent frozen sparks. He quietly wiggled away from Char and stood at the railing on the bow.

They had slept, and sailed, through the afternoon and halfway through the night. A breeze swept over the Captive, salty and fresh. The water was choppy, with swells that gently caressed the boat.

Twig looked across the water. He could not see any trees or shrubs or grasses in the moonlight; the horizon was a straight line.

They had reached the ocean!