Baloo’s Clues
Part 1
TaleSpin and its characters are property of Disney / Buena Vista Co. and are used without permission. All other characters are mine and cannot used without permission.
Higher for Hire
July 1937
On a sultry summer afternoon in the coastal city of Cape Suzette, Molly and Wildcat knelt in the shade of the tree behind Higher for Hire. Their attention was focused on a circle scratched into the dirt, and more specifically, on the marbles scattered within that circle.
Six-year-old Molly fanned herself with a leaf and wondered, “How do they get the swirly colors inside the marbles, Wildcat?”
“Little tiny elves with little tiny paintbrushes,” Wildcat replied, polishing his aquamarine cat’s-eye shooter on his overalls.
Molly giggled. Wildcat was the only grown-up that she knew who could pretend as well as she could, and that was why he was so fun to play with.
“Okay, Mollycat, here goes the old grade-school try.” The wiry mechanic, his shooter poised between his thumb and forefinger, squinted as he examined every angle and every possible shot. “Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. N-n-n-n-n-no. Mm-hmm. Ah-ha!”
With a flick of his thumb, he flipped his trusty taw into the circle where it skipped over all of the other marbles before bumping into Molly’s knee.
She picked it up and handed it to Wildcat, saying skeptically, “I thought you said that we were supposed to knock the other marbles out of the circle.”
“Guess Milton didn’t understand the rules. I better explain it to him again.” But before he could whisper any words of wisdom to his marble, they heard the Sea Duck splash down for a landing.
Their game temporarily forgotten in lieu of Baloo and Kit’s arrival, Wildcat and Molly scrambled to their feet and hurried around Higher for Hire just in time to see Rebecca burst out of the office. From the way the petite brown bearess’s jaw was clenched, her brow was furrowed, and her arms pumped as she stormed down the dock, it was apparent that she was not happy.
“Uh-oh,” Molly murmured. “Looks like Baloo’s in trouble again.”
“Ba-LOO!” Rebecca banged on the cockpit’s door with her fist and frowned up at the window through which she could see her pilot. “Where have you been? You were supposed to have been home several hours ago!”
“Big trouble,” Wildcat added as they walked down the dock.
Baloo flung open the door and disembarked from the yellow Conwing L-16, carrying a crate overflowing with miscellany. “Don’t get your engines in an uproar, boss lady. Kit an’ me just took a little detour to Stu’s Secondhand Store, the treasure hunter’s paradise.”
“You blew your entire paycheck on junk...again?” Rebecca cried, incredulous.
“This ain’t junk,” he said, setting the crate down on the dock. “These are valuable antiques, priceless heirlooms. They’re really old.”
Wryly, Rebecca said, “I can see that.” She picked up a dirty, chipped vase, then set it back down and dusted off her hands.
“Just think, Becky,” Baloo said, flinging the cargo hold door open; “buried in this somewhere is somethin’ worth a lot of moolah. Maybe several somethings.” He regarded the cargo hold, which was stuffed tighter than a Thanksgiving turkey, with an air of satisfaction.
Where Baloo saw treasure, all Rebecca saw was junk - cracked, broken, dusty, worthless old junk. Stuff that belonged in a landfill or an attic, not in an antique store. She sighed in exasperation and disappointment as she watched her flight crew move their new ‘treasures’ from the plane to the dock. “Oh, Baloo, when will you learn that you’ll never get ahead by going to that glorified flea market? You should be saving your money or investing it in worthwhile pursuits.”
Baloo smirked at her around an ugly brass elephant lamp complete with a fringed lampshade. “Like what? More kangaroos and milk?”
“At least we broke even on that deal,” Rebecca retorted, arms crossed. “After buying all this junk, you’re just broke. Treasure hunting is a waste of time and money.”
Baloo put down a rickety-looking bookcase and leaned against it, causing it to creak ominously. A dreamy, far-away look came into his eyes as if he were thinking of past adventures. “Becky, there’s nuthin’ as thrillin’ as treasure hunting, except maybe downing a whole bunch of Louie’s banana burritos.”
Staggering under the weight of a crate, Wildcat said, “I hate burritos. They always try to kick you.”
Kit deposited a box on the dock and shared a smile with Molly, who was excitedly looking through the ‘treasures’.
“Buffets are thrillin’, too,” Baloo continued. “That’s like orderin’ everything on the menu.”
Pointedly, Rebecca said. “And this has what to do with treasure hunting?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s like I was sayin’, it’s kinda like huntin’ for truffles, but without the pig.” He flashed her a smug smirk before stepping into the plane.
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” she said with scathing sarcasm.
From within the cargo hold came Baloo’s voice: “Watch who you’re insultin’, Becky.”
“Treasure hunting is a complete waste of time. Only idiots would run all over the world, following a treasure map. You’ll never catch me going on a treasure hunt. No possible way!”
“You’ll hafta eat your words after Kit and me get rich sellin’ this stuff,” Baloo declared, setting a hideous, garishly-painted cuckoo clock down on top of the rickety bookshelf as carefully if it were a million-dollar statue.
“That’s rich,” Rebecca rejoined. The clock’s hands moved counterclockwise and when it struck two, it sounded more like a squealing possum than a cuckoo. “As soon as you’re through unloading your treasure, you can load tomorrow’s cargo.” She turned on her heel, scoffing, “Treasure hunting.”
Cunninghams’ Apartment
That Night
The living room was quiet save for the muffled, soothing ‘whoosh’ of the waterfall rushing past the window outside. Rebecca lounged on the couch, enjoying one of those rare moments when she could relax with a book. Nearby, Molly sat amid a sea of crayons on the blue parlor sofa, coloring.
Rebecca glanced up from A Million Ways to Make a Million Dollars just as Molly was in the process of carefully choosing the next crayon needed to complete her masterpiece. “What are you coloring, Pumpkin?”
“A book Baloo gave me.”
“Baloo gave you a book?” Rebecca found herself smiling, but wasn’t sure why. “That was nice.”
“Yup,” Molly said as she meticulously filled in a space with green. “He found it in the treasures he bought today.”
“Treasure,” Rebecca said under her breath, rolling her eyes.
“See!” Molly jumped off the sofa, causing crayons to spill onto the floor. She then hopped on the couch beside her mother. “It’s got all sorts of neat pictures and in each picture, there’s a hidden letter.”
“What are the letters?”
The little girl turned from page to page, pointing to where she had circled the letters with a red crayon. “W-J-L-E-E. Whatever that means.”
Rebecca took the book from Molly and flipped through it. “Why, this is someone’s sketchbook. There are pictures from all over the world, from Lhasa Apso, Cape Suzette, Tundra City, Mondobobo, and Malaria.”
“This person was a good draw-er, huh?”
“Yes, they were, sweetie. Look at all the details.” Rebecca’s eyes lingered on the drawing titled “Cape Park, Cape Suzette” where everything - the fountain in the middle of the park, the playground equipment, and the stone shelter house - was perfectly positioned and proportioned. Only the trees looked smaller than what she knew them to be.
“Since it was found in Baloo’s treasures do you think that it could be a treasure map?” Molly asked, her eyes shining brightly.
“Molly!” Rebecca gasped, looking down at her daughter. “You’re been spending too much time listening to Baloo’s outlandish stories.”
With mounting excitement, the little girl continued, “But what if the letters were some kind of secret code and...?”
“And what if it’s just someone’s vacation pictures or class project?” Rebecca countered, almost sternly.
Molly’s face fell. “Aw, Mommy.”
“Come on. It’s time for you to get your bath and get ready for bed.” Rebecca kissed her daughter on the top of her golden head.
“Okay...” the little girl mumbled, sticking out her lower lip in a pout.
“I’ll read you Gladys and the Gorilla.” Both knew that it was a peace offering.
“For really?” Molly said hesitantly. She had lost track of the times that her mother had promised to read her her favorite book, then forgot all about her promise because of something business-related.
Rebecca crossed her heart. “For really.”
“Yippee!” A little yellow blur that was Molly hurried off to her bedroom to grab her pajamas, then disappeared into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.
Smiling a little over the amount of energy her daughter possessed, Rebecca returned her attention to the picture of Cape Park. The letter ‘J’, encircled in red crayon, had been drawn over one of the stones in shelter house. Even though she would never admit it, she was burning with curiosity. What if there really was a treasure there?
No, no...treasure hunts are just wild goose chases. Besides, crazy get-rich-quick schemes don’t work. You’ve already learned that the hard way once, Rebecca, she thought, forcing herself to close the sketchbook and put it aside.
She tried to read more of A Million Ways to Make a Million Dollars, but after re-reading the same sentence five times and not comprehending a single word, she put it down and picked up the sketchbook.
It wouldn’t hurt just to look at it, I suppose...
She took the book over to her desk to get a better look at it under the desk lamp. After flipping through the pictures again, she wrote the letters that Molly had circled on the margin of her desk calendar.
W-J-L-E-E?
Rebecca bent over her desk calendar, intent on rearranging the letters. None of the combinations made any sense until she came up with ‘JEWEL’. “Oh...my!” she whispered, dropping her pen in astonishment.
She was still staring in disbelief at the word, when Molly, clad in her pink pajamas, came out of the bathroom. “Mommy, what’s the matter?”
“When you rearrange those letters, they spell ‘jewel’,” Rebecca said quietly.
Molly whooped. “I knew it! I knew it was a treasure map! Wait ‘til I tell Baloo and Kit!” She made a beeline for the telephone on the desk, dotting the carpet with drips of water from her damp hair.
“No!” Rebecca blurted out, recalling the lectures she had given Baloo about how futile treasure hunting was and that treasure maps were only things of legends. She couldn’t bear to suffer the humiliation of having her words thrown back at her.
Molly paused with her hand on the telephone receiver. “What do you mean, ‘no’?”
“We’re not telling them,” Rebecca said, gently removing her daughter’s hand from the telephone.
The little girl’s brow creased with a disappointed frown. “How come?”
Bending down so that she was face to face with Molly, Rebecca explained, “Why should the boys always have the fun? We’ll go on our own secret treasure hunt, just us girls.” She lovingly tweaked Molly’s nose.
“Yeah!” Molly started to dance around the room, singing, “We’re going on a treasure hunt! We’re going on a treasure hunt!”
Besides, Baloo hasn’t cornered the market on treasure hunts. I’ll show that bear what real treasure looks like, Rebecca thought, gazing at the sketch of Cape Park with a trace of a smug smile lingering around her lips.
Cape Park
Early the Next Morning
The sun had barely begun to peek over the horizon when Rebecca and Molly got out of their grey Chevrolette sedan at the edge of the park. The air smelled fresh and was warm, denoting the start of another hot summer day. Dew glistened on the grass and made the playground equipment sparkle. At this early hour, the park was peaceful. Only the buzz of insects and the overlapping calls of birds saying ‘good morning’ could be heard. More importantly, it was deserted, which was exactly what Rebecca had been hoping for.
Rebecca, who was starting to have second thoughts about going on a treasure hunt, spoke in a hushed tone, half fearful that someone might overhear them. “We’ve got to check out the stone shelter house.”
“Check.” Before Molly could sprint towards the old granite edifice, her mother caught her arm.
“Walk, don’t run,” Rebecca instructed in a half-whisper. “We don’t want to attract attention. What if someone’s watching?”
Molly glanced around the park. There wasn’t anyone in sight. She shrugged. “Okay.”
In an overly casual manner, they strolled across the dewy grass to the shelter house that had stood there for nearly 50 years. Once there, Rebecca murmured, “Keep a lookout, sweetie, while I check out the exact location of the treasure.”
Delighted to be of service, Molly started scanning the park for ‘intruders’.
Rebecca took a flashlight and the sketchbook from her large purple purse and flipped to the picture of Cape Park.
She counted the granite blocks, which were grey sprinkled with glossy black flecks, in the picture. The number corresponded exactly with the number of stones in the real shelter house. “Seven from the outside left wall, four up from the ground.” When she found the stone indicated in the sketch, she ran her fingers around it, noticing that, unlike the other stones, it had no mortar holding it in place. However, to her frustration, it was wedged in so tightly that there was no place for a handhold.
“How to get it out?” Rebecca wondered, tapping the end of her flashlight against the stone. To her surprise, it shifted slightly, allowing enough room for her to get her fingers around it. After many minutes of wiggling the stone, she was able to pull it out. She put the heavy granite stone on the ground and shone the flashlight into the space.
“See anything?” Molly asked, tugging on her mother’s pantleg.
Rebecca peered into the hole. “There’s something shiny way in the back...” She tentatively reached into the hole, hoping that she wouldn’t encounter any creepy crawlies, and felt around until her fingers closed around a small object. She drew it out to reveal...
“A treasure chest!” Molly’s shout carried across the park. “Yippee!”
“Shh!” Rebecca reprimanded her.
Molly whispered enthusiastically, “A real, live treasure chest!”
Rebecca wiped the grime off of the plain, rectangular metal box as best as she could, then pressed the clasp and opened the lid. Nestled on a bed of dusty blue velvet was...
“An old key and a marble?” Rebecca exclaimed.
Molly held the marble towards the sun’s light, admiring its red and gold swirls. “Pretty. Can I keep it?”
Absently, her mother said, “Fine, fine.” She examined the tarnished brass key. “This must be someone’s idea of a joke.”
“What if the key fits the real treasure chest?”
“Honey,” Rebecca placed a paw on the top of Molly’s head, “even if it did, which I doubt, we’ll never be able to find it.”
“We found this, didn’t we?” Molly pointed out.
Helplessly, Rebecca started, “Yes, but...”
“I bet the clue’s in the sketchbook,” the little girl said confidently.
Rebecca skeptically shook her head while her daughter eagerly flipped through the pages. Then she shook the box upside down, causing something small to flutter to the ground. She picked up the yellowed scrap of paper and read: “Five?”
Molly looked up from the sketchbook. “Five what?”
“I don’t know. It’s written on this piece of paper that was inside the box. It could mean anything, like five...” After thinking for a moment, Rebecca asked, “Did you see any numbers in the pictures?”
“Nuh-huh. Just letters.”
Rebecca glanced at the sketchbook. “Pages! Molly, turn to page five.”
“Okay.” Molly turned to the last page in the book. On page five was a drawing of the famous glockenspiel in Itchenscratchen, Malaria. Also on that page was an ‘E’, possibly the first ‘e’ in ‘jewel’.
“Malaria?” Rebecca groaned, leaning back against the shelter house. “That’s halfway around the world. How can we get there?”
“Baloo can fly us there in the Sea Duck,” Molly said as if that was a simple problem to solve.
Rebecca shook her head and said emphatically, “Remember what I said last night? We can’t tell Baloo about this.”
“Why not?” Molly grinned. “He loves treasure hunts.”
“I know,” Rebecca said sardonically. Softening her tone, she continued, “Honey, we can’t tell Baloo, because...because...”
“He’ll make fun of you?” Molly concluded solemnly.
Rebecca was a little startled at her daughter’s perceptiveness. “Yes.”
“But we can’t give up now.” Molly fixed hopeful eyes on her mother. “What if the jewel’s in Malaria and this key opens the treasure chest? I wanna go to Malaria. I wanna find the jewel. Please, Mom?”
Rebecca was torn. On the one hand, she wanted to find that jewel more than anything. But on the other hand, she didn’t want Baloo to laugh at her if the whole thing turned out to be a hoax. After considering for a moment, she said slowly, yet decidedly, “All right. We’re going to Malaria.”
“Yay!” Delighted, Molly hugged her mother’s legs. “But how are we gonna get there without telling Baloo?”
Rebecca’s eyes sparkled with the prospect of adventure, not to mention money. “Oh, I’ll find a way...”
End of part 1
Baloo’s Clues
Part 2
TaleSpin and its characters are property of Disney / Buena Vista Co. and are used without permission. All other characters are mine and cannot be used without permission.
Higher for Hire
The Next Morning
“Up and at ‘em, guys!” Rebecca called cheerfully as she flipped on the light and set the alarm clock jangling with a loud brrrrrrrrrrriiiiing!
Kit yawned and rolled over, opening his eyes to find Molly grinning at him over the edge of the bed.
A groan came from the large lump curled up under the blankets in Baloo’s bed. The big bear’s hand made its way out from under the covers and groped along the top of the night stand until it found what it was searching for - the alarm clock. He flipped off the alarm and pulled the clock back under the covers. A few moments later, his muffled voice exclaimed, “Five o’clock? Becky, are you loco? Ol’ Baloo only recognizes one five o’clock and this ain’t it.” He angrily plunked the alarm clock on the night stand and yanked the covers over his head.
When Rebecca set off the alarm again, Baloo’s hand shot out from under the blanket and crushed the clock, causing the springs to pop out. It gave a final, metallic-sounding ‘tink-a-link’, then was silent.
“You can’t sleep ‘til noon!” Rebecca snapped as she and Baloo played tug-of-war with his blanket.
“Watch me.” Baloo chuckled a little when he succeeded in jerking the blanket out of her grasp.
Incensed, Rebecca threatened, “If you don’t get out of bed this instant, buster, I’m going to dock your pay!”
Quicker than a flash, Baloo sat up in bed, blinking from the light of the hula girl lamp. “Okay, I’m up, I’m up.”
“Hurry.” Rebecca gingerly picked Baloo’s shirt up off the floor and tossed it in his lap. “Get dressed. We have a full day of deliveries.”
Baloo was startled in mid-yawn. “We?”
“Yes. Molly and I are going with you.”
“How come?” Baloo ran a hand through his disheveled hair.
“Because I’m the boss and I say so.” Rebecca took Molly’s hand and led the little girl out of the room.
As soon as Rebecca was out of earshot, Baloo grumbled to Kit, “Wish she didn’t have so much say-so.”
Half Hour Later
Sea Duck
The sun was no more than a pale pink smudge on the eastern horizon when Rebecca was overseeing the loading of the Sea Duck from inside the dark cargo hold.
Shining her flashlight on the clipboard, she murmured to herself, “Electric blankets. Check. Napkins. Check. Mosquito netting. Check. Ace bandages. Check.”
Baloo carried the last crate into the cargo hold, set it down, then sat down on it with a tired sigh. “Where’s all this stuff goin’, anyways?”
Matter-of-factly, Rebecca reeled off: “Blankets to Tundra City, napkins to Lhasa Apso, mosquito netting to Malaria, and the bandages to Mondobobo. We’re going to Malaria first.”
“Wouldn’t it make more sense if we went to Lhasa Apso first?” Baloo said through his millionth yawn of the morning. “It’s on the way to Malaria.”
Without thinking, Rebecca blurted out, “No!”
Baloo shot her a suspicious look.
“I mean...th-these are scheduled to be delivered first.”
Baloo flipped the lever to close the back hatch, then headed towards the cockpit, mumbling, “Whatever, lady. Don’t pay me no never mind. I’m just the pilot. Only been ‘round the world more times than you’ve been ‘round the corner, but what do I know?”
“What did you say, Baloo?” Rebecca asked, glaring at his back as she stepped into the cockpit right behind him.
Hastily, he said, “Oh, nuthin’, Becky. Nuthin’.” The big bear plopped down into the pilot’s seat. “Ready to pull chocks, Li’l Britches?”
“Roger that,” said Kit from the navigator’s seat.
“I roger that, too.” Molly was sitting beside Kit, directing the flashlight’s beam on the map so that the boy could plot their course.
Baloo chuckled and patted the little girl’s head. Noticing the sketchbook lying on her lap, he said, “Brought your book along, huh, Pigtails?”
“Yup. We need it,” the little girl replied with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
Before her daughter could elaborate, Rebecca said quickly, “She means that she needs something to do on this long flight.”
“But I’d rather help Kit with navigating,” Molly said, eagerly eyeing the sextant that the boy was walking across the map. “Kit, can you show me where we’re going? Kit, can I hold your compass? I’ll fold the map for you, Kit.”
Kit sighed as Baloo flipped the switches to start the engines. “Miz Cunningham was right. This is gonna be a long flight.”
Three Hours Later
Itchenscratchen, Malaria
Bordered by Bulgaria and Hysteria, Malaria was a small country known chiefly for its abundance of swamps. The only thing that outnumbered the swamps were the mosquitos, which suited the amphibious inhabitants perfectly as they considered the insects a delicacy. However, to outsiders, the mosquitos were nothing more than buzzing, biting bugs.
Molly shooed away a mosquito that had landed on her nose and gazed around at the Itchenscratchen airport, which was bustling with activity - and frogs. What was so intriguing about all of the frogs was that they were lapping mosquitos out of the air with their long, red, sticky tongues.
The client who was talking to her mother was no exception. “So...” Snap went his tongue as it shot out and snagged an insect. Slurp went his tongue as he drew it back into his mouth. He swallowed with a loud gulp. The whole process took less than a second and was as natural as breathing to him. Without missing a beat, he continued in his thick Malarian accent, “What did you think of the new Hetty Hopper movie?”
Rebecca paused in signing her name on the clipboard. “I’m afraid that I haven’t seen it yet.”
“It would be,” snap, slurp, gulp, “too bad to miss it. My wife and I had a jumping,” snap, slurp, gulp, “good time.”
“I’ll make a note to see it when it comes to Cape Suzette, then,” Rebecca said politely. Suppressing the impulse to gag at his repulsive eating habit, she handed the clipboard and pen back to him. “That should do it, Mr. Bounding.” She glanced over to where Baloo and Kit were carrying a large, long roll of mosquito netting from the Sea Duck to a waiting truck.
Baloo was saying, “Keep your end up, Kit. It’s saggin’ in the middle.”
Rebecca thought, So are you, flyboy. Aloud, she said, “My flight crew will help you with anything else that you need.”
“Thank you, Ms. Cunningham.” Snap, slurp, gulp. “Are you sure that you and your,” snap, slurp, gulp, “flight crew won’t have breakfast with me?”
Rebecca looked slightly ill. “No, thank you. Maybe some other time when we’re not so buzzy, er...busy.” She shook his hand and forced herself to smile, even though her stomach was churning. “A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Bounding.”
He pumped her hand. “And you, Ms. Cunningham.” Snap, slurp, gulp, he went as he ate a mosquito that had been buzzing a mere inch from her ear. “Mmm...tasty.”
When he had walked away, Rebecca shuddered with revulsion. “I don’t want to know what he eats for breakfast. We don’t have time anyway.”
“You mean...?” Molly said, her eyes lighting up.
Rebecca nodded, then patted her large purple purse at her side. In it was the sketchbook. “We’re going to the glockenspiel.”
“Yippee!”
A few minutes later, they climbed out of a cab in the old square in the heart of Itchenscratchen and joined the tourists who were gathered in front of the glockenspiel.
Rebecca scooped up Molly and made her way to the front of the crowd where they would have a better view.
As it had done for years, the twice-daily puppet dance began with the tolling of the bells. Several delighted children squealed when wooden figurines emerged through doors that opened on either side of the clock face. Around and around on their well-worn tracks, the elaborately painted wooden figurines - kings, queens, knights, even the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker - moved and sashayed to the music provided by the carillon bells.
Despite the maddening mosquitoes’ high-pitched whining in their ears, despite the snap, slurp, gulp from the frogs, despite the slapping and scratching from the other tourists, the Cunninghams’ attention was focused solely on the glockenspiel.
Suddenly, Molly exclaimed, “There! That little frog doll with the blonde hair and funny red hat shaped like a pancake is carrying a box like the one we found in Cape Park.”
“Now’s our chance,” Rebecca murmured when a yellow bird at the very top of the glockenspiel cuckooed three times, signifying that the puppet dance was over. They made their way through the hordes of people headed for the shops and, giving a quick glance around to make sure they were unobserved, casually slipped through a door at the base of the glockenspiel. Once inside, they hurried up the stairs.
At the top of the stairs, they found themselves on a dusty scaffold overlooking a maze of narrow circular tracks upon which the figurines were lined up one after another, still and lifeless. Their white, vacant, bulging frog eyes gleamed weirdly at them through the musty darkness. Above them, the clock ticked steadily.
“Where is it?” Rebecca said quietly, peering through the dimly lit room.
“Right there!” Before her mother could stop her, Molly ducked under the railing and stepped onto the slender track.
Rebecca felt a little quiver of fear shoot down her spine when she heard the old track creak under her daughter’s feet. She couldn’t help but glance down into the darkness two stories below. “Molly Elizabeth Cunningham, get back here right this instant!”
“Don’t worry, I can get the box,” Molly said confidently. When she came to the first figurine on the track - a lady-in-waiting in a pink gown and pointed hat - she paused for a moment. There was only one inch of track on either side of the doll, which was taller as she. Throwing her arms around the doll, she clung to it as she tiptoed gingerly around it. When she was safely on the other side, she grinned back at her mother. “See, it’s not that hard, Mom.”
Rebecca held her breath as she watched Molly sidle around figurine after figurine, getting farther and farther away, until she reached the page doll.
Molly tried to tug the box out of its hands, but it wouldn’t budge. “It must be glued on,” she called across the echoing room.
“Open it with the key, Pumpkin,” Rebecca suggested.
“Oh, right.” Clinging to the doll for balance, she dug the key that they had found in the Cape Park box out of her overalls pocket, put it into the lock, and opened the box.
Not able to stand the suspense, Rebecca inquired eagerly, “Anything in it?”
“Yep,” Molly replied. “Something really neat!”
Rebecca’s hopes lifted. Visions of jewels danced in her head. Leaning over the rickety railing as far as she dared, she strained to see through the gloom. “What? What?”
“A green and silver marble,” Molly replied, extremely pleased with her find. “Wait ‘til Wildcat sees this one.”
“That’s it? A marble?” Rebecca’s face - and hopes - fell. “We came all this way just for a lousy marble?”
“Nope. There’s also a key and a piece of paper with the number 4 on it.”
“A marble, a key, and a number. Great...” Rebecca muttered sarcastically.
“Yeah, isn’t it?” Molly said enthusiastically as she shoved her newfound treasures into her pocket.
Back at the Sea Duck
As Baloo taxied the seaplane down the runway, he peered through the mosquito-splattered windshield and said, “I know why you wanted to come along today, Becky.”
“Y-you do?” Rebecca stammered. She couldn’t imagine how Baloo had possibly known that she and Molly were on a treasure hunt. She steeled herself for the derision that was sure to follow.
“Ya got the itch to see Itchenscratchen. Am I right?”
“Uh...yes. Exactly,” Rebecca said, relieved.
“We saw the glockenspiel from real close up,” Molly chirped from the navigator’s seat.
Rebecca hushed her with a stern look.
“Come to 1-6-0 south, southeast, Papa Bear,” Kit directed.
“But one thing puzzles me,” Baloo said, banking the plane to the right.
“Only one thing?” Rebecca shot back.
“How you could go sightseein’ without buyin’ every souvenir in sight.”
Airily, Rebecca replied, “Oh, we didn’t find anything terribly exciting, did we, Molly?”
“Nope,” Molly said with a grin and conspiratorial wink.
Two Hours Later
Mondobobo
Kit treaded lightly across the scorching, shimmering sand that blanketed the country of Mondobobo. The last time that he was here, there had an Olympic Diving Competition to determine who would marry the princess. It was an odd custom, considering that there were no pools or lakes, that the ‘diving board’ was a cliff top, and that the participants were heavy hippos.
While Baloo was busy chatting and eating with the tribal chief, Kit had decided to revisit the place where the ‘diving competition’ had taken place. He was sure that the view overlooking the vast desert with its shifting sands would be spectacular. Better still, this time he could actually enjoy it, because Trader Moe and his goons weren’t around.
Kit wended his way through the crowded, open-air market. This was where Rebecca and Molly had said they were going, but, as yet, he hadn’t seen them, which was odd. Two bears should have stuck out like sore thumbs in a market full of hippos. Something told him that they weren’t anywhere in the marketplace. It was the same something that was telling him that the Cunninghams were hiding something from him and Baloo. For one thing, Rebecca didn’t want them along to carry their souvenirs. In fact, they emphatically insisted on going sightseeing alone. For another thing, Molly seemed too excited over shopping with her mom, a activity that she normally loathed.
Something’s not adding up.
As he drew closer to the cliff, he noticed something blue and pink on the ground beside a large boulder. To his surprise, it turned out to be Molly. The little girl was lying flat on her stomach, looking over the cliff’s edge.
“Molly, what are you doing?” Kit grabbed her by her overalls straps and pulled her away from the edge. In his best big brother voice, he said sternly, “This is no place to play high-diver queen.”
“I wasn’t playing!” Molly said indignantly. “I was looking!”
“What were you looking at?” Kit peered over the cliff. When he saw Rebecca, a rope tied around her waist, hanging halfway down the cliff, he was so surprised that Molly had to grab onto his sweater to keep him from toppling over. “Miz Cunningham! What are you doing down there?”
“I...uh, felt like rock climbing?” Rebecca said with a half-hearted chuckle.
Kit wasn’t buying it. “What’s that in your hand?”
“This? Oh, it’s...nothing.” She quickly stuffed the box inside her cardigan and searched for a handhold in the rock.
“That ‘nothing’ looks like a box to me,” the boy said shrewdly.
Simultaneously, Rebecca and Molly whispered, “Shh!”
“What?”
“We don’t want Baloo to find out that we’re on a treasure hunt,” Molly explained.
“Molly!” Rebecca cried.
Molly cringed a little. “You never said not to tell Kit.”
Meditatively, Kit said, “You’re on a...?”
“Shh!” hissed the Cunninghams.
“Treasure hunt?” Kit murmured incredulously. From the way Rebecca had talked the day before, he thought Thembria would thaw before she would ever go on a treasure hunt.
Rebecca started climbing up the cliff face slowly, but steadily. “But you’ve got to promise not to tell Baloo.”
Kit nodded solemnly. “Because he’ll make fun of you?”
“Yes.” Rebecca sighed, then smiled at him. “Now that you know, you might as well help me up.”
The cubs grabbed onto the rope that was tied around a large boulder at the top of the cliff and began to tug.
A few minutes later, Rebecca was sitting on the cliff. Kit crouched nearby while Molly brushed the sand out of her mother’s hair.
“What’d we get this time, Mom?”
Rebecca extracted the box from her cardigan, fitted the key into the lock, and opened it. As she expected, it was: “Another marble, another key, another number.”
“‘Another’?” Kit exclaimed.
The Cunninghams briefly filled him in.
“Where are we going next, Pumpkin?”
Molly compared the number found in the treasure chest to the page number in the sketchbook. “Lhasa Apso!”
“The sketchbook that Baloo gave you is a treasure map?” Kit shook his head in disbelief. “Then he really did find treasure at Stu’s Secondhand Store.”
“But Baloo’s not going to know about it.” Rebecca shoved the box back under her cardigan and, getting to her feet, started back towards the Sea Duck with the cubs right behind.
Two Hours Later
Lhasa Apso
Baloo hurried over a bridge spanning a pond filled with lotus blossoms, then past a row of ornate pagodas that edged a flagstone path that led up the lush, green mountain. Looming over everything at the very top of the mountain was the Great Temple. Perfect peace and tranquility reigned in this small village where the Doggie Lama, the wisest man in the world, resided. But Baloo was anything but peaceful or tranquil at the moment.
“I’m tellin’ ya, Kit...” the big bear paused to bow to a brown-hooded monk, because the Ancient Tradition of Bow-Wow decreed that one had to bow to every monk that was met on the street, “it’s like Becky’s completely,” bow, “lost her marbles. I don’t get how,” bow, “a gal who’s such a stickler,” bow, “about time,” bow, “can possibly be late.”
“You’re not worried,” bow, “about her, are you, Papa Bear?” Kit said with a sly gleam in his eyes.
“Nah.” Bow. “It’s just that’s she’s,” bow, “so gung-ho about makin’ a buck that she,” bow, “always winds up,” bow, “gettin’ into trouble.”
Just then, Rebecca, with Molly under one arm and a silver box under the other, sped past them, down the mountain.
“What in the...?” Baloo muttered.
They then heard loud shouting and footsteps pounding on the flagstone street. A stampede of angry brown-hooded monks was coming their way.
Pilot and navigator spun around and raced to catch up with the Cunninghams.
Baloo glanced over his shoulder at the mob that they were running from. “What’d you do to make ‘em so barkin’ mad, Becky?”
“Save the jokes until we’re out of here!” Rebecca panted, too intent on escaping to glare at him.
Seeing some cloaks hanging on a clothesline, Baloo snagged four of them, much to the amazement of the monk who had just hung them up. The big bear ducked around the corner of a pagoda, shoved robes at the other three bears and ordered, “Put these on an’ do what I do!”
They all sat down and shielded their faces with the hoods. When the angry voices faded in the distance, they gave a collective sigh of relief.
Baloo doffed his hood, straightened his pilot’s hat, and asked quietly, “Now, what was all that fuss and flub-a-dub about, Becky?”
“I don’t know,” Rebecca said, attempting to shield her face with her hood. “Molly and I were just walking through that beautiful temple when...”
“Lemme get this straight. You an’ Molly went into the Temple of the Doggie Lama?”
“Yes.”
Baloo chuckled a little. “No wonder them guys were so steamed. Outsiders ain’t allowed. How come you went in there?”
Determined that Baloo would never discover her secret, Rebecca looked him straight in the eye and stated positively, “Like I said, Molly and I were just sightseeing.”
Molly nodded emphatically, but Kit look slightly uncomfortable.
Baloo wasn’t convinced. He put his hands on Rebecca’s shoulders and gazed intently at her. “Uh-huh. What were you really doin’ in there?”
Sheer willpower allowed her to hold his gaze for a long while, but finally he won out. Her eyes dropped. “Looking...for something...”
“Lookin’ for what?”
Rebecca was glad that the bulky robe hid the box that was concealed under her sweater. “Nothing...important.”
Drastic times called for drastic measures. Baloo knew that Rebecca would never spill the beans until she had been softened up a little, so he picked a little yellow flower and gave it to her. In his gentlest voice, he said, “Come on, honey. You can tell ol’ Baloo.”
Rebecca looked at the flower, then looked up into the big bear’s smiling face. She silently cursed the Powers That Be that made her a sucker for a flower and a sweet endearment. Besides, it would almost be a relief letting him in on the secret; hiding it from him and Kit had turned out to be a lot of work. Sighing in defeat, she said despondently, “Oh, all right. I’ll tell you on the way to Tundra City.”
On the Way to Tundra City
“Ha! You’re kiddin’, Becky!” Baloo couldn’t help but smirk. “If my little ol’ noggin remembers rightly, you said somethin’ like treasure huntin’ was a waste of time.”
Rebecca could have kicked herself from Cape Suzette to Thembria. She silently, savagely yanked the petals off of the flower Baloo had given her.
“Only an idjit would run all over the world followin’ a treasure map,” Baloo said, looking smugly superior.
Steaming mad, Rebecca continued to pluck petals from the helpless flower.
Baloo, who was thoroughly enjoying himself, added, “An’ X never, ever marks the spot.”
Rebecca couldn’t take it anymore. She flung the stem at him and shouted, “I never said that! Besides, there are no Xs on these maps! Other letters, but no X’s.”
Baloo chuckled good-naturedly. “What treasure were ya lookin’ for?”
Molly piped up, “Jewels. Or one jewel. That’s what the hidden letters spelled out.”
“A jewel, huh?” Baloo stroked his chin. “And what have you found so far?”
Ashamedly, Rebecca said, “Three marbles and three keys.”
Molly unlocked the box and announced, “Four marbles and four keys.”
“Keys? Marbles?” Baloo cried, sharing a look with Kit. “What kinda cockamamie treasure hunt is this?”
“You tell me. You’re the expert treasure hunter,” Rebecca said grumpily. She crossed her arms and leaned against the pilot’s seat.
“So where we headed next, boss lady?”
“You mean...?” Rebecca exclaimed, both astonished and relieved.
“Hey, don’t wanna miss out on our chance to get our hands on some loot, huh, Kit?” Baloo winked at the boy over Molly’s head.
“Nope.” Kit grinned.
“Tell ya what. We’ll take you gals to Tundra City as long as you agree to split the treasure fifty-fifty.”
“Fifty-fifty?” Rebecca protested hotly. “Wait a minute! I...”
“Fifty-fifty,” Baloo said firmly, offering his hand to shake. “Or we’ll deliver the electric blankets, but pull the plug on the treasure huntin’.”
“I guess I’ll take it.” Rebecca reluctantly shook hands with him.
Baloo gave her a friendly grin before focusing on the sky ahead of them. “Just wish ya woulda told me before about the treasure earlier, Becky. I hate missin’ out on all the fun.”
Recalling their near-brush with death in Lhasa Apso, Rebecca said dryly, “Yeah, fun.”
Five Hours Later
Tundra City
The four bears, clad in parkas, found themselves trekking towards a gigantic frozen waterfall in a vast frozen wasteland. A bitterly cold wind blew specks of icy snow into their faces. Though the sun gave no warmth, it turned the blanket of snow into a sea of bright crystals, too bright to look upon.
“Who would be crazy enough to hide a treasure here?” Baloo shouted over the roar of the wind.
“What?” Rebecca shouted back, hugging her shivering daughter closer to her.
Baloo cupped his hands to his mouth and reiterated, “Who would be crazy enough to hide a treasure here?”
“It’s not crazy! No one would think of looking for treasure here!” Kit yelled, struggling to walk against the driving wind.
“What?” Rebecca and Molly shouted simultaneously.
To their immense relief, they had finally reached the waterfall and, therefore, shelter from the bone-chilling, wearying wind.
In a normal voice, Kit said, “I said that it’s a good place to hide a treasure, because no one would think of looking here. But where is it?”
They huddled close to each other as Rebecca consulted the sketchbook. “According to this, the treasure is halfway up this waterfall, but how are we supposed to get up there?”
All of them turned their eyes to the waterfall, which looked like a pale blue flame glistening in the sunlight. Taller than Khan Towers, it had been suspended in time for eons. A veritable fortress of ice.
“Climb?” Kit said with a shrug.
Rebecca groaned. “Not more climbing.”
“What do you think, Papa Bear?”
“We’ve got some rope an’ climbing tools in the Duck, but I vote we rest a spell before goin’ back out in that wind.” When he leaned against the waterfall, he fell backwards through a door-sized rectangle carved into the ice. “Whoa!”
“Baloo, are you all right?” Kit asked, holding out his hand to help him up.
“Just dandy, Li’l Britches,” the big bear said, slowly getting to his feet. He rubbed his sore backside. “But my landin’ gear might never be the same.”
Kit flicked on his flashlight and stepped through the door. What he saw made him say: “Wow!”
“Double wow!” Molly breathed while Rebecca said, “Oh, my!”
By the beam of the flashlight, they could see that a circular staircase had been carved out of the inside of the waterfall. Not only did it go up, up, up as far as the eye could see, but the ice crystals that it was made out of shone with every color of the rainbow.
Baloo gave a low whistle. “One wrong slip on that staircase an’ it’s see ya next fall.”
“If someone went to all this trouble, this must be some jewel!” Kit observed.
Baloo nodded. “You took the words right out of my mouth, kiddo. Ladies first?”
At the Top of the Staircase
After a long climb, the four
bears, cold, tired, yet still excited over the prospect of treasure, finally reached their destination. At the top of the staircase was an elaborate shelf carved out of ice, complete with dainty scrolls and curlicues. Sitting prominently on that shelf was a large wooden treasure chest bound with brass.
Rebecca, her pulse beating in her fingertips, said, “This has to be it!”
“Open ‘er up, Becky, an’ let’s see that jewel,” Baloo said.
“Yeah, hurry, Mom,” Molly added, clinging so tightly to Kit’s hand that the boy winced.
Holding her breath, Rebecca put the key that they had found in Lhasa Apso into the brass lock and turned it with difficulty. She eagerly flung the lid open. “It’s....it’s...”
End of part 2
Baloo’s Clues
Part 3
TaleSpin and its characters are property of Disney / Buena Vista Co. and are used without permission. All other characters are mine and cannot used without permission.
Tundra City
Top of the Staircase Inside Waterfall
Holding her breath, Rebecca put the key that they had found in Lhasa Apso into the brass lock and turned it with difficulty. She eagerly flung the lid open. “It’s....it’s...”
“Yeah? Yeah?” Baloo, Kit, and Molly said in unison.
Rebecca couldn't believe her eyes. She whispered incredulously, “A key, a marble, and a piece of paper?”
“No jewel?” Molly said, her excited expectation turning to disappointment.
Frowning, Kit scooped up the contents of the chest. He rolled the yellow and black marble around in his palm. “If this is someone’s idea of a practical joke, it’s not very funny.”
“The treasure has to be in here!” An extremely frustrated Rebecca ripped the lining out of the treasure chest, then shook it upside-down.
“Becky...” Baloo placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Shrugging him off, Rebecca snapped, “If you even think, ‘I told you so’, you’re fired!”
“I wasn’t gonna...”
Rebecca sat down on the top step, the empty treasure chest in her hands. Hot tears pricked her eyes. “I can’t believe we came all this way for a marble, a key, and a lousy piece of paper.” She plunked the treasure chest down so hard that the bottom splintered.
Molly sat on the step beside her mother and tried to comfort her by putting her little arms around her.
Kit read the number that was printed on the piece of paper. “What picture was number six?”
“There wasn’t any page six,” Rebecca said with a sniff. “See for yourself.” She removed the sketchbook from her purse and handed it to Kit.
Baloo peered over Kit’s shoulder as the boy flipped through the old sketchbook. “Don’t look like any pages were torn out, neither.”
Rebecca buried her face in her hands. “I must be the most stupid, imbecilic...”
Jokingly, Baloo said, “Ya left out moronic.”
Dolefully, Rebecca continued, “Moronic person in the world for believing that that sketchbook would lead me to treasure.”
In an attempt to console his boss, Kit said, “Look on the bright side, Miz Cunningham. You had some excitement and adventure in some exotic places today.”
“And we found some nice marbles,” Molly added. “It’s better to find marbles than to lose them. Wildcat loses his all the time.”
Rebecca chuckled wanly. “That, I believe.” She wiped the half-frozen tears from her face and stood up, holding out her hand to Molly. “Come on. Let’s get out of this icebox and go home.”
Sea Duck
On the Way Back to Cape Suzette
As the orange-trimmed yellow seaplane soared over an ocean dotted with icebergs, Rebecca leaned against the pilot’s seat and leafed through the sketchbook. Finally, she closed it with a loud sigh that made Kit glance up from his map and prompted Molly to tear her attention away from the marbles.
Even Baloo looked over at her. Noticing her dejected demeanor, he asked gently, “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t believe that I fell for a crazy treasure hunt,” she said, her voice full of compunction.
“It wasn’t so crazy.” The big bear reached around behind his seat and pulled two bottles of lemonade out of a crate. He offered one to her.
Rebecca declined it with a shake of her head. “I have an MBA. I should have known better. For one day, I was as foolish as you, Baloo.”
“Only one day?” Baloo flipped the caps off of the lemonade with a practiced flick of his thumb and gave them to the cubs. He then got a third bottle of lemonade for himself, opened it, took a swig, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Angered by her insulting remark, he continued, “Let’s see...I remember an exploding gas station, sniffin’ out truffles with an overgrown porker, that featherbrained scheme about ostrich feathers, an’ ya can’t forget...”
Rebecca, who was in no mood to listen to a list of her past mistakes, whacked Baloo with the sketchbook, causing lemonade to spill on it. “Baloo! Look what you’ve done!”
“Me?” Baloo cried. “You’re the one that hit me, lady! It’s bad enough ya got my shirt soaked, but to waste perfectly good lemonade...” He looked sadly at his nearly empty bottle.
Her eyes flashing dangerously, Rebecca retorted, “Well, I wouldn’t have hit you if you hadn’t...”
Their argument was curtailed by Molly exclaiming, “Look! On the back of the book!”
Rebecca flipped the sketchbook over. Faint shapes were emerging where the lemonade had streaked it. She grabbed Baloo’s bottle from him just as he was about to take another drink, prompting an annoyed, “Hey!” from him and started dabbing more lemonade on the back cover. Little by little, a picture emerged.
Molly leaned over the armrest to get a better look. “I think I see some writing down near the bottom, but I can’t tell what it says.”
Rebecca dribbled more lemonade over the letters. When they became clear, she read, “Shakenquake Island?”
Both Baloo and Kit jumped as if they had been stung by a bee. “Shakenquake Island!”
“Why’s it called that?” Molly asked, turning wondering eyes towards the pilot and navigator.
“‘Cause the ground shakes an’ quakes when you least expect it,” Baloo said.
There was a greedy look in Rebecca’s eyes as she scoured the cover for clues. “Now that we expect it, it won’t be unexpected.”
Baloo glanced apprehensively at his boss and nervously fiddled his fingers on the control yoke. He would rather have a root canal than go to Shakenquake Island. Unfortunately, he knew that he had little chance of dissuading Rebecca, especially with the prospect of treasure staring her in the face.
“Ah-ha! There’s a little ‘S’ in the middle of the lake in this picture. That means that the secret word is ‘jewels’.” Rebecca let out a gasp of excited realization. “Maybe that means that there’s more than one jewel!”
Baloo looked crestfallen. That money-hungry look that he hated was in her eyes. “We’re goin’ there, ain’t we?”
Rebecca nodded in determination. “We’re going there.”
Shakenquake Island
The setting sun was sinking in the western sky when Kit announced, “There it is. Shakenquake Island.”
As if she expected to be able to spot the treasure from 10,000 feet above, Rebecca pressed her nose to the window. It appeared to be a typical island: a speck of green in a vast sea of blue. However, centuries before, this palm tree covered, peaceful-looking island was a raging volcano, belching fire into the sky. When the eruptions ceased, the crater filled with rain water, forming a huge lake in the middle of the island. Over time, the fertile black cone, eroded by the elements, became covered with vegetation. But the island never quite seemed to forget its volcanic origins.
What was even more mysterious was that anyone who visited Shakenquake Island - from scientists bent on discovering its secrets to pilots making emergency landings - never came back.
A few minutes later, the Sea Duck pulled up alongside the black sand beach. Just as the propellers came to a stop, the cargo hold door flung open and Rebecca said, “The faster we get the treasure, the faster we can get out of here. Come on!”
Baloo grabbed her by her arm before she could jump out. “Feather your props, Becky! I ain’t trekkin’ through some jungle in the middle of the night. If the treasure’s waited this long to be found, it can wait a few more hours.”
“I can’t!” Rebecca snapped.
Baloo threw up his hands. “Fine. Have it your way, but don’t come cryin’ to me if you get eaten by a wild animal or drown in quicksand or...”
All of a sudden, their ears were filled with loud rumbling. The entire island, from the top of the cone down to the beach, trembled, causing the palm trees to sway. Coconuts, hurling through the air as if shot from slingshots, pelted the seaplane’s exterior. The sea surrounding the island was whipped into a white frenzy, thus causing the Sea Duck to violently rock from side to side.
“Mommy!” Molly cried out in fear as she bounced across the cargo hold.
“It’s okay, baby. Just hang o-o-o-on!” Rebecca yelled, teetering in the doorway.
Both Baloo and Kit attempted to grab their boss, but before they could, she completely lost her balance, toppled out of the plane, and did a perfect imitation of a Baloo belly-flop onto the beach.
When the tremors ceased, Baloo hopped out and assisted his boss to her feet.
Rebecca spit sand out of her mouth. Wearily, she said, “Okay, Baloo. You win. What was your suggestion?”
“Camp here tonight an’ start out tomorrow mornin’.”
Rebecca’s impatient retort died on her lips when she looked at the jungle. Baloo was right. She hated when he was right. It was getting darker by the second and it would be dangerous to try to traverse it in the dark. Moreover, the longer she stared at the jungle, the more nervous she felt. Not only was it deathly quiet now that the rumbling had stopped, but it seemed as if someone was watching them, “All right,” she said with a surreptitious shiver.
Baloo grinned, glad that she finally would listen to reason. “Great. You an’ Miss Molly scout out some wood for a fire while Kit an’ me start catchin’ the fish.”
“What I’d really like is a bath,” Rebecca said, shaking sand out of her hair.
“You’re in luck, boss lady.” Baloo made a sweeping motion with his hand. “We got us the whole ocean for a bathtub.”
“That’s almost big enough for you,” Rebecca said, jabbing at his rotund stomach with her forefinger.
“Hardy-har-har.”
A Little While Later
Shakenquake Island was so peaceful that it was difficult for the Higher for Hire crew to believe that the earthquake had ever occurred. The ocean, upon which was reflected the fiery sunset, spread smooth and calm all around them. The palm trees lining the beach were silhouetted dark against the sky, swaying gently in the breeze. Besides the quiet lapping of the waves and the ‘shh’ of the trees, the only other sound was the crackling that came from the cozy campfire built on the beach near the Sea Duck.
Just a little way down the beach from the seaplane, behind a large rock, Rebecca was helping Molly undress. “Stay close to the shore. You don’t know what might be out there.” The thought of sharks and giant squids crossed her mind.
The little girl, now clad only in her frilly undies, said, “I will, Mommy!” as she ran, giggling, into the water.
Rebecca paused with her fingers on the top button of her cardigan. She was reluctant to undress, but after that swan dive onto the beach, she felt like she really needed a bath. Every square inch of her felt gritty. She peeked over the rock screening her. Only Baloo’s cap was visible. She could hear the murmurs of her flight crew and the quiet splashes as they threw their lines into the ocean and reeled them in. They weren’t paying any attention to her.
Still...she had the eerie sensation that she was being watched.
She forgot all about it when Molly shouted, “Hey, Mom, lookee at how long I can hold my breath!”
Rebecca turned in time to see Molly’s head sink below surface of the water. Angrily, she shouted, “Molly Elizabeth Cunningham, you get up here right this instant!” When a moment turned to a minute, her anger turned to fear. “Molly? Molly!” Without further ado, she ran into the water and dove under the surface.
A little while later, Baloo felt something tug on his line. Then, his entire fishing rod bowed under the strain of something heavy. “Whoa, baby, this is it!” The big bear scrambled to his feet and dug in his heels to avoid being pulled into the water. Swiftly rewinding the reel, he shouted, “Get the net, Li’l Britches. I think I caught me a whale! What in the...?”
Instead of a fish, Rebecca and Molly came spluttering and coughing to the surface. Kit immediately dropped the net and ran to get blankets.
“Whale?” Rebecca choked out between coughs. “Who are you calling a whale?”
Kit draped blankets around the Cunninghams’ shoulders. “What happened?”
Molly, who was shaking with chill and fright, gasped out, “Big hole...under island...sucking me in.”
“Big hole?” Baloo cried.
Rebecca nodded silently as she held a coughing Molly. She alternately rubbed and slapped the little girl’s back. “That’s it, baby. Get all that water out.”
Kit shared a look with Baloo. “Earthquakes and now big holes. What kind of island is this?”
Shakenquake Island
That Night
“Why can’t I sleep on the top bunk?” Molly whined as he mother tucked her in.
“Because Kit’s sleeping there,” Rebecca explained. “Besides, you might fall out during an earthquake, Pumpkin.”
“No, I won’t.”
“Molly, don’t argue. Just go to sleep. We have to get up really early tomorrow to find the treasure, okay?”
Reluctantly, Molly muttered, “Okay.”
With a loving smile, Rebecca smoothed her daughter’s damp hair and kissed her cheek. “Goodnight.”
“Night,” the little girl echoed, a little petulantly.
Standing up, Rebecca smiled at Kit, who was lying on the top bunk. She gave his shoulder a fond squeeze and whispered, “Goodnight.”
“Night, Miz Cunningham.” He then leaned over the bunk to say, ‘goodnight’ to Molly. When he saw the little girl stick her tongue out at him, he returned the gesture. In spite of herself, Molly giggled; she could never stay mad for very long.
Rebecca got a coarse grey flannel blanket out of the closet and made her way towards the open back hatch doorway where Baloo was stringing his hammock. “Thought you might want this,” she said, offering him the blanket.
“Thanks.” Baloo flipped the blanket over his shoulder and returned to hanging his hammock.
From the safety of the cargo hold, Rebecca gazed out at the dark, forested island. The full moon hung over the top of the cone, now protruding from a misty cloud. Even though she would never admit it, she sensed that the island was giving her a fatalistic warning to stay away. Hesitantly, she said, “Do you think there really is a treasure?”
“Sure, don’t you?” Baloo gave the knot one last tug.
With a conviction she didn’t feel, Rebecca replied, “Yes, of course.” She wasn’t able to tear her eyes away from the island.
Following her gaze, yet seeing nothing of interest, Baloo said, “What’s up?”
“I keep having this feeling that we’re being watched.”
“Aw, that’s just your imagination,” Baloo said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Nobody lives on Shakenquake Island.”
“But what about all of those stories that you and Kit were talking about at supper? The cannibals, the man-eating tigers...?”
“Probably just some crazy rumors to keep folks away from the treasure.” Under his breath, he mumbled, “I hope.”
Unconvinced, Rebecca murmured, “I suppose so. But that gigantic hole that tried to suck Molly in definitely was no rumor.”
“Trust me, Becky, nothing’s gonna happen.”
Just then, another earthquake swept over the island as unexpectantly and as quickly as summer lightning. When she Sea Duck began careen dangerously on the waves, Rebecca shrieked and threw herself into Baloo’s arms.
Then, the earthquake ended as abruptly as it had begun.
However, Rebecca didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes squeezed shut, she clung to Baloo with all her might.
Baloo’s feelings were badly mixed. On the one hand, he liked being hugged by her. In fact, he really liked it. On the other hand, he was becoming increasingly embarrassed, because now he felt as if they were being watched, not by some mysterious strangers, but by Kit and Molly. The embarrassment finally won out. He tapped her on the shoulder. “Uh, Becky?”
“Hmm?” she murmured absently.
“Earthquake’s over.”
“Oh! Right!” Blushing, Rebecca let go of Baloo and took two steps backwards. She cleared her throat self-consciously. In an overly nonchalant way, she said, “Well, better get to bed. We have to get up bright and early. And don’t even think about sleeping in.”
Baloo chuckled a little. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Yes, well...” Without another word, Rebecca disappeared into the dark cargo hold and climbed into bed beside Molly.
Shakenquake Island
The Next Morning
As they climbed up the broad, somewhat gently sloping hill that led to the lake, Rebecca’s anxious eyes darted around at the jungle that seemed to press in around them. It was eerily silent as if the island was devoid of life. Not only were there no animal calls, cries, or snufflings, but there didn’t seem to be any insects, either. There was just the ‘shh’ of the wind tickling the palm trees and a low, intermittent rumbling from deep within the island.
The bearess turned her attention back to the path. Ahead of her was Kit, and ahead of Kit was Baloo with Molly perched on his shoulders. Baloo was slashing through the vegetation with a machete. “Where are we? How much farther?”
Letting the machete fall to his side with a tired sigh, Baloo swiped his arm across his sweaty forehead. Molly offered him her handkerchief. The big bear took it with a grin and tweaked her toes.
Kit, compass and sketchbook in hand, said, “According to the map, the lake shouldn’t be much farther. Just up and over this hill.”
Rebecca peered over Kit’s shoulder at the map. “Why would anyone throw jewels in a lake?” she wondered.
“‘Cause they wanted liquid assets?” When his boss shot him an annoyed look, Baloo added, “What? I picked it up from you.”
Hearing a twig snap, Rebecca said, “Hush!”
“No need to bite my head off, ‘cause I ain’t an MBA or ABD like you, lady,” Baloo growled.
Rebecca clamped a hand over his mouth. Her voice sank to a whisper. “I thought I heard something.”
“W-w-what kind of a something?” Baloo stammered, drawing Rebecca and Kit closer to him as they peered, frightened, into the forest. “Large animal somethin’ or cannibal somethin’ or...?”
Molly pointed to a rustling bush. “It’s over there!”
Rebecca whispered, “Baloo, go check it out.”
“Me?” the big bear exclaimed.
“Yes, you.” Rebecca gave him a little push forward. “You’ve got a knife.”
From the bushes came a low, scruffy voice: “What are ya mangy swabs doing on my island?”
“Your island?” For good measure, Baloo tacked on, “Sir?”
“Aye, for ‘tis the feared pirate Captain Juan Toomanie.”
End of part 3
Baloo’s Clues
Part 4
TaleSpin and its characters are the property of Disney / Buena Vista Co. and are used without permission. All other characters are mine and cannot be used without permission.
Shakenquake Island
Kit squeaked, “Captain Juan Toomanie? The scourge of the Seven Seas?”
“The greatest pirate ever?” Molly added.
“Not to mention the handsomest...” Rebecca said with a dreamy look in her eyes.
Baloo was the only one who wasn’t impressed. “Wait a doggone minute! You’re that guy who has a flea-brained parrot for a pet!”
A green parrot with a tuft of blue feathers atop his head flew out of the bushes. He looked indignantly down his hooked beak at Baloo. “Who are you calling flea-brained, tubby?”
“A talking birdy!” Molly squealed happily.
“It’s Ignatz!” Kit said, recognizing his friend.
Baloo groaned. “Aw, man, now we got trouble.”
As Ignatz circled around Baloo, he said in perfect imitation of Grouchy Marks, “I never forget a face, but in your case, I’ll be glad to make an exception.”
“Why, you...!” the big bear growled, attempting to swat at the bird.
“Why me?” the parrot rejoined with an exaggerated sigh as he easily dodged around Baloo’s hands.
“What are you doing here, Ignatz?” Kit asked.
Ignatz settled on the boy’s shoulder. “The Museum of Natural History let me have a vacation, so I thought I’d revisit my old home. Bwak! What are you doing here?”
“Treasure hunting.” Kit quickly brought his feathered friend up-to-date.
“That sketchbook was part of Captain Juan Toomanie’s plan to pass on his legacy to one member of his pirate crew,” Ignatz explained. “The way he meant it to work was that whoever could decipher the clues would gain control of all of his wealth as well as become Captain. But before he could tell any of them about his plan, he died. After his death, the pirates, who weren’t very bright, sold everything they thought wasn’t of value, including yours truly, to that flea market.”
Before Baloo could make a snide comment involving Ignatz and fleas, Rebecca said eagerly, “You mean there really is treasure here?”
“Yes. Bwak!” Ignatz replied, nodding. “Juan Toomanie was a smart old pirate. He hid his loot in several places all over the world. The largest stashes were Carlsbear Caverns and here. But thanks to a fat bear, who shall remain nameless...” he shot a pointed look at Baloo, “the loot at the Carlsbear Cavern is buried under two tons of rubble. Hey, that’s almost as much as you weigh, Baloo.”
Rebecca giggled.
Baloo glowered at her, then glowered at the bird. “Anyone up for a little snack, say, fricasseed parrot?”
Kit asked, “Can you take us to the treasure, Ignatz?”
“Sorry, Kit. I solemnly promised Captain Toomanie that I would take that secret to my grave.”
“Which might be sooner than you think,” the pilot said, rolling his sleeves up menacingly.
Rebecca chided him. “Oh, stop arguing with the bird, Baloo.”
Sullenly, Baloo muttered, “He started it.”
At the Lake
After going over the hill and through the woods, er, jungle, the Higher for Hire crew finally made it to their destination - a sparkling, sprawling lake cupped in the basin of the extinct volcano.
Ignatz took a deep breath as he took in the beauty of the calm waters, the gently sloping vine-tangled banks surrounding them, and the puffy clouds lazily floating overhead. A faraway look came into his beady black eyes. “Captain Toomanie always thought this place was the cat’s pajamas, the bee’s knees, the best thing since sliced bread, the...”
“Speakin’ of bread, where’s the dough?” Baloo interrupted impatiently. Ignatz was getting on his nerves. Ever since the parrot had met up with them, he hadn’t stopped chattering.
Kit consulted the sketchbook. “In the picture, the letter ‘S’ is written in the middle of the lake.”
“The treasure is at the bottom of the lake?” Molly cried. “How are we s’posed to get it?”
As Baloo moved closer to the lake, he slipped on some wet vegetation. Arms flailing wildly, he slid down the embankment and banged into a vine-covered rock. “Yeow!”
“What are you doing, Baloo?” Rebecca said sternly.
“It ain’t the jitterbug,” he said through clenched teeth as he hopped up and down in pain. “I stubbed my toe on somethin’.”
Smiling sarcastically, Ignatz said, “You know what they say: Time wounds all heels.”
When Baloo noticed something gleaming through the vines covering the rock that he had just stubbed his toe on, he began to rip off the vegetation. “Hey, guys, take a gander at this.”
It turned out not to be an ordinary rock, but a grey stone dias. It stood about four feet tall with a narrow cylindrical pedestal and a round top. There were six small indentations in the center of the top - five round, one oblong.
But what really caught their attentions were four large jewels sunk into the perimeter of the top of the dias like the four points of a compass. Each had been carved into a different shape - a ruby heart, an amethyst flower, an emerald bird, and a topaz sun.
Baloo turned to Ignatz, who was sitting on an overhead branch. “Does this have something to do with the treasure?”
Ignatz folded his wings and gave the big bear an impudent look from his lofty perch. “I’m not saying one single word.”
“Aw, c’mon. A minute ago, we couldn’t shut ya up.”
“Fiddle-dee-dee,” Ignatz replied in imitation of Scarlett O’Mara.
Kit brushed the remaining leaves and dirt from the top of the dias. “Look, there’s an inscription carved around the outside. ‘In time of need, turn to what you treasure most.’”
Rebecca, who was almost salivating over the jewels, asked, “How can you choose?”
“Whatever you do, choose carefully,” Ignatz warned. “Juan Toomanie sure liked booby traps.”
Rebecca traced the six indentations with her finger. “What could these be for? They’re in the shape of a...a triangle with a stem?”
“Looks like an arrow to me,” Kit surmised.
Molly piped up, “What about the marbles?”
“Honey, this is no time to be playing marbles,” Rebecca said absently, trying to pry the amethyst off the dias with her fingernails.
“Molly’s right,” Baloo said. “I bet the marbles would fit in them holes. Wish we had ‘em now.”
“But we do, Baloo.” The little girl fished the five marbles that they had collected from all over the world out of her pockets and dropped them into the indentations. Once the marbles were in place, it was easier to see that indentations did indeed form the shape of an arrow.
They all waited expectantly, their eyes fixed on the dias. However, nothing happened.
After a few moments, Kit said musingly, “That last hole looks like a keyhole. Do you have the key that we found in Tundra City, Molly?”
“Yuh-huh,” the little bearess mumbled, digging into her pocket again.
When the little brass key was fitted into the slot at the base of the ‘arrow’ where the stem met the head, there was a click. The middle portion of the dias top popped up slightly as if a spring had been released. It was now able to swing freely like a lazy Susan, meaning that the ‘arrow’ could be rotated to point at one of the four jeweled figures.
“‘Turn to what you treasure most’,” Rebecca murmured. “What would Juan Toomanie treasure most?”
Baloo shrugged. “Pirates treasure...treasure.”
Kit glanced at Ignatz, who was watching them from above, for help. Instinctively, he knew what Captain Juan Toomanie had meant. “Try the bird shape, Miz Cunningham.”
Trembling with excitement mixed with a healthy dose of nervousness, Rebecca gingerly grasped the key and used it to turn the arrow so that it pointed to the emerald bird.
Almost immediately, the loud rumbling and earth quaking that they had come to know so well began.
The Higher for Hire gang, huddling together in order to keep their balance, gasped in fright when the lake began to bubble and froth. Slowly but steadily, something started to rise from it. At first, it appeared to be a sea monster, but as it continued to surface, they could see that it was a large, round structure. More specifically, it looked like a giant marble adorned with blue and bronze swirls.
As door-sized partition of the massive marble unfolded to create a bridge from the treasure trove to the shore, Rebecca gasped breathlessly, “Oh, my!”
“Wow...” Kit murmured.
Molly echoed his sentiment. “Double wow!”
“Why, it’s made entirely out of marbles!” Baloo exclaimed, taking a closer look at the exterior of the structure. “A whole mess of little marbles.”
Ignatz, who had alighted on Kit’s shoulder, explained, “Captain Juan Toomanie was good with details, and he had a lot of time on his hands.”
“Well, we’re going to take some treasure off his hands. Come on!” As giddy as a schoolgirl, Rebecca tripped lightly across the bridge.
Molly scooped up the marbles and followed her mother with Baloo and Ignatz right behind.
Kit got halfway across the translucent bridge, then paused when something below in the lake caught his eye. Through the rippling water, he could see outlines of what looked like a network of pipes.
“Coming, Kit?” Ignatz said from just inside the door.
“Uh, yeah.” Puzzled by what he had just seen, Kit followed the parrot inside.
Inside the treasure trove, blue and bronze light danced over the dazzling spectacle of mounds upon mounds of jewelry, precious gems, gold, and silver gathered from the four corners of the earth.
When Kit entered, Baloo was letting a handful of jewels trickle through his fingers while Molly tried on a tiara. Rebecca flitted from pile to pile, stuffing whatever she could into her pockets or could drape around her neck.
“Wow, look at all this loot. It’s Karnage’s dream come true,” Kit murmured, gazing around at the overwhelming piles of pirate plunder. Finally, his eyes were drawn to a large pillar in the middle of the room. It was encrusted with marbles and reached almost to the ceiling. Taking a step backwards, he could see that there was something large and sparkly perched on top of the pillar. “What’s up there, Ignatz?”
“That was Captain Toomanie’s most prized possession, the famed Hopeless Diamond.”
Rebecca dropped the brooch she had been holding. “Did you say the Hopeless Diamond? The Hopeless Diamond? The one that’s worth millions?”
“Billions,” Ignatz corrected.
“B-b-b-b-billions?” Baloo stammered.
Baloo and Rebecca turned wary, suspicious eyes towards each other. Tension hung thickly in the air for a moment before Rebecca made a dash towards the mound of jewels closest to the pillar and started to scramble up it.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” Baloo yelled, snagging her cardigan.
“Oh, yes, I do!” Rebecca gave his hand a savage pinch.
“Yeow!” Baloo yelped, releasing her sweater. Scowling, he clambered up the pile, dislodging coins and jewels from their resting places with each step.
When Rebecca reached the top, she had to shield her eyes from the light radiating from the humongous jewel. “Goodness, what a lovely diamond!” she gushed, peeking through her fingers at it.
Mimicking Mae East, Ignatz said, “Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie.” In his own voice, he added, “I wouldn’t touch that if I were you. Captain Toomanie wouldn’t even let his men touch it under penalty of death.”
“But he’s not here now, is he?” Rebecca retorted, becoming greedier by the minute. She started to tug on the diamond, which was bigger than Molly, but it wouldn’t budge. “Don’t just stand there gaping, Baloo, help me!”
“I really wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Ignatz warned.
“Why, is Captain Toomanie gonna come back from the dead and stop us?” Baloo said with a scornful laugh.
When they had finally wrenched the diamond from the pedestal, Shakenquake Island once again lived up to its name.
“You could say that.” Ignatz sighed sadly.
Amid the clinking of jewels and coins falling to the floor came Molly’s very frightened, “Mommy!”
“It’s okay, honey,” Rebecca reassured her as she and Baloo clung to the top of the pedestal. “It’s just another earthquake.”
Ignatz quipped, “Or that fat bear’s stomach.”
“Hey!” Baloo said angrily.
Just when they thought that the situation couldn’t get any worse, water started spraying from out of the top of the pedestal with the force of a fire hose. Simultaneously, the door began to close and the marble treasure trove slowly sank.
Over the roar of the water, Kit yelled, “This is no ordinary earthquake. Run!”
Everyone sloshed through the rising water towards the swiftly-closing door, except Rebecca. She was still stubbornly struggling to move the huge diamond.
“Leave that!” Baloo shouted up to her. “Gettin’ the Hopeless Diamond outta here is hopeless.”
“I’m not leaving this,” she retorted through gritted teeth, continuing to futilely tug at the gigantic jewel. “Think of the money.”
“Think of the drowning!”
“Well, when you put it that way...” Rebecca said reluctantly after she finally acknowledged the dangerous situation. Leaving the diamond, she slid down the mound of coins and jewels and splashed into the waist-deep water. She then tried to get to her feet. However, because she was laden down by the weight of the loot that she had in her pockets and around her neck, she was sucked under the surface. “Bal...glug!”
“Beckers!” Baloo glanced at the closing door, the rapidly rising water, and made a split-second decision. “You kids get to the Duck.”
Kit protested, “But...!”
“Now!” Baloo commanded in a tone that left no room for argument.
Ignatz said, “For once, the fat bear is right. Let’s get out of this place.”
After the cubs and Ignatz squeezed through the door, Baloo mumbled, “Talk about gettin’ in over your head.” He took a deep breath and dove under the water just as the door slammed shut with an ominous, resounding boom.
Outside, things weren’t much better. The shaking, rumbling island was literally crumbling beneath them as they headed for the seaplane and safety. All around them trees were being uprooted and fissures were forming in the earth where water was blasting through like geysers.
Kit led a wide-eyed Molly through it all, relying on his inner compass, his quick reflexes, and the aerial view of his feathered friend.
Ignatz quickly dodged around a geyser and shouted, “This way!”
“Whoa!” the cubs cried as they suddenly found themselves on the edge of a ravine. A river had sprung up that hadn’t been there a second before.
Seeing a palm tree that had just toppled over, thus forming a bridge across the river, Ignatz said, “That way!”
Unhesitatingly, they crossed the river via the tree trunk and ran up, up, up the hill, jumping over fallen trees, dodging around rocks, and weaving around geysers. Kit didn’t know which was shaking more - the ground or himself.
At the top of the hill, they paused for a moment to catch their breaths. Below them, they could see the churning lake where only the top half of the giant marble was visible. There was no sign of Baloo and Rebecca.
Molly said nothing, but her chin trembled. Kit swallowed a lump in his throat. The kids shared a look, then started to hurry down the hill towards the cove where the seaplane was moored.
Meanwhile...
The Treasure Trove
Baloo and Rebecca splashed to the surface, coughing and spluttering. The ceiling was close above their heads and the light was quickly diminishing as the giant marble sank beneath the waves.
“Where are the kids?” Rebecca asked, wiping her hair out of her face.
Tapping water out of his ears, Baloo replied, “Back at the Duck...I hope.”
“You hope?” she shrieked, causing the pilot to wince in pain. “You don’t know?”
“I woulda known if I haven’t stayed behind to save you, lady,” he growled.
Clinging tighter to Baloo’s neck, Rebecca snapped petulantly, “We’re not saved yet. We’re trapped and we’re sinking!”
“Tell me somethin’ I don’t know.”
“Well, think of something.”
“I’m thinkin’! I’m thinkin’!” Baloo said, squinting through the semidarkness to survey their situation.
“Think faster!” she said, the tremor in her voice betraying her fear. They had two feet of airspace and it was quickly shrinking.
Baloo ran his hand across the bumpy surface of the ceiling. The marbles seemed to be securely cemented together. Finally, in desperation, he started to pound at the ceiling with his fist.
“Wha...what are you doing?” Rebecca gasped and spluttered. His movements were causing water to splash in her face.
“Tryin’ to break through this glass ceiling,” Baloo said, putting as much force behind each blow as he possibly could.
Rebecca also began to punch at the ceiling, saying with a shaky laugh, “I’ve been trying to do that for years.”
After what seemed like an eternity, but was in actuality only a few minutes, the ceiling splintered, allowing sunlight to pour in.
“Ladies first. Ally-oop!” Baloo said as he hoisted Rebecca through the hole.
Meanwhile...
At the Cove
As they yellow seaplane came into view, Molly asked, “What’s wrong with the Sea Duck?”
The Conwing L-16 was tilted to one side with one wingtip nearly touching the water.
Despite the fact that he was exhausted, Kit redoubled his speed. “The tree it’s tethered to is pulling it down with the rest of the island. It’ll sink if we don’t cut that rope.”
Molly reminded him, “But we don’t have a knife.”
“I’ll do it.” Ignatz proclaimed. He flew to the rope and chomped it in two, causing the seaplane to spring upright on its pontoons. “Come on!” he motioned from atop the Sea Duck.
Around the island, the water had been whipped into a white frenzy, making it too dangerous to swim. To make matters worse, the Sea Duck was drifting farther and farther away from shore with each passing second.
“Easy for you to say,” Kit said sarcastically.
“Yeah, you can fly,” Molly added.
“Fly!” Kit said, snapping his fingers. “That’s it!” Cupping his hands to his mouth, he shouted over the rumbling, “Ignatz can you give me that rope, the one that you just cut?”
“Roger Wilcox. Bwak!” Ignatz retrieved the portion of the rope that was still connected to the seaplane, then flew to the shore and dropped the end of the rope into Kit’s hand, saying, “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Kit pulled out his airfoil, flicked it open, and put it on the ground. “Hop on, Molly, and hold tight to me.” When both cubs were on the airfoil, Kit pulled on the rope, thus causing them to wing their way into the open back hatch.
Once inside, Ignatz shook off his wet feathers, saying a la the Hunchback of Notre Dame, “Sanctuary. Sanctuary.”
“Baloo will save Mommy, right?” Molly asked, climbing into the navigator’s seat.
“Yeah, but now we’ve got to save both of them.” Kit’s hands shook as he flipped the switches to start the engine. He’d always wanted to fly the Sea Duck solo, but not under these conditions.
Meanwhile...
Shakenquake Island
“Step on it, Becky!” Baloo commanded, practically dragging his boss up to the highest point of the island.
“I’m stepping! I’m stepping!” Rebecca gasped out. In addition to the treacherous terrain, the weight of the jewels she had stashed on her person was making it difficult to run.
“This island’s crumblin’ faster’n a month-old cookie.”
“How would you know? Cookies don’t last that long around you.”
Baloo glared at her. “If we can just get to the Duck...” When they got to the top of the hill, he looked north, south, east, and west. However, there was no sign of the yellow seaplane. “The Duck! Where’s my Sea Duck?”
“Now what?” Rebecca panted. She watched helplessly as the land that they were standing on became surrounded by a whirlpool that was sucking the whole island into its deadly undertow. “We’re sinking!”
“Just like my tummy.”
Shakenquake Island, once a tiny speck in the ocean, was becoming an even tinier speck in the ocean. In mere minutes both they and the entire island would be completely engulfed by the merciless waves.
When the Sea Duck flew over, Baloo wildly waved his arms and shouted, “Hey, Li’l Britches! Over here!” Hope turned to despair as the seaplane soared towards the horizon. The big bear’s shoulders slumped. “They can’t see us, Becky.”
“I’ll fix that.” Rebecca tilted the large ruby pendant she was wearing around her neck towards the sun. “Come on...”
Meanwhile...
The Sea Duck
Tears came to Molly’s eyes as she watched the island sinking beneath the foaming waves.
“Bwak! Don’t worry, Molly,” Ignatz said, alighting on her shoulder. “Baloo carries his own floatation device under that thick skin of his. He and your mom will float like corks.”
“Keep your eyes peeled,” Kit said, diving the plane as low as he dared. “They’ve gotta be down there someplace.”
Seeing a flash of red, Ignatz exclaimed, “There! There!”
Simultaneously, Kit and Molly said, “Where? Where?”
“Off the starboard bow.”
Kit looked around, but the crowbar that was usually used as the autopilot was nowhere to be found. “Molly, take the controls while I get the ladder ready.”
“Me?” the little girl squeaked. “B-but I can’t fly!”
“Sure you can. Danger Woman can do anything,” Kit said with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “Just hold it steady.”
“Okay.” Molly reluctantly climbed into the pilot’s seat and took hold of the control yoke. She let out a surprised squeal when she accidentally yanked too hard to the left.
“Molly!” Kit picked himself up off the floor, saying, “Whatever you do, don’t crash.”
“Don’t crash. Meh,” Molly muttered, sticking her tongue out at Kit.
“I’ll help her,” Ignatz offered. “I’m a natural at flying.”
Kit ran into the cargo hold, grabbed the rope ladder from where it hung on the wall, and quickly fastened the hooks to the seaplane’s hull. He then threw it out the cargo hold door, thus causing it to unroll. “Hope that holds,” he murmured, racing back to the cockpit.
Taking the controls from Molly, he said, “Here goes everything,” as he swung the Sea Duck back around towards the island.
Spotting the red flash again, Ignatz said, “I spy with my eagle eyes two bears. Fly as low as you can, Kit. I’ll help direct you there.”
“Okay...” Gulping nervously, the boy pushed the control yoke forward. He knew he only got one shot at this.
Meanwhile...
On What Was Left of Shakenquake Island
Baloo, who was more nervous than Kit, paced around the tiny piece of land and murmured directions as the Sea Duck approached. What worried him more than being sucked into a whirling vortex of terror was Kit flying solo. He wished that he had some way to communicate with the boy. “Get your nose up, kiddo. Little more to port. Whoops, too much. Swing her back the other way, son. Easy...easy... There ya go. Spot on. Okay, now, lower, lower. I see ya got the ladder out. Good thinkin’, partner.”
His mutterings ceased when Rebecca kissed him on the cheek.
Surprised, the big bear put a hand to his face. “What was that for?”
Her eyes intently focused on the approaching seaplane, Rebecca said, “For luck. We’re gonna need all that we can get.”
Baloo smiled a little. “You got that right, lady.” He then returned his attention back to the seaplane, which was coming closer, closer... “Come on, Li’l Britches...”
The moment that the Sea Duck passed overhead, Baloo with his arm around Rebecca, grabbed the bottom rung of the ladder just as the last vestige of the island disappeared beneath the angry, churning waves.
Being towed along at two hundred screaming miles per hour, Baloo felt as if his arm was being torn out of its socket. Not only was he losing his grip on the rope, but he was losing his grip on Rebecca. Therefore, there was no possible way that he could carry her and climb into the Sea Duck.
Then there was one other problem.
“Uh, Becky...” he said with a gulp. “I just remembered something.”
“What?” she snapped.
“I, uh, was gonna replace this ladder.”
“Why?” Looking further up the ladder, she saw the problem. Towards the top, both of the parallel ropes were beginning to fray.
“We might be at the end of our ropes,” Baloo said with a sheepish grin.
A very frightened Rebecca dug her fingers into his shirt and shouted, “Don’t you dare drop me, buster!”
“I don’t wanna, but all them gewgaws are makin’ you heavy.”
“What do we do?” she said, panicking.
“You gotta lose some weight.”
Rebecca looked annoyed. “I have to lose weight? You’re the one who needs to go on a diet, buster.”
“No time,” Baloo said, feeling the ladder fraying more. “The treasure! The treasure!”
“Oh, no!”
“Oh, yes! I really hate to say it, Becky, but it’s either that or us.”
Rebecca glanced down several thousand feet at the blue ocean speeding by. With a pained look that was normally reserved for trips to the dentist, she started emptying her pockets of coins and precious jewels.
“More! Drop more,” Baloo urged.
“But these are pearls,” Rebecca said, clutching the last of the treasure. “Every woman loves pearls.”
“Hope you love swimmin’.” As if to corroborate his statement, one of the parallel ropes severed completely.
Rebecca kissed the necklace, shut her eyes, and let it go with a whimper.
“I’m gonna need both hands for hoistin’ us up, so hang on tight.” Before the other side of the ladder could break, Baloo climbed hand over hand up the rope.
When they finally reached the Sea Duck’s cargo hold and had closed the door behind them, both flopped down on the deck with sighs of relief.
“I don’t know how to thank you, Baloo,” Rebecca said softly.
Helping her to her feet, he said with a twinkle in his eye, “How about a big, fat pay raise or a couple of weeks off?”
“Don’t press your luck, buster,” Rebecca retorted with a wry smile as they made their way to the cockpit.
“They made it!” Molly squealed with delight. Undoing her seatbelt, the little girl ran over and latched onto her mother, who eagerly returned the warm hug.
“Nice flyin’, Li’l Britches,” Baloo said, tousling the boy’s hair. “You’re gonna be an ace yet.”
Kit beamed as he took his place in navigator’s seat. “Thanks, but Ignatz helped me a lot.”
Baloo opened his mouth to make a snide comment, then shut it. Instead, he respectfully doffed his hat to the parrot. “Thank you...sir.”
Ignatz replied, “Don’t mention it...tubby.” He chuckled a little at Baloo’s annoyed expression.
Taking her customary seat on crate behind the pilot’s seat, Rebecca said, “I’m afraid to ask. Did we get out with anything but our lives?”
Baloo and Kit felt around in their pockets then solemnly shook their heads.
Molly, sitting on Rebecca’s lap, emptied her marble bag into her mother’s hand. “I saved the marbles that we found in the little treasure chests. See?”
“That’s nice, Pumpkin, but I’m afraid marbles aren’t worth anything,” Rebecca said with a sad smile.
“Think again,” Ignatz interjected. “Those happen to be Juan Toomanie’s oldest and rarest marbles. To the right buyer, they might be worth, say, five hundred dollars.”
Rebecca gasped. In the blink of an eye, her expression changed from hopeless to hopeful. She tightened her grip on the now-precious marbles. “Really? On the way home, Baloo, can we stop off at Stu’s Secondhand Store? I mean, if these little, tiny marbles are worth that much, think what an antique desk or lamp would be worth. Or maybe we’ll find another treasure map!”
Baloo groaned, “Here we go again.”
The End