Orville Mouse and the Puzzle of the Last Metaphonium by Tom Hoffman

Author:Tom Hoffman
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: young adult, animals, fantasy, adventure, sci fi, metaphysics
ISBN: 9780997195293
Published: 2017-10-04T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Isle of the Silver Ship

Orville was the first to set foot on the island.

“This is beautiful. I’ve never seen beaches like this, so white, and the sand is so soft. Look at all the seashells.” He stooped over and picked up several, tucking them into his pack, a gift for his mum. Brother Solus frowned, but made no comment.

Proto pulled the longboat onto the beach, tying it securely to a gnarled jungle tree. “That will hold it until Captain Tobias returns.”

Orville turned for a last wave to Captain Tobias and the Sophia, but stopped before he could raise his arm. He was staring at a vast and empty indigo sea.

“The ship’s gone! It can’t be gone, he was just here.”

Sophia scanned the horizon. A bright blue thought cloud floated out of her ear to Orville.

“I just thought of something, the red book said the Mintarians who returned from the synthetic worlds told stories of creatures flickering out of nothingness, of long deceased friends and relatives appearing, great cities which came and went in a single day, and oceans where there had been none.”

“That’s why Brother Solus didn’t know about the Great Sea! It wasn’t there before. It’s why he didn’t know how long the trip would take, because everything is always changing. Do you think he knows he’s in a synthetic world?”

“We don’t even know if he’s real. Look at Captain Tobias, he was here and then he was gone, the Sophia was gone. Was he real?”

Orville reached into his pocket. “I still have the watch, he must have been real.”

“He seemed real when he was here. Maybe he’s back at Pier 29, sitting on the foredeck reading his newspaper and puffing on his big pipe.”

“I hope so, I liked him a lot. There was something about him.”

Brother Solus’ voice rang out. “Enough! You are worse than a flock of chattering magpies!”

Orville took a deep breath. How could one Mintarian be so annoying?

“That trail goes into the jungle. Let’s take that, although I have no idea where we’re going. Maybe we’ll find a fishing village along the coast, one with boats.”

“Captain Tobias said the island was uninhabited, but there could be an abandoned fishing village, something like Okeanos. At least now we know how to sail.”

“And we have Orville the Friendly Pirate to guide us.”

Orville laughed. “Avast, mateys, walk that scurvy Rabbiton off the plank into the deep blue!”

“Come on, Dread Captain Orville, let’s find out why the universe brought us to the Isle of the Silver Ship.”

The jungle habitat proved to be a steaming labyrinth of gnarled trees, vines, and dense undergrowth. Barring the swarms of buzzing iridescent yellow insects with long furry antennae, it did not appear especially dangerous.

“Perhaps we shall encounter a nest of enormous electric vine lizards deeper in the jungle. I should imagine in such a sweltering and oppressive environment as this they would attain unprecedented size and ferocity.”

“Thanks, now I have something to look forward to.”

Sophia stooped down, examining the trail. “Captain Tobias

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