What a Trip! by Tony Abbott

Author:Tony Abbott
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781480486898
Publisher: Open Road Media

Chapter 15

After all the welcome hugs, we sorted out what had happened after Frankie flipped the pages and zapped me to Yokohama.

Just as the storm pushed the Tankadere into Shanghai harbor, Captain Bunsby spotted the steamship General Grant making its way toward Yokohama.

They signaled to the steamer, it stopped, and Fogg and Aouda—and unfortunately Fix—got on board.

The General Grant then steamed to Yokohama. There, Fogg and Aouda learned that Frankie and Passepartout had been on the Carnatic when it stopped there, and went searching for them. When Aouda spotted the circus, she remembered that Passepartout had been a juggler. She and Fogg went straight into the theater.

“The rest is history,” I said.

“And now to the future,” said Mr. Fogg as we gathered at the ship’s railing and looked ahead. “If we make it across the sea in twenty-two days,” he said, “reaching San Francisco by December third, exactly sixty-two days into our tour of the world, we shall have gained two days. Then, if all goes mathematically, we shall reach New York by December eleventh, and London by the twentieth, well in time to accomplish our goal!”

The General Grant sure did its part, rolling swiftly over the waves. The ship, by the way, was a large paddle-wheel steamer but was also rigged with three masts and lots of sails. It was definitely the kind of boat to make it over lots and lots of ocean.

One thing I find cool is how authors can make days pass with just a few words on the page. To pass the time, I snuggled in a deck chair and did some reading. Within two or three pages, it was already November 23, our ninth day out from Yokohama. We all happened to be on deck when Mr. Fogg informed us that we were exactly halfway around the world.

“But we’ve already used up more than half of our eighty days,” said Frankie, showing me her watch. Over forty minutes had ticked by since we had left the library. “Does this mean we’re behind schedule?”

The man shook his head slightly. “The traveling will be straighter and swifter from here on. Across the ocean, straight across America, then a steamer to Liverpool, and a train to London. It’s quite quick from here on to the joyful conclusion of our journey.”

“The joyful conclusion,” said Aouda. But when she looked at the coolness of Mr. Fogg, I saw in her amazing eyes something not so joyful at all. She was sad.

Me, too, sort of. I really liked Aouda.

Meanwhile, somebody I didn’t like—Detective Fix—hadn’t given up his evil quest to arrest Mr. Fogg.

“Yes, yes, I know you don’t like me,” Fix said, when Passepartout sneered at him one morning. “I still believe Mr. Fogg to be a bank robber, but, for whatever reason, he seems intent on getting back to London. Fine. I will help all I can to ensure he gets to London.”

“Why would you help?” asked Frankie.

“I will help him,” Fix said, “because it is only when we get to England that we’ll know whether he is a gentleman, or a terrible robber.

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