The Boy With Orange Hair

by Bill Bowler

Chapter 6
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
appear in this issue.

Chapter 7

The boy with orange hair, Gerry the groundhog and General Rickrack ran out to the front steps of Police Headquarters.

“Look!” cried Gerry. “At the end of the street!”

“That’s him,” cried General Rickrack. “Quick! He’s getting away!”

The three of them dashed down the steps and ran down the street as fast as they could run in the direction Quigley had disappeared. They ran five blocks and came to where the street ended and a long pier stretched out into Miami harbor.

“Look!” cried Gerry. “There he is!”

They saw a figure run out to the end of the pier and jump down into a motorboat tied below in the water. As they ran out onto the pier, they heard the motor roar, and the motorboat sped off due east at high speed leaving a huge wake which splashed against the pier.

“He’s getting away!” cried Gerry.

“Stop that boat!” shouted General Rickrack.

But it was too late. The motorboat was speeding out to sea.

The only other craft in sight was a luxury ocean liner moored at the same pier. They raced up the gangplank and asked a sailor, “Where’s the captain?!”

The sailor pointed to a tall man with silver hair in a shining white uniform with gold buttons and gold stripes, looking through a telescope from the bow of the ship. They ran to the bow.

“Captain! Captain!” cried Gerry the groundhog. “Please. We need your help.”

“We have to catch that guy in the motor boat, Captain,” said the boy with orange hair

General Rickrack walked up behind and saluted. “Official business, Captain. National Security. Top Secret. Classified.”

The Captain saluted, “At your service, General.” He raised the telescope back to his eye and scanned the horizon. “Aye, thar she blows. She’s heading east, out to sea.” He called to the crew, “All hands on deck. All hands on deck. Raise the gangplank. Full steam ahead. Hold course due east, 90 degrees, full steam.”

“Thank you, Captain,” said General Rickrack. “The President is fully informed. There could be commendations, Medal of Honor, when it’s all over, you understand...”

Just then, they heard a little squeaky voice that seemed to come from the boy’s front pocket, “Hey!! Let me out of here!! You have NO RIGHT to keep me in here. I demand to see a lawyer. I’m innocent. Can’t we talk this over?! Let me out of here or you’ll be sorry!!”

“National security,” General Rickrack told the Captain. “Official government business.”

For 13 hours and 13 minutes, the ocean liner steamed due east. Quigley’s motorboat was ahead of them on the horizon and the ocean liner was closing the gap, but the weather changed suddenly and a thick fog descended. Navigating by instruments, they held course due east but visual contact with Quigley was lost. Then things began to deteriorate.

“Captain,” said the navigator, “take a look at this.” The Captain looked over the navigator’s shoulder and the others looked over the Captain’s shoulder. All the gauges and dials and the compass and the clocks and all the controls were all spinning around in circles and it was impossible to tell what direction the ship was sailing, or how fast, or for how long.

“Uh oh,” said Gerry the groundhog.

“What’s happening?” asked General Rickrack.

“There’s something very strange going on,” said the Captain

“I... think... I... know,” said the boy with orange hair slowly.

“What is it?! What?” they all shouted.

“Listen,” said the boy with orange hair.

They all grew quiet and listened. Somewhere in the distance they heard a hushed shhhhhh.

“What’s that?” asked the Captain.

The hushed sound was growing louder, SHHHHHH. And louder. It became a rumble, then a roar. A sailor ran into the bridge.

“Captain! Captain! We’re caught in a tremendous current that’s dragging the ship!”

“Full speed astern! Full speed astern!” wailed the Captain.

“It’s too late,” said the boy with orange hair quietly. “Captain, I’m afraid we’ve wandered into the Bermuda Triangle.”

“Oh, NO!” gasped the Captain.

“It’s true,” said the boy. “We’re caught now in a gigantic whirlpool. The ship’s engines are useless. There’s nothing to do but hold on tight. You better warn the other passengers.”

“You’re right,” said the Captain. He went to the intercom. “Attention all passengers. Attention all passengers. Do not be alarmed. Please remain seated. Our ship has accidentally wandered into the Bermuda Triangle and we’re caught in a giant whirlpool. Please remain seated until further notice. Over and out.”

“Now, hold on tight,” said the boy with orange hair.

They could see now that the ship was being swept along in a huge circle, round and round, and the circle was growing smaller, and the ship was circling faster and going down, down into the dark center of the whirlpool, down, down, faster and faster, into a black swirling tunnel of water, down, down, darker and darker, and they were dropping through thin air and... kerPLUNK! The ship fell out through the bottom of the swirling tunnel and splashed down onto a body of water.

The Captain went back to the intercom, “Attention. Attention. The emergency is over. Don’t be alarmed. Situation normal. Over and out.”

He switched off the intercom and turned to the boy, “But where are we?”

Proceed to Chapter 8...