Shipwreck Island by S. A. Bodeen Read Free Book Online

intricately carved scenes all over it. He saw mermaids and islands and even what looked like a sea monster. Each of the carvings was inlaid with colorful abalone, and Marco couldn’t resist touching one. The shiny surface was smooth and cool under his fingertips.
    The latch for the trunk was closed, and Marco pressed his fingers against the mechanism, trying to spring it open.
    Nothing happened.
    â€œMarco?” His mother’s voice came from above.
    He dropped the corner of the sheet, backed out of the room, and shut the door. “Coming!” Then, clutching the bird book in his hand, he headed up to the deck.

 
    9
    By the time the sun was almost ready to kiss the horizon, Sarah had gotten over the worst of her nausea. While she certainly wasn’t about to give credit for the improvement to the ginger tea, and especially not her stepmother, she was grateful to be feeling better.
    Sarah and Ahab perched near the front of the boat as it sailed east, away from the sunset. Captain Norm was at the helm, eating his dinner, while the others were down in the cabin eating theirs.
    Apparently, their captain fit the brochure description of fully qualified chef, because he had slipped away from steering the boat about an hour before, then reappeared, proclaiming, “Soup’s on!”
    Although she was feeling better, the thought of eating—even simply smelling food—was enough to make her gag, and she stayed above while the others descended to eat whatever gourmet meal awaited them. The ocean breeze felt good on her face, gradually cooling as the sun slipped below the waves. The first star appeared in the twilight, joined by others, rapidly multiplying as the sky darkened. The moon, half full, began creeping up the sky.
    Sarah lay back on a towel and stared up at the constellations. Her dad had shown her a few on last summer’s trip to the Caribbean, but she only remembered one. She held her hand up toward the sky, tracing the lines of the Southern Cross.
    Ahab barked.
    She looked at him. “What’s a matter—” Then Sarah looked back up at the sky and froze.
    The stars had vanished. As had the moon.
    Ahab barked again.
    Sarah sat up. Seconds before she had seen no clouds at all, but the stars were now … gone. How was that possible?
    Captain Norm’s face was visible in the green glow of the control panel. He stood there, not moving, staring up at the sky.
    Ahab barked and barked, not stopping.
    Over the din, Sarah asked, “What happened?”
    Captain Norm shook his head. “I think we’ve run into some weather.”
    The breeze picked up. Sarah set her hand on Ahab’s head, but he wouldn’t stop barking.
    Captain Norm said, “I don’t like the looks of this.”
    Sarah stood up, almost losing her balance after sitting for so long. “Is it a storm?”
    â€œProbably just a squall. You should go down in the cabin.” He took a long look at Ahab. “Take my dog with you. I’m going to furl the sail and turn on the autopilot. Can you send your dad up? I’ll need a hand with the sail.”
    Although she barely knew him, the tone in his voice was not to be argued with, so Sarah didn’t even consider disobeying. She pulled on Ahab’s collar, dragging him. Not an easy task, as he kept barking and looking back at the captain.
    When they reached the hatch, Sarah said, “Come on. We have to get below.”
    But Ahab grew quiet and sat back on his haunches. He looked over at his master and began whining.
    Captain Norm called over, “Go on, Ahab. Go on.”
    Sarah forced herself to sound calm. “Come on, boy. It’s just a storm. We’ll be fine.” Even as the reassuring words came out of her mouth, her heart raced and her hands trembled as they grasped the dog’s thick collar. She didn’t know how bad the storm would be. She didn’t know if they would be fine. But she did know she