Story Fourteen - Part Three

Continued from:
Monkey June and the Raiders of Monkey Island - Part Two

Monkey June and her friends couldn’t believe how nice everything was in Mr. James' plane. The seats were so comfortable—and they could sit anywhere they wanted! They even traded places a few times during the flight. The food they got for dinner was amazing and delicious.

“Dad,” Monkey June said as she enjoyed her second dessert, “you need to get one of these planes for our family!”

“That’s…not likely to happen, dear,” he assured her.

“A girl can dream…”

After dinner, they all brushed their teeth and got ready to get some sleep. Their seats could be leaned way back and were just perfect for sleeping. There was even a closet on the plane that had plenty of blankets for everyone. Before long, they were all snoozing as the plane soared over the ocean towards Mango Beach Island (not its real name).

Monkey June woke up in the middle of the night. The inside of the plane was dark. For a moment she didn’t know where she was, but then she remembered: she was on a plane going to Mango Beach Island (not its real name) to help Mango Monkey and his family find a safer place to live. She didn’t know if a noise had awakened her, or…

“Are you sure?” she heard Mr. James say. He was talking to someone who stood near his seat. She opened her eyes to see who it was. It wasn’t her dad.

“Yes, sir,” the man said. “We just got word over the radio. I wanted you to know right away. We won’t be able to land on the island.”

“Why not?” Monkey June asked. The two men were surprised to find that she was awake and listening to their conversation.

“Nothing for you to worry about, miss,” the man said. “You can go back to sleep.”

“This is something for her to worry about,” Mr. James corrected the man. “June, our pilot here just learned that there has been another earthquake on the island. It damaged the runway at the airport. We won’t be able to land there.”

“Is there another airport on Mango Beach Island?” she asked.

“That’s not the name of the island,” the pilot said. “It’s—”

“That’s what she and her family call the island,” Mr. James said. “No need to correct her. June, I’m sorry but there’s no other airport on the island.”

“Will we have to turn around and go back home?” Ryan asked. Apparently he was awake and listening to this conversation too.

“I don’t think so, Ryan,” Mr. James said. He turned to the pilot. “What’s the nearest island to…let’s call it ‘Mango Beach Island’…with a runway that we can use?”

“There are two or three, I think,” the pilot answered. “I’ll get on the radio and see if one of them can give us clearing to land. If we find one that’s close enough to…‘Mango Beach Island’, you should be able to find a boat to take you over there without too much trouble.”

“Good plan,” Mr. James agreed. “Please let me know what you find out.”

“If you’re out here, who’s flying the plane?” Carolyn asked. Apparently she was awake and listening to this conversation too.

“This plane has everything,” Marilyn answered. Apparently she was awake and listening to this conversation too. “I’m sure it’s on autopilot.”

“It is,” the pilot confirmed. “You’re a very smart young lady. Of course, there’s another pilot up there, too. We always fly with two.”

“While you’re looking for other islands,” Ryan suggested, “could you see if we can land on a cursed monkey island?”

“Ryan!” all three girls yelled at once.

“Shh!” Monkey June’s father mumbled. “I’m tryna sleep—I mean bake. Where’s the vanilla?”

“Sorry, Monkey June’s dad!” Ryan said.

“He’s not really awake,” Monkey June said. “That’s his sleep-talking voice.”

“Sir,” the pilot said to Mr. James, “I’ll let you know what we find out in a few minutes.”

“Thank you,” Mr. James said.

The pilot went back to the cockpit and Mr. James turned to Monkey June and her friends.

“This is a setback, but it’s nothing to be concerned about,” he explained. “We should be able to land on another island nearby and take a boat over to…Mango Beach Island. This will be nothing more than a slight delay.”

“I hope the new earthquake didn’t damage Mango Monkey’s house,” Monkey June said.

“The pilot said that the damage was mainly around the airport,” Mr. James said. “That’s nowhere near Mango Monkey’s part of the island.”

“Whew,” Monkey June whispered.

A few minutes later she was asleep again.

She had a long and confusing dream about Mango Monkey and his family being chased by bad guys, and Monkey June, her father, Marilyn, Carolyn, and Ryan trying to help them—but then all of them being chased by bad guys.

The plane landed on an island that I’ll call ‘Palm Tree Forest Island’, although that can’t possibly be its real name. It was a much smaller island than Mango Beach Island (not its real name), but it had a small airstrip that they could use for landing. There wasn’t much of an airport there; just a few wooden buildings that looked like large garages or maintenance sheds near the airstrip. It definitely wasn’t a place where tourist planes landed.

It was early in the morning when they arrived. Everyone was still a little sleepy as they walked down the stairs from the plane. Monkey June was especially sleepy after waking up during that short conversation—and after having that exhausting dream.

“Good morning,” a man said walking up to greet them as they got off of the plane. “Please follow me.”

He didn’t wait for them to say anything. He didn’t introduce himself. he didn’t shake anyone’s hand. He just turned around and started walking towards one of the buildings not far from where the plane had landed.

“Does he work for the airport?” Monkey June’s father asked Mr. James. “He’s not wearing a uniform or anything. He just looks like some random guy.”

“Many of these island airfields are staffed by just one or two people,” Mr. James explained, “and they don’t worry much about fancy uniforms. Most of the planes that land here probably bring supplies—not tourists.”

“Will he be able to find us a boat to Mango Beach Island?” Monkey June asked.

“We’ll have to follow him to find out,” Mr. James said. “He’s not slowing down. Come. The pilots will unload our luggage while we see to the arrangements.”

They all hurried to catch up with the man and followed him into the building.

The place looked like a small airplane hangar. If you don’t know what a ‘hangar’ is, it’s basically a big garage for planes instead of cars. (This kind of ‘hangar’ is spelled with an ‘ar’ at the end—not an ‘er’ like the hangers in your clothes closet.)

Airplane hangars tend to have a lot of open floor space for parking planes, and usually a few storage rooms or offices off on the sides. This one was pretty small; it could hold just one or two planes the size of Mr. James'. There were no planes parked in there at the moment; it was mostly empty.

The man led the group to one of the offices on the side of the empty hangar.

“Please have a seat,” the man said as they entered the room.

“There’s only three chairs,” Ryan said. Not only were there just three chairs in the room, but there wasn’t anything else in there besides the three chairs.

“We weren’t expecting six of you,” the man said gruffly. “Some of you can sit on the floor.”

“This is highly irregular,” Mr. James said. “This doesn’t seem like the kind of place that can arrange for boat transport. I’ll have to make a few calls, and—”

“No calls,” the man said. “No cell service here. No phone service of any kind. No internet, either. That’s how the boss likes it. When the boss gets here, he’ll answer your questions—if he’s in the mood. For now—sit. And no talking.”

“Why can’t we talk?” Carolyn asked.

“Boss' orders,” the man said.

Mr. James was not happy. “My pilot told me that a boat could take us from this island to—”

“The boss is coming by boat now,” the man said. “Perhaps you can convince him to take you there on his boat. Perhaps not.”

Mr. James didn’t like what he was hearing. “I want to talk to my pilot immediately. He can radio some other island where the local airfield staff are more cooperative and can arrange for a boat to—”

“Your pilots are gone,” the man said. “We told them that you had already found a boat. They left your luggage with us and took off.”

“Why would they leave us here?” Monkey June asked.

“Because we told them they were no longer needed,” the man said.

“I didn’t tell them they could leave,” Mr. James said. “They work for me, not you. And we haven’t found a boat. Why would you lie about—”

“No more questions,” the man said rudely. “I said ‘no talking’.”

With that, he turned and left, slamming the door quite loudly behind him.

“I’ve got half a mind to follow that guy and—” Monkey June’s dad started to say.

“I’m quite sure that the door is locked,” Mr. James said sadly. “I don’t think there was anything wrong with the airport at our original destination. That whole thing about having to land on some other island was just a trick. We aren’t going to be able to hire a boat from here.”

“Why not?” Marilyn and Carolyn asked at the same time.

“I’m going to assume that they won’t let prisoners borrow boats,” Mr. James said. “And that is what we seem to be at the moment—prisoners.”

To be continued in Monkey June and the Raiders of Monkey Island - Part Four!