Chapter 18 - Page 268 - Pirate Ship

   He walked to the steering wheel and started the motor. He waved to the people in the boat next to them, who were laughing, and eased the cruiser backwards away from the dock. No other boats were moving in the area, so Jim pushed the throttle forward and slowly maneuvered the pirate ship out to sea. He headed south for about an hour. Rhasha and Shanha entertained themselves by making pirate faces and talking in gruff voices. Jim's patch blew off his head, and the wind had loosened his scarf, which slipped down close to his eyes. Jim throttled down, slowing the cruiser. He let go of the wheel to tighten the scarf around his head.

   Rhasha had made herself a cardboard sword; she and Shanha were engaged in a mock sword fight. Jim laughed as he watched both his angels try to cut each other's throat. His eighteen-year-old pirate thrust her sword against his seven-year-old pirate's stomach. The flimsy cardboard sword curled on the end, but Shanha acted as if she were dying. She fell back against the seat with one hand holding the imaginary wound, the other hand holding the cardboard sword flung outward, hanging over the side of the boat. She pretended to lose consciousness and her cardboard sword slipped out of her hand and fell into the water.

   "My sword!" she yelled as she jumped to retrieve it. She jumped too far. "Papa!" she screamed as she tumbled over the edge of the boat and fell to the water below. Shanha couldn't swim.

   Without thinking, both Jim and Rhasha dived into the water. Jim forgot until he hit the water that the boat was still moving. Rhasha was crying. Jim was frantic. They thrashed around in the water, heads turning, looking for Shanha. They both spotted her at once, just a short distance away from them.

   "Papa! Mama!" she yelled. "Help me."

   "Shanha," Jim called, "hold your breath."