Hamish X Goes to Providence Rhode Island by Sean Cullen

wondered where Hamish X was right now.
    â€œHe can take care of himself, wherever he is,” she mumbled. “I just hope Parveen is okay.”
    And with a last thought of her little friend, she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

Chapter 10
    HAMISH X
    The stern of the ship loomed large above Hamish X as he fluttered his powerful boots. The pull of the current was strong and aided him in his pursuit of the vessel. Five minutes of dedicated fluttering allowed him to reach the rusty hull of the Christmas Is Cancelled, but having arrived there, he realized he had no way of reboarding the wayward ship. The hull was slick with algae and slime. The Captain rarely took the time to clean the hull, and as a result, Hamish X was forced to cling to the housing of the keel and rack his brain for options. He was at a loss until a length of rope fell from above, striking him firmly on the top of the skull.
    â€œOw,” he said, rubbing his scalp. He craned his neck and looked up to see Maggie peering down at him, hanging over the ship’s rail.
    â€œI thought you might need a hand,” the girl called.
    â€œThanks,” Hamish X answered. Gripping the rope, he began to haul himself up hand over hand until, with much effort, he finally pulled himself over the metal railing and lay puffing on the deck.
    â€œGood work,” Maggie congratulated him, extending a hand and pulling him to his feet.
    â€œWe aren’t out of the woods yet.” Hamish X pointed forward to the looming reef. “The engines are ruined. We have no way of avoiding a crash.”

    Thomas ran up to them, his face flushed with excitement. “I don’t know what you did, but it worked! The ship is ours.”
    â€œWe may not hold it for long.” Hamish X explained the danger they faced. Thomas took in the new situation and thought for a moment. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers.
    â€œWhat about the anchor?” Thomas asked.
    â€œI used the chain to foul the propeller.”
    â€œThe lifeboats! There are lifeboats on the forward deck,” he said. “We’ll load everyone aboard and abandon ship. If Ironbuttocks wants to keep this ship, he can have it.”
    â€œGood thinking.” Hamish X slapped Thomas on the back. “Let’s get the boats in the water. Stand guard outside the bridge hatchway to make sure the Captain doesn’t escape. Maggie and I will organize the kids!”
    The three children dashed off to perform their tasks. Minutes later, they were faced with another dilemma. Maggie and Hamish X surveyed the condition of the lifeboats and soon came to the awful realization that the craft, like the rest of the systems on the ship, had rarely experienced any form of maintenance. All four lifeboats were completely devoid of supplies, and three of them were so full of holes as to be totally unseaworthy. One lifeboat would not be enough to carry all the children to safety.
    â€œWhat’ll we do?” Maggie asked Hamish X. “We can’t leave anyone behind. There’s no way we can get all the kids into one boat. One big wave and we’ll capsize.”
    â€œNot to mention the crew and the Captain,” Hamish X pointed out.
    Maggie’s mouth hung open in astonishment. “Are you kidding me? We leave ’em here! What do we care if the crew or the stinking, rusty-bummed Captain survive? They made our lives a misery! They stole us from our parents!They were gonna sell us as slaves! If the tables were turned, they’d leave us here to die without a second thought!”
    Hamish X smiled and nodded. “You’ve hit upon it there, Maggie. If we left them to die, we’d be just as bad as they are. That’s the danger of dealing with bad people: after a while you start to act like they do.” He shook his head. “No. We’ll have to think of something else.”
    He turned and headed along the deck to the bridge with Maggie in tow. They found Thomas