shining.
"It's unfortunate that they're not here now," said Sola. "In their stories, triumphing over improbable odds seemed to be an everyday occurrence for them."
"I know, like when ... wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait just one tiny little minute here, Sola, that's it! That is IT! Oh my goodness, of course!" Miya paced around the room, chin in hand, nearly vibrating with excited energy. "We've all been saying 'there's no one to help us', thinking we're all alone, but we've got THEM! The two greatest pirates in the whole world! They'd wipe the floor with Badger Pete without even thinking, without even trying, he'd be nothing to them. Even just one of them would be enough, I bet. Oh my goodness, this is great!"
Sola watched Miya dance around the room for a few seconds.
"I don't quite understand," he said. Miya danced over to him and grabbed his hands, pulled him from the chair (with surprising ease, given the difference in size between the two) and then around the room, forcing an embarrassed jig out of him.
"You have just given me the greatest idea anyone on Clover Island ever had," she said, releasing him and grabbing a chair to stop herself. "We'll find my grandparents—Dad's parents. We'll track them down, it can't be too difficult, they're legends after all, and tell them what's happening here. Then we come back with them and deal to Badger Pete, rescue your people, fix EVERYTHING."
"Are you sure?" asked Sola.
"Look at my face, Sola. Do I look the slightest bit unsure?"
"No," Sola admitted.
"This'll be great, I'll get to meet my grandparents! And then once they see how great Clover Island is, how good Dad's done, they'll probably want to live here! And we'll be a big family, all together! And then we'll go and help rebuild your village, and you can live there or here or like travel between both places, and maybe I can go stay with you and your family sometime, and you can bring all your like cousins and aunts and uncles and just everyone back here to have a big party, oh, it'll be great. And it's so simple! You couldn't get a simpler plan!"
Sola thought for a long moment, then nodded, once.
"Okay," he said.
"Okay?" said Miya, who had been muttering to herself about planning a big beach barbeque and how many pigs they'd need.
"Okay, I agree," said Sola. "It's a plan."
"A GREAT plan."
"For now, any plan is good. However, I have some questions."
"Go ahead and ask. My plan is flawless."
"First. Are they still alive?"
"Of course they are. Next!"
"How do you know?" asked Sola. Miya sighed.
"They're LEGENDS. If they had died, there'd be a big legend ABOUT them dying. Since there isn't, they must still be alive. QED."
"QED?"
"Quite Easily Done. Next!"
Sola thought for a moment. "That does have some logic to it. Second. Many of their actions in these stories show a dubious moral fibre."
"What does that mean?"
"They did what they liked and had little or no regard for the consequences of their actions."
"Maybe that's exactly what we need right now! Everyone's all busy thinking and talking and humming and hawing and arguing and worrying and every day people are losing their homes! Being split up from their families! Being walked all over by that monster Badger Pete! Maybe what we need is people who'll do what needs to be done, consequences be damned!"
"Perhaps."
"So you agree?"
"I agree that something needs to be done, and quickly. Third. You have no idea where your grandparents are."
"I admit that is kind of a problem. Well ... we know they're not anywhere around here. We'd have heard about them if they were. But I'm sure Dad must have had some contact with them, he MUST have."
"Fourth," said Sola. "Our father ran away from them. I imagine that he had a good reason."
"He was like fourteen, you don't need good reasons to do stuff when you're fourteen," said Miya, with nary a trace of self-consciousness. "Also, just going back to 'third' for a moment, even being in just like the general area of
"It's unfortunate that they're not here now," said Sola. "In their stories, triumphing over improbable odds seemed to be an everyday occurrence for them."
"I know, like when ... wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait just one tiny little minute here, Sola, that's it! That is IT! Oh my goodness, of course!" Miya paced around the room, chin in hand, nearly vibrating with excited energy. "We've all been saying 'there's no one to help us', thinking we're all alone, but we've got THEM! The two greatest pirates in the whole world! They'd wipe the floor with Badger Pete without even thinking, without even trying, he'd be nothing to them. Even just one of them would be enough, I bet. Oh my goodness, this is great!"
Sola watched Miya dance around the room for a few seconds.
"I don't quite understand," he said. Miya danced over to him and grabbed his hands, pulled him from the chair (with surprising ease, given the difference in size between the two) and then around the room, forcing an embarrassed jig out of him.
"You have just given me the greatest idea anyone on Clover Island ever had," she said, releasing him and grabbing a chair to stop herself. "We'll find my grandparents—Dad's parents. We'll track them down, it can't be too difficult, they're legends after all, and tell them what's happening here. Then we come back with them and deal to Badger Pete, rescue your people, fix EVERYTHING."
"Are you sure?" asked Sola.
"Look at my face, Sola. Do I look the slightest bit unsure?"
"No," Sola admitted.
"This'll be great, I'll get to meet my grandparents! And then once they see how great Clover Island is, how good Dad's done, they'll probably want to live here! And we'll be a big family, all together! And then we'll go and help rebuild your village, and you can live there or here or like travel between both places, and maybe I can go stay with you and your family sometime, and you can bring all your like cousins and aunts and uncles and just everyone back here to have a big party, oh, it'll be great. And it's so simple! You couldn't get a simpler plan!"
Sola thought for a long moment, then nodded, once.
"Okay," he said.
"Okay?" said Miya, who had been muttering to herself about planning a big beach barbeque and how many pigs they'd need.
"Okay, I agree," said Sola. "It's a plan."
"A GREAT plan."
"For now, any plan is good. However, I have some questions."
"Go ahead and ask. My plan is flawless."
"First. Are they still alive?"
"Of course they are. Next!"
"How do you know?" asked Sola. Miya sighed.
"They're LEGENDS. If they had died, there'd be a big legend ABOUT them dying. Since there isn't, they must still be alive. QED."
"QED?"
"Quite Easily Done. Next!"
Sola thought for a moment. "That does have some logic to it. Second. Many of their actions in these stories show a dubious moral fibre."
"What does that mean?"
"They did what they liked and had little or no regard for the consequences of their actions."
"Maybe that's exactly what we need right now! Everyone's all busy thinking and talking and humming and hawing and arguing and worrying and every day people are losing their homes! Being split up from their families! Being walked all over by that monster Badger Pete! Maybe what we need is people who'll do what needs to be done, consequences be damned!"
"Perhaps."
"So you agree?"
"I agree that something needs to be done, and quickly. Third. You have no idea where your grandparents are."
"I admit that is kind of a problem. Well ... we know they're not anywhere around here. We'd have heard about them if they were. But I'm sure Dad must have had some contact with them, he MUST have."
"Fourth," said Sola. "Our father ran away from them. I imagine that he had a good reason."
"He was like fourteen, you don't need good reasons to do stuff when you're fourteen," said Miya, with nary a trace of self-consciousness. "Also, just going back to 'third' for a moment, even being in just like the general area of
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