The pirates of Attersea 5/8

The schooner continued sailing north for the rest of the day. The brig had slowly fallen behind and then given up the chase and turned away southwards.

When Jennifer Jane woke up the next morning, she wondered for a moment where she was. Then as she remembered, she realised that the Black Cat was no longer sailing. She looked out of the porthole of the cabin she was sharing with her parents and saw that the schooner was made fast to the end of a pier.

She dressed quickly without waking any one and crept up on deck. A rumble came from the shore as a water wheel started to turn and shortly afterwards came the high pitched buzz of a saw cutting wood. A horse pulling an empty cart was rattling back into the nearby woods and as she looked downstream, a sailing barge with a deck cargo of newly cut timber was setting sail as it drifted down river on the tide.

Then she noticed a strange human aboard the Black Cat, studying the lugger which had been lashed down on the deck.

"'Morning young lady my name's Phil," he said, "I'm the foreman at the wood yard over there, nicely made vessel you've got here but not very practical for trading."
"It's a yacht, it's only meant for pleasure sailing."

"Well I’ll be blowed! My dad always used to say that 'a man who'd go to sea for pleasure would go to hell for a pastime'; still times are changing I suppose. Strange sort of wood it's made of though."

"It's plastic," said Jennifer Jane.

"Ah, one of them foreign trees I suppose," said Phil, "makes a nice job though and what might your name be miss?"

'Oh dear,' thought Jennifer Jane, who was sure she knew what he'd say next.

"My name's Jennifer Jane and I'm here with my parents because we've run away from pirates in the Therdle."

Phil didn't seem at all interested in the pirates.

"Not the Jennifer Jane who made Tornak..."

"That's right," she interrupted rather rudely, "excuse me but I must go and have some breakfast."

She left Phil tapping his knuckles against the fibre glass hull of the lugger and shaking his head in disbelief at the finish that could be obtained using the wood of the plastic tree.

She went down into the saloon and found her parents and Jonah already eating their breakfast and discussing what to do next. She tucked into her plateful while Jonah was suggesting that they should go to the Witches' Home and ask them what to do about the pirates.

"I don't know how they got them, but guns are too advanced for this world and the witches will want to stop them being used again at all costs. I've got to send a message by pigeon to the Davy Jones' Shipping Company, warning them about the pirates and I'll have to go through the Gate to the other world to do that."

"Agreed," said Dave and Mary.

Jennifer Jane tried to say 'agreed' as well, but she still had a mouthful of fried bread and sausage.

Half an hour later Dave and Mary were walking along the river road towards Lurgin's bridge. Jonah was close behind them and Jennifer Jane was carrying a basket with the pigeon that Jonah had to release in her home world. Dave was the first to set foot on the bridge.

"Oy wait a minute then, what's the riddle?" said a voice from under the bridge.

"I'd better deal with this," said Jennifer Jane, "Gordon is a new troll under this bridge and he needs to build up a book of riddles before he can start to work properly."

"Why did the farmer give his pig a collar?" she called as she led the family over the bridge. "He'll get the answer when we come back," she added.
Abigail came to meet them as they trudged up to the Gate.

"The lookout thought she recognised you. How did you get here? you didn't come through our Gate."

Jennifer Jane started to explain.

"Excuse me," said Dave, "I need to go home to pick up some gear, while Jonah has to release a pigeon in our world."

"You're in luck," said Abigail, "Frosty's cloud has just been repaired and he's on his way here to fetch it. I'm sure he'll be only too pleased to give you both a lift home and back here again."

Jonah and Dave went through the Witches' Home to find Frosty, while Jennifer Jane continued her explanation about the pirates.

"We certainly can't allow that to go on," said Abigail when she had finished her tale, "we can't have goblins using guns in this world. I wonder where they got them from? In any case I think I'd better come with you at least as far as the wishing fog, to make sure nothing goes wrong this time. I suspect your Dad has something in mind for dealing with the pirates when he sees them again."