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CHAPTER 2.

  A LATE BIRTHDAY PRESENT.

  Spring slowly turned from cool cloudy weather, with showers every so often, to warmer days and nights. The trees became thick with leaves, and in the forest the undergrowth grew so thick that the path to Rhes' spaceship became almost impassable. The glade where the spaceship was buried became a mass of beautiful flowers, and in the still evenings, when Rhes and the twins just sat without talking, the fragrance drifted around them, and they could listen to the hum of the honey bees, working on into the dusk. This was also a time for Rhes to learn the language, and soon was able to do without his talking box.

  One morning, as the twins came noisily down to breakfast, Mother said that a letter had arrived from their father. He was away at sea, the captain of a cargo ship that spent most of the year sailing from port to port, and so was not home either long or often.

  The twins had not received a letter from him on their birthday, because the ship had broken down in the middle of the ocean. It had taken some time to fix it, and even then they had only been able to limp very slowly to a safe harbour where proper repairs could be carried out. Mother had, of course been told by radio that the ship would be delayed.

  The letter was short, just telling them all that he and his ship were fine, wishing the twins a late happy birthday, and telling them to go to "Joe's Boatyard" where they would find a surprise.

  "What can it be?" said Robin, as he reached for the milk jug.

  "I know", exclaimed Mother, "But I'm not saying, but I think a trip to town in the car would be in order". The twins swallowed their breakfast more quickly than usual, even though that was not slow, and were ready and waiting, as soon as Mother had reversed the car out of the garage. The trip to town took them away down the hill, past the last edge of the forest, and across the bridge over the gap between the island and the city. Soon they were swallowed up in the city traffic, and the noise, after the silence of the village, beat on their ears with a rumble, like a roll of thunder just going on and on.

  After a short while, they turned off the main road, went down a rough path, which lead to the water, and there they saw a battered old sign that told them they were now in "Joe’s Boatyard". They scrunched to a stop on the gravel, and were just climbing out of the car, when a old stooped man stepped out if a dark shed, and walked over to them.

  He was dressed in a faded blue sweater, and even more faded jeans. His hands and face were sunburned the colour of mahogany, and the hair on his head was a silvery mass. The eyes that looked out of the seamed face were the brightest blue, and twinkled as though he was laughing inside as if at some private joke. When he spoke, it was as if he could hardly stop chuckling.

  "Well, hello there" .He said, "What can I do for you?"

  Robin and Robina stepped forward, and spoke together, saying "We got a letter from our father telling us to come here, But we don't know why!"

  "Ah" said the old man. "Father's away at sea, ain't he?" The twins nodded.

  "Well, I've got just the late birthday present for you that you were supposed to have some time ago. I got a letter too, and I was told to wait until you came, and not to say anything. But now you're here, we'll see what we can find".

  He walked off, with the twins close behind, and Mother some way off. They went into a large shed, which was dark after the glare outside, and smelled of wood, and paint, and ropes and even the faint tang of well-used fishing lines.

  While the twins stood there waiting until their eyes became accustomed to the gloom, the old man had moved some boxes out of the way, and was pulling something on a trailer out into the yard. He stopped in the doorway, and with a flourish, pulled off a canvas cover, and there was the most beautiful sailing dinghy the twins had ever seen.

  By this time Mother had caught up, and the twins just threw themselves at her, hugging her, then dancing round, shouting. "Thank you", over and over.

  "You'll have to think of a name for her." Mother said, "But that's for you to decide".

  The old man pulled the trailer along as if it was a feather, and soon had it hitched to the tow bar behind the car. As they were getting into the car the old man said to Mother that he had been paid, and hoped the twins would have many hours of fun on the water.

  "I'm sure they will". Replied Mother, "They have had lots of lessons on the water with their uncle, who is a fisherman".

  Soon they were on their way home again, with the dinghy bobbing up and down behind them on its trailer.

  As they turned out of the boatyard, the twins looked back out of the rear window, and saw the old man give a cheery wave, and then walk back into his office.

  When they arrived home, they found Uncle Josh waiting for them. He, too, had known about the dinghy, and was a pleased as anything to see how happy they were with their marvelous present.

  "Now then," said Mother later. "I have had a letter from Auntie Amy. She has invited us to stay with her for the school summer holidays. You haven't seen her since you were very small, and I'm sure you don't remember the Isle of Man at all. So I have telephoned her to say we will be coming over on the Ferry a week next Sunday. That will give us time to get everything sorted out."

  "Will we be able to take the dinghy with us?" asked Robin.

  "Of course", replied Mother. "Auntie Amy is going to arrange a mooring in the harbour at Port Erin for you. It will be rather crowded over there, so you will have to be careful not to scratch the paint on any boat, yours or anyone else’s."

  By this time the twins were almost overcome with happiness. Never had so many lovely things happened so quickly before. They were itching to dash out and away up the hill to tell Rhes all about it, but had to sit through tea before they could get away. When they did, they arrived at the glen totally out of breath, as they had run all the way.

  They both started talking at once, the moment Rhes had opened the secret door and let them in.

  "Slow down", he said, "I can't make head or tail of all this chatter".

  Eventually they managed to tell Rhes the full story, but then realised that he could not go with them. That caused some embarrassment until Rhes said

  "Don't worry. I can see a way round that. I have somewhere", as he rummaged through some drawers, "my cloak of invisibility. With this I can hide under the canvas cover of the dinghy, and no one will suspect that I'm there".

  The twins were all smiles again until Robin said.

  "Don't you think that's rather dishonest, not paying his fare?" The twins had been brought up very strictly, but after a moments thought, Rhes said.

  "Well. If I'm not an earth person, and nobody knows that I'm here, except you two, how can I be expected to pay?"

  This bit of rather twisted reasoning appealed to the twins, and soon they were laughing again.

  School broke up for the holidays, and the next few days passed in a blur of packing, unpacking as minds were changed about what to take, then repacking. The dinghy was rigged on the trailer. The mast and sails were set up. It did not take very long for Robin and Robina to be able to put a hand on any part of the boat with their eyes shut. Uncle Josh came up from the harbour one afternoon and put them through their paces. Only when he was satisfied that they could handle the boat, did he let them go.

  "Safety first." he said over and over. "Have you got the flares?" and finally, "Have you thought of a name for her yet?"

  "Oh yes, lots of them, but we haven't been able to decide which" replied Robina.

  "Well, I'll tell you one." said Uncle Josh. "When I was about your age my father gave me my first dinghy. She wasn't as smart as this one, but I was as proud as anything of her, and I'd like you to call this one the same. She was called the 'SANNOX'. I didn't know what it meant, but she was always a lucky boat, and never let me down".

  "That's a kind thought." replied Robina, "But we'll have to call her SANNOX the second, or even SANNOX 2. We could spell that number 2, T O O. you know, a play on words."

  "Don
e” said Uncle Josh. "Now we must go outside and christen her. Must have a proper ceremony".

  They called Mother, and trooped outside. The sun was setting behind the hills, and the dinghy, sitting proudly on its trailer, was bathed in a golden haze. They stood in a semicircle in front of her, and Mother poured some lemonade over the bow, as she said the old words about 'God bless this ship, and all who sail in her'. just as if she had been an ocean liner , getting ready to sail all the oceans of the world, to wonderful and exciting places.

  At last Sunday morning came, and Uncle Josh came to help them load the cases into the car, and hitch the trailer onto the tow bar. He had arranged with Mother that he would look after the house while they were away.

  Just as they were saying 'goodbye', Robina heard a very quiet step on the driveway, and saw the trailer dip slightly. The canvas cover moved a bit, and then straightened itself out. She knew that Rhes had arrived, and was well hidden. The others had not seen a thing. She whispered one word ' Rhes' to Robin, and he too realised that they were all together as they started out on this summer holiday.

  The journey to the Ferry Terminal in Liverpool was soon over, and the twins had been able to see the trailer bouncing along behind them. They wondered how Rhes was getting on, every time the trailer hit a bump or pothole in the road. Soon they were driving down the floating roadway onto the Landing Stage, where the ferry was tied up.

  She looked huge from where they were. From close up, all they could see was a black wall of steel going up and up. When they got out of the car and looked up, they could see that the top of the boat was painted a gleaming white, with just the tip of a red painted funnel showing over all. There were two masts, each with a line of flags flying straight out in the breeze, as if to say.'Hurry up,.I want to get going'.

  There was a queue of cars waiting to crawl through a large doorway set in the side of the ship, and as they joined the end of the line, a sailor, who was one of the crew, came up and asked for their tickets. Mother handed them over, and after a quick check, was waved on. Mother drove slowly up the ramp with the twins walking behind. This gave them a chance to whisper to Rhes, to ask if he was all right.

  "Yes", replied Rhes. "I'm OK, but I'll be glad to get out of here. I seem to have been bumped onto bits I didn't know I had!"

  "Not long now." said Robina in a reassuring voice, as another sailor came up and showed Mother where to park.

  "That's right," said the sailor, mistaking Robina’s' remark, and thinking she was talking to him.

  "We sail in about twenty minutes. You'll hear the hooter go off. Then away we go".

  The twins had to try very hard not to burst out laughing as the sailor walked away without having the slightest idea that there was a stowaway aboard. Mother had parked the car, and after locking it, said she was going to get a nice cup of tea and some biscuits in the big open restaurant, and would wait for them there, as they would, no doubt, want to explore the ship. As she moved away, the canvas cover on the dinghy moved aside, and they felt Rhes climb out. They refastened the cover and went off to look around. Rhes had to follow, taking care not to bump into anyone.

  They decided to start at the top of the ship, and after climbing several steep flights of stairs they came out onto the open deck. As they stood and looked over the side of the ferry, they could see the Landing Stage far below, with the line of cars waiting to creep through the side of the ship, and the people walking about. When they looked left or right, they could see a row of white painted lifeboats sitting solidly on the deck, covered with white canvas, but ready for any emergency.

  After walking on, they passed the bottom of the black topped funnel which had looked so small when they were on the dockside, but now was huge and warm to the touch. They could hear the whine of engines, and when they looked in through an open skylight, they could see down into the engineroom. There, a maze of pipes - brass, and copper - glittered and gleamed in the lights. There was a hissing sound, they could smell steam, and could almost feel the power waiting to be freed, which would send them steaming away from the harbour, and over the blue shining sea.

  As they walked on, they came to another set of steps, with a swinging chain stretched from side to side. There was a notice to one side, and printed on it in large letters were the words ‘CREW ONLY’

  Standing at the top was a tall slim man, neatly dressed in a blue uniform, with several gold bands on the sleeves, and a cap with lots of gold braid around the peak. He looked down at the twins and said.

  "Is this your first trip on the Ferry? I've been watching you, and you seem very interested in everything that's going on. People who have been on the Ferry usually go to the cabins or restaurant and wait for the trip to be over".

  "This is our first time, except when we were tiny, and we can't remember anything about that". Replied Robin.

  "I bet you'd like to see up here, then". The man said after a pause.

  "Oh, yes please". said the twins together.

  "Well, as I am the captain, I think I can bend the rules a bit. Come on up".

  The twins ducked under the chain, climbed the stairs, and walked out onto the open space at the top.

  "This is called the Bridge", said the captain, "I don't know why, except that you can see everything from here, and bridges do go over things". He then took them into a room in the middle of the bridge, and told them they were now in the wheelhouse, which was obvious, because of the large wooden steering wheel standing on its own pillar, rising out of the floor. He also showed them how he could tell the engineers far below when he wanted them to start or stop the engine, by moving a lever set in a clock face, which had words like SLOW AHEAD, or FULL ASTERN, instead of the time.

  Just then a sailor came into the wheelhouse and after a quick smile at the twins, saluted the captain and said.

  "Time to go, Captain. Shall I escort these two off the bridge?"

  "No'. replied the Captain. "I think they might enjoy watching us take the boat out to sea".

  The Captain went to the side of the bridge, took a telephone from a small box, and gave the orders to let go the ropes that held the Ferry to the quayside. As they splashed into the water, he moved the lever on the dial to SLOW AHEAD, and down in the engineroom the huge motor started to turn. With a frothing of water under the back of the Ferry, the propellor started to push the boat forward. The sailor, who was now standing at the wheel, turned it slightly, and the front of the Ferry swung away from the quayside, and soon pointed down river, towards the open sea.

  The twins were almost overcome by all this, and were brought back to earth with a bump when the Captain said.

  "Would one of you mind pressing that brass button, there beside the wheel".

  Robin jumped to do it, and pressed it down, feeling very important. A split second later both he and Robina nearly leaped out of their skins as the ship’s hooter let go a blast of sound that nearly took their ears off.

  "That will tell everyone where we are, and what we are doing". Said the Captain with a smile.

  Gradually the Ferry eased out into the river, and when they were well clear of the land, the Captain rang down for a little more speed. The brass lever moved over the face of the dial until it showed 'HALF SPEED AHEAD', and the twins heard the engine turn over faster. As they stood there, they could feel the floor vibrating as the Ferry started pushing the water aside with the effort of going faster.

  The Captain told them that the Landing Stage was twenty miles up the river Mersey, and showed them how the deep water channel was marked out with floating buoys. Those on one side of the river were painted red, and the other side were green, and on each a little light flashed. The Captain said that they flashed all the time, even during the day, but when night came the deep water was clearly marked. The twins had never seen the sea from so high up, and when they looked back, that could see the white frothy wake spreading out on either side behind them. Soon they passed a proper lightship, which marked th
e end of the channel, and the beginning of the open sea. There were several men on board, who were there to service the light and see that everything was in good order. They waved, and the passengers waved back and took lots of photographs.

  "Full speed ahead, now we are clear". said the Captain, pushing the lever all the way over, and once again the twins felt the floor tremble as the ship picked up even more speed.

  The Captain winked at the Sailor who was steering, and said

  "Do you think our young friends would like to try steering?'

  "I think they might like to have a go", replied the sailor, stepping away from the wheel. Robina wondered whether the ship would keep going straight on, or end up going round in circles. Robin stepped gingerly up to the wheel, and took hold of the spokes as he had seen the sailor do. On the far horizon he saw a cloud almost resting on the sea. As the Ferry was heading straight for it, he decided to use it as a mark. He knew from Uncle Josh how to steer, so when the Ferry seemed to move away from the cloud, he gently turned the wheel until the cloud was in front again. The Captain and the sailor stood and watched, without saying a word.

  After a while the Captain turned to the sailor and said.

  "Well. It seems we have been fooled. I thought this young lad would have made a right mess of it, but here we are exactly where we should be. I thought we could fool them, and have some fun, but we are the ones who look rather foolish."

  Both the twins burst out laughing, and when they managed to stop, told how they had been on the water all their lives, and steering had been one of their first lessons. Robina had a try, but found it more difficult than steering the 'REDWING,' Uncle Josh's fishing boat. The Captain then told the sailor to take over, which made Robina a lot happier.

  The Captain called them over to the side of the bridge, and when they looked over and down, they could see the blue water foaming along the ship’s side. He had a packet of sliced bread, and started tossing pieces over the side. At once, several seagulls that had been following the Ferry swooped down screeching and fighting to snatch bits either in the water, or in the air.

  "You know", he remarked, "Some of these seagulls follow us right across to the Island. I've fed them tine after time, and one or two are really tame. In fact I can recognise some by the colour of their feathers, or some special marking. Here's one now. Lets see how tame he is".

  He held out his hand, with a big bit of bread in his fingertips. After a short while a big gull hovered a short way off. Gliding along, with no effort at all, just a lazy flap of his wings now and then, to keep him in line with the Captain's hand. The Captain stood very still. Nearer and nearer the gull slid in. Closer and closer he came until the twins could see his unblinking yellow eye watching them all. Then with a snap of his beak, he twitched the bread from the fingers, and zoomed away to swallow it quickly before he was mobbed by several others who had been watching, but not brave enough to come so close.

  The Captain glanced at his watch, and then walked to a shelf, where a pair of binoculars lay. He slung them round his neck, and then said that the time was getting near when the Ferry coming from the Isle of Man would pass, on its way to Liverpool, and that they would pass quite close by. After looking over the front of the Ferry for a few minutes, he said.

  "There they are. You can see the smoke from their funnel low down on the horizon".

  Sure enough, the twins soon saw a smudge of smoke far away, looking just like a dark cloud. It was only a matter of moments until the other Ferry could be seen, tearing toward them, with a huge white wave creaming up from the sharp bow. The passengers had also seen this and were lining the side with cameras ready.

  It took only a very short time for the two Ferries to pass. The passengers cheered, cameras clicked, hands waved, and the two hooters tried to out do each other. It was wild whilst it lasted, but all too soon the Ferries had gone their separate ways, and the heaving sea smoothed out until nobody could have told that ships had been there at all.

  The twins thanked the Captain for letting them come up on the bridge, and said that they had better go and see what their Mother was doing. The Captain waved their thanks aside, and said that he would announce over the Tannoy when the Island came in sight, and would like to see them again when they were nearing Douglas harbour.

  As Robin and Robina reached the bottom of the steps leading down from the bridge, they felt unseen hands grip their elbows. At the same time they heard Rhes' voice whisper.

  "Lets find a quiet place where I can get this invisible cloak off. It is very hot inside, and I could do with a breather".

  They walked around the decks until they found a large coil of mooring rope lying under a low shelter. While the twins stood side by side in front, they felt Rhes slip by.

  A few seconds later, Rhes stepped out of the shelter. They found a secluded spot on the boat deck where Rhes told them that he had been standing right beside them on the bridge, and had heard and seen everything. He had been amazed by the size of the ship, as there were no seas on his planet.

  "This is really only a small one" said Robin, our fathers' is several times as big, and there are really big oil tankers all over the world".

  Robina suddenly said.

  "What have you done to your eyes?"

  Robin looked closely, and saw a fine pair of grey eyes looking back at him. With a rather embarrassed smile Rhes replied that he had made a pair if contact lenses, which disguised his slitted eyes completely.

  "I want to be able to walk around among people, while we are away from home. Nobody knows me here, so it won't matter if I'm seen".

  The twins had to agree that this plan would work, but felt that he would have to become invisible again when they landed at the Island, because Mother knew nothing about him, and would be alarmed to see them with a stranger. Rhes agreed to this, and after stretching his arms and legs to get the kinks out, they went and explored the rest of the Ferry. Up and down they went, from front to back, and side to side. As they went through the restaurant they stopped briefly to say hello to Mother, with Rhes a few steps behind. Not that it mattered this time, because Mother was asleep in a deep arm chair, with a book lying open across her knees.

  As the Ferry had sailed further and further from the land, the sea had been slowly getting rougher and rougher. Rhes suggested that they sit down as he was finding it difficult to walk on a moving floor. Of course the twins were so used to it that they had not noticed. They found seats in a large room that had windows in the front. As they sat there, they could almost see over the front of the Ferry, and could watch the waves coming towards them. Row upon row of them, some with white water tumbling down the front. They hadn't been watching long, when a much bigger wave came along. It looked as if it was two waves that had become one. The front of the Ferry dipped down a bit, then thumped into the wave. Water shot into the air, was caught by the wind, and hurled down the deck, to splash loudly on the windows. Rhes ducked down with a shout of alarm, but the twins just laughed as the water drained away. After getting used to this, Rhes and the twins watched for quite a while, until with a crackle the loudspeaker came to life, and the Captain's voice announced that the Island was coming into sight, and they would be reaching Douglas in about half an hour. This meant that Rhes would have to do his vanishing act again.

  On deck again, they looked, and far away they could see the blue and purple shape of the Island. The mountains came slowly into sight. Snaefell, the highest, with lesser peaks drifting down to the south, topped by fleecy white clouds. Later the coast appeared, rugged and bleak, then Douglas, with its curved seafront, backed by white hotels row on row, climbing the slope away from the beach.

  The two piers took shape, with the harbour inside. The piers were crowded with people, who had come to meet friends, or perhaps were just curious to see the Ferry coming in.

  They went back to the coil of rope, and waited while Rhes put on his cloak again, and vanished.
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  He then whispered that he would go and hide in the dinghy again.

  The twins went back up to the bridge, and called up the steps to ask if it was all right to come up.

  "I thought you weren't coming". said the Captain. "You're only just in time".

  "What!" echoed the twins together, "and miss this".

  By now the Captain had rung for HALF SPEED AHEAD. The sound of the engine dropped down, and the ship slowed. By now they were coming into the shelter of the land, and the sea was getting calmer and calmer, until it was flat.

  "Sound the hooter, please" said the Captain, and Robin pressed the button. This time they knew what to expect, so the din didn't bother them.

  Soon it was time for SLOW AHEAD, and the Ferry just crawled along. The passengers started to collect their things, and make their way to their cars far below. Robin chanced to see Mother crossing the deck, and shouted to her. She came to the bottom of the ladder, and stood there looking rather cross.

  "What are you doing up there?" she demanded.

  As the twins tried to explain the Captain came out and told her that it was his fault, and would she please not be cross with them, and would she care to come up as well. Mother was so pleased that she could not be cross any longer. They all stood to one side, out of the way, and watched as the Ferry gently slid up to the harbour wall. The engines were reversed to stop the ship, and ropes were thrown to people on the harbour wall. They then pulled the big mooring ropes along, and tied the Ferry securely to the wall. The engines were stopped, and for a moment there was silence. Shortly after the sound of the huge doors at the back of the ship being opened was heard, and the crackle of car engines coming to life sighed upwards.

  "We must go". said Mother, "or we'll be blocking the queue. Thank you very much for looking after these two".

  The twins also thanked the Captain, who shook them both by the hand, wished them a lovely time, and hoped he would see them again on their return journey. They all trooped down to the car, arriving just as the car in front was about to move off. Mother started the engine, and slowly drove up the ramp that led up to the quayside. As they drove away, Robin and Robina looked back and there, leaning over the ships side was the Captain. When he saw them wave, he waved back, and stood there watching until they turned a corner and went out of sight.