Chapter 6: The Escape!

THE ESCAPE

Marty went to search for Bill. On the way he put the paper in his pocket. He found Bill and they both walked back to the caves. Marty didn’t tell Bill about the paper. Though he enjoyed playing with him, Marty did not know if he could trust Bill. After all, he was his kidnapper!

While eating lunch Marty asked hesitantly, “Why did you kidnap me?”

Suddenly the mood in the cave changed. Everyone stopped eating and stared at Marty. After a rather long pause, Zuri said, “We kidnapped you because we were practicing for a bigger crime”.

“Bigger crime? What are you planning for? Why are you doing this? You will get caught. Don't do this, please don't,” pleaded Marty.

“Of course, we will do it! We’ll do what we like.” said Zuri angrily.

Marty was taken aback by the anger. He had started thinking of Zuri, Tony and Bill more fondly now. He was worried for them, so he tried again.

“No Zuri, Tony, Bill… please don't do it. It's for your own good,” said Marty. “I know our lives are not the same, and I cannot even imagine how tough your childhood without your parents could’ve been. But, that doesn’t mean you have to become a criminal”, Marty reasoned.

Zuri and Tony looked surprised. They hadn’t told Marty about their childhood or their parents. They had been busy planning their next crime.

Bill gulped his food and tried to divert the topic, “Okay okay, we will not do it,” he said hastily.

“Thank you, thank you,” said Marty happily.

Zuri and Tony gave Bill a hard stare, and he looked down guiltily.

A few days later Zuri was still looking a little angry with Marty. He hadn’t spoken to him since that day’s lunch outburst. Bill wasn’t coming out to play with him as often as well. They were all huddled into some secret discussions most of the day.

Marty felt like going home and meeting his parents. He missed them a lot. He walked to his favourite spot on the beach and looked into the horizon. It was a beautiful evening, with seagulls chattering away and dolphins jumping and chasing each other in the distance.

He wondered what his parents must be doing. It would have been so difficult for them to have lost their only child on the first day they came to London. And right before their eyes!

Marty felt ashamed that he had not considered their situation earlier. He had begun to enjoy his time on this beautiful island.

“This is not my home,” he said to himself.

“I have to get home,” he thought.

The next day, Bill, Tony and Zuri were going out. “We're buying new Jet skis and for that we have to go to London”, said Tony.

“Okay”, said Marty, his eyes lit up.

“But, we are not taking you along”, said Zuri sharply reading his mind. Marty sat down disappointed, as the three of them scurried away.

He was now alone. There were twenty other crooks around, but they were all busy doing their work.

Marty got an idea. "I could escape from the island easily while they were away", he thought!

Marty ran to the big cobblestone. There were two coconut trees in the distance covering a small wooden boardwalk. Just like in the drawing on the paper he had found!

Marty walked over reading the map and reached the boardwalk. To his surprise, there was a Jet Ski parked there! It looked old and a little rusted, but he was so happy that he did a little dance!

It wasn’t a useless paper after all!

He looked around and hid behind a large rock, just to be sure there was no one else there who could spoil his plan to escape. He waited patiently for five minutes. When he was sure he was alone, he came out from behind the rock and onto the Jet Ski. He had seen Zuri operate it the last time. He also rode a Jet Ski in a video game arcade in Arizona on his eighth birthday. The memory of his birthday, and family wanted him to rush back home even more.

Marty loosened a rope and released the anchor for the Jet Ski. He pulled the lever of the engine. It didn’t start. But the loud noise rumbled through the quiet island echoing and scaring away the seagulls. Marty said a quick prayer and tried again.

“Durrr dhuk dhuk dhuk….rrrr” the engine came to life!

Marty balanced himself on the Jet Ski and accelerated in the direction shown in the map.

Way to freedom and home.