Part twenty one: The explosion

Caught in the Current

“Me, help you folks?” said Jon, the troll, to Tauren, the gnome. “You will have to give me that copper kettle, the cast iron pot and the brass lantern, if you think I am going to row out to the old school chimney. That is too risky. I am not as young as I used to be, either. My home under the bridge has been washed away and everything else, too so I will have to start all over again.”

Tauren nodded realizing Jon needed help too.

The old troll was tired and cranky, but he appeared to like Molly and Moe.

“You remind me of my own children,” he said, handing each of them a piece of salty, black licorice.

Tauren pondered for a moment and decided to give Jon a silver plate and mug, too. He knew they would find many other items in the floodwater.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion on the river.

“Oh, no?” exclaimed Tauren. “What was that?”

“The coal furnace on that ship just exploded.” said Jon. “It happens all the time.”

Kelly, Prince and Timothy had heard it too. Prince climbed up the ladder, but all he could see was thick, black smoke rising above the ship.

“That was their broiler,” he said. “And now the ship is sinking!”

Prince watched as a lifeboat carrying several men headed inland. He did not know that it was the captain and Kelly’s dad.      

Then, he spotted Tauren’s rowboat heading downstream towards them. It looked like there were four children on board.

“We are getting company,” he called to Timothy and Kelly. “Put the kettle on!”

He was immediately concerned because whoever was in charge of the rowboat had already lost control. Now it was drifting with the current. 

“We are going to have to help them,” Prince realized. He climbed back down the ladder and grabbed a rope from the raft.

“I’ll need your help, Timothy and Kelly!” he hollered. “Or they will drift out into the river.”

“We’re not big, but we’re strong and we’re rowing right along,” sang everyone, on the rowboat.

They were not yet aware of the danger they were in.