The war ship draws closer every day and everyone is starting to despair. So Fuzzbeard called a meeting this morning to discuss our options. Timmy said we should just give them a full-on assault, and Steve said we should load him into the cannon and shoot him onto their ship in the dead of night so he could subvert their culture and cause economic failure and general rioting with the use of seven or eight dead halibut. Unimpressed with either of these solutions, Fuzzbeard asked if I had any input. Well, I thought for a bit and came up with a really weird idea. I told Fuzzbeard that I did have an idea but I'd have to think about it for a while. Well, I've been thinking, and it just might work. Tomorrow I'll start.

    Back to book-writing I go...
They feel they are getting close to the island when suddenly one night the hero sees something strange. A huge green ball of fire--maybe ten feet in diameter--appears directly above their ship. This of course scares the wits out of everyone and so Fred must calm them down with his heroic common sense. He tells everyone that this must be an omen of war. He orders the sails rolled up and the crew to prepare for whatever danger is in store.

    Everyone spent most of the day looking back over the stern at the ever-growing war ship and asking me how my plan was coming. I spent most of the day assuring them that everything was fine, while hoping it really would be. As dusk set in I took to watching the lookout in the crow's nest.
    When I saw him practically fall out of it, then come scrambling down and run into the captain's room, I knew my plan was going to work. I didn't know why what I was doing was doing something, but as long as it will keep doing it, it's good... I think.

    We've been sailing toward the green light since last night, and will hopefully arrive there in a day or two. We'll definitely have a problem if the war ship gets to us first. Now all there is to do is wait.

    The light was farther away than we thought. It will still take at least two days to get there, we figure, and the war ship should be within firing distance well before then. Captain Fuzzbeard made the announcement that we should prepare for battle... or cower in the hold of that's the kind of person we are.
    We all ended up in the hold. (Though Tom would run up on deck every once in a while to correct our course and make faces at the other ship.)