| Presents Hawaiian Cruise Part 2 |
| GETTING ACQUAINTED The second day of the cruise began with a slightly overcast sky that cleared a few hours later to present a beautiful sunny day. Before anyone else had crawled out of bed there was one fanatical "keep fit" zealot doing brisk laps around the promenade deck. It was Stella, who had decided that if she wasn't going to stint on the food, she needed plenty of exercise to keep the weight off! Fenway, who was a keen swimmer, was on his way to the pool when he saw her jogging along. He fell into step beside her. "Are you going to be doing this every morning?" he asked. She panted a reply in the affirmative. "Can we slow down a bit and chat?" he gasped. Stella shot him a quick glance, then nodded. "Sure!" she replied with a grin. They pulled up some deck chairs and sat down. "I'm glad you are going to be my partner in the dancing competition" he smiled. "I think we should get some practice in though, don't you?" |
| I'm up for that!" she agreed. "But we'll need some music. Have you got a CD player? I've got some cool stuff we can rehearse with." Fenway said he did and they made a date to meet for an hour a day to rehearse their moves. Fenway went off to the pool feeling very pleased with himself! |
| Griffin and Sydney had not slept well. The worry about their missing parcel was weighing very heavily on their minds. "I've got an idea Griff," said Sydney. "Why don't we consult the gypsy fortune teller to see if she can tell us where our package is?" Griffen's eyes opened wide. "WOW, Sydney, what is a brilliant idea! What was her number again - was it 444 or 333?" "I think it said 333 on the notice board. Let's ring it and find out?" Sydney made the call, and after talking for awhile he hung up the receiver with a big grin. "It's on Griff, at 2:30 pm this afternoon. NOW we might get some answers!" They went off to breakfast with a new bounce in their step. ______________________________ Meanwhile, the seach for the kidnapped (or should we say DOGnapped?) puppy was underway. Stewards had been alerted to be on the look out for the pup, or for the sounds of whimpering. None had reported finding anything. Clancy and Kodi were just about to give up on the idea that the pup was aboard when they were approached by Dr. CASSIE and Nurse BRISTOL, from the ship's medical centre. They met beside the pool and discussed the situation in the comfort of the morning sunshine. They related how they had been approached by a woman who said she needed some form of sedation. She claimed to be a nervous traveller and that she had trouble sleeping. Cassie was suspicious because the woman had a shifty look about her, and she had originally thought that the woman might have had an addiction to barbiturates. Then it occurred to her that if the kidnappers were on board, they would need something to sedate the puppy so that it would sleep all the time and not be heard. They wondered if there might be a connection here. Kodi scratched his beard and mumbled, "Hmmm, but we can't very well search their cabin on that evidence. It is only a suspicion." "It seems very odd to me," said Cassie, and Bristol agreed. "We need something more concrete than that I'm afraid," Clancy added with a sigh, "but we will certainly keep a close eye on that cabin, just in case!" |
| So that was all they could do for now. Perhaps something would come to the surface later on. However, they made a note of the woman's cabin number. ------------------------------- The passengers were enjoying the delights of the pool, and the Lifeguard, GUINNESS, was keeping a close watch on the swimmers. |
| Miss BELLA BEACH BUNNY had her eye on him. He was such a striking figure, and as a champion Ballroom Dancer, she appreciated the athletic type. So did her friend, TIPPER, who was also a veteran of competitive Ballroom Dancing. "How can we strike up a conversation with him I wonder?" said Bella. Tipper thought for a moment, then said with a cheeky grin, "Well, we could always pretend to be in trouble - have a cramp or something!" "What a brilliant idea!" replied Bella. So they both entered the pool and after a respectable amount of time, Bella began to thrash the surface, raising her arm in alarm. Guinness was onto it immediately and dived in to rescue the maiden in distress! He lifted her onto the side of the pool and performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. (much to Tipper's envy!) Bella opened her big brown eyes and gazed at him. "Are you OK Miss?" he asked in a deep voice. "Oh, oh dear, I have a cramp in my leg," she said in her sexy southern drawl. Guinness immediately began working on her leg with the actions of an expert. "There," he said gently, "how's that feel now?" "Oh," she crooned, "that is SO much better. How can I ever thank you -er, ...?" "The name's Guinness," he replied with a smile. Tipper chirped in, "I think we should buy you a drink, later, when you're off duty." They all agreed that this would be appropriate. |
| CODY, the Scuba Diving Instructor, was holding his first class with three eager students. RUDY, FLYNN and FENWAY were getting acquainted with the theory of diving and learning how to operate the equipment safely. All were strong swimmers and held life-saving certificates, so the rest should prove to be simple. They sat together by the pool and listened attentively to Cody, who felt he had a good group here, willing to learn, and intelligent. |
| The next day they would sit for their theory exam, and go on to getting practical experience in the main pool. They were a bit nervous, but very excited. ______________________________ That afternoon, our two bad lads, Griffin and Sydney, arrived at cabin 333 to consult with the Gypsy Fortune Teller. Madame KANSAS invited them in and they sat around a table, which had a crystal ball in the centre of it. They told her the situation, and how a parcel belonging to them disappeared, and asked if she could tell them where they might find it. Madame Kansas gave them a shrewd look, then said: "I will look in the crystal ball and see what I can find out for you." Madame Kansas took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and went into a trance. Griffin looked at Sydney and raised one eyebrow. This was spooky! At last she opened her dark brown eyes and looked into the crystal ball with deep concentration. "AAAH!" she said with a low drawl "I see your package. Lots of toys, yes?" Griffin shifted excitedly in his chair. "That's right!" he replied. "Where is it?" asked Sydney as he wriggled closer to the shiny ball. Madame Kansas raised a paw and made a 'slow down' motion. "I see the number 456" she replied. "That's OUR cabin number!" exclaimed Sydney. "No, it's not!" was Griffin's swift response. "OURS is 457 - it must be the cabin opposite us!" "We'll, replied Madame Kansas, "THAT'S where your toys are!" |
| "Oh, thanks a lot." Said Griffin, quickly getting out of his chair. "You are simply FANTASTIC!" They both shook her paw delightedly and hurried our of the room, leaving Madame Kansas looking rather dismayed. She'd had some odd ones, but these two took the cake! _______________________________ On thier way back to their cabin, they were discussing how they might get in to reclaim their 'box of tricks'. "Can you pick locks, Griff?" asked Sydney. "Well, no, but there's always a first time and we HAVE to get that parcel back or we're dead dogs! They searched around for something to use. Sydney had a small penknife, and Griffin found a bobby pin on the floor, so they set to work. Soon, there was a 'click' and the door opened. THEY WERE IN! The cabin obviously belonged to a couple of girls. They searched around and soon found the box - opened. "Everything seems to be here Griff," said Sydney, as he looked at all the toys inside. "Good! Lets get out of here before the girls come back!" Griffin whispered. |
| No one was about, so they quickly entered their own cabin and shut the door - breathing a huge sigh of relief. "What if those girls report it?" asked Sydney, suddenly realizing the girls would think they had been robbed. Griffin thought for a moment, then replied confidently, "I doubt it! They must know that the parcel wasn't theirs. And if they do report it, well, it could have been anyone on the ship. No reason to suspect us!" So they settled down, and hid the box at the bottom of their luggage. All was well. "Let's go get a few drinks to celebrate, Griff old lad?" Sydney said triumphantly. With a new spring in their step, they headed off to the nearest bar. ______________________________ Also heading for the nearest bar were our teenagers. They weren't allowed alcoholic drinks, but Tucker, the barman, put together some very attractive soft drinks for them so that they looked exactly like cocktails. Also enjoying a few cocktails were Jimmy, the Entertainment Officer, and the members of the ship's Band, Mia, Finnegan B, Brady and Murphy. Mia was not decided on what to drink, and Tucker was sitting nearby with a tray of very attractive cocktails to tempt her. Max and Dakota were discussing their drinks, while Brady was telling 'tall' fishing stories to Bailey. |
| On deck, the actresses had met up with the members of the singing group, the Cruisin' Crooners, where they were checking out Deck Chess. They were soon joined by the Playboys, who had finally figured out who the actresses were. "Checking out the chess, ladies?" asked Cooper, putting on his most winning smile. "Oh, hello, do you play chess?" asked Maddie, who was quite a champion at the game. "Sure do!" was Cooper's confident reply. "OK," said Maddie, "How about the loser treats the winner to pre-dinner drinks?" "Gee," said Kenyon with a wink, "shouldn't it be the other way around?" They all laughed and gathered around to watch the tournament. |
| Maddie was a better player than Cooper anticipated, and she won by a dog's-hair breadth! Cooper was a generous loser and happily agreed to shout them all to drinks that night. The others had become acquainted, and the actresses were delighted with the company of so many admirers. The Cruisin' Crooners exchanged autographs with the actresses, and the playboys had dates with the lovely ladies for dinner, so everyone was happy. ______________________________ SOUNDS IN THE NIGHT Snickerdoodle and Tess, our two dumb blondes, had just noticed their box of toys was gone. "Some nasty person has stolen our toys!" exclaimed Snickerdoodle. Tess comforted her. "Don't worry," she said gently, "we still have our favourites, - they didn't find those because we had them with us." "True," replied Snickerdoodle, "but now those little kids won't get their toys like we planned." They decided not to report it, and just felt grateful that they still had Thumper and Buttercup. On their way to dinner, they heard strange whining noises coming from one of the cabins. They listened for awhile, then Snickerdoodle got scared. "It sounds spooky!" she said with a shudder. Tess agreed. Just then, Killian and Lexi came by and stopped to ask them what was wrong. They both looked so pale. Tess explained, and they all listened at the cabin door. "Ooooh!" exclaimed Lexi. That sounds really weird. I wonder what it is!" "Perhaps it's a ghost!" whispered Snickerdoodle with a little shiver. Killian and Lexi looked from one to the other. Could it be Tobey, they wondered. They would have to ask him when they arrived back at their cabin after dinner. They noted the number of the cabin. It was 271. ______________________________ After dinner, they spoke with Tobey, who told them that he had never left their cabin. He had a bright idea though. As he was a real ghost, he could enter the cabin and look around without being seen. He only made himself visible to the girls, and their boyfriends next door. So off he went to check out cabin 271. In no time he returned, and he was even paler than usual. "There's a puppy in there" he said in a tone that was both sad and angry. "And it's being held captive - locked in a room and kept in a nasty little cage!" The girls let out a loud exclamation and their eyes expressed their shock and horror. "How do we report it without giving Tobey away?" Killian asked. "Well," replied Lexi, "I think we should get those two girls to come with us and tell the Captain. We can't mention Tobey, but perhaps the Captain can have the cabin searched, especially if we ALL say we heard a puppy in there." They agreed that this was a good idea, and made up their minds to find Snickerdoodle and Tess in the morning, and they would all go to the Captain together. ______________________________ The next day, the four girls went to see Captain. Dillon. Snickerdoodle and Tess were quite nervous to be visiting the Captain in his cabin, but they agreed with Killian and Lexi, that it DID sound like a puppy crying. They were made to feel comfortable, and the Captain was very charming and listened carefully to their story. When they mentioned the cabin number, and said it sounded like a puppy crying, Captain Dillon sat up straight and Killian got the distinct impression that he knew what they were talking about. |
| He thanked them warmly for their keen observation and promised he would look into it immediately. The girls left the Captain, feeling that they had done a very worthy thing. The little puppy was going to be rescued and it was all their doing. They felt very pleased with themselves and couldn't wait to tell Brody and Ryle about it. And of course, the real credit must go to Tobey, their invisible friend. ______________________________ Captain Dillon wasted no time. He immediately called detectives Clancy and Kodi and explained the situation to them. They now had good reason to enter that cabin and do a search. Twenty minutes later Kodi, Clancy, Doctor Cassie, Nurse Bristol and Captain Dillon were outside of cabin 271. A master key was produced and the door was opened. No one was there. All was quiet, but they remembered what Doctor Cassie and Nurse Bristol had said about the sedatives. The puppy was no doubt drugged. Nurse Bristol came to a locked door. "In here," she said. The door was unlocked, and the sight before them brought tears to the eyes of Cassie and Bristol, and even Kodi and Clancy had lumps in their throats. Captain Dillon muttered a soft curse. There, so alone, so afraid, and so small, was a little Wheaten puppy. It opened its eyes and peered at them from its cruel cage. It made one little whimper, and Cassie fell to her knees and opened the cage, taking the fluffy pup into her embrace, and carrying it from its prison room and into the sitting room of the cabin. "OH! You poor baby!" cried Cassie as she hugged the little one to her. Bristol was wiping tears from her eyes and shaking her head in disbelief. How could people be so cruel? Everyone was speechless. The pup, only 9 or 10 weeks old, sat shyly on the floor and looked hopefully at them all. "You'll NEVER be caged again little man, " said an emotional Clancy. They all made soothing noises and stroked his little head. He was safe now, and he seemed to know that, because he toddled up to each one of his rescuers and licked their faces. |
| "I'll go and notify the LA Police Department that the puppy has been found so that the grieving owners can be informed that their baby is safe," Captain Dillon said. "We'll wait here for the criminals to return, and place them under house arrest," Kodi said firmly. "They'll be taken into custody as soon as we berth." Cassie and Bristol volunteered to care for the puppy until he could be put on a plane and returned to his rightful owners. They fondly named him 'Lucky' and, scooping him up in her arms, Cassie took him to the surgery to check him over. ______________________________ After an hour of waiting, the man and woman who had stolen 'Lucky' returned to their cabin to find two hefty detectives waiting for them, with handcuffs and no sympathy to spare. It was the end of the cruise for those two villains. ______________________________ While the Scuba Diving Class was taking its theory exam, the footballers were in the 'Hair of the Dog' bar. They wore their football jerseys in the the hopes they might attract a few lady fans. Madame Kansas was there and Buster was quick off the mark to buy her a few drinks. She might award him with a free reading, he thought hopefully. Also present were some of the contestants in the Ballroom Dancing competition, Lacey O'Quinn, Abby, and their partners Henry and Bailey Beachboy. The lady member of the ship's Band was there also, and Abby managed to persuade her to sing something for her. Mia was not only a bass fiddle player, she was also the soloist for the Band and she possessed a magnificent voice. |
| Everyone was so impressed that they decided they would have to hear the Band and the Cruisin' Crooners perform that night in the main lounge. ______________________________ Later, Jimmy, the Entertainment Officer, took a group of eager passengers on a tour of the Bridge. The boys in the Scuba Class had finished their exam and had joined the group. With them were Bailey and Felix. How exciting it was to be right up there where everything was happening! |
| That evening after dinner, everyone gathered in the main lounge to hear the Band, and the first performance of the Cruisin' Crooners. The Band struck up first with a medley of hits from the 60's, including: I Wanna Be Your Dog - This Guy's In Love With You - Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head - When I Fall In Love and What the World Needs Now is Love. Mia charmed everyone with her lovely voice and her bass fiddle playing was second to none. |
| Then there was a hush as the Cruisin' Crooners took to the stage. They opened with the song made famous by Carole King - You've Got a Friend. This was followed by several other great hits and the audience was screaming for more. As an encore, they sang the stirring ballad, The Greatest Love of All. Cassie and Bristol, who were listening, thought of Little Lucky, and smiled. |
| Tobey was feeling down in the dumps. He was telling Killian, Lexi, Snickerdoodle and Tess about his mom and dad. They did not know what had happened to him and they thought he was lost, or dead. He felt so homesick for them and wanted so much to be with them again, going for walks, sitting on the sofa, and having his toys and favourite treats. "When the spell is broken, you'll be with them again, Toby." said Lexi encouragingly. The others all agreed, and tried to give him a hug, but it was like reaching into thin air. "Is there some way you can make yourself more solid?" asked Killian. "Yes," said Snickerdoodle. "I read somewhere that ghosts can take on ectoplasm, or something like that, from furnishings, to make themselves like other people. Perhaps you could give it a try?" So Tobey experimented. It took a few attempts, but he did seem to be getting the hang of it. They could now see him clearly - without the spooky aura, and Tess was able to touch him. "Oh, GREAT!" exclaimed Killian. "Now you can come with us to all the activities and have fun too!" "That's right!" said Snickerdoodle, "but it's a bit like the Cinderella thing - it loses power after awhile and you'll start to fade again, so we'll have to be careful." While it lasted, they took Tobey with them to see the sights. They went to the play area and Tobey wanted to have a go on the water slide - so they all joined in, except Lexi, who didn't like water. The two dumb blondes were just fine getting in, but Snickerdoodle didn't know how to get out again! |
| The boys in the Scuba Diving class had received good news. They had passed their exam with flying colours. They had also mastered their practical, and were now looking forward to diving the reefs around Hawaii. There were so many wonderful places there, and they could hardly contain their excitement. THE BALLROOM DANCING COMPETITION. The Grande Lounge was packed to capacity, and everyone was waiting to see the couples performing on the specially prepared dance floor. Cassie and Bristol had brought little Lucky to see some of the dancers before being lovingly tucked up in his little bed. They would be berthing in Hawaii the next day, and he would be on his way back to his owners in Los Angeles. Cassie and Bristol would be sad to see him go, but they knew what a joyous reunion it would be for Lucky and the two special people who loved him so dearly. |
| The competition was to be judged by three experts; Miss Bella Beach Bunny, Miss Tipper and Mister Felix. All three were international champions. The competition was to feature three kinds of Ballroom dances. The Waltz, the Tango and the Foxtrot. The competitors prepared to take the floor for the first dance, the Tango. The judges were writing in their note pads. Then the couples gathered again for the Waltz. Again, the judges made copious notes and looked impressed with the high standard. Last of all was the Foxtrot, known as perhaps the most difficult dance of all to perform well. |
| The final decision came down to two couples. Abby and Bailey Beachboy, and Lacey O'Quinn and Henry. The judges had a dilemma. They could not pick between the two. Both couples were of championship standard. They had performed well in all three dances and none of the three judges could fault them. |
| "Do you think we could award joint first place - a tie?" Tipper asked. "Well, we'll have to ask Jimmy if they are prepared to pay the $200 to each couple, as each partner gets $100 - making it $400 prize money instead of $200." Felix replied. They all agreed, and called Jimmy to put the question to him. Jimmy was impressed with the high standard of these two couples also, and agreed to award first prize to them both. He approached the stage and there was a hush throughout the audience. Reaching into his pocket he withdrew the envelope containing the judges' decision. "History has been made today on the Wheaten Princess," he said proudly. "Never before has there been a tie for first place in the judging of the Ballroom Dancing Competition." He paused to clear his voice, then continued: "I am happy to announce that the prize money of $100 cash to each partner has been awarded to: MISS ABBY AND MR. BAILEY BEACHBOY, and MISS LACEY O'QUINN and MR. HENRY! Would those couples please come forward?" Lacey almost fell off her chair with surprise and delight, and Abby was weeping with joy. Henry took Lacey by the arm, and Bailey Beachboy placed an arm around Abby's waist, and together the two couples mounted the stage and received their prizes from a broadly smiling Jimmy. The audience gave them a standing ovation and the band struck up with the song 'WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS'. What a wonderful night it had been, and tomorrow was going to be even more exciting because they would be arriving at Hawaii - the 'Jewel of the Pacific'. END OF PART TWO |