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"What?" cried Sky "Alex, don’t be crazy--what are you doing?"
"I’ll be right back," Alex promised, and with that, he dashed off at aSky standing on the shore alone
A Reckless Parting Gift
Clearly Alex had lost his mind, and he knew it Yet he ran as fast as he could to the other side of the island, past bewildered Ito and Sato ere collectingthe hour of calht into the water As soon as he was deep enough, he dove and sith all his ht to the scientists’ ship
When he reached it, he surfaced and pressed his hand against the part of the stern that stood above the water He took aintently at the shore in the exact spot where the pirate ship had stood for weeks
A flash of lightning cracked the sky, startling hireorse He forced hi only of the newly empty stretch of land nearby Now that the pirate ship was out of the way, he could finally do so for the scientists who had been so hospitable to them all this time
When Alex had eliminated all other stresses fro the cleared section of the island, and whispered, "Transport"
As soon as he could feel the ship no longer, he opened his eyes And there, perfectly placed on the shore, sat the alash in its side Water, fish, and mud streamed from it
With a triumphant shout, Alex struck out toward the island oncebeneath him He ran onto the shore and sped toward the other side of the island, past the shelter where Ishibashi was just co out
"I left you a present!" Alex shouted "Go look!"
Ishibashi stared at Alex as the boy ran past, and then heard the shouts from Ito and Sato and hurried toward the recovered ship
With all his heart, Alex wished he could see the scientists’ reactions when they found their ship and all the equipment still inside But he didn’t have time He pressed on toward Sky, who had followed after him a short distance and waited anxiously for hiht of his burned as he ran and jumped over the rocky terrain As he went, he fished around in his pocket for his ic carpet component so they could take off But by the time he reached Sky, he still hadn’t found it