The Shasta Caper, Chapter Sixty-Four

Chapter Sixty-Four

In this the next chapter we see Samuel save the little elephants who are hurt, heal Nanny and Jimbo and Robin and Smarn as they seek to escape the furious Nazis from the floating city.

Large birds landed on the branches above a smoking heap of metal and plastic, glass and fiber. They pecked at their feet, then preened their feathers, seemingly uninterested in the spectacle below, but when a hand suddenly flopped out of an opening in the ship, they became stiff and alert. What was happening?

A moment later another hand came out, then Samuel dragged himself into view. His forehead was torn and bleeding, and his shirt was cut in numerous places and hanging loose on him. He groaned, then looked back inside, reached in and slowly and painfully pulled out Nanny, whose face was a pallid white, as if she were seriously injured. 

He managed to get to his feet and drag her to safety some yards away. He set her down flat, then limped back to the broken vessel. Several baby elephants streamed out, trumpeting in alarm. He moved out of their way, as more streamed out. 

He dropped to his knees, then crawled back into the wreckage.

A small explosion greeted him, hurtling more debris into the already smashed cockpit. He saw Jimbo caught between several braces of metal and struggled to free him. 

"Damn it!!" Samuel swore.

Then he did something he had never tried before. He placed his hands on the braces and closed his eyes. The braces became surrounded with a bright blue light, then began to shake.

Jimbo didn't notice, he was unconscious, a huge bruise purpling his right cheek and the top of his head, where blood was matting. One of his legs looked broken at the angle it stuck out.

Samuel kept concentrating and the braces stopped shaking, then slowy and noisiliy began to rise off Jimbo. 

Samuel opened his eyes, then grabbed hold of Jimbo and still concentrating on the braces, slowly, with great effort and pain began to drag Jimbo from beneath them. He felt like his whole body was shaking from the effort. He could feel his heart pounding and his muscles quivering from the effort, but he didn't stop. He wouldn't stop!

With a final burst of energy he got Jimbo the rest of the way free and collapsed over him, just as the braces fell, smashing the rest of the flooring upwards, almost skewering him and Jimbo with splinters of plastic and small metal pieces.

Jimbo's eyes fluttered open to find Samuel on top of him and almost face to face.

Painfully, and almost in a croacking voice he said. "Really, Sammie. You coulda just asked me out first."

Samuel raised his head. He hadn't seen Jimbo's eyes open. He grinned. "I got this thing about nasty women."

Jimbo heaved and Samuel slid off, and rolled onto his side. He screamed. A broken rib.

"Damnit!" He cursed.

Jimbo took a deep breath, then looked around desperately for a moment.

"She's outside. Safe." Samuel answered the unspoken question.

Jimbo slipped an arm around Samuel's waist and gently began moving him out the gap int he ship. He shoved him the rest of the way, and when Samuel had rolled out of the way, he tumbled out.

He grabbed his head. "Mother of all elephant headaches!" He groaned.

Then they both heard the trumpeting groan from inside.

Samuel looked around and saw all the baby elephants looking at them plaintively.

"She's still inside!"

Jimbo groaned, but got to his feet. A new explosion knocked him down, then he got up again and headed for the opening. "If I don't make it out, she's yours."

"I heard that!" Nanny shouted.

Jimbo looked over at her and grinned. She shook a fist at him.

Then he crawled back into the s hip, where the flames were spreading quickly from the tail section towards the cockpit. 

The baby elephants began trumpeting in alarm, scared for their Mother, when Jimbo crawled out, then reached back in and pulled the Mother out with a series of grunts.

"Damn these hairy little things are heavy!" He cursed, then he dragged her to rest beside Nanny, who immediately began feeling her body for  broken bones.

Samuel limped over and dropped beside them.

The ship gave a loud rumbling sound, the imploded in a series of small, then louder explosions, leaving it just a  heap of burning debris.

High overhead a series of Nazi ships scoured the air. They slowed when they spotted the wreckage, hovering for several moments.

Samuel and Jimbo hurriedly pulled the Mother elephant and Nanny to the other side of the tree. The baby elephants followed.

Beams of pure light struck the ground near where they had been and searched the area in front of the tree, then stopped.

Samuel risked a look and the air ships were shooting away. "They must think we're dead."

Samuel flopped back with the others, then saw Nanny's alarmed expression.

"I think she's dying, Sam." She said, her heart saying everything in her tears and rough voice.

Samuel managed to get over there, even though all his bruises and broken rib were killing him with the effort. He place his hands on her body and closed his eyes.

Nothing happened. Then a green ambient light began to seep from his hands and pour over the Mother elephant until her entire body was bathed in it. He held that focus for several minutes, then her trunk moved weakly.

He pulled his hands off. "She's going to be okay."

He went to Nanny next and put his hands on her shoulder and forehead. The green light poured out and around her body. She closed her eyes. She had never felt so good before.

"Remind me to hire you for my next massage."

Jimbo grunted. "You should be so lucky."

"I should." She said, opening her eyes, surprised that the pain was gone.

Samuel looked at Jimbo and he shrugged. "I can live with a few pains, Sammie."

Samuel shook his head and put his hands on Jimbo's shoulder and forehead.

Jimbo cracked jokes the whole time, but you could tell he was feeling his oats, because his jokes just got worse and worse.

Finally, Nanny put her hands on Samuel's to pull them away. "Hey stop that! You make him any better and we'll never have a moment's of peace."

Jimbo sighed when Samuel sat back. He looked wasted from the effort. Inside he felt great and the healing of them had also healed him as well, for whatever you do for another like that the same is done for you. He knew the spiritual laws. Give and get. Ask and recieve.

He sat back against the tree and sighed. "I just wish we could have saved Robin and Smarn."

"Then what would you have done for an encore, my friends?" Robin asked from overhead, where he and Smarn had watched the whole thing silently.

Jimbo jumped up. "You lazy so and so, you should have helped us!"

"A measure of a man's heart is the measure of his temper." Robin said dropping lightly on his feet beside them. He looked at Samuel. "I had to know for sure that you were the good man they said you were."

Samuel looked at him, saying nothing. 

"And you are."

"Smarn." Smarn announced as he landed with a louder thump and almost crashed to the ground.

Robin steadied him. "You have proven yourselves to be both brave and selfless. Two qualities that are rare upearth, but even here in some places."

He reached out his hand to Samuel. "I hope you will accept my friendship, for it is truly an honor to be your friend, if you choose to accept me."

Samuel stood up and  took the hand. He gave Robin a weak grin. "Accepted, but right now, besides all this self congratulatory stuff, I could use a real meal."

That was when Jimbo noticed that his stomach was churning. It gave out a huge gumbling sound, so loud that everyone heard it. "Second that!"

Everyone broke into laughter.

Then all hell broke loose!