—Guys! Have you read the latest news?— exclaimed a chestnut-coloured brindle cat, which was literally scrambling down the corridor that led to the main room of the old and respectable Royal Crowder Society.
He waved a newspaper in his left paw; the enthusiasm had induced him to do it so vehemently that, if converted into energy, the mass of air displaced could have light up the whole room for the rest of the day.
It was Sunday morning and at the Royal Crowder Society the cats were relaxing in the room in front of the fireplace, some taking a nap, some reading a good book, others chatting about more or less important topics.
But Chest, short for Chestnut, had messed up that perfect balance.
—Chest, calm down!— he heard from the back of the room.
—Look at this!— said Chest, slamming the paper folded in half, but with the front-page headline clearly visible, with a loud paw on the round oak table in the middle of the room, not caring about the chess game that was going on between Monsieur Sable du Poisson and Sir Whitehorse.
—Well, Chest, what elegance!— scolded Monsieur du Poisson, sarcastically.
Chest wasn’t even listening: —Another impossible case solved! And this time it was defeated by nothing less than The Dark Farmyard!—
—Show me!— a cat snatched the newspaper from his paw, while other members of the society had already crowded around out of curiosity. The most suspicious remained in their posts, and from one of them a comment arose: —Yes, of course not… even if it was the Dark Farmyard, it cannot be defeated entirely. It’s such a sneaky organization and who knows how extensive. Maybe it’ll be out of the game for a while… And then it’ll come back.—
—The usual skeptic! It is written in large letters on the Crowder Chronicles: The mystery of the puffin stone revealed: the diabolical plan of the Dark Farmyard foiled, crushing victory of the two super detectives Hans and Hank!—
—Thos two again?— muttered Whitehorse doubtfully, —They’re everywhere now!—
—They’re real geniuses! Chest rebuked him: —The Dark Farmyard: do you realize it in the slightest?!? No one had had the courage to get involved in a matter of theirs in decades!—
—The Chronicles is always so sensationalist!— snorted an ash-gray cat, —Please, Paul, pass me The Cat Post.—
He wished he could read something different, because the expression on his face as soon as he glanced at the first few lines of the Post was unmistakably shocked. He threw it in an armchair, crumpled.
—So John…?—
—Nothing, so nothing! By now the press is reeling!—
—But there’s no denying it: Hans and Hank are the best detectives Scotland Yard has seen for at least fifty years!—
—Even a century!— said Andy, opening his eyes to the maximum as if to emphasize his wonder.
—Come on…!— said Whitehorse as he left the game, not least because the pieces had been brutally evicted from the board by Chest’s exuberance.
—If not, would they have written a book about it?—
—Also?!?,— Whitehorse marveled.
—Don’t pretend you don’t know that their first case has become a best seller in the feline and canine world. It’s rumored to be coming to humans as well…—
—Nonsense! For me, it’s just two who had a stroke of luck.—
—And you’re all envy, aren’t you?— sang Rocky, coming up from behind and giving him a pat on the back, which moved him forward a few steps. Whitehorse turned, giving the red cat a strained smile, and walked away muttering.
—Rocky, you won’t be of the same opinion as that boring Whitehorse, will you?—
—Not at all! Professor Arthur Van and I know talent when we see it,— Rocky explained, drawing Arthur’s attention, and inviting him to take part in the discussion.
Arthur took the place vacated by Sir Geordie Whitehorse: —True Rocky! They guessed, those two setters! Hans and Hank: two names that will remain in the history of Scotland Yard, I assure you! Deep intuition, loyalty, and well, even a great attitude to getting into trouble… They’ll lead the way, it’s guaranteed!—
—Like us, huh, mate?—
—Yes, you can say that Rocky…—
In the meantime, Andy had picked up the newspaper between his paws and was reading with transport:
—It is clear that without their intervention, the Dark Farmyard would have indescribably increased its power, appropriating an artifact as unique as it was devastating. However, each of us should not forget what is perhaps the most important lesson that can be drawn from this case: We can all get lost, but those who love us will always be ready to leave a little light to remind us of the right path and will never hesitate to reach out to us to take us home.—
No sooner had Andy finished reading than Arthur sprang into his chair, resting his front paws on the armrests, his eyes widening.
—It can’t be!— he cried in anguish.
—That’s just the way it is. They had to deal with an internal betrayal, so to speak…— explained Andy, who had sensed Arthur Van was startling at the words of the Crowder Chronicles.
Meanwhile, Arthur, who was not listening to him, literally tore the newspaper from his paws and turned it over, revealing the blurb on the last page on which his eyes had fallen just before, as he sat in his chair.
—Listen here! Professor Aerik of the Royal Crowder Society disappeared on 7 May with his submarine off the Tortuga’s coasts. The mysterious professor, who was also very shy with his colleagues of the renowned society of feline studies, seems to have been in search of the treasure of the famous William Whiskers, to which he devoted his entire life.
—Aerik?!?— screamed Rocky, totally incredulous —Is it possible that a member of our society, dare I say almost family, disappears, and we don’t know it? Are we sitting here playing chess and drinking tea, basking by the fireplace…? And all we dare to do is a five-line article at the bottom of a newspaper?—
—Well, Rocky… Admit that Aerik is a bit played… —
—Just because he leads a secluded life? Have you ever wasted time talking to him for more than 5 minutes?— urged Arthur.
—Guys, let’s go: he’s looking for a legend, a fairy tale for kittens… We all know that Captain William Whiskers is a good story, nothing more. There is no evidence, never a single find… —
—But there are documents and for Aerick there had to be more than substantiated evidence, to go down there.—
—He never told us anything.—
—Well, I’d say he did more than well: you would have answered him with a few jokes and you wouldn’t have believed him…— He rebuked them —and you would have laughed at him—
All the cats that filled the great hall look down, regretting their behavior.
—Anyway, we didn’t leave him alone.— interjected a cat with compact and uniform gray fur —We made contact with the Tortuga Archaeological Studies Association, which is equipped with submarines, to have him followed. After all, we support all researches, as taught to us by our founder Alisander. I’m sure they’re looking for it… —
—Here, though, it makes clear that he got lost with his submarine. Something evidently didn’t go quite as planned… —.
—Rocky, I know Aerik is very competent and he was working on a submarine for great depths, I can’t tell you anything else, unfortunately—
Rocky and Arthur had no doubt: an expedition had to be organized to find him.
—We are asking for permission to set up a search team. Let’s take The Cat Path—
—Agreed,— replied the gray cat, —Come back in one piece and with Aerik.—
—You can bet it, as always!— Professor Arthur Van replied with a smile.
And Rocky, along with Arthur, set off quickly to prepare the new mission. This time it was more than just exploration: they had to save a friend, they couldn’t fail.
—My newspaper!— Andy tried in vain to get their attention, but the two were already far away and could hardly be seen in the long, dimly lit corridor.
—Leave… now they’re already thinking about Tortuga… — Rhett, the gray cat, calmed him down.
—Let’s hope they find him,— Andy sighed.
—We all hope so… — joined a cat who was absentmindedly looking out the window.
—You know those two, somehow, always manage to come out on top… I’m more worried that they don’t mess up too much and that they don’t destroy The Cat Path. Last time it costed us a fortune…!— murmured Rhett, the Royal Crowder Society’s head of field operations management, as he approached the large antique window and saw the silhouette of a red cat and a white cat with anthracite tails heading towards the hangar.
Rocky and Arthur quickly examined The Cat Path, agreeing that everything was in order.
—They did a really good job, huh? If I had known that they were going to polish it so well, I would have made a few more emergency landings! — He said to Arthur.
—Yes, I agree!— he played Rocky’s game.
Of course, neither of them really wanted to repeat the last experience, which had led The Cat Path literally crashing to the ground, during the storm emergency landing in Mexico. However, relieving the tension with a few laughs was their style.
The new mission had nothing to do with the scientific way, at least for them, they just wanted to save their friend. At that point, they didn’t know anything: where he was, what he really wanted to look for, what condition he had disappeared in. Except that they had to, and wanted more than anything, to retrieve it.
Therefore, the plan was simply to gather a large number of supplies and materials needed for a rescue, whether sea or land, reassemble the old team and set off for Tortuga.
Having reached the place, they would gather information from the local scientific institute, the Society for Archaeological Studies and Feline Scientists of the Tortuga.
It was just a matter of getting the team together.
—So…— Arthur proposed, —We just have to find Aiden and ask him what plans he has for the weekend…—
—He’ll be so happy to blow it all up and embark on another thrilling journey!— said Rocky, laughing.
They found Aiden helping some members of the society build a model for a new mechanical kelpie.
—That’s it!— he said, tightening the last bolt and emerging from under a strange iron scaffolding, which could only vaguely resemble a menacing mythological horse, thanks to a practical cart with wheels.
—With this modification, the sound should be produced automatically, thanks to the movement of the water, every time the horse’s head rises from the ditch,— he explained, and threw the wrench into the nearby toolbox.
—We’ll just have to test it in the field, then!— said one of them.
—Thank you, Aiden, you’re a very good engineer!—
Aiden was pleased with this compliment, but he didn’t show it too much: —Don’t forget the cover, or it will look like just a pile of rusty metal scraps!— he advised, and as he was going out wiping his paws on a rag, he saw the two scholars approaching: this immediately put him at attention.
—That doesn’t bode well… —
—Hi Aiden! We’re happy to see you too! Today is a really nice day, and yes, thanks for asking, we’re fine!— teased Rocky.
—Oh Rocky, of course I think all these things, but it’s that… in short… To see you both together, you’re looking for me… I figured it wasn’t anything quiet, that’s all… —
—And it is precisely because of your strong analytical skills that we wanted you on the team and that we would not leave you for anything in the world!— confirmed Professor Arthur Van.
—No, no, no, boys! Not this time! I still have to recover from the last trip, and I have things to do here at the castle… Choose another one… —
Arthur approached him, —No one else would ever be you, and we need the one and only Aiden… —
Aiden sighed loudly, disconsolately, —Can I at least know what it is first?—
—No, you’ve already agreed! Come on, let’s go!— snapped Rocky, —There’s no time to lose.—
—Stop! I didn’t accept. I said I’d consider… —
—Do you like warm places?—
—Um, not really… —
Arthur motioned for Rocky to be quiet for a few minutes, he would take care of it.
—Aiden, this time it has nothing to do with scientific motivations. The life of a friend of ours is in danger… —
—Who?— startled Aiden.
—Professor Aerik Tunfisksonn—
—No!— Aiden was incredulous, so much so that Rocky had to remind him to close his mouth, lightly touching him under his chin.
—How can it be… I… Tou tell Aerik, the Norwegian of the forests? The brindle brown one, piercing green eyes, long hair and, so tall… — he described, even accompanying himself with a nod of his paw to indicate his height, as if he were still there next to him.
—Exactly Aiden… A perfect identikit… sadly, keep that in mind, for we will need it more times than you think,— Arthur suggested.
Aiden persisted in his bewilderment: —But if… No, it can’t be! When? —
—There have been no news since the seventh of this month—
—I don’t believe it…— Aiden had sat down, head between his paws, looking down at the ground. He remained like this, without uttering a word, for a few moments, then turned the gaze of two scholars: —I also helped him to perfect the design of his experimental submarine and we built some parts in this very workshop!— he added.
—Aiden, don’t feel guilty: you have nothing to do with it. This study is Aerik’s life: if he took risks, he would have assessed that the game was worth the candle. He would have done it anyway, only with more danger, because he wouldn’t have had the support of your brilliant mind, engineer!— cheered Arthur.
—Don’t worry— Rocky walked up to Aiden and hugged him tenderly —we’ll take him home—
Aiden composed himself and sprang to his feet, regaining his energy.
—Well, count on me!—
—Very good boy!— congratulated Arthur.
As they made their way to The Cat Path, Rocky approached him and whispered, —You know, the fact that you agreed was a mere formality. You would have been included anyway!— she said, winking.
—I wonder why, I’m not surprised!— chuckled Aiden.
—Here’s the contraption!— said Aiden, as the hangar opened.
—Come on, you like it after all!— scolded Arthur.
—I like it, I admit! But no accidents for this trip, okay? And don’t antagonize any of the local people anymore! —
Everyone laughed heartily.
Aiden checked on a technical level and confirmed that everything was in order. The rest of the day was devoted to loading personal luggage, maps, and the last part of the scientific equipment.
Towards evening, the flight plan was also revised. It was Aiden who spoke: —Guys, I hate to contradict you… but I don’t think it’s convenient to repeat the route of the previous trip and stop only before that… if we used the official ship of the Royal Crowder Society we could avoid stopovers… —
—But what if we need to fly once we get there?—
—I doubt it, being an island. We could rather use some other type of boat rented there more effectively.—
Arthur and Rocky looked at each other puzzled: The Cat Path was their long-time trusted friend. They tried to point this out to Aiden, who silenced them: —So, at today, have I to assume that you have increased the company’s expenses for your amusement almost unnecessarily…?—
—No, it’s just that you travel more comfortably on a plane… — Rocky tried to justify himself.
—Well, not today. I allow you to get to the port by plane, but only to transfer your luggage. Then from there we will continue by boat to Tortuga. Make sure you have all the fuel you need… —
Rocky, with all that water going through, was more than a little annoyed and didn’t bother to hide it in the slightest.
—Mind you, if something happens, we will not be able to save ourselves; I’d take The Cat Path!—
Arthur, as always, had to mediate.
—You can take iton board. Just in case we need to run away and…—
—And there was time to run the engines, open the cargo door and hope we had enough room to take off… — Aiden muttered.
Rocky pretended to ignore it, he had gotten what he wanted, The Cat Path, the rest was just the equivalent of a pebble between the pads of the paw: annoying, yes, but bearable.
—Do you know that you are impossible…?— asked Arthur sarcastically, —Let’s hope that a good day doesn’t start in the morning, I mean? I wouldn’t want to spend the whole journey watching your bickering.—
Aiden and Rocky looked at each other as if to say, —I didn’t do anything… — and Arthur turned to the exit.
—Come on, you: we have to get up early tomorrow morning!—
—You don’t update me on anything…—
—That is?— asked Professor Arthur Van, taking his hat and pulling it over his ears.
—That iseverything. Let’s say what Aerik was looking for, to begin with… —
—There will be time while we sail…— precise Rocky, pushing him out.
—But won’t either of you have to be at the helm?—
—You’re visibly worried, relax! RCS Leannah has a whole crew! It’s not an ocean liner, but it’s not a small boat either… —
Aiden looked at Rocky with slight concern, but he really couldn’t wait to see the ship.
They said goodbye and arranged to meet at the hangar for the next morning.
—At 6:00 o’clock, it’s crucial!— said Arthur.
Everyone nodded and went back to their rooms.
The transfer with The Cat Path to the port went smoothly, as did the loading of equipment, supplies, and various luggage from the aircraft onto the ship. When it was time to embark The Cat Path, some sailors turned up their noses a little, fearing that such a large piece of luggage might damage the stability of the entire ship.
However, after the reassurances of Captain Horace Winston, who had already done so on several occasions, everything returned to normal.
At twelve o’clock, the RCS (where RCS stands for Royal Crowder Society) Leannah set sail. The trip passed smoothly and, as Rocky anticipated, the three scholars had plenty of time to informAiden about Professor Aerik’s studies.
It was on a whole evening, while the three of them were sitting on the jetty enjoying a good cup of tea, that looking at the vastness of the ocean Rocky let slip a rather unfortunate phrase.
—Let’s hope Aerik isn’t under these waves, otherwise there would be no escape for him at this hour… — He was overthinking and didn’t realize that he had said it out loud. He didn’t really believe it, he was simply expressing his deepest fear.
—You say it could be… —Aiden got scared.
—It is not, unfortunately, a possibility to be excluded.— interjected Arthur —We must be objective and analytically evaluate every hypothesis: only in this way can we be more effective and rapid in operations—
—May I ask what he was looking for and why he cares so much?— ventured Aiden.
—I’d be lying if I told you it’s not a long story… I can tell you about it, of course. But you must promise that you will keep this information in the depths of your heart and will not let anyone know what you will learn. Aerik is a very private guy and this is directly related to his family history, he only confessed it to me and Arthur.—
—Wow… — A slight shiver ran down Aiden’s spine, causing him to lift a thin strip of hair on his back.
—Yes, wow… We tell you this because we know we can trust you,— added Arthur.
—Of course, Aerik won’t understand that I know either… — Aiden promised.
—Great then, make yourself comfortable.—
Arthur began to tell that Aerik was still a kitten who had just stopped drinking milk when his grandfather was declared missing at sea. He was found, after months of exhausting searches, by Aerik himself, exhausted on a beach near a cliff.
He had left for who knows where, and apparently the return journey had been very difficult. Beside him, the wreckage of the ship, his ship, broken masts, boards, all haphazardly on the sand, covered with seaweed and shreds of what were once sails that swelled proudly in the wind, physically dragging the body of that cat where the mind had already taken it. Even his clothes were worn, completely soaked. He had lost his senses, but not his mind: yes, not that, Aerik knew it perfectly well. His grandfather never experienced, even remotely, the madness that they would soon inflict on him to justify what they could not, or did not want, to understand. Between his legs, which dripped a mixture of salt water and blood from the wounds he encountered during his last desperate attempt to veer over the rocks before the shipwreck, he clutched a wooden casket, miraculously intact, except for the marks his nails had left. Rather than risk losing it, he had preferred to break her claws by driving them into the wood.
—Grandpa, grandpa!— shook Aerik.
There was no reply. He shook him more animatedly and managed to snatch a breath from him, that of one who seems to return to take back the air that is rightfully his. Aerik helped him up, and his grandfather bent over on his side, coughing, spitting out water and sand. When he tried to pull his paws away from the mysterious box, the cat almost lunged at him, blowing. Then he came to himself and recognized a certain resemblance in him: he felt that he must be of the family. That poor cat, now old, was to be forgiven after all, he had seen Aerik only once, when he was born, and since then he had changed a lot.
—You…—
—Yes, I am Aerik, your nephew!
—You found me!—
—We’ve never stopped looking for you… I ‘ve never stopped! —
—Who’s with you?—
—None, at the moment. I’ve gone my own way, they don’t trust me too much… —
—Oh, boy! You’ll be a great explorer! —
—Grandpa, what happened? What is this?—
The cat looked around suspiciously, and immediately withdrew the casket, trying to hide it under his belly.
—After boy, after! Let’s get out of here!—
—Come, let’s go home. You’ll be exhausted, you’ll want to rest and eat…—
—No, you nonsense! I’m alive, that’s enough! —
Aerik looked at him dazed, but also with absolute admiration.
—You’ll have something in that sack anyway, right?—
—It’s a backpack, Grandpa… And yes, there are some supplies.—
—What are we waiting for? Let’s go!—
—Where?—
—Um, where exactly are we?—
—At home, Grandpa, in Norway. 20 km south of… —
—Yes, I know where my house is!— she nodded with her paw, as if to silence him.
—Come, this way. Follow me. There should be a shelter that fishermen built, now it’s abandoned. We’ll stay there for a while until we decide how to proceed. Give me your backpack. I’ll bring it —
—You’re exhausted, aren’t you…—
— Nonsense! — he quickly pulled his backpack from his shoulders and put the box in it. —So no one will see it!—
—I Could Have Brought It Up—
—No, I’d rather stay safe…—
Aerik did not comment further. He thought that in this way he would prove himself more quickly that he was fully trustworthy.
He followed his grandfather’s side, without asking any questions, and in a short time they found a very modest wooden hut, the roof of which also had a few holes in it.
—Enter—
Aerik was hesitant, but he was pushed inside.
—Move, we must not be conspicuous.—
This meant, as a result, not being able to light a fire to keep warm. They sat down on dusty chairs that they retrieved from the ground, near a table on which plates and a few cups had been piled up.
The eldest cat pushed it abruptly aside with a paw and placed the box in the center. A rather serious scene, to look at: in total half-light, dimly illuminated by the light that filtered through a half-open window, a casket, in the center of the table made soft by the dust. At the two extremes, an old cat, about to tell an incredible truth, and a young one, waiting. The silence was broken by the old cat, who began to narrate his discoveries.
—Long ago, too long now for it to be remembered as a fact and not as a legend, our ancestor settled here, having sailed the Seven Seas under the guidance of the famous Captain William Whiskers.—
Aerik roused himself.
—Seriously? I…—
—You thought it was all a four-tuna story… isn’t it?—
—Yes, that is, no, that is… No evidence was found. Its story is like… It just looks like a fairy tale. You even tell me now that one of our ancestors was in his crew. I don’t know what to think… —
—Proofs, you say?— His grandfather asked, in a defiant tone, and immediately opened the casket with the key that held his neck. He pulled out a medallion and handed it to his nephew.
—Like this?—
—What is it?— Aerik asked, nervously picking up the object from his grandfather’s paws. The old cat watched him, pleased at the dismay he had managed to provoke by demonstrating the truth he himself had been chasing for years.
—It looks like a medallion, in fact, and it has a rather simple story, actually: a certain captain always wanted to carry his human in his heart, and the human acquired during one of their voyages, and he had a portrait painted for himself. He always carried it with him, until it passed to our ancestor, his second-in-command on the Silver Tuna, who had the task of passing on his story to his descendants and protecting the treasure… —
Aerik got up and went to the window: —I need some air… —
—Eh eh, boy! You young people have a bit of a fragile heart! —
—Just wait a moment: you come here, or rather: I find you here… almost drowned—
—Let us not overdo it—
—Well, let’s say you were practically dead, now you have how many left? Like three lives? I saved you… It’s almost time for me to tear myself apart to defend this casket and take me to this, I don’t know what to call it, to tell the truth, it’s a kind of den of spiders and dust… And you tell me you risked your life for a pirate captain who is more legend than truth? Forgive me if I’m bewildered… —
—No boy, it looks like you’ve lost your bearings for seeing a ghost and that’s a good thing, I mean it, because you know you’re in the presence of the real ghost of William Whiskers. That’s it. Your heart has already accepted it, it knows it’s true, you just have to let reason stop holding you back with wrong conclusions… —
Aerik tried to come to his senses.
—Open it…— the cat turned between his paws that circular medallion, slightly rounded and adorned with the symbol of the pirates of the Silver Tuna: two crossed bones that surrounded the head, the bone of course, of a tuna. Above, his initials intertwined with those of his human.
—I only see an L… the other letter I struggle to distinguish … —
—It is said that it was because he always caressed it with his paws… —
Aerik plucked up her courage and gently untied.
—Oh… — he jumped back, so astonished was he to find the pirate there in front of him, as if he had been painted yesterday: the proud portrait of William Whiskers, with his beloved midnight blue hat and his human embracing him, also a pirate. Next to them was a (male) human, who didn’t look like a pirate in the slightest. Grandpa heard his question, but silenced him before he could even take a breath: —Time to time… And now is not the time for that story.—
Aerik had no more doubts: it was real, truer than the sun rising every morning, truer than the waves crashing on the shore. It was in front of his eyes, undeniable, bright and a little arrogant, his very white hair, almost silky, his eyes piercing between green and yellow, a tail as dark as night, but with a lighter patch, and the two unmistakable black spots on his forehead, two crescents almost mirrored.
—How did they get here… —
—Oh, William Whiskers’ own diary, preserved right here in this box— he said, tapping his paw on it, —tells us that plainly. I’m going to write a book about it, if I ever finish my venture, to make this truth known to the whole world. The title will be: The Pirate and the Inventor. The true story of Captain William Whiskers. Guess why? —
—Its humans… —
—That’s right!—
Aerik learned that William Whiskers was not born a pirate, like almost no one else. Orphaned at a very young age, his first life was only on the sea and, probably, if what actually went wrong, he would never have known the existence of the mainland.
The pirates, at the time very numerous in the seas of the Caribbean, had picked him up, with many others, for no one knows why, on the coasts of today’s Turkey. He immediately ended up in the hold, to chase the rats away from the supplies. He proved to be more ingenious than any of the other cats on board, and did his job well, until that life began to be too boring for him. In the evening, when no one saw him, he had made a habit of settling down on the window of the captain’s quarters, a narrow-minded man of little intelligence, but who loved to collect books, maps, scientific instruments, and, above all, stories. He surrounded himself with men, enraptured during his travels of course, who could enumerate to him the wonders that the then known world contained. And so one evening William was running among the most exotic animals, or crossing the driest deserts, or even finding himself in the midst of monuments, true marvels of engineering. He soon became tired of his monotonous life: he wanted to see the world, he wanted to learn that science whose power was proclaimed by those passing patrons. He planned a mutiny in detail, but when he realized that the other cats would never follow him, he decided to plan his escape. He was resolute: whatever the next port was, he would sneak out and never return. A great plan, except that something held him back. The captain intended to cause chaos in that city, because he had made up his mind that he was going to take a wife. Therefore, he kidnapped the most beautiful, the kindest, and the most intelligent girl in the place, who sold fish by trade. From what we know from William himself, she also had no family. As he saw the creature being dragged onto the ship, he felt a motion shatter his stomach: he could not escape now, he had to save her, to escape together, if she wished. Even though he knew there was no time to lose, he remained calm and observed the situation for a few days. The girl remained, mostly distraught, in her cabin. One evening hearing her sobbing, he couldn’t resist and sneaked in, with his burglar skills. He snuggled up in her lap. The girl was astonished, but, happy with that contact and that reassuring warmth, she began to caress him. When he realized that he felt comfortable, William spoke, —I am William!—
The girl, as you can imagine, jumped to her feet and literally threw him to the ground, screaming.
—Shttttt!— said William, —For Poseidon’s sake, woman: don’t scream or we’ll have a walk for the sharks tonight!—
—You… Talk…? — asked the human, trying to convince herself of this evidence as she said it.
—Yes… exact… You’ve heard it… I speak—
The human sat back down on the bed, holding herself up with her hands so she wouldn’t fall.
—I’m raving… or I’m dead—
—No, you’re sane and still in this world… —
—yes, this world could be who knows what, as far as I’m concerned! So, you’re not encouraging one bit!—
—Okay, bad choice of words… Excuse me: You’re alive, quiet—
—And so… you talk…?—
—Again?!? Yes, I speak. And you understand me, it means we have a connection. It happens, rarely, but it can happen… —
—Did someone send you?— the girl was already defensive.
—No, I’m a hostage, so to speak, like you. I work here, I chase away mice, but my dream is to see the world, to learn astronomy. I want to run away and I would have done it if you hadn’t come. I can’t leave you here, I want to take you with me—
The human’s eyes filled with tears, which sparkled down her face with the gloss of the moonlight.
—Why?—
—I… I can’t leave you here. I felt you close to me, immediately. You know, I was torn away from my family that I didn’t see yet. I’ve never had anyone, but in my heart I feel that I can trust you, that I have to save you.—
—I have no family either—
—We’ll be our family,— William said solemnly, placing his paw on his hands.
—I’m Lilyan… Lilyan and no more…—
—I’m William…—
—Beautiful name William, high-sounding,— she said as she stroked his muzzle, —nice whiskers, anyway, and pretty spots!— she touched with a quick wave of her finger the two crescents on his forehead.
As much as they both wished to linger at that moment, they drew up the outline of their escape plan.
Lilyan knew that she would soon have to dine with the captain every night.
William would protect her, watching from his favorite window, but she would have to open it, leaving it ajar so that William could sneak inside, unseen. Lilyan had the task of pouring, logically without being discovered, into the captain’s wine a powerful poppy infusion, which the cat had stolen from one of the ship’s previous —guests—.
With the captain out of the picture, William would steal everything he needed to survive at sea after escaping and hide it in a lifeboat.
He continued like this for a few weeks, during which time he was also able to snatch supplies from the kitchen. The day designated for the escape was the eve of Spring, by which time the ship would be in the proximity of the Caribbean Sea. Too bad, that the captain that night decided that it was just the right time to marry the girl.
The whole thing was very excited: the general disturbance already reigned on board and, when the girl was no longer to be found, chaos was mixed with panic and gunshots in the void.
—Find her!— cried the captain. The crew raced to port and starboard, aimlessly and without a precise design. It would have been all over the place, if the sea had not been a plank, and the moon had remained hidden behind the clouds, for suddenly the lookout cried, —she runs awayyyyy!— pointing to the little boat that was moving away.
—Take it!— ordered the captain.
Since they were still pirates, what was immediately put into operation was not the brain, but the cannon.
Blow after blow was directed at poor Lilyan and William. It is not known how, but a ball burst backwards, creating a leak that made the crew re-evaluate their priorities in a thousandth of a second.
Thanks to this stroke of luck, if luck had William’s velvety white paws, because he was the one who sabotaged one of the cannons before escaping, they were finally free.
They wandered for days, but the land was still out of sight.
—Without wind we will never make it, we are lost… — sighed Lilyan.
Moreover, on the horizon the silhouette of a sailing ship approached menacingly.
William was visibly worried: they had nothing to defend themselves with, they would have fallen prisoners again.
By chance, the ship was first intercepted by what looked like a large fish, or perhaps a whale, which with a movement of its tail capsized it entirely, causing it to disappear with it for a while under the waves. Coming to the surface, the displacement of water pulled the ship up again as if nothing had happened: apart from a few broken masts and a few other damages here and there, the ship seemed unharmed. The huge fish disappeared, with a foaming white spray, into the depths. The two were distraught. They agreed to approach to ascertain the status of the passengers. The ship bore a pirate flag, though torn to shreds. William climbed aboard with the help of his feline skills, and lowered a rope ladder for Lilyan, who also secured the lifeboat to it. They found no one on board. Whether it was a ship adrift or if the crew got lost from the dive, they couldn’t tell.
—Well, in any case, it’s a nice ship. Durable, large, with defense devices… —
—Pirate…— Lilyan said, a little annoyed.
—We can’t survive with the lifeboat alone, you know that too… it belongs to no one. We fix it and it would be ours.—
They managed to get to an island, Tortuga, a notorious pirate island, and they didn’t even have time to disembark, for they knew that there was no pirate who didn’t know their history. For some strange reason, the rumor had spread that a woman and her cat, both pirates, had defeated the entire crew of a pirate ship with some strange devilry and had stolen their ship. They were feared, yes, but respected. No one dared to speak to them unless questioned, and Lilyan soon discovered that, perhaps, pretending to be pirates had its advantages. The ship was repaired and, in short, they agreed what would be their lives from now on.
—William, I can’t become a pirate… —
—But we’re not going to be pirates, not in the sense that everyone understands, though we’ll let them believe that. We will be pirates, explorers, scientists… We will discover the most sensational and unexplored places on the globe. Yes, maybe we’ll put together a small crew, trusted people to stay safe, and we’ll be free, you and I, forever… —
Lilyan was convinced. They created their flag: midnight blue velvet embroidered with the two crossed bones and the tuna skull.
They named the ship the Silver Tuna , and William found that the nickname Captain William Whiskers would be his pirate alias, mindful of one of Lilyan’s very first compliments. The rest is history… The countless undertakings, the meeting with the inventor…
—Only one thing is obscure to me…— Lilyan said.
—Yes…—
—What do we do with all that gold and silver in the hold?—
—Ah…— William replied, caught in the act, —Well, consider that as a reserve… kind of savings for stormy days… —
—Uh-hmm uhm… —Sarcastic Lilyan at that time.
—Yes… —
—They are stolen treasures—
—I don’t need to be reminded. We didn’t steal them, but we don’t know who they belonged to. So we keep them.—
—Very good reasoning, it doesn’t make a dent!—
—You know that buccaneer dress you chose looks good on you, and hair like that, with hoop earrings, gives you a touch… —
Lilyan laughed.
—Come on, we’ll keep it, all right! As long as it’s for something better… —
William proposed that they melt down the precious metal, creating containers to store the best tuna caught in each of the seas they visited. Each box, on the lid, would have the seal of William Whiskers imprinted on it and this food would then be destined for the poorest cats in the ports they would reach.
—It didn’t go quite as he expected… —
—Exactly, nephew… William Whiskers lived many years beyond those allotted to his human. It was said that he had found the fountain of eternal youth, but instead, as he himself attested, he had only iron health and a very long life. By now, believing him to be a terrible pirate, the entire Navy of the major naval powers of the time was hunting him. The truth that William tells us is clear: they didn’t want to capture him as a pirate, they wanted to get hold of his large number of tuna cans, gold and silver cans.
William was hunted and could not allocate his treasure and needy, at least not all of it. He decided he had to hide it.
He opted for Tortuga, because it was the place where, together with Lilyan, he had been reborn as pirate cat, free cat, beloved cat.
He knew that there was a small beach hidden by almost impenetrable rocks, where no ship would ever venture: he would hide it there, under the sand, with only the scorching sun of the Caribbean Sea as his guardian.
He was on his way to his destination when he was surprised by the British Navy. Or so William thought: it was the middle of the night, the darkest of all nights that year. Not a star, much less the moon, to light the way.
—Surrender William Whiskers: you are surrounded!— he heard himself shouting in the gloomy silence.
—Never!—
—Filibuster! I’ll pick you up and hand your head over to the Crown! —
—I’ll be waiting for you!— challenged William.
The battle was bloody: the cannonballs were certainly not spared and the sparks of gunpowder pierced the darkness. The Navy crew boarded the Silver Tuna, William ordered his crew to safety. He wrested from Olaf, our ancestor, a promise to save himself and recover the treasure, sooner or later, and if he did not succeed, his descendants would do so.
William snatched his medallion from his neck and was about to entrust it to him, when our ancestor rejected it: —No, you will give it to me later. I will be with you until the end!—
William Whiskers filled his heart with newfound energy and shouted, —For the last time, friend, to the advent-tunaaaaaa!— and they threw themselves into the fray, fighting hard.
But, alas, two against fifty: they had no hope. William decided that they would not come into possession of the treasure, not for their vile purposes. So, as he had done to set himself free so long ago, he ran the guns, pointed them at his own ship, and lighted them.
The ship sank in the blink of an eye, with pieces literally blowing up and hitting the Navy ship as well, leaving it somewhat dented, but still afloat.
William Whiskers and Olaf escaped to safety by breaking their headphones, perhaps wasting one or two of their nine lives. In the end, unfortunately, even their resistance was not enough, because they were captured. However, they escaped when they had not yet reached England, but not before stealing about twenty of the few cans that their captor had managed to get hold of.
These tins helped them survive until they reached the shores of Norway. The precious metal was recovered and spent to ensure Olaf and William’s dignified life. But the ground was getting tighter every day to William. Catching him staring at the sea, Olaf only said, —Go. You’re not meant to curl up on a pillow in front of the fireplace.—
—The Silver Tuna is lost,— he said, still looking at the horizon.
—He will always be in your, our, heart. The metal of the cans will allow you to buy a beautiful sailing ship. It’s not going to be the Silver Tuna, but it’s a start.—
—Will you be with me?—
Olaf hesitated for a moment.
—I see, you’re right. I can’t ask you. We are wanted, after all. A size, well maybe it’s not just one, weighs on our heads. Protect the secret of the Silver Tuna, recover the treasure. I have to leave, there are still too many areas on the maps that we haven’t explored. It was our dream. It’s as if Lilyan was still with me down there, in the open sea: in the unknown of that vastness anything can be, and her scent is always mixed with that air. When I feel that the time has come, I will send you to the address we now have this medallion. You will pass it on to your children, you will keep our fame alive and, who knows, maybe one day the treasure will see the light of day again. Just see to it that it is used for good.—
—It will be done, word of honor. —Olaf pulled out of his waistcoat pocket a little package wrapped in blue cloth.
—It’s a… —
—Piece of our flag? Yes. We’ve wanted to pay homage to you for a long time,— a gleaming cylinder revealed, —it’s a can, the most precious tuna caught in the Indies. We have kept it for you, boxed in pure white gold and silver, it is the Silver Tuna par excellence. Our seal is embroidered with the bluest sapphires of Ceylon.—
—I have no words to express my gratitude… It will remind me of you, of all of us—
Shortly thereafter, William Whiskers procured a sailing ship, a crew, and set sail again.
—As you can see, he kept his oath,— the old cat pointed out, bringing Aerik back to the present.
—We have the medallion, but he didn’t leave us with that. He also wanted to give us his memoirs, his diary, and these… —
Aerik leaned over and unfolded the threadbare, but still visibly blue and fluffy, packet-like fabric.
—The Silver Tuna… —
—And of white gold and sapphires, yes…—
—Vintage tuna!— joked Aerik, weighing him with his paw.
—I would advise you not to eat it, but… If the contents don’t make you tummy ache, you’re definitely going to get a headache that I’m going to give you. Don’t you dare open it, do you understand?— the tone was seriously threatening, so much so that Aerik gently placed the tuna on the table.
His grandfather quickly put everything back in the casket.
—So, you would have made an absurd journey and risked a life just to figure out where the treasure is? But didn’t he leave precise coordinates?—
—Go figure! Just riddles and puzzles… That I fixed and yes, boy: ow I know where it is. I found the place! I got this one,— she said, showing him a smaller, solid gold box. —I’m back because I need a technological device that can be able to dive and deep and accommodate a considerable load—
—Do you really want to get the treasure back, then?—
—To the last can!—
Aerik looked at him in astonishment, —And what are you going to do with it?—
—What are we going to do with it, first of all. We will deliver it to the needy cats of the world, just as William Whiskers wanted.—
The old cat felt compelled to point out, —Not to eat them… It will be the gold in the container that will help them.—
Rocky interrupted his story here.
—The rest is history. Aerik’s grandfather was unable to retrieve the treasure, because the underwater device he had at his disposal was not able to stay underwater for the time necessary for the search… —
He also explained that Aerik finished his book on William Whiskers and they would not publish it until the treasure came to light.
Unfortunately, Aerik’s grandfather never saw the treasure, also because his calculations were not totally accurate and, thanks to the fact that he could not stay too much underwater, he never really got close to the real place of the shipwreck. Aerik, as you can imagine, has made it the goal of his life: he won’t stop either, until that treasure is brought to the surface, until the memory of William Whiskers becomes reality and no longer just legend.
The sun had now set below the surface of the water and the horizon had been filled with stars. The moon had also brought a crisp breeze. On the table, a lamp lit up their faces, making that rendezvous even more mysterious.
—Do you think I’ve really found it this time?— asked Aiden.
—Either way, it’s fair that he hasn’t lost his passion. Whether this is a point of arrival, I cannot say. I can only believe that in order to build an experimental submarine it is very plausible that he had something big on his paws,— replied Arthur.
They went back to their cabins, saying goodbye almost in silence, because they were absorbed in the affairs of the pirate of the Silver Tuna.
One warm morning, they finally approached the shores of Tortuga, located in the Caribbean Sea islands.
Once in port, they unloaded The Cat Path, and refilled the aircraft with all their luggage. They thanked the crew and the captain, who assured them that he would be waiting for them in port.
—Therewill be four of us—
—I had already counted on it,— the captain assured him.
The Cat Path took off in the direction of the Institute of Archaeological Studies in Tortuga.
Fortunately, there was a large clearing of beaten earth nearby, which allowed for a clean landing.
On what could be defined to all intents and purposes as the track, the cat that ran the entire company was already waiting for them. An old acquaintance. Rocky noticed it immediately.
—Hey, Andrés! Who’s back! It’s great to find ourselves in a more ordinary situation, pardon the term! —
‘It is a pleasure for me to see you again!’ replied the brindle cat before them. —Let’s say, though, that for those like us, the ordinary is the adventure. So, this could also be an exception! —
—Yes,— Arthur agreed, —but it’s nice not to be caught up because of a kidnapping!—
—Thanks again for helping me last time!— said Aiden shyly, popping up from behind Rocky’s shoulder.
—Oh, Aiden, ¿Cómo estás? Es un placer tenerte aquí! —
—Um?—
—Oh, Aiden isn’t very good at languages yet.—
—I know!— laughed Andrés, —I just wanted to see a vez más tu expresión confusa! Come, I’ll lead the way! —
As they made their way inside, Arthur couldn’t help but notice the Institute’s wide-arched white façade—a style that suited the place perfectly.
—Good morning Director Andrès!—
—Good morning, Carlito!—
—Director?— exclaimed Rocky incredulously, —You didn’t tell us.—
—We didn’t have the time… —
None of the three of them went any further in this speech: after all, they had never questioned himself about him either. They passed through an atrium with a very high ceiling, with tropical plants with flowers with delicate and ethereal petals, adorning the corners, and on the walls a succession of paintings of schooners, sailing ships and brigantines. Andrés seemed rather anxious to lead them to a specific wing of the structure, which soon turned out to be his study. He closed the door and made sure, with a quick glance, that no one was spying on them through the window. That room contrasted sharply with the style of the rest of the Institute, or at least with respect to what they had been able to observe. The office was made dark, almost dark in some ways, by the disproportionate amount of paintings on the walls: some depicted scenes of everyday life, others insects of the Amazonian flora, others Mesoamerican pyramids. Where pictures were not hung, the wall was made invisible by vast shelves, which contained books on the most disparate subjects. The desk, made of teak wood, had its back to the windows overlooking the sea. On the floor, a Persian carpet, in shades of light blue. Rocky and Arthur found a seat in two armchairs in front of Andrés’ desk, while Aiden remained between them, sitting on his legs. A further furtive glance at the courtyard and Andrés sat down too, after having pulled the heavy burgundy velvet curtain a little closer.
—Well, you’re right, me hace muy rare to argue without chasing a crazy car on board a plane, isn’t it Aiden?— he was tense and making jokes only had the effect of highlighting him more. Aiden nodded in the affirmative, showing that he was in the joking mood.
—Before you can ask me all the questions that I think you will have for me, and there will be many, let me say that Professor Aerik has never been abandoned by any of us. He had a large team, who followed him day and night, he was never alone. Except… —
—Except…?— urged Rocky.
—Eh, except when he used that maldido submarino he built here with the progetto that no one could see in full!— cried Andrés.
—Our experimental submarine… Aiden sighed, feeling guilty.
—It’s not your fault, Aiden,— Arthur reassured him, turning to him and grabbing his front legs tightly, —he would have built it anyway and Alisander only knows how much worse it would have been… Aerik doesn’t understand a damn thing about engineering…—
—Damned subsea!— cried Andrés.
—Anyway, the submarine had a lot of safety equipment and…—
—I don’t care, Aiden! If the Creator didn’t give us gills, it must mean something, doesn’t it? Cats don’t have to venture under the sea, not to those depths!—
Andrés was beside himself, far removed from the image of a calm, good-natured cat they had seen in the Mexican forest.
—Forgive me, Andrés: this is totally contrary to the principles of our Society. The light of knowledge must overcome the darkness of superstition. We are in an era of prodigious technological advancements. It would be stupid not to use them for exploration…— Arthur specified.
—Aaaaah…— Andrés sighed, sinking into his armchair, —Sorry, I’m upset. I’d never lost any of our guys before.—
—Aerik is not lost. Only momentarily his current coordinates are not geo-locable precisely— Rocky with this sentence managed to get a smile, perhaps nervous, from Andrès, who resumed explaining: —He had already gone down with that contraption. But on that unfortunate day he had asked the team not to prepare, because he would not go out to sea. Instead, he went, ese bandido! He probably wanted to stay down there longer, more than the time we had given him. Obviously, we thought he was in his rooms, we didn’t realize he was missing until dinner time— Andrés buried his head between his paws, desperate.
—Of course, we immediately set out to look for him. There was no sign of him or his submarine. To date, we have not yet found him—
The three cats of the Royal Crowder Society stared at him in bewilderment: how could he have disappeared? Where had he gone? Could the worst really have happened?
—Now we’ll do the research,— Arthur said resolutely, —Thank you for what you’ve done so far, it’s been very precious.—
—Don’t despair, Andrés, we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves,— Rocky bluffed.
—Let’s hope…—
—We’ll bring him back here, Andrés, and you can hug him again— said Arthur.
—And when it gets under my paws, I’ll give it a good slap for all the frighteners it has caused us!— joked Andrés.
They asked permission to begin the research as soon as the next day arrived. The Cat Path was set up properly. Andrés provided the point where Aerik used to go to begin his investigation. It was an area in the northwest, off the Tortuga’s coast.
As soon as it was daylight, therefore, the three scholars set out to explore those waters. Leaving the ground, Andrés muttered to himself: —I don’t know what they expect to find… We sifted through every wave. Aerik isn’t there…—
He didn’t finish the sentence, that The Cat Path had already disappeared behind the clouds.
—Flight altitude reached, Rocky. Let’s steer the course!— said Arthur.
—Perfect, Arthur, let’s follow the planned itinerary. Aiden, are you all right?—
—All right, Rocky!—
The sea around Tortuga was stirred by a gentle breeze, which rippled the turquoise, crystalline surface. Hours passed, and that view didn’t change, no traces of shipwrecked.
—Rocky, maybe we should go back to earth and revise the research plan,— Arthur proposed.
—Probably…— Aiden interjected, —but if I could make an objection, I’d tell you to keep looking at sea…—
Rocky and Arthur looked at him questioningly.
—Aerik and I have provided a variety of emergency and rescue devices. Finally, if Aerik got into serious trouble, he could go to the ejection nacelle—
—The nacelle-what?— spelled Rocky.
—The ejection nacelle. It is a miniature submarine, with its own small power and propulsion system, which would have allowed Aerick to save himself, if the Tuna Catcher had irreparable failures—
—Tuna Catcher?— asked Arthur.
—Yes, that’s the name of Aerik’s submarine. Anyway, I’m pretty sure Aerik used it and was catapulted somewhere.—
—Encouraging…— Rocky said ironically.
—At least the chances that he’s still alive are much higher than they were a few minutes ago…— Arthur was always the wisest cat of the group.
Aiden explained that, unfortunately, the nacelle did not have a real rudder: the ejection mechanism had the necessary power to detach itself as much as possible from the submarine in a very short space of time. There was a kind of rudder, but it had an almost negligible function, as the primary objective was to bring the small submarine back to the surface. Thus, no one could know for sure where it could go, once detached from the Tuna Catcher. In addition, the nacelle had no other surface propulsion than an oar. Given that premise, Aerik could have been anywhere.
—Great, Aiden… I would venture to advise that the first modification to be made might be to improve the ejection nacelle,— Arthur suggested.
—Absolutely!—
Confident in what Aiden had said, they flew over an area far off Tortuga, but still in the north/northwest direction.
—Guys!— Rocky’s voice croaked into the headphones of the other two pilots of The Cat Path —It’s time to go back, soon it will be sunset—
The Cat Path veered, leaning back slightly, when Arthur caught a glint below them.
—Rocky, wait! There’s something down there.—
—What is it?—
—A shimmer, like a reflection…—
—It will be the water of the waves—
—No, it’s not the same as what we’ve seen all day… it’s too intermittent and at the same time repetitive in an unnatural way.—
—I’m going back to the area I was before! Aiden: help Arthur!—
The two cats could see that it was a coded message… Morse code adapted for the Royal Crowder Society! It had to be Aerik!
—Rocky… Chaos… Soup… Hairball… Elastic… Loaf… Paws… Rocky… Chaos… Soup! HELP- RCS!—
—Help! And it also bears the initials of all the messages of the Royal Crowder Society! It’s definitely Aerik!— cried Arthur, overjoyed.
—But there’s no dry land down there!— cried Rocky, —I can’t risk a landing!—
—Go Rocky!— said Aiden.
—Aiden what are you babbling?—
— While we were traveling by ship I brought a small modification to The Cat Path: we now have a landing gear on earth and one to land in the water—
—Did you put skates on The Cat Path?— Rocky’s eyes were out of their sockets, he didn’t want to believe that someone had —played— with his airplane, moreover without his knowledge!
—Arthur knew… — Aiden apologized.
—Also? This is a conspiracy… —
—No Rocky, you would have said no…—
—Well, maybe, but we need them now, then: Aiden, it’s your time. Let’s land! —
Aiden led the craft to lean gently on the surface of the Caribbean Sea. In the dim light, still that pleading shimmer, but it did not come from the water, but from a skimpy island, with a few palm trees and little else.
— It’s not marked on any map!— repeated Rocky, quickly going through the maps they had on board. It would never have been discovered; it is so small that it is plausible. Or it’s just been born, maybe it’s of volcanic origin— Arthur proposed.
Aiden raised a paw, as if to say something, but Rocky cut him off abruptly: —No, all right, I understand, don’t say anything: you have foreseen this too, and there is some devilry, like always, that goes down somewhere… —
—That’s right!’ confirmed Aiden proudly —There’s two, one for each skate, just pull this lever here… and we can go down with a small lifeboat… —
—Stop! It’s full of water out there! I don’t go down! In fact, you know what? I take off this thing and land there on the beach —
Rocky didn’t even wait for confirmation from his friends, that The Cat Path had already left. He struggled to land, because there wasn’t a lot of space. He stopped right next to a small group of palm trees, the trunk of which had been slanted by the wind.
—Hey Rocky, watch out!— scolded Arthur —You were going to make the propeller touch against those palm trees!—
—Oh, don’t worry: it’s all calculated to the millimetre!—
—Well, otherwise Aiden would have had to repair the propeller on a remote island in the Caribbean, using practically nothing! — pointed out Arthur.
But Rocky didn’t get away with it anyway: as soon as Arthur finished his sentence, a coconut fell directly on the front glass of the plane, with a dull thud.
— Perfect!— exclaimed Arthur —Just what was needed!— he said sarcastically.
—All calculated, huh? even the coconut…?—
Rocky would have been visibly red with embarrassment if the fur hadn’t hidden him. He could only respond with a raise of his paws, by way of apology.
— Tomorrow, in daylight, I’ll check for potential damage,— Aiden said. Let’s go down, look for Aerik —Yes Arthur, let’s take the backpacks. Let’s leave Aiden in charge. As usual, if anytime late, come and look for us!— said Rocky, ironically, to his explorer friend.
—I’ll be your lifeline, you can count on it!—
—I’ll see you soon!—
They got out of the plane and Rocky said softly, —I hope so…!—
With the help of two torches, they penetrated into the thick of the tropical vegetation, which seemed for the most part to be composed of palm trees and a few strong-scented flowers, the species could not be defined precisely because of the darkness.
They called out Aerik’s name in a loud voice, but got no answer; even the shimmer, which had sent the message in Morse code that the Royal Crowder Society had created for its members, had stopped emitting signals.
You could recognize it, because at the beginning of each message the initials RCS were always repeated. For their convenience, the cats of the Royal Crowder Society had also redefined the phonetic alphabet with names more suitable for cats. Almost an hour passed, and as visibility was poor and the stars above their heads could not be seen because of the thick palm trees, they could not tell whether they were lost or whether they were walking in circles.
—The island isn’t huge, Rocky: either it’s not there, or we’re going round in circles,— Arthur said.
—But you saw it too, the message was unequivocal and the repetition makes it impossible that it was a coincidence.—
—Now, though, it’s gone. If it had been Aerik, he would have replied, he would have come out of the blue, even if only when we landed…—
—Yes, it’s very strange…—
—Maybe we imagined it, we’re tired. Let’s go back to The Cat Path, and tomorrow morning we’ll take the Tortuga route again,— suggested Arthur.
Rocky would have agreed, too, if he hadn’t been literally attacked from behind.
—You’re not going to take my treasure!—
—Aerik?— called Arthur in astonishment, raising his torch to get a better view.
Aerik, who was struggling with Rocky, paused and stared at him, —Arthur???—
—And Rocky… Coff…. Coff!— interjected Professor Rockwood, spitting out the sand he had swallowed in the scuffle.
—What are you doing here?— asked Aerik, astonished, letting Rocky go free and getting up as well.
—How good it is to see you again, Aerik! You know, we thought you were dead! We took who knows how many days by ship to be here, and we flew all day to look for you. No, you don’t have to thank us, it was a pleasure! But it’s been a constant for some time: we have to organize a course in manners at the Royal Crowder Society…—
—Have you come for me?—
—No!— this time the sarcastic one was Arthur: —For the tan!—
Aerik looked at him in annoyance.
—Both The Cat Post and the Crowder Chronicles gave you up for missing and so did the Tortuga Institute—
—Well, what can I say: I’m fine…—
—So, why were you asking for help?—
—In fact, I’m lost here without means and food is scarce, but when I realized that I could really be removed from my destination, I hid…—
—Of course: science first!—
—Rocky, you don’t understand: this time I found it for real!—
—And isn’t it on the island?— asked Arthur, curiously.
—Not at all!— silenced Aerik, almost annoyed, as if he had said some kind of nonsense.
—You’ll tell us about it over dinner, with real food…— Rocky said, —Come on, leave all your things and come to The Cat Path…—
—I absolutely have to go back and get them!—
—Tomorrow, now we’ll have dinner—
Aerik was pleased to find Aiden and immediately thanked him for all the technological improvements made to his submarine.
He explained that, at last, he had found the exact spot where the Silver Tuna sank. The last exit was supposed to be the recovery of the treasure. The exploration of the wreck had already taken place without hindrance. He took great difficulties to convey to them the feeling of wonder he felt at the Silver Tuna, though not in its best condition, and the moment he found the treasure.
—Millions of glittering boxes of gold and silver are opened to my sight…— He recounted, mimicking the brilliance with his hands and looking at an unspecified point on the horizon: in front of his eyes, it was as if they had materialized in a vision indescribably deep and vivid as never before. Real, truer than his whiskers. He would never forget that vision. He returned, alone, the next day with the submarine, with the intention of loading them all, and so he did: the capacity of the hold was not even at its maximum limit. However, it was amply at the maximum of its weight.
—When it was time to go back up, the engines were no longer running. I tried everything, but there was no way. The air was running out, I couldn’t even use the air of the suit, because it was already running out, since I had used it to retrieve the cans. I felt doomed… With broken heart, when I realized that I would have to abandon everything to survive, I was forced to get to safety with the ejection nacelle.
—Very good idea, Aiden,— Arthur said to him, —Without your invention, he would have left there all his nine lives…—
—But, as you know, from that moment I lost track of where I was, I took with me the tools and notes and a few treasure cans. When I reached the surface, I started paddling, but Tortuga was too far away to reach in that way, and the current was pushing me in every direction. Luckily, I spotted this island, which is not marked on any map, and I concentrated every effort to get here. You know the rest. Only with the nacelle, I could never return. My only salvation could have been only the help of the institute or a passing ship—
—Or we… arrived from the other side of the world!—
—Yes, thanks, by the way!—
—Oh, gratitude: finally!— laughed Rocky, dragging everyone along.
Aiden ventured to inquire about the submarine.
—He’s still down there, of course! With all the treasure!—
—All this mess because you didn’t want to do more loads, in summary…— Aiden deduced.
—More or less…—
—You risked your life for cans of moldy tuna?!?!—
—It’s not so, Rocky! You know, there’s more than treasure or tuna. It is a promise, made to William Whiskers himself by an ancestor of mine. He has entrusted us with a task: to bring the treasure back to light, to give it to its rightful recipients, to redeem its name and to tell its story… And I, thanks also to my grandfather’s work, made it. I couldn’t stop. If I had left something there, I’m sure I wouldn’t have found it again. Someone with bad intentions would have stolen it. The plan was to go straight back to the Royal Crowder Society.—
—But Aerik, you’re serious???— Aiden interjected angrily, —Did you really want to travel I don’t know how many thousands of miles, without refueling?—
—I was hoping to find supplies along the way. I assumed I would stay not too far from the mainland…—
Aiden snorted: it might have worked, but it was too risky, with too many unknowns.
—Now I deduce that we can’t take you to the Institute and retrieve the submarine calmly, is it true?—
—That’s right, Arthur: not that I don’t trust Andrés or the others, but that’s only my mission… Of course I’ll quote them and thank them, etc., when the discovery is made public, but I’d rather not let too many people stick their noses into it.—
—Of course…— Rocky resigned.
—If it’s not a problem for you, I’d go like this…— and Aerik detailed his design.
The three of them, of course, after providing him with some supplies, would return to the Institute, saying that they had to resume the search and that RCS Leannah was also needed. Once the coordinates of the island had been noted, they would keep in touch with Aerik, to take back the submarine and the treasure. Only he knew the exact coordinates and did not want to reveal them, except at the right time, so as not to leak too much information, which was now in the safest safe in the world: his memory. With the help of the second submarine, which Aerik had built and similar to the first, the Tuna Catcher, which with enormous inventiveness he christened Tuna Catcher II, they would dive and transfer part of the treasure to it, so that the first submarine could be operational again.
Once on the surface, the treasure would be transferred to RCS Leannah and taken to a protected location. On his expeditions, Aerik had also recovered all the items in the Captain’s cabin, his intention was to display them in a wing of the Royal Crowder Society, to be opened to the public from time to time.
—You’re going to come down there with us, aren’t you?— asked Rocky.
—Of course not! I’ll be on RCS Leannah coordinating the operations! It will be simple, you’ll see, and it will be fast: if I dived too, we would run the risk of running out of oxygen because I would struggle to part with the wreck…—
—Isn’t that logical, you know?— muttered Arthur.
—Trust me, I couldn’t get off anyway. The submarine doesn’t have enough escape pods and Aiden is the only one who can pilot it and fix possible failures in a short time, he has to come with you. And then… I don’t feel like going back down there, I’ve almost… It’s early, in short… sorry—
No one forced him and they accepted his conditions, only that Rocky mumbled something about his aversion to water and the fact that he was going to give a nice speech to Aerik, who for absurd reasons was forcing him to descend into the abyss.
The next morning, they said goodbye to their friend and returned to the Institute to act out Aerik’s staging. They said RCS Leannah would follow them for any supplies and no one asked too many questions. Thankfully, their reputation was still worth something.
—For me, Aerik on that island has cooked his brain and scrambled his reason…— Rocky complained.
—I think it was already like that before…— Arthur said, giving his friend a knowing look, along with an amused smirk, —In the meantime, one way or another, Tuna Catcher I must be recovered. We might as well do it. Try to put yourself in his shoes, it must have been traumatic down there, alone…— mediated Arthur.
—Aaaaah, as always: you’re right!—
They landed on the island and Aerik began to transfer, with the help of the crew, her belongings to the Leannah, moored not far away.
The three explorers set out to discover the bottom of the Caribbean Sea, aboard the Tuna Catcher II.
—Wow, that’s going to be phenomenal!— let slip Aiden, on the wave of irrepressible enthusiasm.
—A marvel of science, sure, but pray we’ll stay dry!— said Rocky.
Aerik had indicated the coordinates of a place, at a depth of about 1600 meters. There, the oceanic ridge had created a ravine in which the descent of the Silver Tuna had stopped and where Aerik had also —leaned— the broken-down Tuna Catcher.
—Aiden, will we have enough air for the exits?—
—Sure, but only if each outing doesn’t last more than half an hour. To help you out, I’ve set up a perfectly airtight slide that will go from the hold of the Tuna Catcher I to the hold of the Tuna Catcher II. This will facilitate the transfer, at least you won’t have to go out in the water often.—
—We just missed it!— added Rocky, visibly annoyed.
—Come on, comfort yourself, cat: Aerik won’t be doing so well up there. Did you see what the barometer was reading? Rain is expected!—
—Well, at least this time the storm won’t try to take us out, will it, Aiden?— asked Rocky.
—Yes! Better below than above, isn’t it?— he answered, but he didn’t have a feedback.
The view began to become almost surreal, for cats accustomed to the surface (but, for the truth sake, which cat could ever be accustomed to the depths of the sea?), and progressively the light filtered less and less, and the darkness increased. As they reached Aerik’s designated depth, Arthur wondered why their friend couldn’t just expel the water from the caissons and come back to the surface just by floating action. Aiden pointed out that, as it was built, even that operation would be impossible due to the failure of the systems. In addition, the accumulated weight had certainly caused it to run aground on a ledge of the seabed.
The fish, too, were gradually disappearing or becoming more extravagant as they approached the bottom. They soon turned on the outdoor lighting as well, to break through the darkness.
By the glass of a porthole passed a fish with frightful teeth and a protuberance on its forehead, ending in what looked like a small glowing lantern. Aiden winced and moved away in a flash.
—You’ll have to get used to it… Below there are creatures with an unusual appearance, to say the least, so much so that they seem to have come out of some medieval fairy tale…— Arthur reassured him. —Who knows how many there will be that have not yet been discovered, protected by this darkness that hides them from those who could not understand them…—
—If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to catalog one, eh, Aiden?— amused Rocky.
—I wouldn’t care so much, thank you. Over all, if they’re all as menacing as the one out there!—
—Depth 1543 m— announced Arthur seriously —let’s turn on all the headlights, in order to illuminate the area as much as possible and move safely—
When the operation was finished, the Tuna Catcher II moved into an environment that had little to envy to the surface in terms of brightness.
—Great job with the lamps, Aiden!— complimented Rocky.
—I’m always at your disposal!—
—We have to move westwards, according to Aerik’s directions—
The submarine was flowing slowly, also due to the pressure present at those depths, but that was still enough to disturb the peace of some locals, who certainly did not look favorably on that raid and began to circle the Tuna Catcher II in a hostile way.
—What are these floating belts?— asked Aiden.
—Ah, no Aiden, don’t be impressed. They’re just moray eels.—
—To these depths, Rocky?—
—Apparently… I’m not a biologist, Aiden. You will be able to express your concerns to Nereus.—
—Who?—
—Don’t you know him?— Arthur tried to remain calm, as he ventured a sharp turn to try to dodge the moray eels. —Nereus Flowsand, the Royal Crowder Society’s leading marine biology expert—
In the meantime, the moray eels had become so many, that they left almost no free portions on the windows of the Tuna Catcher II.
—This is not normal…— Rocky came out.
No one could answer because an electric shock hit the glass.
—No, it definitely isn’t!— confirmed Arthur.
—What the heck are they?— Aiden was panicking.
—Electric moray eels, Aiden!—
—What attracts them here?—
—I don’t know, probably the light, or maybe they perceive the strong presence of electricity emanating from the lamps or…—
—Or maybe they don’t want us here!— warned Arthur, as a heavier blast hit the submarine.
—Will this thing hold out, Aiden?—
—It should. The hull does, at least…—
—The hull… why, what else could give in…?— Rocky wanted to know.
The moray eels, in unison, discharged enough electricity on their submarine that the lamps were overloaded, and they went out. In a second, everything was plunged back into complete darkness.
The moray eels vanished, as if they had suddenly lost interest.
—That’s great! What do we do now?—
Aiden carried out a quick check of all the instruments on board.
—It’s all in working order, they’ve just knocked out the outdoor lamps. We are left with the emergency one—
The news was good, but its power was nowhere near that of other lamps.
—Maybe they’ll protect the treasure…— threw Rocky in there.
—Wouldn’t that be so abstruse as reasoning…— Arthur agreed, mindful of certain oddities seen in previous adventures.
Unfortunately, visibility was poor, sometimes even insufficient, to move around those areas bristling with rocky ledges. A loud thud broke the silence.
—What was it?—
—We bumped into something! Let’s hope there’s no leak!— squealed Aiden.
—But wasn’t the hull impenetrable?— asked Rocky.
—Let’s not quarrel now! Let’s run and see what it is! Aiden, stay in charge!—
—The noise is coming from the cargo hold!— said Aiden, —Put on your suits with oxygen on as a precaution!—
A few minutes and they were already at the indicated place.
—There it is, Rocky: through the porthole! Is it a rock?—
—There’s something that looks like a piece of rock, damn it!—
—No, it’s not rock: it’s something alive!—
—It’s a silly idea!—
—What being could possibly want to live here, and that’s so big, at that!—
—Besides the moray eels, you say?— sang Arthur, —Let’s get closer.—
—You could forget it!—
—We have to figure out what we’re dealing with…!—
—Guys!— they heard each other call into their communications headsets.
—Aiden, this is not the time…—
—No, believe me: it’s just the perfect time…—
—There is something alive and we have to understand what it is. Please call back later!—
—Eh, I know what it is! I can see it from the front window: it’s a giant octopus!—
The two cats moved out of the porthole, leaping backwards.
—What the heck does it want?!—
—And what do you want me to know, Rocky!—
—It grabbed everything… it’s stuck all around!—
—Then the one that’s attached to the porthole is… a sucker!— deduced Arthur, —It’s huge!—
—Worthy of everything else where it belongs!—
—What are we going to do…?—
Suddenly, the suction cup disappeared from the porthole, leaving the view unobstructed, and then crashed abruptly on it again.
—What are you doing?—
—I’ll go and see!— Arthur leaned back to the glass and noticed, in the faint light available, that the octopus was repeatedly attacking and detaching its tentacle from the hull.
—He wants to open us up like an oyster!—
—It’ll think we are, our shape is about the same.—
—I don’t want to be his dinner!—
—Aiden: What stress can the submarine withstand?—
—It’s not designed to withstand additional forces beyond that of water. It would be necessary to understand the maximum force that can be exerted by the octopus under these conditions…—
—Of course, Aiden… it’s time to play with physics!— explained Rocky sarcastically.
Another blow sent the whole submarine into a start, and its occupants, found themselves thrown to the floor.
—He’s focused on the cargo hold door; he must have understood that it’s the weak point—
— The tailgate can withstand the most of… Well, at the moment I don’t know, sorry! However, it is certain that if the strength of the octopus should exceed this value, we should begin to anchor it from the inside with weights or something similar…—
—Aiden: at least tell us where we can find more information about this submarine, the project or something! We must have an idea of the dimensions!— urged Arthur.
—Ah, of course, yes: there should be the manual, somewhere in the hold… There’s a metal trunk, it should jump out because it’s orange.—
Rocky and Arthur looked around, trying to disguise the pressure the situation was creating.
—There it is!— exclaimed Arthur, who opened it and threw all its contents into the air, even missing Rocky’s ear by a hair’s breadth, when he pulled back a wrench.
—I almost lost my ear…—
—You’re going to lose more if we don’t hurry up and find that manual!—
Arthur had to rummage a little more, but finally he managed to pick up a crumpled tome with torn pages from the bottom of the trunk.
—OK…— Rocky said, looking at him, —Let’s hope at least the chapter we’re interested in is there.—
Arthur searched through the pages and found the drawing of the submarine: it had a large coffee stain on one corner, but fortunately the hatch section was not affected.
—Perfect! The tailgate measures 75 cm x 75 cm!—
Arthur placed the manual on the lid of the chest, for he was already beginning to calculate. Rocky didn’t miss an interesting section: —Arthur: but look at how strange! There is the —Krakken and other sea monsters— section.
—Come on, Rocky, this is not the time to mess around…—
—I’m not kidding! Look here!— he said, pointing with his paw to the page, in which the title —Krakken— stood out above all, under which stood a menacing octopod enveloping a submarine.
—It looks just like us now…—
—I never imagined that such a thing could exist…—
—It may be obvious to say, but you never stop learning…—
The —Krakken— section of the manual suggested measuring the size of the suckers of your sea monster, then proposing a graph in which the average force of the krakken was presented as a function of the size of the suckers.
Arthur waited for the octopus’ tentacle to reattach to the glass of the porthole, to measure the suckers.
—I think we’re about 3 cm in diameter, Rocky!—
—Congratulations! It would be interesting to see how long all the kraken out there is…—
Arthur gave him an icy look.
—Okay, okay. So to speak!— defended Rocky, —I would say that the difference in pressure created by the suction cups is about… Here he says… it seems to me 800 kPa—
Arthur feverishly began to write in his notebook, while from outside the giant octopus continued to throw its tentacles against the hull.
—We said that the tailgate is 75 cm x 75 cm… Its area, therefore, is:
Atailgate = (75/100) m x (75/100) m = 0,5625 m2
The octopus will occupy at least 80% of this surface with its tentacles, on which its force acts. While, on the remaining part, the force of water acts.
F krakken = (Dp krakken rom the manual) x (80% Atailgate) =
= 800 kPa x 0.45 m =
= 360000 N = 360 kN
F water = p water x (20% A tailgate)
p water = rseawater x g x h(immersion depth)
—What’s Arthur?— asked Rocky, noticing that his friend had frozen.
—What is the value of saltwater density at these temperatures and depths?—
—I look at the manual… here! Considering that we are located at 1543 m below sea level… here it says 1025 kg/m3!—
—Thanks , Rocky!—
p water = 1025 kg/m3 x 9,81 m/s2 x 1543 m =
= 15515250.75 Pa
F water = 15515250,75 Pa x 0,1125 m2 =
= 1745465.71 N = 1745.47 kN
—Wow! We can stay safe, it will never overcome water resistance. So the tailgate will remain closed.—
—Yes, we are a formidable team!—
—However, we can’t be at the mercy of this octopod much longer! It’s going to damage the systems and we’re going to be stuck here! By the way, I have to remind you that the ejection nacelle only has room for two people…—
—And when did you want to tell us that… Aiden!—
—Don’t worry, there’s enough air and you’ll come back for me…—
—Stop talking as if it wasover!— shook Arthur. —Think rather of how to free ourselves from this not very polite guest!—
Rocky looked at his friend and had an idea: —We’ve got the suit… and sufficient oxygen. I think he really mistook us for an oyster and wants to eat us!—
—I don’t follow you…—
—We have to feed him!—
—Do you want us to go out and swallow it? Are you crazy?—
—No! Not even a dream! We have the supplies… Let’s open up everything we can, go out and draw it away. While it’s busy, we’ll go back to Tuna Catcher II and move on.—
—Great idea, Rocky! Aiden, were you listening? Don’t lose sight of us…—
—Use the cable!—
This cable made it possible to maintain contact with the Tuna Catcher II, which could pull them back in case of danger. Rocky and Arthur opened all the cans that made up the submarine’s emergency supply and emptied them into a resealable, pressure-resistant container.
—Are you ready?— asked Rocky, looking Arthur in the eye, protected by the glass of his diving helmet.
—Always!—
Aiden opened the door of the decompression chamber, on the opposite side to the one considered interesting by the octopus, and the two cats slipped out.
—Cold, huh?—
—Yes, let’s hurry!—
Once they reached a safe distance from the submarine, they lured that cephalopod by hitting the container and generating noise. It didn’t take long for the octopus’ attention to be captured.
—Well, he saw us! Unscrew the cap and let’s spread it out!—
In the water, a large quantity of small pieces of tuna was released with its accompanying sauce, which immediately catalyzed all the sense of smell of that species of overgrown squid. He sped toward them, rhythmically inflating the area below his head and part of his tentacles, resembling a hot air balloon at times.
—But how does it move?—
—He’s in a hurry, we’d better go back to base. With all due respect, I don’t want to be a side dish to him!— said Arthur.
In response, he spat a large amount of ink on the Tuna Catcher II, annoyed at not being able to —open— it.
Finally back on board, the two explorers could breathe a sigh of relief.
—It’s gone…!—
—Yes!—
—Glad for you, but now you should go out and clean the windows again: that gentleman has left us a souvenir!— said Aiden.
This was carried out only after it was ascertained that no one was circling the submarine anymore.
Once they resumed their regular march, they soon approached the wreck and the Tuna Catcher I.
—Wow…! It exists…— Aiden said, as what was left of the Silver Tuna unfolded before his eyes.
—It’s imposing, despite the current conditions—
—Without a doubt, it’s a touching moment—
The setbacks had forced them to stay longer than planned.
—We have to proceed. Prepare to exit and enter the Tuna Catcher I. From the outside, simply insert this key into the tailgate of the decompression chamber and pull the lever to the left. Obviously, the water will enter immediately, you will have to hurry so as not to saturate the environment—
—Not to mention that we will have to have the strength to open it… Countering all that pressure won’t be easy.—
—Expected. The wrench will operate a piston that will make it easier to open… But remember that you only have one attempt…—
—Ah, we’re used to it— Give us the key—
—If I get even a little wet, Aerik will hear me,— Rocky said.
Arthur stifled a laugh.
Everything went smoothly and in a short time they reached the hold.
—He didn’t even leave room to breathe!— protested Rocky.
—Let’s try to fit in. We have to get to the reception area of the chute tube and operate the hermetic system, as well as hook it up when it touches the wall.—
—A walk!—
The pipe actually allowed an easy transfer of part of the treasure.
—Can you believe we have the legendary treasure of William Whiskers on our paws?—
—Honestly, not yet, Rocky—
—I would gladly eat one…—
—What do you say?!? You’re going to get a colossal stomachache! It’s been rotten for at least 200 years!—
—Mood breaker!—
They spent about an hour there, taking advantage of an extra supply of air, found behind a pile of treasure tuna.
—Aiden, finished!—
—I’ll take the tube back, then. Sort everything out and head to the control room. I’ll give you instructions to get everything go again, so we’ll get back to the surface!—
—Do we have enough air in the suit?—
—You should be able to do it… In the meantime, once everything is activated, air generation should also resume normally. So, you won’t need the suit anymore.—
Aiden gave all the necessary instructions and didn’t waste a second in communication.
As for Aerik, he was on the deck of the RCS Leannah, anxiously waiting. The sight of the ripples and bubbles on the surface of the water sent him into a jujube broth.
—They did it!— he exclaimed.
The first one to come out was Rocky, who shouted to Aerik that he would offer him to the kraken next time if he made a similar mess.
The RCS Leannah remained anchored there long enough to embark the treasure, suitably packed in anonymous wooden crates.
—Be careful to make room for The Cat Path,— Rocky warned.
—Yes, sir!—
—If you think about it,— Aerik said, before taking up the Tuna Catcher I again to return to the institute, —it was almost romantic…—
—What?—
—The fact that all the treasure was kept in the belly of my submarine, as if it had been sealed in a huge safe to be protected and preserved for the eternity of the days to come…—
—Aerik, don’t make us regret saving you and bringing all those cans back to the surface…— Arthur joked.
Aiden imitated Aerik and brought the Tuna Catcher II back to Tortuga, while RCS Leannah sailed to Scotland.
Rocky and Arthur, beaming at having saved a friend and helped unearth a legendary treasure, took off on The Cat Path to Tortuga.
On the way, they fly over the small island that had welcomed Aerik, the intrepid Norwegian who had kept a word of honor given almost 250 years earlier, as a sign of gratitude.
From that beach, a shining shimmer greeted them: it was a can of tuna from William Whiskers’ treasure shining, caressed by the warm rays of the setting Tortuga sun.
Arthur was fully convinced that Aerik had left it, as if to reiterate that the spirit of William Whiskers really sailed that and many other seas, and his soul would still do so, in the centuries to come in everlasting memory, always… TO THE ADVENT-TUNA!
THE END
Attention:
The stories and characters told are the result of the creativity of the AstroArtù.studio team, any reference to real events or to people who really exist/existed is purely coincidental. Copyright (C) astroartu.studio.