The Forgotten Map Read Free

ship … I went overboard … you rescued me … someone was shouting –’
    â€˜What did you hear?’ Horace whispered.
    â€˜It was the Captain,’ Wentworth said. ‘I heard him promise something –’ He looked at the Captain. ‘What did you promise?’
    The Captain hesitated and Horace spoke for him.
    â€˜Before your father disappeared into the storm he yelled: Promise you’ll take care of him, ‘til we cross paths again …’ Horace paused. ‘Your father believed he would see you again. Isn’t that a reason for some hope? ’
    â€˜Cyclones don’t care about promises or hope,’ Pete hissed. ‘It’s cruel to lead him on.’
    â€˜But those were his father’s words,’ Horace argued.
    Wentworth looked at Horace with a puzzled expression. ‘They’re not my father’s words …’
    â€˜But,’ Horace cut in, ‘I heard it with my own ears, I swear I did – we all did. I’m not a liar.’
    â€˜Let him finish,’ the Captain growled. ‘No one’s calling you a liar.’
    Wentworth took a deep breath. ‘My father may have spoken those words, but they belong to my great-grandfather.’
    â€˜Your great-grandfather?’ Horace repeated in confusion.
    Wentworth tried to explain. ‘My great-grandfather Anso was an explorer who owned an entire fleet of ships. Whenever he left a ship in the care of an officer he would use the words: Promise you’ll take care of her, ‘til we cross paths again. The officer had a duty to protect the ship like it was his own child and Anso had a duty to return from his adventures and collect her.’
    â€˜I see,’ Horace said, ‘This isn’t just a promise, it’s a pledge.’
    â€˜But what does this mean for him?’ Fred asked, pointing a huge furry finger at Wentworth.
    As Wentworth searched his mind for an answer, a whirlwind of hopeless thoughts rushed through his head: give up … they’re gone … the pledge is for nothing . He felt the knot in his tail tighten.
    The crew looked down at him expectantly but Wentworth lacked the courage to meet their gaze. He lowered his eyes until they came to rest on the ripped shirt. At first all he saw was a cruel reminder of that terrible night. But as he stared at the torn sleeve, the dark thoughts in his head began to fade. Instead of seeing a tattered item of clothing, he saw a story of survival.
    A distant memory floated into his mind and he absentmindedly slid his paw to the top of his chest. His trembling fingers felt the shape of a gold pendant. His parents had given it to him when he was a young boy. He thought he’d lost it in the cyclone; but the pendant, like its wearer, had survived, and it was hanging where it belonged – close to his heart.
    He ran his finger over its smooth surface and reflected on its design. It was an anchor: the steadfast symbol of hope.
    If I can survive a cyclone and nearly die , he told himself, then surely my family can survive …
    The knot in his tail began to loosen. He looked up at Fred.
    â€˜What this means,’ Wentworth said slowly, ‘is that I need to have hope that my family are still alive, and that my father, like my grandfather, will one day fulfil his side of the promise and find his way back to me.’
    Horace smiled, Fred patted Wentworth on the shoulder and Smudge clapped his little hands.
    â€˜This promise means something else, you know,’ Pete muttered to the Captain. ‘It means that until we find this circus boy’s family we’re stuck with him.’
    The Captain sighed. ‘Yes, I suppose you’re right, Pete. I made a promise and I have a duty to keep it.’
    He turned to Wentworth with a look of resolve. ‘I suggest you try and get some more rest. There is much we need to discuss, but now is not the time.’
    Without saying another word, the Pie