After Ever After

Getaway Boat

After fifteen minutes of speeding through the empty streets and one very close police encounter (Harry slowed down to just below the speed limit to prevent any unwanted attention), we arrived at a locked gate. I could hear waves in the distance and deduced that we must have been at a harbor of some kind. I looked around more and noticed the beast head coat of arms painted on the cargo containers.

"The Royal Harbor?" I asked him in a harsh whisper. "Are you crazy or stupid? The surveillance here has got to be top notch. Nice plan, Harry!" I kept my voice low to keep from triggering any sensory system or alerting any nearby guards.

Harry chuckled, pulled a flashlight from inside his jacket, and pointed the light to the upper right where a broken camera was hanging. "The Security System's been disabled. All the guards think someone else is taking the shift."

If I wasn't completely amazed before, that took the prize. It's the pirate's life for him 100%, and I was so foolish to believe otherwise. He gestured to me for his hook, and I gladly gave it back to him. He got off of the bike and used the hook to pick the lock on the gate. Then he ran over to a gap between two cargo containers and grabbed what looked like a big red tool box before getting back on the bike.

"What's that for?" I questioned him again.

Harry laughed in reply. He looked at me with his confident grin and said, "It is just question after question with you today! Can't you just trust me?"

He didn't give me any time to answer as he revved the bike again and slowly drove us into the shipyard. One hand was steering, and the other held the tool box. We scooted up to the very end of the dock where a sleek black boat hovered on the water.

"This is our ride," he stated as we dismounted the bike. He tossed the toolbox onto the deck, stepped a foot triumphantly on the boats side, and boasted, "The Royal Speedboat."

"That's what I like to hear," I said slyly as I walked past him and onto the boat. He followed me in and undid the ropes keeping the boat tethered to the dock, and as the boat started to drift, I finally started to feel free. No magic barriers, no boring classrooms and strong-willed kings, no locked windows, no nothing! I took in a deep breath of the salty air and let it out. Freedom felt fantastic.

Harry hotwired the boat in minutes, and then we were speeding away from the United States of Bore-adon. I let out an evil laugh, and Harry joined me with his own hollering as the lights got further away. Here's why Harry was such a great First Mate: He knew exactly what to do, and he did it without fail.

About ten minutes into our escape, Harry stopped the boat and had it idle. Confused, I looked over at the dashboard to see what was wrong.

"Did something break?" I asked, my adrenaline beginning to fade.

"Nope," he answered almost cheerfully as he stood from the driver's seat. He ambled to the back where he pulled his red tool box into the open. "Ready to see my big surprise?"

He snapped the lock on the tool box, and I hopped over the chair to join him. Of course! I thought, You can't be a hostile villain without weapons!

But there were no weapons. There was just food.

"What's this?" I asked as my welling joy started to be replaced by disappointment. He sat on the deck with his legs crossed and started unloading the contents of his box. He set out two sandwiches and two juice boxes, and then he gestured to the space across from him for me to sit down.

"It's called a picnic," he said factually. "It's basically eating outside." There was a blank moment of silence as I sat down, but I had an uneasy feeling about what was going on.