Love, It's An Interesting Thing

Chapter 7

Eustace's POV

"Dear diary, there has been an extraordinary turn of events. I've been abducted by my cousins and set adrift in uncharted waters in some ridiculous-looking boat. What's worse is I share quarters with an obnoxious mouse thing. And I thought bunking with my cousin was bad enough. So far, every person I've met in this strange place suffers from the most florid delusions — chasing green mists and looking for lost lords. I can only assume that this is the result of a poor diet. Or they're all just barking mad. Cousin Edmund is no exception. He spends every spare second, with the occasional help of Jessica, rubbing that tin sword of his like it's some magic lantern. Poor fool clearly needs a hobby. And that peeving marmot, he's even more deluded than my cousin."

A bird flies up to me and I gesture over to the mouse. "In England, we have mouse traps for that sort of thing... Speaking of food, you don't know where I could get any, do you?" I ask the bird, assuming it will respond.

"Uh, why are you talking to that bird?" The big-hairy creature that made me pass out before said.

"I just naturally assumed it can--" Before I could finish the creator started laughing at me and his friends joined in. I waved off the bird and got up, wanting to get away from those nasty people. Well, if the bird won't help then I'll have to find the food myself.

I climbed down some deck stairs and occasionally hide in places to avoid being caught. I then finally found a basket of oranges!

I quickly picked one up and put it in my shirt. Suddenly, a voice speaks up and it scares me half to death.

"Are you aware that stealing rations is a capital offense at sea?" I look for the voice but can't find it.

"Up here." The voice says. I look up to see that it's the peeving marmot of a mouse.

"Oh. You." I say with annoyance. I try to leave but he jumps in front of me.

"Men have been keelhauled for less!" He tells me. I have to look like I've done nothing wrong so I have to lie.

"For what?" I ask.

"For treason and sneakiness and general nuisancery- Look! Just hand over the orange and we'll let the matter pass." He pleads.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I say. I try to leave once again and he jumps in front of me again.

"Allow me to clar--" He moved his tail to get the orange but I grabbed it so he couldn't.

He gasped and his eyes turned furious but I needed to give him a piece of my mind.

"Look, I've had quite enough of you!" I tell him.

"Unhand the tail." He drawls his sword and points it at me. "The Great Aslan himself gave me this tail. No one! And I repeat, no one touches the tail! Period. Exclamation mark!" He tells me.

"Sorry!" I quickly remove my hand as I was frightened for my life.

"Now, I will have the orange and I will have satisfaction!" He says.

He uses his tail to pull a knife into the air and without thinking, I grabbed it.

"Wait! Please, please! I'm a pacifist!" I say in hopes of getting out of this.

"En garde!" He yells.

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Jessica's POV

I was helping Ed with the sword, which was coming along beautifully, when I heard rustling and people falling. I look up to see my brother running around the boat with a... kitchen knife?