Once Luna reached the top of the peach,she stared in awe at the scene before her.The top of the peach was covered in snow and ice,the seagulls's wings were frozen stiff and there were sunken ships and ice crystels all around them.There was a chill in the air that sent a shiver down Luna's spine.Her teeth started to chatter.She didn't even know she could freeze like this.Suddenly her gaze fell on the group of bugs arguing.Everyone was pointing fingures at Centipede.Luna knew it was rude to enter a conversation that didn't involve her,but she had to know what was going on.
"Hey everyone.What's going on here?"Luna asked.
"I'll tell you what's going here.This YANK has led us to our death,"Mr.Grasshopper yelled.
"What?How?"Luna asked.
"LOOK AROUND YOU!Does THIS look like the open sea to you?Does THIS look like we're heading in the right direction?"Earthworm asked.
"Centipede?Why are we here?"Luna asked looking at Centipede with pleading eyes.
"I...,"Before Centipede could finish,Mr.Grasshopper,Earthworm and Mrs.Ladybug started walking toward him.
Centipede had no choice,but to back up and start walking down the long fence that has been stabbed into the peach.By this time,James has woken up and came up above to see what was going on.
"Luna?What's going on?"James asked.
Before Luna could answer,the yelling started up again.
"This is an outrage!You are a disgrace to your phylum,class,order,genus and species!"Mr.Grasshopper yelled.
"Say it in English!"Centipede yelled.
"You,sir,are an...,"Mr.Grasshopper yelled.
Luna covered James's ears so he wouldn't hear the word that popped out of Mr.Grasshopper's mouth.Luna removed her paws from James's ears once the word was out of the way.James thanked her and walked toward the group.
"Where are we?What's going on?"he asked.
"I found this dime-store timmy asleep at the helm!Now we are lost!"Mr.Grasshopper yelled.
"We are NOT lost!"Centipede yelled.
"Then where are we?"Mr.Grasshopper asked.
"Somewhere north,"Centipede then had second thoughts,"Or possibly very,very far south,"
Mr.Grasshopper wanted to slap him right there,but he knew he couldn't.There were so many other questions he wanted to ask to see if this so called commodore was a commodore at all.
"What's your latitude?What's your longitude?"Mr.Grasshopper asked.
Centipede was alittle taken back by this question,"Hey!Hey!Hey!That's personal bub,"
"You said you could navigate!"Mr.Grasshopper yelled.
"You said you traveled the world,"Mrs.Ladybug said.
"You said you'd been to Bora Bora,"Earthworm yelled.
"Well not Bora Bora per say,uh...,"Centipede was interupted by Ms.Spider coming up behind him.
"What about the shores of Tripoli?"she yelled.
"Did I say "Tripoli"?"Centipede laughed,"I meant the Halls of Montezuma,"
Everyone then randomly started yelling at him.Calling him a lier and many other names.James was the one to stop the fight between them all.
"Wait!"Luna tried to stop him,but she couldn't,"If he says he's seen the world,then he's seen the world.Right Mr.Centipede?"
Centipede looked up at James and Luna with a frown.He couldn't hide it anymore.
"Right?"James asked once again.
"James,he's not going to...,"Luna was interupted by Centipede.
"Well....,I did use to live between two pages of the National Geographic,"he answered.
Everyone dropped their jaws.He lied to them?Everything he told them was a lie?
"Huh?"James asked confussed.
"Very informative magazine,National Geographic.Wonderful pictures,"Centipede said smiling feeling embrassed.
No one else was smiling.Everyone was frowning or glaring.
"You...incompetent,blithering nitwit!"Mr.Grasshopper yelled.
Centipede smile then turned into a glare.He took out his cigar and threw it to the ground.
"Alright hoppy!Them's fightin' words!"Centipede yelled turning his hat around and holding up his fists,"Put 'em up!Put 'em up!Come on!Give me your best shot!"
And with that last sentence,Mr.Grasshopper kicked Centipede in the face.Centipede fell to the ground and sat up once he could feel the pain in his jaw.He started to rub the place where he got kicked.
"Whoa.Good shot,"Centipede groaned.
Centipede could feel something moving around in his jaw and he could also taste blood.He spit and came a tooth in his hand.He was shocked at what happend.He looked at the others.First at Ms.Spider,then to James and Luna,then back to Mr.Grasshopper,Mrs.Ladybug and Earthworm.He held his tooth out for all to see.
"Did you see what he did to me?"Centipede asked shocked and hoping someone would help him.
Nobody did.Everyone still glared at him.
"Hmph.Serves ya right!"Mrs.Ladybug said.
Mr.Grasshopper,Earthworm and Mrs.Ladybug turned away from him.Centipede sat there and started grumbling to himself.James turned away to follow the others.Ms.Spider turned away to sit and think for awhile and Luna stayed where she stood.Centipede didn't even notice her while he was picking up his hat and cigar off the ground and still grumbling to himself.She then turned away right when he looked up to meet her gaze.She walked away and Centipede could only feel his heart ache.Luna went over to the stem of the peach and laid down,thinking of freezing there and dying.
"What do we do now?"James asked,"Which way do we go?"
Mr.Grasshopper looked up at him,"Oh,it's simple really.All we need to do is determine our coordinates,then use triangulation to chart a direct route to New York,"
"Then there's hope!"Earthworm said.
"Don't be ridiculous!"Mr.Grasshopper yelled,"There's no hope at all!We don't have a compass,"
"We'll never reach New York.We're going to be stuck here forever!We're going to be frozen like living statues!"Earthworm whined.
"DEAD living statues!"Mr.Grasshopper corrected.
Centipede,hearing all of this started to feel upset and gulity.
"No dark hiding places...,"Ms.Spider said.
Centipede started to feel really gulity now.
"No cozy leaf in the park...,"Mrs.Ladybug said.
Even MORE gulity.
"No howling at the moon...,"Luna said.
Centipede wanted to scream NO at the top of his lungs.
"No city where dreams come true...,"James said.
That did it.Centipede sat back down and put two of his hands on his face.He wanted to cry.Because of him,they were all going to die.
"Those ships have compasses,"James said pointing out to the ships.
"No doubt.But to brave those icy waters would mean certain death.Only a fool would do it,"Mr.Grasshopper said.
Luna looked over at Ms.Spider and saw how upset she was.Luna walked over to her and sat down next to her.
"Ms.Spider?Are you okay?"Luna asked.
Ms.Spider could feel herself trying to cry,"I can't believe he lied to us!"
"Oh come on.He lied to everyone.Look I can take his lies as much as you can,"Luna said.
"Yeah,but still.HE LIED!HE LIED!HE LIED!"Ms.Spider cried.
"But why is that a bad thing?"Luna asked.
"Look,he lied to everyone.He lied to James,he lied to you,he lied to me!"Ms.Spider cried,"I thought he has changed.Now We'll always see him as a big,loudmouth,lying YANK!"
A splash could then be heard and everyone expect Ms.Spider came running.
"What?What?What was that?"Earthworm asked frantically.
James pointed at the ripple in the water,"The Centipede jumped in!"
"Good heavens!He's commited pesticide!"Mr.Grasshopper yelled,"Oh,this is all my doing,"
"Don't take all the credit,"Earthworm said,"I helped too,"
"I have to go after him!"James yelled.
Luna,after hearing that ran over to Ms.Spider to warn her about what was going to happen.
"Ms.Spider!Ms.Spider!"Luna yelled.
"What is it NOW Luna?Leave me,"Ms.Spider said.
"No.No,but listen.This is a EMERGENCY!"Luna yelled.
"What happened?"Ms.Spider asked.
"James wants to go after Mr.Centipede,"Luna said frantically.
"What?!Where did he go?!"Ms.Spider asked now getting worried.
"He jumped into the freezing water!"Luna said.
Ms.Spider stood up and started to walk over to the little group standing at the edge.
"Then I'm going after him too,"Ms.Spider said.
"Why?"Luna asked.
"James needs someone to look after him,so I'm going with him.No matter how many times Centipede will lie to us,he is still one of us,"Ms.Spider said.
"Then I'm going too,"Luna said walking up to her.
"Why?"Ms.Spider asked.
"Your going to need someone with fangs.Who knows what's down there.As a team?"Luna asked.
"As a team,"Ms.Spider said.
"Lets go,"Luna said.
Both of them ran over to the little group.
"But he's my friend,"James said.
"James is right,"everyone turned to Ms.Spider,"Centipede is one of us.Get on my back.Me and Luna are going with you,"
James and Luna climbed onto Ms.Spider's back.
"You two better take good care of him,"Mrs.Ladybug said.
"This we can promise,"Ms.Spider said.
Luna took some of Ms.Spider's string and gave it to Mr.Grasshopper and the others.
"Stay by the line,"James said,"And when you feel two tugs pull us up,"
After everyone was ready,Ms.Spider jumped off the peach with James and Luna on her back and they started to swim down to the wreckages of ships.
Have to stop here...FOR NOW!!!
