Elizabeth, the Young Explorer

An Extra Crew Member

Author's POV
Eustace quietly goes below deck to snoop around for some food.

"Are you aware that stealing rations is a capital offense at sea?" Reepicheep asks suddenly, startling Eustace just after he puts an orange down his shirt.

He trips, falling into a pile of odd, metal tools. He then gets up and looks around, not seeing the mouse.

"Up. Here." Reepicheep states, crawling up the wall and on a ledge.

"Oh you." Eustace mumbles, walking away.

"Men have been keelhauled for less!" Reepicheep exclaims, running on all four to catch up with the boy.

"For what?" Eustace asks, pretending to be innocent.

"For treason, and sneakiness, and general nuisancery. Look, just hand over the orange and we'll let the matter pass." Reepicheep states.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Eustace denies.

"Allow me to cla-" Reepicheep begins, stopping himself as Eustace grabbed his tail. Nobody touches Reepicheep's tail. Nobody.

"Look! I've had quite enough of you!" Eustace exclaims as Reepicheep draws his sword.

"Unhand the tail. The Great Aslan himself gave me this tail. No one, I repeat, no one, touches the tail. Period. Exclamation mark." Reepicheep explains very firmly.

"Sorry." Eustace exhales.

"Now, I will have the orange, then I will have satisfaction." Reepicheep states, using his beloved tail to pull a machete out from behind a barrel and give it to Eustace.

"P-Please, I-I'm a pacifist." Eustace stutters.

"En guard!" Reepicheep declares, swinging his sword in front of Eustace's face. In response, cowardly little Eustace runs.

Once in the sunlight, he's so busy running, that he accidentally bumps into Tavros.

"Watch it." The Minotaur growls as Eustace stutters his way through an apology and darts to the left.

"Trying to run away? We're on a boat, you know." Reepicheep states, scurrying across the floor. Cutting between Eustace's feet, he hops on top of something and makes eye contact with the annoying Scrubb child.

"Look, can't we just discuss this?" Eustace pries.

"That was for stealing, that was for lying, and that was for good measure!" Reepicheep replies, cutting Eustace's shirt with his sword, stabbing the orange and pulling it out, then whacking Eustace across the face with it.

Eustace glares and, hand wobbling slightly, swings the machete at the talking mouse.

"That's the spirit! We have ourselves a duel!" Reepicheep laughs, tossing the orange to Drinian before taunting Eustace into thrusting his machete towards him.

"Is that it? Come on, boy. Focus, focus!" Reepicheep says loudly as Eustace keeps swinging the knife.

"Come on, Reep!" Elizabeth cheers from the side, the crew forming in crowds.

"Stop flapping your wings like a drunken pelican! Poise! Keep your blade up. Up, up! That's it." Reepicheep advises.

Eustace lunges, and Reepicheep dodges the attack, causing Eustace to fall into the edge of the Dawn Treader. The mouse jumps on Eustace's back and clings to a nearby rope.

Eustace gets his knife lodged in the wood, and the mouse scurries over to a barrel.

"Yoohoo! Over here!" Reepicheep taunts. Eustace pulls the knife out and goes for Reepicheep again. With every move the boy makes, the mouse tells him how to improve it. Until, at one point, Reepicheep falls off the edge and into the ocean. Or so he wanted Eustace to think.

Eustace runs to the edge where the mouse supposedly fell, looking overboard for him. Reepicheep, who's actually still on board, climbs up a rope and gently taps Eustace's shoulder.

"And that, is that!" He exclaims, shoving Eustace as he turns. The same barrel that Reepicheep stood on previously topples over with the Scrubb boy, and a little girl's scream emits from inside.

"Gael? What are you doing here?" The man recruited at the previous island pipes up. In reply, the shy girl hides in her father's side.

Drinian comes up, Eustace's stolen orange in his hand.

"Looks like we have a new crew member." He smiles at her, handing her the orange. She smiles and takes it as Lucy and Elizabeth walk with her below deck.