path.
Henry knelt near the crabâs face. Karkinosâs mouth was under water. âKarkinos, itâs Henry from Artimé. I have medicine that can help you. Can you lift your head?â
The crab didnât move.
Henry turned to look over his shoulder. âFlorence, we have a problem!â he called out. âHe doesnât understand me. Pan, can you help?â And then he spotted Spike arriving. âSpike!â he cried. But Pan and Spike had other plans as they called for the help of Issie the sea monster and began to push against the moving island.
The rushing of the waterfall grew louder. Henry could see clouds of mist rising from it and feel its dampness on his skin. Florence hadnât heard him. She disappeared among the trees.
âSpike!â Henry called again.
The whale looked up.
âCan you talk to Karkinos? See if he can lift his mouth out of the water so the medicine doesnât wash away!â
Spike left Panâs side and disappeared under the water. A moment later Spike surfaced. âHe is not responding,â she said.
âBut I need to ask him a very important question!â Henry shouted, beginning to panic. What was he to do if Karkinos wasnât able to respond? Forego the medicine and plunge over the waterfall with all the others? He thought about Ishibashi and the injured turtle on the Island of Shipwrecks. Ishibashi hadnât asked permission of the turtle. Was that because it was an animal? If so, did that mean Henry could administer the seaweed to Karkinos the crab for the same reason? Hadnât Ishibashi mentioned only needing permission from humans? He was quite sure that was the case. But Karkinos seemed almost human compared to the turtle.
Henry looked at the mist rising from the waterfall. He didnât know what to doâall he knew was that they were all counting on him. âCan you pry open his mouth?â
Spike nodded and turned around in the water, then tipped to one side and aimed her spike at the crabâs mouth just under the surface of the water. Slowly she moved forward, her eyes nearly rolling back in her head as she strained to see what she was doing.
âThatâs it,â said Henry. âJust a little more. Wiggle it a bit. Now angle your spike upward to pry his mouth open so I can climb in. Careful not to pierce him.â
The whale obliged.
As the crabâs jaws opened, Henry looked inside. Water flooded into the mouth. âHow am I going to do this?â he muttered.
âWe must hurry!â Pan called out. She strained against the crabâs shell, her tail spinning like a propeller in the water. Issie pushed alongside her, but the two together could only slow down the islandâs progressâthey needed to reverse it.
Henry looked inside the crabâs mouth again. âHold it open, Spike. Iâm going inside.â
Without another word, Henry slipped into the churning water, hanging on tightly to the edge of the crabâs shell so the current wouldnât wash him away. He reached out and grabbed the bottom of Karkinosâs mouth, trying to avoid cutting himself on the various chewing appendages. With a splash, he swung himself inside. But with the crabâs mouth propped open, water washed in and out. It could take the magic seaweed with it.
Henryâs heart thundered inside his chest. He knew what he had to do.
âLet go, Spike,â he said. âLet his mouth close. He wonât swallow me. . . . I donât think so anyway. And when I yell, pry it open again. Okay?â
Spike didnât ask questions. âI will do that, Henry.â
Before Henry knew it, the crabâs mouth was closing around him. He sucked in a breath as his world grew dark, and when the jaw clamped shut, Henry sat inside, trying to get his bearings. The water sloshed around his shoulders, and the briny smell of impending death inside was horrid. Despite the bubble of air above