“Open them,” I say, then I breathe in as the Bowt sails between the mountains. Sheer walls of rock rise above us, blocking out the light. There’s a scraping sound, the ship judders, and a chunk of ice smashes onto the deck . . . and then we’re through.

Win and I blink into bright white light. We can’t quite believe what we’re seeing.

“Shiver me timbers,” whispers Win. “I guess this is the End . . .”

Chapter 28

We’ve sailed into an icy wonderland. Icebergs are dotted across the sea and land is in the distance. Black-and-white birds wheel overhead. They have round tubby bodies and orange beaks. “Look, Win,” I cry, “flying penguins!”

Win laughs. “If you say so, mate.”

One of the penguins lands on the deck, trips, and skids on its stomach up to Rose. She looks up at me and grins. “I like them now,” she shouts. “I don’t know why I sent them here!”

As I watch the penguin waddling around the ship, I try to remember all the other stuff Rose and I banished to the End: the fairies and pirates, the snow foxes that were too cunning (in my opinion) and the bald eagles that were too beaky (in Rose’s opinion). Could they really all be here, waiting for us? It’s an exciting thought, but then I remember the Box, and the things that jumped out of it and then disappeared—Candyfloss and great big purring Smokey. Are they here too, hidden on one of the icebergs that we’re sailing past?

Win pulls me out of my thoughts by shouting, “Yo ho ho! Avast ye! A ship!”

I grab the telescope. There is a ship up ahead, but it’s not the Raven. This one has blue sails and is smaller and tubbier.

It looks familiar, and suddenly a name comes back to me. “It’s the Beulah,” I say, then I run the telescope along the side of the ship until I see its name painted in swirling letters. “It is! It’s the Beulah!”

“What was her crew?” Win asks.

“Baboons.” Sure enough, I see a fluffy gray baboon lounging on the rigging, treating it like a hammock. My pirate ships don’t seem like such a distant memory now that I’m staring at one. The Beulah was my B ship and it has bright blue sails. I wanted to have a whole fleet of pirate ships, the entire alphabet, but because of Rose’s pirate prejudice I only got to C. That was the Connie and she had a capuchin crew and crimson sails. Through the telescope I watch the baboon roll out of its rope hammock and swing to the top of the mast. “I told Rose we needed monkeys!” I say as I watch it sitting there perfectly balanced.