Louisa's POV
"Miss, I really think we should find a place to land now," Mana popped his head out of the flying ship and said.
"Now you're talking! Good for you, Mr. Know-it-all!" Mata shouted at his brother.
"You don't have to be so sarcastic! I'm scared now because half of this flying ship is missing and it's the very important part!" Mana shouted back.
"Guys, please stop talking and hold Alex tightly. I'm trying to concentrate on landing now," I said.
"Miss, why don't we land in the woods?" Mana pointed to the forest in front of us and said.
"So we can be pierced like a skewer by the sharp tree branch with the smoke coming off the explosion of this flying craft baking us underneath our feet! Great idea, dickhead!" Mata shouted.
Mana covered his head and said, "It's just a suggestion. You don't have to be so loud."
I looked around and I could only see an endless forest and a lake.
There was literally nothing else to land a flying ship like this.
"We can't land in the water, either. Alex is unconscious now. He'll drown to death," I said.
"Miss, for our justification, he did want to kill us," Mana said.
"Yes, the potty mouth is right. And he built this really stupid machine with so many buttons and levers but so little use!" Mata said and pressed a random button on the front panel.
The whole flying ship started to vibrate.
"You idiot! Why do you have to press that button?!" Mana shouted.
Mata covered his head and said, "I don't know! I'm confused! You were talking about ship and I saw a ship button. I can't help myself! It's so shiny!"
I looked around and saw the wings of this flying shift were gone, replaced by two giant inflated rafts on both sides of the flying ship.
"Guys, I guess I know where we should land after all." I pressed the steering wheel down and let the whole craft slowly glide down towards the lake.
"Wow! This man is bad, but he's very good at building vehicles!" Mana shouted.
"Is this a carriage, a flying machine, or a boat? You just never know!" Mata also shouted with excitement.
I, on the other hand, wasn't so excited at all.
Even though we've got two rafts, the impact of the craft would still be huge.
I looked at Mana and Mata, who didn't realize how dangerous this landing would be.
"Guys, when we touch down on the surface of the water, I want you to jump as far away as you can from the craft. Swim for your lives and do not look back," I said.
"Miss, what are you talking about?" Mana said.
"We're fishermen. We'll never abandon a sinking ship! Especially when our captain is on board!" Mata said.
"No, listen to me! You have to save yourself first and then you can save others. I need you to promise me that you'll save your own life because I have to take care of Alex. He can't swim by himself," I said.
Mana and Mata looked at each other and then they nodded at me.
"Yes, captain!"
"Ay, ay, captain!"
I pressed the lever to the extreme and held my head, holding Alex in my arms and embracing the impact of landing.
Then, with a loud bang, I felt I was blown up by a sudden flow of air.
The last thing I remember was I saw Mana and Mata swimming in the water.
I felt so relieved and passed out temporarily.
When I woke up, I felt that my whole lungs were filled with water. I batted my arms violently and tried to get out of the water, but I was drawn by something very heavy into the deep, dark bottom of the water.
I struggled to get up, but I couldn't. When I looked back, I saw Alex hanging on a belt, which was wrapping around the ankle of my foot.
I could easily kick him away from my ankle and let him fall, but I just knew I had to save him.
"Help! Someone help us!" I opened my mouth and tried to shout, but more water got into my mouth and suffocated me.
Just when I was about to give up, I suddenly saw a giant dark shadow moving beneath my feet.
Then, as the dark shadow approached, I saw it was a giant catfish.
It opened its mouth widely as if it was about to eat me. I could see thousands of sharp spiky little teeth growing inside its huge mouths like hairs.
I closed my eyes and waited for my fate.
I was born and bred on the mainland and I had never thought that one day I would be drowned and eaten by a giant catfish.
"Step on my head and grab my whiskers. I'll push you up," I heard a bubbling voice.
I felt something slimy and slippery touching my legs.
I opened my eyes and saw it was the catfish who was trying to push me up with its head.
I crunched down and grabbed his whispers while holding Alex's arm in my hand.
In a surge, we were pushed all the way from the bottom of the lake towards the surface.
When I finally got out of the water, I opened my mouth widely to gasp in more air.
I felt like I was sitting on a small island in the middle of the lake.
The wreckage of the flying ship was floating everywhere on the lake. I saw Mana and Mata desperately looking for me while floating in the lake, getting up and down the surface.
"Miss! Where are you?!"
"Miss! Please come back! Please don't leave us!"
"I'll be good! I'll never steal from anyone!"
"I'll learn everything's name and I'll cook you breakfast every day!"
I wanted to call their names, but I couldn't. I kept coughing out water from my lungs.
At the same time, I put my hand next to Alex's nose.
There was no breath.