Chapter 1

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Chapter 1 "I'm going to miss you!" Dink's mother said as she pulled her car up to the airport. "Give Sammi a hug for me, will you?" Dink's parents had named him Donald David Duncan, but now almost everyone called him Dink. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose were on their way to visit their friend Samir Bin Oz for his birthday. Sammi lived in a small island country in the Indian Ocean called Costra, where his father and mother were the king and queen.

The kids hugged and said good-bye to Dink's mother. Then a man in a white shirt and dark trousers helped them stack their luggage on a cart. "I'm Carl, your flight attendant on this trip," the man said. He guided the kids through security, then outside to the landing field. Off to one side sat a sleek jet. When the kids boarded, they discovered that they were the only passengers! "Please choose your seats, then you can decide what you want for lunch," Carl said. He handed them menu cards. "I love being treated like royalty!" Ruth Rose said. She liked to dress all in one color. For this trip to Costra, she had chosen royal blue. While the kids were reading their menus, a redheaded woman stepped out of the cockpit. "Hi, I'm Captain Rusty Dollar, your pilot," she said. "Our flight to Costra should take about fifteen hours. When you wake up tomorrow morning, you'll be there. If you'll please buckle up, I'll take off in a few minutes!" Five minutes later, the small jet roared into the air. The kids watched the ground become smaller and smaller. Then they saw only white clouds and blue sky.

When the plane had leveled off, Carl appeared at their seats. "What would you like for lunch?" he asked. The kids all chose chocolate milk, cheeseburgers, and apple pie for dessert. After they finished lunch, the kids played checkers, read, and listened to music through their headsets. When it grew dark outside the small windows, Carl gave them each a blanket and pillow. He dimmed the cabin lights and turned on soft music. "Pleasant dreams," Carl said, then he disappeared to the rear of the plane. Dink woke up when he felt a slight bump. He sat up and looked out the window. He saw palm trees and blue skies. "We're here!" he said to Josh and Ruth Rose. A few minutes later, the door opened and Sammi stepped inside the plane. He was wearing a ruby-red tunic and black pointed shoes. "Sammi!" all three kids cried. They all high-fived each other.

"Okay, you're free to deplane!" Captain Dollar said from the cockpit. The kids thanked her and Carl, then walked off the plane to a small landing field. Warm air kissed their skin. A sweet smell came from flowers growing in nearby fields. "Now where do we go?" Dink asked Sammi. "How do we get to your castle?"

Sammi grinned and pointed up at the sky. Just then the kids heard a whirring noise. A silver helicopter appeared above them. The rotating blades created a stiff wind, blowing the kids' hair every which way.