The Yellow Yacht by Ron Roy Page A

waist.
    The man gave a slight bow to Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose.
    “I am King Farhad,” he said in a deep voice.

Dink gulped, then bowed to the king.
    “And I am Queen Grace,” said a woman who stepped out from behind the king.
    The queen wore a long white gown. The tips of blue shoes showed under the gown’s hem. Around her neck she wore a gold chain suspending a large ruby.
    All three kids murmured “Hello” and bowed.
    “These are my parents,” Sammi said proudly.
    “Welcome to our home,” Queen Gracesaid. “Sammi, why don’t you show your friends their rooms now?”
    The king and queen walked to a door, where a servant waited to open it. They disappeared down some stairs.
    “This is so awesome,” Josh said, gazing from the rooftop. The castle stood at the edge of a small town surrounded on three sides by an ancient wall. The fourth side was the ocean.
    Beyond the wall were fields and woods. Dink saw a wide gate in the wall. A winding road snaked throughthe fields and disappeared into the mountains.
    “Is that your father’s boat?” Ruth Rose asked. She was pointing to a long yellow sailboat in the harbor. The yacht had a tall mast and neatly stowed sails.
    “No, we only have a small fishing boat,” Sammi said. He shielded his eyes and peered at the yacht. “I don’t know who owns that one.”
    The kids followed Sammi down stone stairs to a carpeted hallway. A man stepped into their path. His eyes were fierce under thick black eyebrows. He wore a white turban, a black tunic, and red trousers.
    The man smiled and nodded to Sammi. “May I help, young prince?”
    “No, thanks, I’m just showing my friends their rooms,” Sammi said. “Guys, this is Fin, my servant.”
    Fin glanced at the kids, then backedaway. “As you wish, young prince.”
    “He’s scary!” Josh whispered.
    Sammi grinned. “Fin is cool,” he said. “He practices looking scary to keep kidnappers away. All the bedrooms are here.” He pointed to a double set of doors at the end of the hall. “My parents sleep there, and our rooms are this way.”
    Sammi led them around a corner and stopped at the first door on the right. “This is my room. You guys can pick yours.”
    Dink counted eight closed doors. “These are all bedrooms?” he asked.
    Sammi nodded. “Sometimes we have a lot of guests,” he said.
    Dink looked at Josh. “You want to share?” he asked.
    “Sure. I know you’re afraid of the dark,” Josh teased. He opened the door of the room next to Sammi’s and stepped inside.
    “I’ll take the one across the hall from you guys,” Ruth Rose said.
    “Okay I’ll see you in about ten minutes,” Sammi said before he went into his room.
    “Knock after you unpack,” Ruth Rose told Dink. She went into her room and closed the door.
    Before Dink had a chance to follow Josh, he heard a door open. A face peeked out of a room a few yards away. Dark eyes stared at Dink before the face disappeared and the door slammed shut.

    Dink shrugged, wondering who else was staying in the castle.
    Ten minutes later, Sammi led the kids into the town of Nere. They trekked along a cobblestone road under tall shade trees. Most of the old buildings were made of stone. Everybody they passed smiled and greeted Sammi.
    At the harbor, they walked along a stone pier that led to a wide aluminum dock. The water was calm, and several boats and yachts were under sail or motor.
    The yellow yacht seemed even bigger now that they were close. Dink noticed that it was not all yellow. There was a green stripe just above the waterline. The name
Sundown
was painted on the side.
    “Maybe it belongs to a movie star!” Josh said.
    As they gazed across the water, twomen in scuba-diving gear appeared on
Sundown’s
deck. They splashed over the side and disappeared.
    “What’re they doing?” Josh asked.
    Sammi shrugged. “Maybe my dad knows,” he said. “I’ll ask him later.”
    Sammi led the kids farther along the harbor, then stopped where a huge,