by Brian James
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“Ahoy! There’s a cove ahead,” I said as me and other pirate friends landed our dingy on the beach.
“Arrrr, do you think we should take a peek, Pete?” Gary asked me. “It looks awfully scary.”
“Blimey! You’re scared of everything,” Aaron said. He was always trying to be braver than the rest of us. I didn’t like when he showed off.
“You’re scared of stuff too, Captain Big Mouth,” Vicky said. She’s Aaron’s twin sister and she hates him being show off just as much as I do.
“Am not,” Aaron said.
“Are too,” Vicky argued. “Remember that time you made the Cap’n keep the lantern on because it was too dark.”
Aaron frowned, but we all remembered so there was nothing he could say to deny it. “We should still check out the cove anyway. It’s our pirate duty.”
“Aye,” I said. “There might be treasure there.”
“Aye. Or a curse,” Gary suggested.
“Hogwash!” Aaron bellowed. “Let’s go mateys.”
Without another word, he hopped ashore and charged ahead.
Vicky followed.
“Arrr, I’m going too,” I said. “If there be treasure, I’m not letting those two greedy guts take it all.”
“Aye, me too.” Gary said.
“I’m staying right here,” Inna told us. “It looks… dirty.”
I rolled my eyes. Inna was the only pirate kid ever to sail the seas that didn’t like getting dirty. She stayed back to man the boat while the rest of us ventured into the cove.
“Arrr! Did you find anything?” I hollered ahead to Aaron and Vicky.
“Shiver me timbers, I can’t see anything,” Gary whispered.
“Aye, me either,” Vicky said from the shadows.
“Aye, me three,” Aaron said.
“Mayhaps we should go back,” I said. “At least until Rotten Tooth shows up.”
“You can turn tail if you want, but I’m going ahead,” Aaron shouted. He took one step before stopping dead in his tracks. Then we all heard a whoosh and crash as an iron gate came down, locking us inside.
“Great sails!” I yell. “You tripped a booby trap. Now we’re stuck here.”
“Ole’ Rotten Guts is going to have us swabbing the decks forever when he catches us here,” Vicky moaned.
“Our ship isn’t sunk yet, mateys,” I said. Then I pointed to Inna napping in our rowboat. Sometimes being a good pirate was all about being lucky. Of course, to get the gate open, Inna was going to have to get mucky—maybe waiting for Ole’ Rotten Guts wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
~end
Guest post created and illustration provided for ...and a bottle o'rum event by Brian James author of the Pirate School series
© 2011. All rights reserved.
by Brian James
~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
Read more adventures with these characters here...
by Brian James
illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin
