As Sophia approached the end of her garden, the grass now nipping the backs of her knees, she glanced back to where her brother was still playing. Not yet big enough to toddle, he giggled with joy as their mother danced a toy about him. Sophia was now hidden behind the summer house and in front of her was a newly appeared gate. Usually, her garden backed onto farmland but, as she stepped through, her nostrils were filled with salty air and her plastic sandals filled with sand. This was definitely not the fields of cattle Sophia expected, and the three clumsy figures approaching her were definitely not four legged or friendly.
“Ay, what do we have here?” a rather stout pirate with blackened teeth exclaimed.
“Me thinks a trespasser after our treasure!” Another replied, sword in the air.
“Take her to Cap’!” The third barked the orders and, with that, Sophia found herself upside down and swinging from the shoulder or an extremely smelly, extremely old and extremely stupid pirate. Pressing her hands on his back she managed to see a ship in the distance, a large white sail with a skull and cross bones adorned on the side.
“How typical,” Sophia protested. If she was going to be in a pirate story at least it could be original!
“What’d’you say?” responded her captor in almost one slurred word.
“It’s just, this is what you are meant to do,” she began, “You could be different you know!” Sophia offered, a plan forming in her head, “You don’t want to be like the rest do you? Boring!”
“Boring? I’m not Boring, I’m Buck!” Like I said, Buck was EXTREMELY stupid.
“Well, Buck, what would your captain say if you return with double the treasure?”
“Double?!” His eyes lit up, “But how?”
“Put me back where you found me and I will lead you to mine!”
“Yours?” He questioned, plonking her onto a rock.
“Yes mine! Where do you think I came from? A magic gate?” She chuckled and with this she returned to her feet and led him by the hand back to where she started, the other two were still scavenging but as soon as Buck explained the plan they all agreed it was excellent. Well, at least until they began fighting about who got to tell the captain about the extra treasure anyway!
“Close your eyes and I’ll be right back!” Sophia interrupted the squabbling pirates and gestured for them to cover their eyes to which they all willingly obliged. A quick check and Sophia disappeared into the bushes and disappeared through the gate and watched as the gate disappeared as well. All that was left behind was 3 toy pirates with their hands still on their eyes. Scooping them up, Sophia made her way back down the garden to where her brother was playing. Passing the toys to him, he promptly used them as dummies which, I guess, they were!
Jennifer Pickering 