Glug, glug, glug.

Snorkel, snorkel. Slurp.

The sounds filtered up from the ocean floor to the Sea Rogue, the sunken ship where the pirates Patch, Woody and Wallace slept.

 

“Arg! Blast! If I hear that confounded sound one more…” said Patch furiously, but he was interrupted by the sounds again!

Gurgle, slurp, glug, glug.

“Ahhhh!” he screamed in sheer frustration.

“Blast me timbers! A man can ‘a sleep with all this racquet!”

Wallace rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. This had been going on for too many nights for him to have kept count!

 

Woody sat up and strapped on his peg-leg.

“I say we go there and gut the barnacles keeping us outta sleep!” he vented.

“Aye, Woody be right!” agreed the angry Patch.

“I say we take Wusky along too.” suggested Wallace, thinking maybe a swim up to the beach might cool Patch and Woody’s anger a little.

“Aye laddie, good plan.” said Patch who was already beginning to feel less angry.

 

So the pirates got out of bed and swam to the surface of the sea. They marched all the way to Wusky’s Beach Cabana and, forgetting that it was still late at night, they knocked loudly on the door.

The pirates heard a loud bang as Wusky fell out of bed in shock. He rushed to the door and opened it wide, looking sleepy and a little dazed.

“Sorry to barge in like this at this late hour.” apologised Wallace.

“We’re going to the bottom of the sea to gut barnacles.” purred Woody, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

“Aye laddie and we thought you’d like to come along for the adventure.” said Patch beaming.

“Adventure!” now Wusky’s eyes had lit up.

“You can count me in!” he replied.

“When do we leave?”

“Right about now?” smiled Wallace, his friendly eyes a deep contrast to the menacing Woody, who had begun taking his cutlass from its sheath.

 

The four friends then set out to the bottom of the sea to find out exactly what was making all the noise.  They followed the gurgling slurping sounds to the sea floor.

“It’s here ladies!” whispered Patch.

Wusky held his breath, not knowing exactly what to expect.

Woody started digging sand away from the bottom of the ocean and discovered a giant chain!

“The landlubbers anchor no doubt!” whispered Wallace to no-one in particular.

The pirates followed the chain until it ended in a huge pile of sea sand.

“What do we do now?” asked Wusky, looking at the pirates.

“Heave!” shouted Woody as he began to pull the chain with all his might.

“Heave!” shouted the others, as they grabbed the chain and began pulling too!

 

Suddenly the chain gave way and a giant plug came with it! The pirates looked at each other in dismay! Sludge, slurrrrrrp, gurgle, glug. The sea began to drain down the huge drain hole that had been left uncovered!

“Shiver me timbers!” cried Patch in disbelief.

Woody gasped.

“Quick we need to get help!” said Wusky, quickly beginning to swim to the surface. But it was too late! The sea was draining too fast for any of them to do anything!

 

By sun rise, the sea was gone!

Wusky, Wallace, Woody and Patch walked back to the Sea Rogue, now fully exposed to the world, no longer an under-sea hideout.

“Can we still be pirates if there is no sea?” asked Wallace looking quite worried.

Patch and Woody were just embarrassed, soon the entire town of Acersville would know that the pirates had drained the sea! They had to do something to get the sea back! But what?

Wusky jumped up and snapped his fingers!

“I have a plan on how we can get the sea back!” he said happily.

“What are you going to do?” asked Wallace.

“I’m going to get Pilot!” Wusky replied.

“How’s a Pilot going to get us out of this mess laddie?” asked Patch, who seemed to be near tears.

“You’ll see.” Wusky grinned.

“Just trust me!”

 

Soon Pilot had been invited to join the pirates at their not so private hideout.

“A nice place you have here.” stammered Pilot, who was a little nervous of the pirates.

Woody scowled, Patch frowned and Wallace offered him a scone and some tea.

Wusky then began the tale of how he and the pirates had unintentionally drained the sea and how they needed his help to get the sea back.

Pilot went pale and held his scone in mid air.

“Me?”

“Yes!” replied Wusky confidently.

“We need you and your plane to take us to the North Pole and get us an ice-berg!”

“An ice-berg? Whatever for?” asked Pilot now very confused.

The pirates began understanding what Wusky wanted to do and began smiling! Eventually their smiling turned to relieved laughing which turned to uncontrollable singing about rum and yo-ho-ho’s!

 

Patch slapped Wusky on the back.

“Aye lad, a true pirate ya are!”

Wusky smiled. Pilot gulped.  His plane had never carried more than two Loopies at a time let alone a giant ice-berg! He was feeling quite ill!

“So what do you say Pilot?” All ready to go?” Wusky’s enthusiasm interrupted his worrying.

“Alright Wusky, we’ll give it a try!” said Pilot, slinging his scarf triumphantly over his shoulder!

 

They strapped themselves into Pilot’s plane, making sure they had plenty of ginger beer and rope for their trip to the North Pole. Wusky showed the Pirates a thumbs up as the noisy propellers began to turn. The plane began to lift off the ground and soon the pirates looked so tiny from so high up in the sky. Wusky turned to look at the sea. It now looked like a giant desert! Wusky gulped and looked forward concentrating on his mission.

 

It began to get very cold as the two friends neared the North Pole. Icy in fact, so icy that Wusky began to wish that he too had a big red scarf like Pilot’s! Eventually they began to see ice and snow and huge ice-bergs stretching as far as they could see. Wusky tapped Pilot and motioned him to land. Pilot found a good spot and steered the plane to a safe landing.

 

Crunch, crunch, crunch. Pilot and Wusky walked across the pure white snow. The sight was quite breath taking. Huge white mountains stuck their heads out of the horizon and big fluffy penguins waddled their way across icy paths toward the sea.

“There!” shouted Wusky.

“I see one!” he pointed to a rather large ice-berg.

Pilot helped Wusky tie lots of rope around the ice-berg and when they thought it was secure, they tied the rope to the plane. Pilot got back into the plane while Wusky checked that the ginger beer bottles were in place. He showed Pilot a thumbs up and Pilot started the engine. The plane spluttered and coughed as it began moving across the snowy embankment toward the sea. The plane gathered speed and whirred faster and faster, gaining momentum as it hurtled down the hill. The shaking of the plane caused the ginger beer bottles to rattle, causing them to pop open and supply more power to the plane. The little red plane took flight! It was glorious to see.

 

Wusky stuck out his chest, his idea was coming along brilliantly. Just then he realised that he better hold onto the rope and quick! He grabbed hold just in time! He looked back and saw the gigantic ice-berg swinging gently under the plane. He grinned his Wuskiest grin and began to sing about rum and yo-ho-hoing!

 

Soon they reached Acersville and by now everyone had heard about what had happened to the sea. All the Loopies were waiting patiently outside of Wusky’s Beach Cabana cafe along with the pirates to see how exactly Wusky’s plan would work. They began to cheer when Pilot’s plane came into view with Wusky and the ice-berg dangling beneath it. Slowly Pilot neared the spot where the sea used to be. And Wusky cut the rope that held the ice-berg. The ice-berg fell and landed with a huge thud!

 

The Loopies rushed towards it, eager to inspect such a huge piece of ice. But it didn’t stay icy for too long! It began to melt and soon the Loopies had a sea again! They splashed and laughed in the sun as they congratulated Wusky and Pilot! And as for the Pirates? Well let’s just say they won’t be in a hurry to gut barnacles any time soon!

© 2010 Ingrid Holtshausen. All rights reserved.

Free Childrens Bedtime Stories RSS