"Pirates!" children's story by Alice

[Alice]

The ship swayed under Ella's bare feet. She tossed her hair back. It was barely restrained by a handkerchief pulled around her head and tied. Fixing it, she looked in the mirror, thought "pirate," and grinned. The handkerchief belonged to her father, Captain Smithe. Ella and her brother were not usually allowed on Dad's ship when it sailed. It was a strange chain of events which had allowed them on -- Daddy recalled by the Navy while the three of them were traveling, with Mum away at Aunt's, not to mention the mix-up about the tickets and the nanny quitting. Privately Ella thought it had something to do with jam, but she hadn't questioned her brother Sam too closely. The adventure with Dad was too good to question.

Even if they were supposed to beware of pirates.

At the helm, the first mate turned the large wooden wheel. Above, the mast groaned as the ship began to turn.

Maybe they were in sight of land!

With a running leap, Ella took to the rigging. She was glad she'd borrowed one of Sam's loose pants. Without rumply petticoats and decency holding her back, Ella could climb as easily as a monkey.

The sails flapped like noisy seagulls, partly obscuring her view and almost completley blocking all other sound.

"El -- El --" She looked up.

"Over here." Her brother beckoned from the top mast. She looked up at hte top of the bird's nest as she slid down next to him. "Isn't anyone keeping watch?"

"Sailor's mess. I said I'd keep watch. But see..." Sam's light-brown hair rumpled in the wind, as he pushed himself to his feet, clinging with one hand to the rigging.

Ella followed his gaze. "There's a ship coming."

"Yup. Just spotted it. It's flying the American flag, but I figured I better tell Dad anyway. So you keep watch for me up here, will you?"

"Sure." Ella sat downa nd laced her arms through the rigging as Sam disappeared below.

For a long time she watched the ship coming closer, daydreaming about pirates. If only she'd been born a boy, she oculd have been a pirate -- or at least joined the Navy and fought pirates. Sailors and pirates got to have adventures. Nannies never made them sit and embroider for hours, or take French.

She looked down at the ship again. It certainly was closing fast. It was moving like it planned to pull alongside.

Why were there extra guns out, all pointed this way? And -- she looked closer -- there were men, crouching at the edge of the ship, as though waitiing for something...

Pirates! They had to be! "I've got to tell Dad!"

"Hurry -- hurry," yelled the flapping sails as she raced down. She jumped the last few feet and landed with a feet-stinging THUMP.

[Alice]

NOTES:

Well, I wrote this awhile ago, and no one wanted to buy it. So I guess I can post it here. ^.^

It's not terribly long.

Anyway, yes, it has pirates. Yes, it is a children's story. It was fun to write. (I may have just recently seen Pirates of the Caribbean when I wrote this, but, *cough,* I couldn't say for sure.) : )

I know people don't like to read long things on the computer, but I'm just putting this out for anyone who is interested.

Now, I don't think this was the most current draft, but it is the most recent one I could find. So there may be some mistakes still. *cough almostcertainly cough*

I'm glad to hear comments.

[Alice]

part II

Mr. Bowman, the yeoman, emerged from below, dusting his hands. "Ah, there ye are, young lass. You shouldna race like that. It's what made your brother fall. Hit his head out cold coming down so fast."

Then he hadn't gotten to tell their Father!

Mr. Bowman, misunderstanding Ella's look of alarm, soothed, "There, there, no worries little miss. He's with the surgeon."

"Mr. Bowman, it's pirates! Alert the crew. They're flying our flag but they've got all their guns on us, and they're closing fast!" Without waiting for his answer, she ran to her father's cabin and threw open the door.

Father was kneeling by his bunk, his Bible open in front of him. Any other time, Ella would have apologized for interrupting, but today she just yelled, "Dad! Pirates!"

Captain Smithe sat back on his heels and looked at her. "What?"

Quickly, Ella told him.

Dad jumped up. "Get below deck," he told Ella. "Hide in the infirmary. Bar the door. Don't come out unless I call you."

"Yes Dad." Ella took off running.

The infirmary -- the infirmary -- there! Sam was on a cot, breathing shallowly, his eyes closed. Ella threw and bolted the door behind her.

"Hello Ella. What's the hurry?"

"Ah!" She jumped. But it was only the surgeon.

[TurkishMonky]

I like the story so far. Keep posting it!
One suggestion would be to put in a longer explanation about how they got there, it seemed kind of brief.
Anyway, the story so far is most excellent!

[Alice]

Dr. Le Carre was new on this voyage, but he was nice. He sympathized with her about French (he'd hated his English lessons) and let her look through his medical books and bottles of medicine.

"Oh, you scared me, sir," said Ella. "Dad told me to wait here until he called. I wanted to watch. Girls don't get to have any fun!" She realized she was pouting. But it wasn't fair.

Dr. Le Carre smiled patiently. "Being a boy's not helping your brother at the moment. He's not getting to watch the pirates."

Ella made a face. "Well, I guess..." She'd lost out on a perfectly good mad because of his words of wisdom.

The doctor patted the top of her head and moved aside to pick up one of his heavy medical books, at the same time slipping his pearl-handled revolver from his pants. "I'd best go now. I may be needed. Take care of your brother."

"Yes sir." She waited as he unbolted the door, and slipped out, carrying two heavy books and his small gun. She bolted the door after him and turned to her brother.

Ella sighed. She guessed it was foolish to get mad because she couldn't have fun, when everyone else was fighting for their lives -- and for hers.

"It just makes me feel so stupid when I can't do anything to help." Maybe it wasn't being a girl -- maybe it was just being a young person that left her feeling sidelined.

Above her, she heard the cannon boom. She squeezed out a cloth from the copper basin of water by the bed and gently laid it on her brother's forehead. "Were both missing it, aren't we?"

He looked all right, except that his eyes were closed and he was breathing shallowly. She leaned over to listen to his heart like Dr. Le Carre had showed her.

And sniffed. Something smelled funny, like a sickly sweet smell. She wrinkled her nose and sniffed again. It was coming from Sam's face.

"What...?" It smelled like medicine. Despite herself, she glanced quickly over at the medicine shelf. It smelled like...

She went over, her forehead crinkling as she tried to remember. She ran her fingers down the little glass bottles. There it was. She opened it and sniffed.

Her eyes opened wider. It was the same. She glanced back at Sam. "But I thought this was poison." Her eyes grew larger. "But -- Dr. Le Carre wouldn't do anything like that!"