Captain Ben stood on his little ship, the Sunny Sail. The sea went swish, swish. The flag went flap, flap.
His crew was small and sweet: Tom the mate, and Pip the parrot. Pip said, “Squawk! Go!”
Captain Ben held a map. “Treasure time,” he said.
They sailed past a round rock. They sailed past a soft sand bank. The sun was warm. The wind was quick.
Then—bump!
The ship sat still. It was stuck in gooey mud.
Tom said, “Uh-oh.”
Captain Ben smiled. “We can fix it,” he said. “Crew, think!”
He looked at the tide. The water was low. He looked at the rope. He looked at the oars.
Captain Ben said, “Tom, push with the oar. I will pull with the rope.”
Pip flapped and said, “Pull! Pull!”
Tom pushed. Captain Ben pulled. One, two, three.
The ship moved a teeny bit.
Captain Ben laughed. “Good try! Again!”
One, two, three.
The ship slid with a slurp. Free!
Tom clapped. “Yay!”
Captain Ben winked. “Pirates do not quit,” he said.
They sailed on. The map led to a tiny green isle. On the beach sat an old box.
Captain Ben tip-toed up, then jumped and said, “Arrr!”
Tom giggled. Pip said, “Arrr!”
Captain Ben opened the box. Inside were shiny shells, bright beads, and a note that said, “Share.”
Captain Ben said, “This is the best loot.”
They put one shell on the mast. They gave beads to each crew mate. Pip got a red bead on a string and said, “Mine!”
The Sunny Sail went home, fast and proud.
Moral: Brave hearts and smart hands make every trip sweet when friends share.
