Captain May was a young pirate with bright boots and a kind smile. Her ship was the Sunny Shell. It rocked on soft blue waves.
“Crew, ready?” said May.
“Aye, aye!” said Pip the parrot. “Squawk!”
Nia the sailor tied a rope. Ben the sailor held a map. They all giggled, because the map had jam on it.
May wiped the jam with her sleeve. “We hunt for the gold star box,” she said. “It is small. It is shiny. It is ours!”
The wind went whoosh. The sail went flap, flap. The ship went fast.
Soon they saw a round green isle. On the sand sat a tall sign. It had a big red X.
“Land!” said Ben.
May hopped onto the sand. “Tip-toe pirate feet,” she said. The crew tip-toed too, very silly and very quiet.
They dug with small shovels. Dig, dig, dig.
Clink!
“Found!” said Nia.
But the box would not come out. The sand was packed tight.
May thought hard. She did not stomp. She did not fuss. She took her water cup and poured a little water on the sand. The sand grew soft.
“Now pull,” said May.
“Pull!” said Ben.
“Pull!” said Pip.
Pop! The box came free. They all fell back in a heap.
“Ha!” said May. “Pirates can be brave and neat!”
They opened the box. Inside was not gold. Inside were shiny star shells and a tiny bell.
Pip rang the bell. Ding-ding!
A crab came out and waved one claw. It had a shell on its head like a hat.
“Hello, hat crab!” May said.
The crab pointed to a line on the map. A jam drop had hid it. The line led to a safe cove.
May laughed. “The jam tried to fool us!”
They sailed to the cove. The sea was calm. The sun was warm. They shared star shells like cookies and sang a pirate song.
May hugged her crew. “Good work, mates,” she said.
Kind hearts and smart heads help a crew find joy on every trip.
