A Pirate's Life for Me: Part One

      "Dani! Get your furry hind end down here right now!"

      Dani rushed out of her room, tossing her pirates carelessly on the bed behind her. Running frantically down the stairs, she collided head-on with her owner, Ysabel. She and Ysabel went crashing to floor in a heap of squiggling arms and tail.

      "Uggh, sorry Ysabel," said Dani clambering to her feet.

      "Dani, how many times do I have to tell you to walk down the stairs?" Ysabel hissed through clenched teeth.

      "Sorry, it won't happen again," said Dani averting her eyes to some other point in the room besides Ysabel's face.

      "Yeah, let's hope that's true, for your own sake. Now come sit down and eat lunch. You've been up there all day," Ysabel turned to walk into the kitchen, but stopped in her tracks and turned around to face Dani, "But before you do, please take off those clothes."

      Dani had completely forgotten that she was still in her pirate costume. She walked back up the stairs to change, even though she really wasn't hungry. Besides, her pirates weren't done fighting with each other.

     * * * *

      The next morning Dani stumbled out of bed to the breakfast table. Already waiting there was her brother, Fion (pronounced Fin), a green Lupe. He sat there eating, tapping his foot to some imaginary tune going through his head. She sat down in the chair across the table from his, and put her head down on the hard surface.

      "Slept in a little late, Danster," he said to her with a mouthful of cereal.

      "Yeah, well I don't see you dressed," Dani remarked back to him without lifting up her head.

      "Hehe. That's because you've got you're head on the table!" Fion snorted. Dani got up and walked back into her room without eating.

      The whole night she had dreamed of becoming a pirate, and running away to Krawk Island, never returning to Mystery Island, where she was constantly being held back from her dreams. She wanted to be a pirate, and she wouldn't rest until she at least got to Krawk Island.

      While she was looking through her clothes, she found Moose, her Faellie, buried in a pile of blankets sleeping. She gingerly picked up the little brown petpet and placed him, still sleeping, on her pillow. He opened one eye, blinked at her, yawned, and then closed his eye again. If only I could afford to paint you pirate, thought Dani sulkily. She picked out a pare of black jeans and a purple shirt with a skull and cross bones on it. It was her favorite shirt. On the back of it, it said "Dead men tell no tales". She put on her blue flip-flops, tied her long brunette hair back, and moseyed back to the kitchen.

      Fion and Ysabel were now out of the room, most likely getting dressed themselves. She sat down at the table, closed her eyes, and imagined she was rocking back and forth on the beautiful white-capped waves in a grand old ship along with her messmates. Suddenly, her eyes shot open. She dashed frantically around the house in search of Ysabel. She ran through each of the rooms, but all she found was a still undressed Fion lying on his bed reading a magazine and listening to his music. Lastly, she checked the backyard, finding Ysabel digging in the garden, placing a newly sprouted White Lulu in the place of an old one.

      "Ysabel, I'm going on a walk around the beach," she said.

      "Alright," said Ysabel, not even looking up from her work, "but I know what you're going to do."

      "Yeah, what's that?"

      "You're going to spend the whole time daydreaming about pirate-ish things."

      "Well, maybe that's all I have to do."

      Dani stormed back into the kitchen and slid the screen door shut with a rather awakening thud.

     "I swear, sometimes that Ysabel gets on my nerves so bad I wish I could, could, UGGH!" Dani hissed, making twisting motions with her paws as if she had Ysabel trapped in her deadly grip. She slammed the front door behind her and walked across the warm sand with her arms folded.

      Once on the beach, she let her hair down, allowing it to blow around her face in the wind. She closed her eyes once again, imagining running away to Krawk Island. No matter what, she had to get there. It wasn't up to Ysabel to decide her future for her. Unexpectedly, something clicked on inside of Dani's head, and she got up, running to the boat rental shack. She slammed her hand down on the counter to get the oblivious desk clerk's attention. With a start, the Jubjub looked at Dani from behind a magazine.

      "Welcome to The Boat Rental Shack. How may I help you today?" he said with a completely vacant stare.

      "Whoa there buddy, hold back on the enthusiasm, will ya?" Dani grinned and slapped fifty Neopoints down on the desk, "Yeah, anyway, I want to rent a boat, preferably one of your non-cruddy ones, please."

      The JubJub took the Neopoints while glaring devilishly at Dani, who simply grinned.

      "Alright," he said, "your boat number is P-11. Take it or leave it."

      "Thank you, kind sir!" Dani whirled around and walked out the door.

      She found the boat easily, climbed in, started the motor, and she was off. Although it took her roughly five minutes to get the engine to actually start. Her heart was racing with excitement, shame, and fear. She was finally chasing her dream. She could care less what Ysabel and Fion thought. She was running away. Running away to Krawk Island.

     * * * * *

      It was the middle of the night when Dani woke up. She had dozed off after a long while of riding in the cramped little skiff. At first her heart raced, as she was afraid that she might have gotten off course while she was sleeping. She got out her small metal compass that she always kept with her, and to her relief she was still traveling in a southerly direction. She placed the compass back in her pocket. Looking back up toward the bow, her eyes widened. Before her was a dark landform, looming overhead like a bad omen. This was Krawk Island. Dani slowed the boat, and it was now subject to the waves. It began raining heavily as the small motorboat drifted slowly toward the island, getting closer by the second. Eventually the vessel beached itself on the sand. Dani was soaked to the bone with rain water, as it was now raining harder than ever.

      Dani was now freezing cold, and she climbed out of the boat, seeking shelter. The rain slackened after a few more minutes, clearing Dani's view of the island. There was an old weathered, half-sunken derelict on the shoreline; aptly named The Sunken Angel. She walked over to the wrecked ship and sat down in the midst of it so she was protected from the rain. Dani froze when she saw a ghastly figure walk slowly around the old ship.

     Cautiously she got up and began walking around trying to find the figure, moving as quietly and slowly as possible so as not to frighten whatever was tramping about. She placed a wary paw on the decaying wood. As she walked around the old ship, she constantly eyed the ground before she took another step. She was scared out of her wits, but she continued to thoroughly search the old boat.

      It was obviously a very nice ship (at least it used to be). Some of the rooms were still recognizable. There were shredded curtains hanging from a window. There was also an old draggled couch in one corner, and a table that looked like it had been next to the couch at one time was knocked over on it's side. Next to that was an old wooden chess board, with the pieces scattered randomly around the room.

      She heard the wood crumble and creek all around her and whirled around in surprise. Her heart was racing. Water sloshed from what sounded like someone walking through it.

      She looked the area over, and after seeing nothing, she continued searching the boat. Without warning, someone grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth with a soggy paw. She felt warm breath on her neck and wet fur against her face. A knife pressed against her throat. A voice hoarsely whispered, "Don't move, lest ye die."

To be continued...