One sunny day I was down the coastal park with my brother and sister playing at the top of the pirate ship when I spotted what looked like a real pirate ship in the distance.
‘There be pirates!’ I said to my little brother Mason and big sister Maddy, both knee-deep in sand.
They glanced up; Mason looked a bit nervous but Maddy rolled her eyes.
‘Yeah, right!’ she said, going back to building a sandcastle before looking at Mason and adding: ‘Don’t worry. You don’t get real pirates round here.’
‘No, really! It really looks like a pirate ship. If you don’t believe me then come and have a look!’ I pleaded.
‘Want to see pirates!’ said Mason.
‘OK! But there won’t be anything there,’ said Maddy impatiently as she brushed herself and Mason down and began to climb the ship. But just as they reached to the top, the pirate ship sailed behind some bushes.
‘No pirates. Bad Martha,’ said Mason as Maddy helped him climb down.
But just as they reached the bottom, the pirate ship reappeared further up the beach.
‘It’s there now!’ I said, ‘Shiver me timbers! They’re raising their flag. Skull and bones! It’s parking by the cafe.’
‘Ships don’t park, stupid!’ tutted Maddy. ‘Anyway, you can play stupid pirates on your own. We’re going to find Mum and Dad and get an ice cream,’ said Maddy, taking Mason by the hand as they began to walk away without a second glance.
‘But… but… the pirates…’ I said, watching dozens of pirates climbing down the ladders on the side of the boat and wading through the sea to the shore.
I jumped down and caught up with them at the little wooden watchtower where the ship’s crossbones and skulls flag was flying high.
‘Look! It’s there!’ I said running in front of them. But just then the sea mist came floating over covering everything in a blanket of white.
‘Oh, stop going on about pirates,’ said Maddy.
‘Too cold for ice cream,’ said Mason, shivering as the temperature dropped.
‘Never too cold for ice cream,’ Maddy said, cuddling Mason.
We walked through the park and down to the Mermaid Cafe where Mum and Dad were having a coffee. But when we got there, no one was around. It was completely deserted.
‘What?’ I said searching the outside tables to see all the half-drunk cups of tea and coffee and half-finished sandwiches and bowls of chips on the tables.
‘Hello!’ called Maddy as we walked inside the cafe.
I looked in the kitchen and behind the counter but it was deserted too.
Just then my friends Rosie and Evie came running along the other entrance to the cafe carrying their fishing nets.
‘We were with my Mum but the sea mist came and she just disappeared. The whole park is deserted apart from a few children wandering around lost.’
‘Maybe our parents met up and went to the beach,’ said Maddy. ‘And they closed the cafe early,’ she added, as she walked to the stairs leading to the beach.
‘Wait!’ I said, pointing down at the walkway below.
We all looked down to see two men with cutlasses and pirate hats walking towards the cafe stairs.
‘I told you!’ I said, as we all hid behind two large wheelie bins and listened as the men got closer.
‘Let’s do a double-check in the cafe. Make sure we can’t round up a few more dirty landlubbers, Captain Gingerbeard,’ said a gruff voice.
‘Good thinking, First Mate Fishface,’ said an even gruffer voice. ‘We gotta make sure we’ve rounded up all them adults or else we won’t be able to dig for the Sunny Sands Gold or play our favourite game. And you know that means?’
‘We’ll have to sail to that there Dover! Shiver me timbers!’
‘Or we’ll have to make do with children!’
‘Shiver me timbers a million times!’ said the captain’s sidekick. ‘Hang on a moment though. Isn’t there laws about taking children?’
‘Ah, who’s going to stop us? The council wardens and the police are prisoners! If we see any stray ‘uns, we’ll grab ’em. We can make ’em stand on each other’s shoulders and pretend their adults.’
‘Excellent plan as always, Captain Gingerbeard!’
The two men then fell about laughing their evil laughs for several moments before before their footsteps disappeared.
‘What game are they going play with the adults? Poor Mum and Dad! We’re going to have to save them,’ I said.
‘Yeah but no, we don’t have to save them quite yet do we? I mean, free ice creams anyone?’ said Maddy. ‘There’s no one here and the pirates are back at the ship,’ she added, pointing at the ice cream counter.
Rose and Evie looked at one another.
‘We could call the police and then have an ice cream or two while we’re waiting for them to arrive?’ Evie suggested.
‘But they said the police were on board!’ I said.
‘Not all the police in the world. I mean they may have to come a bit further away and we may have time to have a few more ice creams…’ said Maddy.
‘But has anyone got a phone?’ I asked.
Everyone shook their heads and shrugged and before I could stop them, they climbed over the counter and stuffed cones full of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream.
‘Anyone for sprinkles or a flake?’ asked Rosie.
‘But shouldn’t we rescue them!’ I said feeling guilty after ordering a chocolate chip triple scoop with three flakes.
‘No, we wouldn’t stand a chance against them,’ said Maddy. ‘Our parents wouldn’t want us to be hurt.’
‘Very true,’ agreed Evie handing Mason his third ice cream.
‘I feel sick,’ said Mason. ‘I want my mummy.’
I went to comfort Mason but stumbled against a chair and banged my knee. ‘I want my mum too,’ I said.
We stared out at the pirate ship, all feeling slightly ill and very guilty.
‘I suppose we could use my nets,’ said Rosie.
‘Your fishing nets? I don’t think they’d be much help,’ said Maddy.
‘They’re not fishing nets! They’re pirate-capturing nets,’ said Rosie. ‘We brought the wrong ones out this morning. They belonged to my Grandad, otherwise known as the Great Pirate Capturer of Folkestone.’
She lay the two nets on onto the floor and we could clearly see now they were definitely pirate-shaped and not fished-shaped nets.
‘Have you ever used them before?’ I asked.
‘No, but Mum remembers seeing Grandad use it against some pirates who tried to steal the Rotunda and all the fair rides back in the ’80s. Once they go over the pirate’s head, there’s no escape!’
We sat down with one last ice cream and hatched a plan. We snuck down to the Mermaid Beach and hid behind a rock and peered round to see a few stray sunbathers being lined up and taken on board. We decided the best way was to sneak around the side of the boat using the rocks as cover and to climb up the outside of the boat.
Me and Evie where the first up followed by Rosie, Maddy and Mason. We all hid behind a giant trunk and luckily Mason, who kept moaning about his tummy, was distracted by some seagulls. Then we heard Captain Gingerbeard nearby.
‘Right, my maties. We’ve waited long enough. Time to play our favourite game!’ he shouted as he walked past. ‘Throw the adults over the side.’
An almighty roar came from the pirates.
‘Whoever gets as many landlubbing adults over in a minute wins this brand new, top-of-the-range plank from bestplanks.com who have very kindly agreed to sponsor this competition!’
Excited ‘aws’ and ‘ahhs’ greeted Captain’s Gingerbeard’s news, though no doubt the adults imprisoned below deck weren’t so keen on what was to become of them.
‘After the game, we’ll pick them up from the sea and sail to Sunny Sands where we’ll dig for gold and become rich beyond our wildest dreams!’
‘Hoorah!’, cried the pirates.
‘No, you will not,’ I shouted as me, Mason and Maddy stood up, the pirate-catching nets hidden behind our backs.
‘What we got here then?’ asked Captain Gingerbeard. ‘Come to look for mummy and daddy, have you? Well, you’re wasting your time!’
While the pirates were distracted, Rosie ran up the mast with one end of the giant fishing net and Evie went up a flagpole with the other. We began to run toward Rosie and, as planned, Captain Gingerbeard and First Mate Fishface followed us.
‘Now!’ I shouted.
On command, Rosie and Evie dropped the giant fishing net on top of the pirates while me and Maddy placed the pirate nets over Captain Gingerbeard and First Mate Fishface who dropped to the floor.
Meanwhile, Rosie and Evie released all the adults from below deck and we watched them flee downs the ladders and wade back to shore.
‘Let’s see how the pirates like playing their own game,’ I said.
Me and Maddy took the pirate nets off Captain Gingerbeard and his sidekick while Mason tied their hands with rope.
‘But… but I’m scared of heights!’ pleaded Captain Gingerbeard.
‘And I’m scared of the sea,’ whimpered First Mate Fishface.
‘Too bad,’ I said as we gave them a shove off the end. ‘Serves you right!’ we shouted as they landed with a big splash.
All the adults cheered and as we reached the shore, Mum and Dad came running over.
‘I think you deserve a triple ice cream for that!’ said Mum.
‘Or one of those fancy ice cream sundaes,’ said Dad.
We all looked at one another.
‘I think we’re all right,’ I said.
‘Speak for yourself!’ said Maddy. ‘I didn’t have time to try the gypsy tart ice cream! Let’s go!’
THE END
Meet the author: Martha Brook
Thankfully Martha’s story wasn’t inspired by real life events happening on our doorstep but by playing pirates on the sunken pirate ship with her brother and sister. Martha is just eight years old and lives in the town with her family. She loves making up stories and like many of the authors, wrote hers during lockdown.
Martha’s story is read by twice BAFTA award-winning actor Jessica Hynes who, in a strange coincidence, helped Martha learn to roller skate a few years ago at the Harbour car park. Jessica lives in the town and is best known for her roles in Spaced, There She Goes, and W1A, as well as her film The Fight, shot in Folkestone.