We Could Be Pirates

      "Don't remind me," snapped the shadow Kougra laying beside her. "It's not like we wanted to ruin our last night with Wendy."

      "Yeah, this whole day was supposed to be special. And tomorrow afternoon I have to move to across the globe, practically," Wendy complained. The starry Lupe sighed wistfully and rolled over.

      "No offense or anything, but a lot of pets would rob the Neopian Bank to move to Mystery Island," murmured a checkered Yurble.

      "No offense taken, Devin," Wendy responded. The four friends were lying side by side in Wendy's backyard. The clouds were beginning to part, revealing a half moon that cast a silvery glow on the companions. The grass was still damp from the morning's shower, which only made the atmosphere more gloomy.

      "I don't suppose speckled pets can get grass stains, right? I mean, they're already green... well, most of them."

      "Syra, I can't believe you sometimes. Our time together is limited, and you're thinking about grass stains?" Nobody said anything for what seemed like hours. Wendy broke the silence.

      "Come on, guys, this isn't my funeral. I'm just moving. You guys will remain friends after I leave, right?"

      "Of course," Devin replied, nodding his head vigorously.

      "And you'll all come visit me, isn't that right, Leo?" Wendy asked in the direction of the shadow Kougra. Leo winced; Syra squirmed uncomfortably. Devin just sighed. All of them, especially Wendy, knew that they weren't a wealthy bunch, and that three extra trips to Mystery Island would be very pricey.

      Wendy inhaled sharply, realizing her mouth had slipped a tad too far. "I mean, we'll all go there together." Together? What was she thinking about? She kept blabbering on, fearing an awkward silence. "I mean, I don't even have to go! Who says so? I can just run away!" Once again, a futile idea had escaped her mouth. Running wouldn't solve anything. Wendy wasn't even that great of a runner. "We'd all run away! We'd just need some food, and... a map... and..."

      "And jobs," Leo said bitterly. The others murmured in agreement. "Face it, Wendy, we're never seeing you again. Can we stop thinking of crazy ideas and just find out how to enjoy these last hours?"

      "Yeah, honestly," Syra joked. "We could run away and build a tree house in the Money Tree!" Wendy and Leo giggled.

      "Yeah," Wendy chuckled. "We could go live in the Kadoatery!" Everyone shared a laugh.

      "We could be pirates," Devin breathed, the stars reflecting in his merry eyes. The silence that followed was so eerie that the Pant Devil would curl into a ball and whimper.

      Devin flinched. "Oh, sorry. I'm not very funny." Silence. "It was just a joke, you guys, I didn't mean to stop you from having a good time." Still, not a word. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to..."

      "Devin, you're BRILLIANT!" Leo exclaimed, cutting him off. "That would totally work!"

      "Definitely," agreed Syra. Wendy nodded. Devin sat up and gawked at them in disbelief.

      "You're being sarcastic, right? Please tell me you're being sarcastic," he begged.

      "Well..." Wendy pondered aloud. "We'd need quite a few materials. Food that will last us weeks... a ship... a map. Pirates look for treasure right?"

      "Whoa, back up!" Devin was almost shouting now. "A ship? Are you guys totally out of your mind? This is the WORST idea ever!"

      "Don't put down your idea, Devin," said Syra. "It's a great one. Honestly, give me five good reasons why we shouldn't find a ship, gather supplies, and sail away."

      "Reason number one," Devin began. "Our parents will realize we're missing and send pictures of us to the police who will find us before we can even set sail. Reason number two, where are we going to find a ship? Reason number three, we've never even been outside of Neopia Central. Reason number four, we don't have a treasure map. Reason number five, I can't believe I'm talking about treasure maps! You guys have read too many fairytales."

      "Whatever, Devin. I was going to make you captain since you thought of the idea, but if you don't want to come with us, I suppose it will have to be me," Leo said, pretending to be disappointed.

      Devin hesitated. "Well," Leo continued, "That's that. I'll find us a ship. Syra, you bring the grub. LOTS of it. Make it two week's worth. Wendy, you'll be in charge of getting us authentic pirate clothing. We'll meet by the dock in four hours. Try not to fall asleep."

      "I'm coming," Devin decided. "Just... tell me what to do."

      The other three high-fived. "Excellent. Well, Captain Devin, you can be responsible for coming up with a goal. Where we should sail, what treasure we should find," Wendy suggested. "Stuff like that."

      Devin nodded. "See you guys in four hours."

          ~***~

      At the docks of Neopia Central, ships were constantly arriving with books, food, medicine, and anything else found in the shops there. Leo had no trouble finding an abandoned ship, but it certainly wouldn't be easy to claim the boat as his own. "Oh well," he sighed. "At least I have four hours to figure that out." Or not. As Leo eyed the ship, he heard a low growl from behind him. He shuddered and turned to see a burly Darigan Moehog scowling at him.

      "So, does this ship belong to you?" the Moehog boomed.

      "This ship?" Leo squeaked. He lowered his voice and leaned against the bow. "Why, yes, this old thing belongs to me," he answered, patting it convincingly.

      "Excellent structure," the Moehog remarked. "Did you build it?"

      "Yes. I mean no!" Leo said hastily. "My, uh... family built it. It's my birthday present." Leo followed the Moehog's gaze to the dark purple letters painted across the starboard. It read The Gift of Marqua. The ships' previous crew obviously didn't know how to spell, but Leo used this to his advantage. "Uh, yes... see? My name is Marqua. But my friends call me Marq."

      Suddenly, the Moehog had Leo pinned to the ground. "Listen, buddy. My name's Raxt. I've been an officer on these docks for three years. I've seen plenty of wise guys like you trying to steal ships. And do you know what I do with them?"

      "I'm soooooooorry," Leo wailed. "My real name's Leo and I just want to go on an adventure with my friends! I'll do anything if you'll let me live!"

      "Anything?"

      "Anything!"

      There was a long pause. "Take me with you."

      "Huh?"

      Officer Raxt had loosened his grip on Leo and now looked down at him, his eyes pleading. "Take me with you, or you can't go at all."

      "Er... okay, deal!" They shook hands, and Raxt helped Leo up.

      "But... why?" Leo asked.

      "I'll be stuck here for the rest of my life if I don't get out of here soon," Raxt explained. "I just want to leave... I've always dreamed of adventure. I'll help you and your little friends a lot. Though I've never been outside of Neopia Central, I know a lot about ships and the ocean."

      "Well, that's a good enough explanation for me," Leo assured. "Let's start fixing up this ship so it'll be ready in four hours when my friends get here."

     ~***~

      The docks were nearly empty by the time Wendy arrived with the pirate gear. It was extremely late. Wendy and Raxt were introduced, and the new and improved The Gift of Marqua was toured.

      "So here's what I got," said Wendy as the three sat on the ship's deck. She revealed a large suitcase and emptied its contents onto the deck. Four cutlasses, a captain's hat, some eye patches, and a Pirate Flag.

      "Excellent," Leo and Raxt said in unison. Leo put on an eye patch. "I'm feeling like a pirate already. Yarr, matey!"

      "Swab the decks!"

      "Walk the plank, ye landlubber!"

      "Yo ho ho and a bottle of... Dandelion and Burdock Drink?"

      Syra had appeared with a huge plastic bottle with a yellow label filled with purple liquid. Syra gestured to the three crates she had on a cart behind her. "Two week's worth of food and drink. All donated by Tombola."

      "Uh... great! We can store them down below. Now we're just waiting for Devin," said Wendy.

      "Speaking of Devin," Leo said, yawning. "There he is."

      Sure enough, Devin was walking along the docks, looking for his friends.

      "Over here!" Syra called. Devin waved and scurried over and on to the deck.

      "Nice to meet you Captain Devin," said Raxte, holding out a hoof. "I'm Officer Raxte, your newest recruit." They shook.

      "So, Devin, what's the plan?" Wendy asked.

      The Yurble knelt down and laid out a piece of parchment.

      "Mates," he said, "we're finding the treasure of Lutari Island."

The End