Wilf paused for a moment. He peered at the curved row of houses heading away from the docks towards the smoke-billowing factory. The arches of the crumbling bridge cast a shadow over the bustling market below. Aromas of oil, sea-water and smoke penetrated the air. However, the sudden chime of bells brought him back to reality. He had a job to do! He turned away from his window and ran downstairs, picking up his bag of tools and his coat as he left the house.

Arriving at the docks, a little out of breath, Wilf stared at the beautiful, blue, calm sea. He started to imagine what this mysterious journey would be like – what was going to happen, could he survive? He gazed at the huge old ship which was made from the finest wood in the land. He was tingling with excitement but also he had frightened butterflies in the pit of his stomach. A quick shiver ran down his spine!

Slowly he climbed aboard the majestic ship…….

As the wooden planks creaked beneath his feet, Wilf thought about the chain of events that had brought him here. He was working as a carpenter for Roberts & Co Ltd, who owned and built the Victorious, the beautiful ship that was now sailing slowly away from the shore. Imagine his surprise when Mr Roberts had approached him and shown him the plans for a voyage of discovery to the New World. Mr Roberts was a very rich man, with an interest in natural history. It was his ambition to lead an expedition to search for new species of exotic animals. Wilf had felt honoured and excited to be chosen.

It wasn’t at all how Wilf had expected it to be. The food was plain and simple, but not to his taste. He found it terribly hard to get used to the pitch and roll of the ship. He slept in the dark bowels of the old creaky ship, with about fifty other men and boys, on his uncomfortable, mouldy hammock that he had to string up himself every night. The noise of the ship and the other men snoring prevented him from sleeping and irritated him.

However, there were good points. In the evenings he enjoyed spending time with his crewmates on the deck, watching the dolphins splashing in the crystal clear water as the sun set over the hazy, pink horizon.

Life went on like this for a few months, until one day a monstrous, and somehow sinister, ship loomed into view …

Dark, gloomy clouds enveloped the sinister ship like a circle of vicious sharks. As the ship got closer, the clouds got even darker and slowly concealed the sun from view. The wind began to cry. The waves began to fight. The lightening lit the sky like a beacon. Silently crying for help, Wilf’s heart mirrored the chaotic rocking of the boat. With every clap of thunder the ship crawled closer, Wilf stared open eyed at the horror before him. A decrepit pirate ship. Wilf’s life flashed before his eyes.

The boat got closer still. Canons as black as coal glistened in the moonlight. Suddenly, a small, round ball shot out of the canon like a meteor. The ship juddered; Wilf hugged the mast pole like his life depended on it while watching his crewmates being carried away by death. It was over. Slowly the ship started to sink. The pirates had won. A disorderly pirate, grinning from ear to ear, threw a lifeline to the remaining crew. Reluctantly, they all climbed aboard to await their fate.

Looking around him, Wilf could sense the ghosts of previous victims. The so called ship was wrecked, cracks everywhere in the creaking planks. Wilf had goosebumps as he contemplated what his future might hold. With that, he was shoved forwards into a line with his former crewmates. A pirate with a wooden leg inspected them all, dragging his dead leg behind him. Each of them was intensely questioned about why they were aboard their ship, what they were doing and who did they write to back home. Once the interrogation was over, the pirates huddled together deep in conversation. Eventually one of them shot off inside…what was he doing? Imagine Wilf’s shock and surprise when the door reopened and there stood Mr Robertson with an evil grin on his face…

Wilf had a very bad feeling about this.

Slowly, Mr Roberts edged towards him. His beautiful daughter, Elsa, crept behind him, quietly whispering in his ear. Anxiously, Wilf wondered if they would all walk the creaking wooden plank and plunge into the darkest, deepest bottomless depths. Would they come out alive? Would their story ever be passed on?

“Father,” Wilf heard her say softly. “These boys would be good for slaves.”

“Mm, they could help me with my plan to collect unusual animals,” he murmured maliciously.

Elsa’s blue eyes glittered in the sunlight as her father stroked his chin thoughtfully. Mr Roberts looked even meaner than before.

It went silent.

Nobody said anything for the next five minutes.

Only the sea and the howling wind could be heard on the creaking boat.

Elsa put an end to this quietness. “You must help my father!” she shouted at the top of her voice. “Then you will survive,” she added more calmly.

“Hey, you lot. What are you doing?” came a booming voice from the stern. The grumpy pirate came stomping back to the deck.

“These people are my slaves,” Mr Roberts informed him.

Good news. They weren’t going to walk the plank. Bad news. They were going to be slaves. Wilf couldn’t decide which was worse. Suddenly, Mr Roberts grabbed hold of the waistcoat of the nearest pirate and threw him down into the rat-infested hold below. Once gone, Wilf heard shouts from Mr Roberts and whimpers from the pirate. Evil and sad at the same time.

A shadow appeared out of nowhere. What was it? Where did it come from? More importantly, why was it on the ship?

The murky, mysterious shadow loomed closer to Wilf and the other newly-employed, terrified slaves. Wilf opened his mouth wide in horror as the shape of the shadow became clearer. What looked like a twisted, decaying mermaid crept dangerously towards Mr Roberts and Elsa.

Elsa gasped, “What is that mysterious creature?” as it slithered towards them.

Mr Roberts gazed at the ghastly, sickening creature with revolting ivory teeth, eyes like the devil, a velvety tail and a trail of slime following behind. This was not part of his wicked plan.

The remaining pirates inched closer towards the rails of the ship. Ready for any opportunity to escape. Mr Roberts shot them a ‘Don’t move another muscle’ look. The obnoxious wimps of pirates froze with terror in their hearts.

Furiously, the slimy creature crept around the rusty, creaky ship. It was as if it was looking for something. Wilf wondered what the intent of this creature was. Did it want to hurt us? Did it want to help us? He hoped it was the latter. A shiver went down Wilf’s spine. There were feelings of dread in the pit of his stomach.

The miserable creature smelled terribly of mouldy seaweed and was as ghastly as anything you’ve ever smelled. Wilf looked at the other slaves. They all had the same look on their faces – disgust.

A creaky voice started quietly, “There will be no slaves on this sea…this is the sea of Freedom.” Everyone on the ship turned – where was the voice coming from? Mr Roberts and Elsa sped to the side of the ship and peered over the edge. There, swimming before their eyes was a beautiful mermaid. “What are you?” they screamed.

“My name is Glinda, Queen of the Sea” the mermaid replied. “On land I become a terrifying, slimy creature, under the sea I am mesmerising. You have entered my ocean with ill-intent and evilness in your heart.”

Mr Roberts looked shocked. “Wh-wh-what do you mean?” he shuddered.

Deliberately, the mermaid spoke, “Free these people and you can continue your journey to the wild-lands. Keep these people enslaved and FEEL MY WRATH!”

Mr Roberts fell back at the shock from the screaming mermaid. Elsa just stood still and spoke softly, “Let them go father. We should return them home.”

Wilf and the other slaves looked at each other in hope – could this terrible nightmare be coming to an end?

He swallowed the lump in his throat and took a big breath.

With a sudden start, Wilf awoke with a fright. He rapidly looked around the gutters of the ship. There was no mermaid. There was no Mr Roberts and there were certainly no pirates.

Wilf heard a bell overhead.

“BREAKFAST!” cried the ship’s captain. “Let’s go, you hungry goats”.

by Year 4 pupils from Lowther, Sheen Mount, Stanley and Darell primary schools