Teddy Spud becomes a Pirate: 3

Rascal stood on the tipping deck, staring into the rain. The Centaur bucked and slid through the waves and every part of the old ship creaked and moaned, whistled and flapped as she struggled onwards. The wind came in solid walls, each long blast preceded by a lull as if the storm was breathing in, and the wind grew in strength each time until Spud’s fur was blown straight out and the little bear had to cling on with all his strength. He was far above Rascal, near the top of the treacherous webbing and the sails billowed and strained around him. His foot slipped and he fell, hooking an arm over the rope and clinging on whilst his body blew out horizontally. He was shouting and begging but the wind blew his words away.

“Please, Rascal, let me come down. I’ll work in the kitchens, I’ll scrub the decks, anything.”

Rascal stood firm, his wooden leg planted on the deck as if it had grown there, and his one good eye stared redly through the driving rain. He pointed upwards, and pulled out a pistol from his belt, aiming it at Spud.

“I can’t go any further,” Spud yelled, his squeaky voice breaking. “I can’t.”

The pistol fired, and the lead ball flattened against the mast inches from Spud’s head. A splinter of wood stuck in his leg and he smelled burned fur. Now the Crow’s Nest did not seem so far after all and he scrambled the rest of the way, pulling himself up into the safety of the lookout. For a moment he lay there, panting with the effort, and actually laughing that he was still alive. It was the first time that he had not thought about home, and the old lady who looked after him. His Hattie, whom he had known since she was very young, and since he was brand new. He pulled the splinter from his leg and looked at the tear and at that point, something very strange happened. Instead of seeing the brown stuffing he was used to, he felt a pain, and the end of the splinter was red. He closed the tear and the edges joined, leaving a scar behind.

“What is this?” He looked at the leg once more and tugged at his fur. “Ouch!”

He was real, no longer something made that could be unmade. He was real. “I am alive!” he shouted into the wind.

“Belay there, ye landlubber. What can ye see?” Rascal’s voice blew up to him, reminding where he was, on an impossible pirate ship, somewhere in the place where toilets led to, and somehow, somewhere along that journey, he had become real. He looked over the edge.

The view from the Crow’s Nest was both wonderful and terrifying. Each time the ship rode a wave, the mast swayed what seemed an impossible distance and he had to cling on tight to stop himself being thrown to the floor. The deck was so far below that Rascal appeared to be tiny, and the waves that heaved themselves up around the ship were more like mountains of water over which they had to climb, their tops whipped away in the wind. Beyond the blackness of the waves the sky was an angry red, and the ceiling of brick that had been there on his arrival seemed to have mysteriously dissolved, to be replaced by clouds so thick that rain fell from them in solid cascades. The sickly billows of cloud rushed overhead as he swayed and pretty soon, he felt awfully sick. A faceful of rain cleared Spud’s mind and he picked up the telescope that hung from a nail, and tried to focus it onto the distance, not sure what he should be looking for. At first he could only see mist, but as he turned the barrel of the telescope (which was difficult, because his paw was small and slippy), the distant views became clear and he saw – another ship. It looked to be in trouble, wallowing horribly, and the biggest mast was broken, the sails trailing in the sea. Waves were crashing onto it, and beyond the ship, in the farthest distance was a long, low darkness. He fiddled with the telescope again, resting it on the edge of the Crow’s Nest and cried out with joy.

“Land!” he screamed into the wind, waving his paw. “Land Ahoy! Ship in trouble! Land!”

Rascal was talking to a tall bear and they both looked up at him. He shouted again and waved, and Rascal might have waved back, it was hard to tell with the monkey, for his arms were always on the move. They moved out of sight and it dawned on Spud that he would have to somehow, make his way back down the rigging, over the swaying sea and the hard deck. He turned round, losing his balance and discovered that the way in and out of the Crow’s Nest was actually through the bottom, which had a trapdoor in it and so he summoned his courage and opened it. The climb down was worse than going up, for every time he looked at where he was putting his paws he saw the sea heaving and crashing and the mast swayed out alarmingly. The flapping canvas deafened him and by the time he fell onto the deck, he was exhausted. A wooden leg stamped into the deck by his face and the metal hook scooped him up by the neck.

“Well?” asked captain Rascal. “What did ye see, little bear?”

Spud grappled with the hook, trying to pull himself free. “I saw an island in the distance, and in front of it was a ship. I think it was in trouble. I think we should go and help them.”

A large wave thundered over the deck. The captain held onto the wheel, and Spud clung onto the end of the hook. When it was past, the ship shuddered and groaned, but Rascal was laughing heartily. “Says ye! Well, maybe we will, lad, but it’s treasure we’re after, and entertainment. Maybe we’ll find someone to walk the plank, and if we don’t, well, we’ve always got ye!”

Spud had had enough. He put his paws on his hips and looked the captain in his one eye. “Now you listen to me,” he squeaked. “I’ve had enough of this. If you want to kill me, do it right now, or leave me alone.”

Rascal bent down and stared at Spud. He stood up and stroked his knotted beard, and fiddled with the gold ring in his ear. Then he kneeled down, still holding the wheel and drew out his long knife, and he took hold of Spud. The small bear closed his eyes, prepared for the worst, but he felt the knife handle in his paw and opened his eyes.

“Welcome to the crew, master Spud,” the captain said. “Ye have become a pirate this day. There is much to learn but ye have a great heart. Great enough to learn the Secret, I’ll be bound. But that’s for another day. Now get ye below, for we’ve got a ship to catch. Tell everyone it’s action stations!”