Chapter 1

If someone were to look out…out toward the west, they'd see a bit of the ocean around the bend from where they now stood. This ocean was where pirates were ravaging the sea lanes both day and night, day in and day out.

However, if that someone were to head round the Summer Island, sailing through the narrow strait that was called the Needle's Eye…why, then they'd arrive at the Middle Cove…a peaceful picturesque bay where one would immediately feel a great deal safer.

The first thing a visitor would notice would be the old ship that floated beside Middle Cove's leftmost pier. There sat berthed the good ship, Gorine, which was owned by the renowned sailor, James Possible (Mr. Dr. Possible), also known by both the locals and to his friends as James the Red. This name was the result of his florid coloring when he became upset…essentially, the way his skin became beet red each time anyone tried to play him false or irritate him.

James, renown for his years at sea, had decided to give up his wandering life at sea and take up roots finally. And where better---at least as the locales told it---then here at Middle Cove? James decided there and then that this scenic bay was just where he wanted to live out his life, quite possibly the finest place he ever known. And, in Middle Cove, he had his built himself his own little home, close by his ship, as well as all of his best friends, who lived in and around him there.

Directly next door, the genial and fetching Aunt Katherine (Mrs. Dr. Possible) lived, running in her cozy pub which was downstairs from her living quarters, where she and her sweet daughter Kim, worked.

Sounds idyllic now, doesn't it? Well, yes…however, even in the world's most peaceful bay might have its share of unexpected guests…

At this very moment, a gangling teenage boy walked down along the waterfront, alone. He had blond hair, which was almost visible beneath his tight-fitting, blue knitted cap. The boy had a sprinkling of freckles, running over the bridge of his nose and across his cheeks, upon his sun tanned face. He was dressed in a worn shirt of wide red-and-white horizontal stripes, which bore small holes here and there, which was ucked into tattered blue knee-length pants. Over his somewhat narrow shoulder he carried a stout stick, at whose end hung a bundle, most probably containing food, and whatever meager possession the lad might keep. The only hints of his true profession dangled from his left ear---a golden hoop earring---and from his waist, where his free hand rested upon the pommel of the small dagger slid through his belt.

The young man continued to walk along, and if a stranger had been nearby, they would of heard him start to sing his own little song, the blue twisted kerchief tied about his neck moving slightly as he did so...

(Original song in ( ). English version written normally)

Ron's Song

(Pinky´s sang)

Here I comes alone

(Her kommer jeg alene)

A little walk on land

(En liten tur på land)

I got too tired of ship's decks

(Jeg ble så lei av skutedekk)

And mile after mile of water

(og mil på mil med vann)

Now I will feel land

(Nå vil jeg kjenne landjord)

Under my shoes while I can

(under skoa mens jeg kan)

I am Ron

(Jeg er Pinky)

That is what I´m called aboard

(Det kalles jeg om bord)

Even if I´m young

(Selv om jeg er liten)

I´d love to be old

(vil jeg gjerne være stor)

I am Ron

(Jeg er Pinky)

Ron is my name

(Pinky er mitt navn)

Usually I´m a pirate

(Til vanlig er jeg sjørøver)

But now we are ashore

(men nå er vi i havn)

Maybe here I can find

(Her kan jeg kanskje finne)

Some drink and food

(litt drikkevann og mat)

Because angry Captain Drakken

(for sinte Kaptein Sabeltann)

Becomes happy with full dishes

(blir blid av fylte fat)

He gets so very hungry

(Han blir så veldig sulten)

while working as a pirate

(av å jobbe som pirat)

I am Ron

(Jeg er Pinky)

That is what I´m called aboard

(Det kalles jeg om bord)

Even if I´m young

(Selv om jeg er liten)

I´d love to be old

(vil jeg gjerne være stor)

I am Ron

(Jeg er Pinky)

Ron is my name

(Pinky er mitt navn)

Usually I´m a pirate

(Til vanlig er jeg sjørøver)

But now we are ashore

(men nå er vi i havn)

I learned pretty early

(Jeg lærte ganske tidlig)

To steal like a man

(å røve som en mann)

Beacuse I have sailed for many years

(for jeg har seilt i flere år)

With Captain Drakken

(med Kaptein Sabeltann)

To plunder ships on the sea is the only thing I can

(Å plyndre skip på havet er det eneste jeg kan)

I am Ron

(Jeg er Pinky)

That is what I´m called aboard

(Det kalles jeg om bord)

Even if I´m young

(Selv om jeg er liten)

I´d love to be old

(vil jeg gjerne være stor)

I am Ron

(Jeg er Pinky)

Ron is my name

(Pinky er mitt navn)

Usually I´m a pirate

(Til vanlig er jeg sjørøver)

But now we are ashore

(men nå er vi i havn)

Usually I´m a pirate

(Til vanlig er jeg sjørøver)

But now we are ashore

(men nå er vi i havn)

Ron, our erstwhile pirate-in-hiding, suddenly heard something and turned toward the sound. To his disbelief and amazement, he spotted a girl about his age, who was quite pretty indeed. She was wearing a fetching white dress, which bore a print of wide horizontal and vertical stripes in pink. Her long auburn hair was done up braids that hung down from each side of her head. Her bright green eyes were gleaming with excitement as she yelled, waving a sheet of ancient-looking leather from one slender hand.

Now, Ron figured that if anybody did actually see him, they'd of chased him away, so since he and the girl looked to be alone, and the sheet in her hand looked rather interesting, he did the only logical thing he could…he hid aboard James old ship, the Gorine. Ron watched the girl come closer and closer, hearing yelling. "James! James, come and see what I've found, James!" she bellowed.

James the Red, after a long pause, came out of his house. Ron saw immediately that this James was an old salt, a veteran sailor. His pants were a deep shade of brown and were of good quality. He wore a pair of natty white socks that were tucked into a pair of gleaming polished leather shoes sporting shining brass buckles upon them. His shirt was also white, and over it he wore a navy blue vest. He even had a red kerchief tied about his neck---very much like Ron's own.

"James," the girl said again and stopped in front of him.

"Kim, where have you been so long? I was starting to get worried about you," James stated, all the while shaking his finger in front of Kim a bit reproachfully.

Kim rolled her eyes, shaking her head, but replied nonetheless. "I have been down to the lagoon at that wreck of an old pirate vessel, swimming. But, James, look here," Kim said in excitement. "James, what do you think this is?" She handed over her find to James for him to examine.

James looked first at the map, then at Kim. "Look you, Kim, this is but another old sea ma---" He started, but stopped abruptly upon opening the map. He then shook his head, his eyes now wide with surprise and amazement. "Well now, walk the plank and jump into the ocean," James observed with a grin. "Kim, me girl, why you've found yourself a pirate's map!"

Ron (at the sound of the word pirate, followed by the word map) started listening very hard from his hiding spot aboard ship.

Kim herself was no better. "A pirate's map?" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Where did you find this, lass?" James asked.

"Why, aboard that old ship wreck in the lagoon," Kim related to him…again.

James took a better look at the map now, laying it down on a barrel, which by the way afforded the hiding Ron a chance to view what was upon it without him being seen. "You know what," James ventured after a while. "This here isn't just any old pirate's map, missy. It's a treasure map too."

A very excited Kim replied eagerly. "A treasure map, you say?"

"This," James said and smiled, "is a map to the treasure that the old Pirate King, Gabriel the Horrible, himself buried…that very day he ran aground here in our lagoon…back in…er, let's see…April 22nd…some 126 years ago, Kim. It'd be the most famous and fabulous treasure ever…you do know that it's always been rumored to be here in Middle Cove. Why, every pirate, thief, and cutthroat has searched long and hard for this very map all the long years since then."

Kim smiled, nearly bouncing on her toes with excitement. "Really? Oh, James, could this really be the one? That treasure that nobody's ever managed to find?"

"Lass…I do think so…because nary a soul has ever found it…that is, before you did, just now," James proclaimed in a quiet voice, though he did smile at the pretty, excited girl. "Why, look you, Kim dear…this map not only shows us the way to the trove, it also provides us ways to solve the riddle to find the treasure itself!"

Kim smiled and laughed happily, delighting in being the one who had found the precious map. "The biggest treasure in all the world?" a very excited Kim questioned hopefully.

James, who was as nearly as exited as Kim was, nodded. "The biggest treasure in the world…ever! Why, did you know that an old sea dog, a friend of mine, found a place nearby here in fact, where he discovered a chest---full of gold doubloons, emeralds and rubies---full enough so he could live a lifetime like a very king!" He bent down just then, and looked at the bottom right corner of the map. "Hmm, let's see here, lass…this here symbol…it stands for something, I know…but, well, it's not easy to decipher these old letters," James told her, peering intently at the ancient text. "Let me see. If I be reading this a-right, this here states that 'At Gabriel the Horrible's anchor, you're to count eight steps."

Kim smiled as she looked down to the pale characters on the page…immeasurably glad to have an old salt like James to help her. "Yes, eight steps…right," she murmured, and then squinted down, continuing to read…all the while none the wiser that Ron was eavesdropping from his position beneath the bowsprit, where he held on to a few ropes. "Hmm, says here 'In the middle of the rocks, under the sand…grr, damn…what does that word here say, James?"

James looked down, paused a moment to recollect, then continued on with the rest of it. "You got most of it, girl…and that's something to be proud of. Let's see…says here that 'In the middle of the rocks, under the sand, lies the gold that's soon to be yours."

Kim smiled at that, then asked. "But, James…who would own this treasure…if we could find it?"

"Well, lass, after so many years, the treasure would go to whomever finds it first, you see," James declared cleverly, his eyes twinkling.

Kim jumped up and down, her hands clasped together beneath her chin, her eyes shining. "So…does that mean that the treasure would be ours to keep then?" Kim hoped a moment later.

James suddenly turned serious just then. "Aye, it would. And, bearing that in mind, miss…that means that we need to be careful. Very careful indeed," James told her. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "For, if someone else were to catch wind of this…you could bet that we'd garner us a visit from the likes of that wretch, Captain Drakken, so we would."

"Captain Drakken?" Kim said with a gasp of surprise and fear.

"Aye lass, Cap'n Drakken. He's the most horrible pirate what ever sailed o'er the seven seas. He's made it his ambition to scour the high seas, as well as the coasts, looking for this very treasure for years on end…ah, but he's still hasn't managed it yet. Nor will he, if we play this rightly, miss." He and Kim smiled and soon the two began to sing a most familiar, yet chilling tune.

Vi må ikke si ett ord

James:

This map shows the way

(Dette kartet viser vei)

To gold and diamonds

(Til gull og diamanter)

Kim:

But I´m afraid of pirates

(Men jeg er redd for røvere)

They are around all corners

(De finns på alle kanter)

James:

As for that, you can calm down

(Det kan du ta med ro)

Here it's just we two

(Ron shakes his head and holds upp 3 fingers)

(Her er vi bare to)

And the pirates have searched

(Og røverne har lett)

For hundreds of years

(I hundre år)

They have no idea

(De aner ingenting)

about our treasure

(om skatten vår)

Both:

We must not say a word

(Vi må ikke si et ord)

Nor tell what we know

(Ikke røpe det vi vet)

The treasure in the Middle Cove

(skatten i kjuttaviga)

Shall be our secret

(skal være vår hemmelighet)

It's not going to be easy

(Det blir ikke lett)

But we have to stay shut

(men vi må holde tett)

As best as we can

(Så godt vi bare kan)

Or else we'll get trouble

(ellers får vi trøbbel)

From Captain Drakken

(med Kaptein Sabeltann)

Kim:

Thieves hide everywhere

(Tyver lurer overalt)

They sneak through the night

(de sniker gjennom natten)

Maybe they´ll follow us

(De følger kanskje etter oss)

When we are getting the treasure

(Når vi skal hente skatten)

James:

As for that, you can calm down

(Det kan du ta med ro)

Here it's just we two

(Her er vi bare to)

And if we keep the map

(og hvis vi holder kartet)

To ourselves

(for oss selv)

Nobody will understand were we go tonight

(vil ingen skjønne hvor vi går i kveld)

Both:

We must not say a word

(Vi må ikke si et ord)

Nor tell what we know

(Ikke røpe det vi vet)

The treasure in Middle Cove

(skatten i kjuttaviga)

Shall be our secret

(skal være vår hemmelighet)

It's not going to be easy

(Det blir ikke lett)

But we have to stay shut

(men vi må holde tett)

As best as we can

(Så godt vi bare kan)

Or else we'll get trouble

(ellers får vi trøbbel)

From Captain Drakken

(med Kaptein Sabeltann)

Kim smiled then, and hugged James, who smiled at the comely girl. "So…what do we do now, James?" she asked, nearly breathlessly.

"Aye, that's the problem now. Tell you what, though, Kim…now we make ourselves ready for a treasure hunt. That's why we do, my dear girl," James told her conspiratorially.

Just then a tall lovely woman stepped out off the nearby pub. She was dressed in a blue dress with polka dots, and a darker blue hat that looked much like a bonnet. "James?" she called, cupping her hands to her mouth.

James smiled, then turned about to face her. "Yes, Katherine?" James called back.

"Do you think you could be kind enough to help me for a while?" Katherine asked.

"Aye, Aunt Katherine! I'll be right there!" James returned. He turned toward Kim. "Now, Kim…I need to help your Aunt Katherine for a while. You stay here and guard that map. Do you hear?"

Kim nodded her acceptance of this responsibility, and with that, James turned and walked over to the pub, leaving Kim alone…not knowing that she wasn't truly alone…for also aboard was Ron the pirate!