Two young boys watched anxiously as the dice each had just thrown rolled to a stop on the ground by their feet. The taller boy jumped with excitement when he saw that he had gotten a higher number than his playmate. "I win," he said with a bit of a gloat, "I'm the Admiral and you're the Pirate, James."
Seven year old James grabbed his short, wooden sword off the ground and ran into the nearby trees to hide. He could hear his older brother George counting the agreed upon hundred.
"…fifteen, sixteen…"
George loved to be the Admiral, like most of the other boys the brothers played with. If you won the dice roll, you simply had to pick the Admiral and force someone else to be the Pirate.
James, however, didn't see the appeal of the Admiral. All you did was chase after the Pirate, and it was much more fun to lead the Admiral in circles as the Pirate. If James won the dice, he would pick the Admiral, but he only did it to fit in.
"…forty-six, forty-seven…"
Being a real pirate someday was a dream that James had. He wanted to sail around the world. He wanted to wear comfortable clothes. He wanted adventure, the kind you can't have if you have to follow the rules all the time. He wanted to be free.
Unfortunately, dreams of being a pirate were not something he could share with his brother. George would tell Father, and James would get a long talk about how all pirates deserved "a short drop and a sudden stop."
"…ninety-three, ninety-four…"
Hearing that his brother had almost finished counting, James leapt for cover behind a large tree.
"…one hundred…Here I come, James. Prepare to be defeated, Pirate!"