"Falkor, are we anywhere near England yet?" asked Karen as they soared through the clouds.
"We should be there soon," replied Falkor. "We're over a big blue ocean right now, take a look."
Karen leaned over the side while holding onto Falkor's neck and looked. Sure enough, they were over a vast ocean lit blue by the sun. She also saw something else in it far below them.
"Falkor, fly lower," she said. "I see something down there."
Falkor did so and when they were farther down enough that they could just taste the salty sea air Karen pointed out the object to the others. "Right there. You see it?"
Dobby and Mr. Wogglebug also leaned down slightly to see. "Why it looks like a pirate ship!" exclaimed Mr. Wogglebug in astonishment.
And it did. It was a vastly long wooden ship with narrow pointed ends and great white sails attached to its mast and a flag on one end that was black with a skull and crossed bones on it.
"It's Captain Hook's Jolly Roger, it is!" exclaimed Dobby.
"You must be right, Dobby," said Karen. "Let's get on it and find out if Captain Hook is causing any trouble. Falkor, can you just fly close enough to drop us off safely onto the deck?"
"I'm sure I can," replied Falkor. He flew farther down towards the ship and when he was a few feet above the deck they all climbed off his back and jumped onto the deck.
"Thanks, Falkor," said Karen. "Now you should fly high again to keep up with the ship. Be sure to fly up to where the pirates can't see you."
Falkor nodded and soared up into the air again and was soon out of sight among the clouds.
"Now we should look for the pirates," said Karen.
"I think they just found us!" exclaimed Mr. Wogglebug pointing behind her.
Karen slowly turned around and, sure enough, there were two pirates behind in front of them. One of them was wearing knee-breeches and a long blue coat and had a peg leg and an eye-patch over his left eye, and the other one was short, round, and balding with a bit of white hair that stuck out from underneath a blue bandanna. Neither of them looked too pleased to see them.
"Arr! And just who you be, Missy? And who be the two freaks with you?" demanded the pirate with the peg leg and eye-patch.
"My name is Karen, sir," said Karen in a strong and indignant voice. "And my friends are not freaks, they are a highly magnified wogglebug and a house-elf."
"Har, har!" laughed the pirate. "What business be bringing you lot here?"
"We... uh... have business with your captain," Karen said. "We must see him at once."
The one-eyed pirate looked to the shorter one and said, "Well, what do we do, Smee? Should we believe them?"
"I think we should take them to the captain, anyway," replied Smee. "After all, he would want to know about them."
"Alright then. Come with us you lot," said the taller pirate.
The pirates then led them down a flight of steps into the captain's quarters. They saw a bed in one corner and a large oaken desk in another corner which had a world globe and a dozen maps on it. Sitting in front of the desk and bending over one of the maps was Captain Hook himself. They knew him by the hook on his left hand and his long curly black hair and curled mustache and the long fancy red coat he wore.
Smee cleared his throat and said. "Excuse us, Captain. We found these three landlubbers on board the deck and they said they had some business with you, sir."
Captain Hook tensed as he turned slowly around and faced them with the most sinister sneer and darkest eyes they had ever seen. "I have never seen these three before in me life!" he snarled. "I'd never have no business with a pale short wench like this," here he pointed to Karen. "Or a scrawny little imp like this," here he pointed to Dobby. "Or an overgrown cockroach like this," here he pointed to Mr. Wogglebug.
Mr. Wogglebug exhaled sharply before he spoke. "I beg your pardon, Captain! I am not a an overgrown cockroach, I am a highly magnified wogglebug, and there is a big difference. And Dobby here is not an imp, he is a house-elf, and there is also a huge difference. And as for Karen, I would think as a Captain you would have better manners in addressing a young girl."
"Silence!" ordered Captain Hook. "I address you as I please! Now tell me your reason for being aboard me Jolly Roger, or else I slit you lot with me hook!"
Karen trembled slightly but she spoke up boldly, "I am a silvertongue, which means I can read characters out of books into the real world and I did that to you and now I must read you back into your book."
Captain Hook had lifted his eyebrows as Karen had spoken and now he drew his eyebrows together and pulled his head in raucous laughter as did the other two pirates.
"You a silvertongue! Read me out of a book!" he guffawed loudly. "Why, that be the tallest tale I ever heard spun!" He now stopped laughing and looked at them with narrow eyes full of fury. "Why, I'll have you know I am as real as surely as I be a pirate! I have scoured the seven seas for many years looking for treasures and now I am looking for one of the most priceless treasures of them all, the lost lamp of Arabia!"
"The lost lamp of Arabia?" repeated Karen in astonishment. "Why that is from the story of Aladdin which I also read from my book of fairy tales."
"Enough of this balderdash!" roared Captain Hook. "I will not hear of such nonsense on my ship!"
"What shall we do with them, Captain?" asked Smee. "Shall we just throw them overboard?"
"No," replied Captain Hook. "Put the young elf to work swabbing the deck, and put the giant insect in the brig to peel the potatoes, and the scullery maid can stay here and polish the boots and wash the dishes."
"Aye, aye, Captain," replied the pirates.
Karen watched as Dobby and Mr. Wogglebug were escorted upstairs by the pirates. Then Captain Hook sat in his chair and stuck his feet in the air and said, "Well, what are you waiting for you half-wit? Polish me boots till they sparkle!"
Karen frowned severely at him as she took a cloth and began to rub it against his large black boots.
"Spit on them!" commanded Captain Hook. Karen did so, and wished she had spit in his face though.
Karen washed a hundred dishes next while Dobby swabbed the whole of the deck and Mr. Wogglebug peeled hundreds of potatoes until there came a shout from the crow's nest.
"Land ho!"
They had reached the island of their destination. They docked next to it and threw down the anchor. Then they disembarked the ship with Captain Hook taking the lead in front of his crew with Karen and her friend trailing behind.
"Now, me lads," Captain Hook addressed his crew once they were a good ways inland. "You three go look for the treasure over there," here he pointed to Karen, Dobby, and Mr. Wogglebug. "And you three look for the treasure over there," here he pointed to three random pirates. "And you four go get some ale for us," here he pointed to four other pirates.
Just then there was a ticking sound being heard. Captain Hook suddenly grimaced and leaped into Smee's arms exclaiming, "The croc! The croc! The croc! Save me, Smee! Save me! Get back on the ship, quickly!"
Smee hurried staggering back up the ship with Captain Hook in his arms and four pirates followed him.
"Where is the crocodile?" Karen asked looking around. "I don't see one."
Mr. Wogglebug chuckled lightly. "That was just my pocket watch. It always ticks when I set it to a certain time."
Karen put her hands on her hips. "And did you know that Captain Hook would react to it the way he did?"
Mr. Wogglebug just nodded and laughed and then Karen and Dobby began to laugh also.
"Well, what do we do now?" asked Dobby once they had stopped laughing.
"We should find the treasure," said Karen. "It is an ancient lamp with a magic genie inside that grants three wishes to whoever finds it. So if we find it we'll get those three wishes."
"Good idea," said Mr. Wogglebug. "Where should we look for it, though?"
"Most likely it will be hidden in a cave since that is where Aladdin found it in the Arabian tale," replied Karen.
So they set out in search of a cave in the direction Captain Hook had pointed them in. Eventually they found a large cave that was shaped like a tiger's head with the jaws wide open.
"This must be it," said Karen.
So they entered the cave which was as dark as night inside and looked around. Then suddenly Karen's foot hit something solid that was buried beneath the floor of the cave.
"I think I've found it!" she called to her friends.
Then she and Dobby and Mr. Wogglebug all got their hands dirty as they uncovered the object they had found. When they picked it up and held it up to the light they saw that it was a small old-fashioned oil-lamp the color of gold and there were also words engraved on the bottom of it.
Mr. Wogglebug read the words aloud: "Thou who holdeth me shall have their wildest dreams come true."
"Let's see if it's true," said Karen. She gave the lamp a light rubbing on the side.
Suddenly the lamp started vibrating in her hands and purple smoke steamed out of the end of it and then suddenly the purple smoke gathered together in the form of man with purple skin wearing a large turban and a goatee. His hands were folded across his chest and he had no legs but a tail that was attached to the end of the lamp.
"I am the spirit of the lamp, I will be your slave three times and no more as thou is holder of the lamp," said the genie looking at Karen.
Karen was very excited to say the least. She was just about to make her first wish when suddenly they were surrounded by the pirates of Captain Hook.
"Ahar! You has found the magic lamp!" exclaimed one pirate. "It now must go to the Captain."
"No! It's mine! I found it!" exclaimed Karen defiantly.
The pirates then seized her and her friends and carried them back to the ship where Captain Hook was relaxing on the deck drinking ale.
"Ah! You've found me treasure for me, I see," said Captain Hook with a satisfied grin. "Now hand it over and we'll all be friends."
"No, I will not hand it over to you of all people!" Karen yelled. "I found this lamp and so it is rightfully mine! Besides, who knows what kind of evil deeds you will commit with such a powerful item in your hands!"
Captain Hook gritted his teeth as his eyes burned with rage. He went up to Karen as she was being held by the pirates and put the edge of his hook to her throat.
"I warn thee, Missy!" he said in a very threatening voice. "You have a right to choose between your life and the lamp!"
"You will not harm Karen!" exclaimed Dobby as he struggled to free himself from the pirate who was holding him. "You will have to strike Dobby first!"
Captain Hook grinned most evilly as he turned his hook towards Dobby now. "Well, what will it be now, the life of the elf or the lamp?" he asked.
Tears filled Karen's eyes and she was just about to hand over the lamp to Captain Hook when suddenly from out of the blue there came a loud crowing. Everyone cocked their heads up toward the sky.
"Up there! It's Peter Pan!" exclaimed Smee.
"Peter Pan! Curses!" shouted Captain Hook in agony.
"Hooray! Peter Pan!" exclaimed Dobby.
Then they all watched as a boy of thirteen years with blonde hair and green eyes wearing an outfit woven from fig leaves flew down from the sky and landed on the deck before them. Accompanying him was a tiny ball of yellow light.
"Curse the luck!" exclaimed Captain Hook in outrage. "Pan, you are always following me wherever I go!"
"And I will keep following you until the end!" said Peter. "Hook, you are the cruelest, greediest, and most villainous pirate to ever sail the seven seas!"
"Why, you flatter me, boy," said Hook smirking. "Now," he added pointing his hook at Peter, "if you have any last words..."
"Wait, Hook!" said Peter leaping into the air. "Let's have a fair fight first!" He then took out a long sword from a cord belt tied around his waist.
"I accept!" said Hook.
Then the fight began with Hook clawing at Peter with his hook and Peter blocking it with his sword and doing all sorts of movements in midair all the while. Everyone watched anxiously, especially when Hook's hook suddenly managed to grab onto the edge of Peter's sword and Peter in his surprise let go of it.
Everyone gasped as Captain Hook laughed manically. "Foolish boy you always were to the end!"
Hook was just about to plunge his hook into Peter but just then Peter pulled out a large fluffy pink feather and began tickling him all over with it.
"Wretched boy! What is this?" Hook exclaimed in between uncontrolled laughter.
"I'm just teaching you a lesson in fighting fair, Captain Codfish!" exclaimed Peter as he continued with his tickling.
The more Peter tickled him the harder Hook laughed and the more he tried to step back from him and Peter just floated along with him to the edge of the ship. Then with one last tickle to his midsection Hook lost his footing and fell off the ship over the side.
"Smee!" Hook shouted to his first mate as he fell.
"Right away, Captain!" called Smee as he rushed to a lifeboat and the pirates all ran with him.
Now Karen and her friends were free. "Thanks, Peter Pan," she said gratefully to the boy hero. "You came at exactly the right time. But how?"
"A luck-dragon by the name of Falkor flew up to me and told me you were in Hook's clutches," Peter explained.
"Speaking of Falkor," said Karen. "We should be getting back to him before Hook and the pirates come back. If only we could fly."
"I can fix that," said Peter. "Tink," he said to the ball of light. "The pixie dust, if you please?"
Then the little fairy flew all around Karen, Dobby, and Mr. Wogglebug scattering her pixie dust all over them from head to toe.
"Now," said Peter, "all it takes is faith and trust and thinking lovely wonderful happy thoughts!"
So each thought of the happiest things they could think of and rose into the air and flew with Peter up into the clouds leaving the pirates and a drenched Captain Hook standing on the deck shouting and waving their fists at them.
They flew up higher until they finally reached Falkor just below the clouds and Karen, Dobby, and Mr. Wogglebug climbed onto the luck-dragon's back again. They then waved goodbye to Peter Pan as he wished them well and flew away.
Karen still held the lamp tightly in her lap. She rubbed its side and the genie appeared before her.
"What is thou's wish?" he asked.
"I wish Captain Hook and his crew to go to some place far away where they will never cause anyone any trouble again," said Karen.
"Thy wish is granted," the genie bowed and then disappeared back into the lamp.
They all looked down and saw that the pirate ship had vanished.
"That was a very wise wish," said Mr. Wogglebug. "What will your next two wishes be?"
"I am saving them for later," Karen replied.