Jemima and the Pirates

Jemima was a young girl who could always be found in the garden. She loved nothing more than digging holes in the earth and planting seeds which would grow into delicious fruits and vegetables. But Jemima had a secret which she’d never told anyone in the whole world.

At the bottom of her garden was an old rickety potting shed. Every once in a while,  when her parents weren’t looking, she would creep down to the end of the garden and open the creaky old door.

Inside was a giant potato sack which she climbed into and all of a sudden, she disappeared. Just like that!

Jemima landed with a thump on something hard and grainy. She could smell the sea and the ground beneath her was swaying. No, not ground at all, but a deck! A deck of a huge ship!

‘ARRRRRGGGGH!’

Jemima spun round and saw a huge man with a dark black beard striding towards her. She was very frightened but did not scream.

‘ARRRRRRGGHHH!’ groaned the man again but before he reached her he fell to his knees in pain.

‘Are you alright?’ asked Jemima, though still very frightened.

‘No I don’t think so’ croaked the man.

‘Who are you?’ asked Jemima, now confident that she wasn’t in danger.

‘My name’s Captain Longsail, I’m a pirate and this is my ship. What are you doing here little girl?’

‘Well I climbed into my magical potato sack and now I’m here!’

‘Potatoes eh? Haven’t eaten one for months.’

‘Why not?’

‘We’ve run out. I don’t feel much like eating anything at the minute. I’ve got the scurvy’

‘What an earth is that?’ asked Jemima.

“It’s an illness pirates often get because we don’t eat enough vitamin C, we just drink rum and eat canned beef’ said the pirate with another huge groan.

‘Vitamin C?!,’ exclaimed Jemima, ‘Well I can help you there!’

And from her bag she pulled out a plump, round, shiny orange. She always brought snacks for a journey like this. She gave the orange to Captain Longsail and he munched it all up hungrily.

‘Have ye got any for my crew?’

‘Oh Yes!’ said Jemima, pulling out a full bag of oranges. ‘You’ll be all better now!’

‘Thank you little girl!’ yelled the Captain and his crew. ‘How can we ever repay you?’

‘Well, I have always wanted to sail a real ship before’ said Jemima hopefully.

‘Well want ye no more!’ bellowed Longsail as he took her by the hand and led her to the ship’s wheel where he showed her how to steer the ship and they sailed round the beautiful bay all afternoon.

‘I really should be going,’ said Jemima after hours of fun. ‘My parents will be worried.’

‘Well take this with you,’ said Longsail, handing her a black Pirates hat, ‘You’re an honorary pirate now!’

‘Thank you so much! I’ll keep it forever.’ And with that Jemima found her magic potato sack and climbed into it, waving goodbye to Captain Longsail and the pirates as she did so.

With a bump, she arrived back in her potting shed. She could hear her mother calling for her.

‘Jemima! It’s time for tea!’

‘Coming mum!’ she called.

‘Whatever do you get up to in that old shed?’ asked her mother

‘Oh nothing…just garden stuff.’

Where would the magic potato sack take Jemima next time? We’ll have to wait and see.