Come Sail Away

Brandi was soaking in every ray of sunlight she could as she lay on the warm golden sand. Today was a perfect day to be at the beach. She had searched these shores for a completely remote spot where she could be alone. Ever since she and her mom had moved to this tropical “paradise”, she had not had a moment to herself. Unpacking, new school, new way of life far from all she had known took up all her time. The night before, she and her mom had a huge fight. Her mother said Brandi needed to grow up and take more responsibility. Even though she was going to be 13 soon, Brandi didn’t want to grow up just yet. She still loved playing with dolls, hugging her teddy bear, and coloring with her crayons. Why did everyone need to grow up so fast anyway?

So before her mom even woke up, Brandi got on her bike and rode out to this secluded beach she discovered online. To get to Marauders’ Beach you had to ride a narrow, hidden path and descend a steep cliff. She hid her bike in some bushes, and headed down the rocks. Eventually, she reached the bottom, excited to find a space all her own with no one else around. On this isolated shore, Brandi could relax and play like a kid without anyone telling her to be more mature!

Delighted, Brandi quickly set up her beach blanket, and laid out her space to her liking. She had brought all her favorite pleasures- books, crayons, dolls, bubbles, and for lunch- a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. What more could a kid ask for? Oh yes, a sandcastle play set, since it had been so long since she had built one. No one could make fun of her for enjoying the activities she liked, nor would they call her a baby for wanting to play with these toys. But first, she wanted to skip down the beach and jump into the cool water on this steamy day.

As the hours passed, she did all she desired, unfettered by any responsibilities. She even got to make the greatest sandcastle ever that afternoon, complete with fancy streamers and a moat. Proud of all her accomplishments, Brandi decided to take a break. Staring dreamily out at the glistening sea, she noticed something on the horizon. Was that a boat way out there? She hadn’t noticed that a few minutes ago. Reaching for her cel phone, Brandi zoomed in with its camera. Definitely, it was a boat, and a fairly large one at that. She zoomed in more for a closer look- a large galleon style vessel with some sort of flags flapping. Could that be a pirate flag on what appeared be a pirate ship? She blinked and shook her head to make sure this was not just an illusion. Nope, it was still there. Now Brandi noticed 2 smaller boats that were speeding their way towards her shore. She quickly grabbed what she could and shoveled it back in her bag. The boats were coming so fast, she had no time to head back up the cliff. There had to be someplace she could hide down here. On the south side of the beach she noticed an outcrop of rocks, and ducked behind them. Laying as low as she could, she hoped she had not been noticed. She heard the boats hit the shore, and voices yelling commands over the crashing waves. But these voices didn’t sound like tough weather-worn pirates to her, they were too high pitched.

Very slowly, Brandi peeked over the rock to have a look. Much to her surprise, these weren’t big burly men, but rather the voices belonged to children. Someone spotted her, and they all ran over toward where she sat. Brandi feared the worst was about to happen, but instead was bombarded with loud cheers. “She is one of us youngens- huzzah” someone shouted, and there were more hoots and hollers. They quieted to a hush and parted to allow a tallish red-headed girl with what looked like a pirate hat come forward. Turning her head sideways, this girl stared hard at Brandi trying to figure her out, and then declared “yup, a youngen- another lost soul!”

“I am not a lost soul!” Brandi cried out angrily. ”I just needed to get away”.

“Well if you want to get away, how ‘bout you take a ride on our boat”. The red-headed girl pointed out toward the ship on the horizon. “She’s a beauty. There ain’t nothing like the feel of the wind in your hair and the billowing sails as we glide across the beautiful blue sea.” She held out her hand, but Brandi still was hesitant, having no idea who these kids were.

“Forgive me, I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Sally Bonny, named after that famous woman pirate captain” Sally said as she bowed and swept off her hat.“Look if you don’t like what you see or want to join up, we will bring you back here. Cross my heart and hope to die- I promise”. Now that sounded like a fair proposition to Brandi who had never been on a pirate ship before. This could be quite an exciting adventure if all went well .

“Your terms are acceptable, agreed”, Brandi exclaimed, and they shook on it. “I have never been on a sailboat before”.

Brandi grabbed the rest of her things and jumped on the skiff. They pushed off and sped swiftly through the pounding surf. In what seemed no time at all they were closing in on the gallant vessel. Wow, it truly was a pirate ship- double masted, large sails, and even flying the old skull and crossbones. It looks like it could have just floated out of the 1700’s to the here and now. Brandi could totally imagine Blackbeard emerging from the captain’s quarters. As they boarded the boat, Brandi noticed that the entire crew was comprised only of children. There were kids of all ages, sizes, genders, and races but none seems to be older than 14 or 15.

“Can I give you a tour of our galant Lady?”Sally inquired.”She is just a beautiful craft”.

“Yes I would love that” Brandi answered.”Does your ship have a name?”

“Indeed she does, the Good Fortune” Sally replied. “ Because she has brought us nothing but good fortune.”

“Where did all these children come from? And are you out here all alone?” Brandi was hesitant to ask. “No adults here, but everyone seems to behave and get along.”

“We are all lost children. Our parents didn’t want us or weren’t able to take care of us.” Sally responded wistfully. “So we take care of and look after each other. WE made our own family. All for one, and one for all, like the 3 Musketeers. “

Sally continued ”There is plenty out there in the sea for us to salvage, or we construct items that we can sell. We have a way of finding our goods, what we need when we need it. We manage quite well on our own, don’t need any stinkin’ grown ups!”

For the rest of the afternoon, Sally showed Brandi the ship inside and out. There appeared to be plenty of food and room for everyone. Most of the kids looked clean, happy, and healthy. No one fought or complained, they really seemed like they enjoyed being masters of their own destiny. The tour ended in the Captain’s quarters, where Sally showed off some of the “loot” they had found in shipwrecks and on deserted islands. Gold, jewels, coins, and many fineries lay about the room.

“See, we do quite well on our own. No one lacks for what they desire” Sally declared. “Even with all these jewels and gold, my greatest possession is more than just material in value. This compass I got from my dad means a lot to me. Though he was often gone, he told me it would always show me my way. It always guides us on our treasure exploits and has never steered us astray.”

Soon after they left the cabin and returned to the main deck, Sally spun around to face Brandi and said ”This is a fine crew, and we can always use another hand. You seem like an able bodied and a smart gal, come join us!”

Brandi had to think for a minute- what a a fabulous experience this could be, something straight our of her story books. Just kids out here on their own with no adults to answer to was an inviting option. Yes, she was mad at her mom, but did she want to leave for good? To be honest, her mom was doing her best to raise Brandi, and did what she thought was right. She didn’t mean to be mean. Seems like tough love sometimes, but still words spoken out of love. Decisions, decisions…

Finally, Brandi realized she loved her mom despite their conflicts. They only had each other, and mom would be devastated if she never came home again. Some things needed to be worked out, but she wanted to go back. Brandi was trying to figure out a polite way to tell Sally her choice. When she turned to give her answer, she heard someone yell “LOOK OUT!”. Before she knew it, the boom was heading for her head, bashing into her and knocked her off her feet. Everything went black…

As Brandi came to, she realized she wasn’t on the ship any more. She was back on the shore, laying on her blanket. When she looked at the horizon, the boat was nowhere in sight. Had this all been a dream- it all seemed so real? Looking around, she noticed no sign of anyone else having been on the beach. Perhaps it was just a fascinating daydream…

It was getting late and the sun was getting low, so Brandi went to pack up her things. She started shoving items into her bag while thinking about her mom. Brandi had to tell her she wasn’t ready to grow up yet. That time would come soon enough, but for now she wanted to be a kid for a little longer while she could. In picking up her blanket, a shiny item fell out and rolled down the sand. Was that, could it be- yes, it was Sally’s compass! Well, maybe that wasn’t a dream after all. As she grabbed the compass she looked out one more time to that distant horizon, but still nothing in sight. One salute to the sea, and Brandi headed back up the cliff, and home to those every day adventures.