The Sonic Pirates

So we've never taken Bubba, Stump or Samantha Jean-Pocket to Mickey D's to eat. We did drive through one time on a cross-country trip from Texas to California. They were hungry, we had no choice, it was the middle of nowhere. Previously, they had asked sometimes to stop at McD's because they would see the playgrounds and it looked like fun to them. We would always tell them, "Oh no, we can't eat there. The food at that place gives you gas." And they bought the explanation, especially when the drive-thru experience resulted in just that. They said they never wanted to eat there again.

Before you think we shelter them too much, you must know they haven't missed out on the fast food experience altogether. We have visits periodically to local burger joints and they do love a good corn dog and french fries. They also have an affinity for Sonic Drive-in. We do not go there for the food, we go for the prize that comes with the food. One thing about Sonic, you can choose tater tots or french fries. Nobody likes tater tots, so we always get fries. But sometimes, the prize is a little soft, stuffed doll that looks like a tater tot with a face, costume, and legs. Prizes change frequently so we've accumulated a little herd of said tot dolls: Astronaut-tot, Lemon-lime tot, Alien tot, and from a recent campaign, a large crew of pirates. You can also request a prize suitable for children less than three and then you get a baby tot in pink, blue, or yellow--we have a small nursery of those, too. And another set was small soft pets, a ferret named Frye and a parrot named Limey. The boys wanted nothing to do with the tot dolls. They would moan and groan when they received one and would pass it off to Samantha. They liked the compasses and telescopes and paper pirate ship, but THEY DID NOT PLAY WITH DOLLS!

Until, somebody had the idea to make the bed a pirate ship and mama could tell stories and we could use our props!

So, after all is said and done and teeth are brushed and water cups filled and blankets and quack are collected, we all head upstairs for a story. Bubba and Stump build a ship on the bed by pushing a blanket into shape and fashioning a crow's nest of sorts with a second layer of blanket. They arrange the crew and I spin the yarn.

This is the first installment for two little boys, one with chocolate eyes and cinnamon hair and the other with blue eyes and blond curls.

He was six. She was somewhat older. The other one was four, almost five. Age didn't matter. The dread pirate crew had been carefully recruited from the wacky packs of the Sonic variety.

There were 7 Captain Crackerishes, 2 Captain Brown Beard peg legs, an astro-tot, a lemon-lime tot, Captain Skelty (the skeleton pirate who was electricified), and Frye the pirate pet ferret. There was also an alien pirate, but he was missing, perhaps overboard.

They waited until the sea princess had sailed off in her pink ironsides to lala land and then they built their ships: two dark blue fleece blankets, one quilt, one light blue fleece blanket for the crow's nest, the light from the old Christmas walk jack-o-lantern and a stick for the mast, stored in the corner of the room for just that purpose (or sometimes a bird habitat.)

The Crackerish Ship sailed around Balulalula Island searching for lost treasure while the Telescope Ship, also known as Captain Skelty Ship, was accosted by a parched, croaking bird who needed a drink of water before delivering a message. The pirate crew was aghast that a bird could talk yet they made haste to help their brother ship in trouble. They did not know the bird was under the spell of the sea witch and their brother ship (Crackerish Ship) was not really in trouble, the sea witch just wanted to capture them so they would take the treasure.

The Captain Skelty Ship rendezvoused with the Crackerish Ship and shared their telescope so Lemon-lime pirate and Frye could climb into the crow's nest to look at the island for a proper beach landing. Alas, there was none to be found because of the witch. She lived in a cave under the island under the water guarded by 7 octopi, 10 stingrays, 8 jellyfish, and 50 sharks. With many "AARGHS" and popping up and down, the Captains collectively devised a plan to capture the witch and get the treasure. Then one Captain Brown Beard Peg Leg spoke up and said, "Aargh, it will never work, her magic is too strong." Captain Skelty said, "Let's just get her and throw her in the river." But Captain Crackerish 3 stood in the prow of the boat to explain his plan. He said he had built a "grrr" and a "grrr" and a "grr, did you hear that?" "What is it," asked Skelty. The Crackerishes 1,2,4,5,6,& 7 said, "Arrgh, it's me stomach, I'm hungry, let's have some soup!" for soup is the favored pirate meal on the Skelty and Crackerish ships.

Crackerish 3 brought out his soup kitchen invention and fed them all, efficiently and generously. Then he explained his plan (without growling stomach interruptions.) He had designed a magnetic robot that could be attached to the anchor and lowered in front of the sea witch's cave to blast her out and capture her without destroying anything else. Crackerish 5 wanted to give the sea witch to the bird so he could fly her out to the middle of the Black Ocean and wait for the whirlpool to start and then drop her in when the lightning flashed then she would go down to the bottom of the ocean and her magic would be broken. Skelty said to just flush her so they could get the treasure. So, Crackerish 3 said he could make a wizard robot that would take the witch's magic and undo her spells and use her power for good.

They all agreed heartily and Crackerish raised the robot's power and broke the witch's spell. The bird reappeared, had a pirate drink and turned back into a pirate. Then Captain Crackerish 3 buzzed over to Balulalula Island to pickup the treasure: a fancier soup kitchen helper robot. Captain Skelty also made a trip for gold coins and they celebrated on deck with many pirate songs and much soup. THE END.


Posted by The Editor.