Episode 3: The Map with the Mysterious X
The old pirate gazed out the window of the Fury, his eyes far away. "A nice, quiet, green little planet," he said again, almost to himself. "No storms. No battles. Just peace. That's all I want now. Somewhere gentle... somewhere green."
Emil and Tom looked at each other — and both of them grinned at once.
"Sir!" Emil burst out, hardly able to contain himself. "We know the perfect place!"
The pirate raised a bushy red eyebrow. "Do you, now?"
"Oh yes!" said Tom, wriggling with excitement. "It's the planet I come from! It's all green — green from pole to pole, covered in the softest grass you've ever seen. From far away it looks just like a big green ball!"
"And it's the quietest, most peaceful place in the galaxy," Emil added. "The worms who live there are the kindest, gentlest folk you could ever meet. They have a cozy little town, and cake shops, and a museum, and now—" he beamed "—a giant apple tree, right in the middle, with the sweetest red apples ever grown!"
As they spoke, the old pirate's tired face began to change. His eyes grew wider. His bushy beard lifted into a smile. He leaned forward in his great creaking chair, gripping the armrest with his steel hand.
"Green from pole to pole, you say?" he rumbled. "Soft grass... kind folk... and no water?"
"No seas at all on the surface," said Emil. "Just grass and gardens."
"HA!" The pirate slapped his knee with a clang of metal. "Then it's perfect — absolutely perfect! For I'll tell you a secret, little ones." He leaned in close and whispered, "I never did like the water. Two hundred years sailing the stars, and the one thing I could never abide was a great cold sea. A planet that's all green and dry, with not a lake nor an ocean in sight? Why, that's the finest home an old pirate could ever dream of!"
He laughed his great booming laugh, and Emil and Tom laughed right along with him.
"But tell me," said the pirate, growing serious, "how does an old sailor get to this wonderful place?"
So Emil and Tom explained the way. They told him which stars to follow, and which bright blue planet to pass, and how to look for the little green ball glowing softly in the dark. The pirate listened carefully, nodding, repeating each direction to be sure he had it right.
When they had finished, the old pirate sat back, and his eyes were shining — not with weariness now, but with hope.
"You've given me something I've searched for these many long years," he said softly. "A home. How can I ever thank you? Tell me — what favour can I do for you in return? Name it, and it's yours."
But Emil shook his head, and Tom did too.
"Oh, we don't want anything," said Emil warmly. "We helped because we wanted to. That's what friends do. Seeing you happy is reward enough for us."
"No reward needed!" Tom agreed.
But the old pirate would not hear of it. "No, no, no," he insisted, wagging his steel finger. "An old sailor always pays his debts. And besides..." He paused, then chuckled and lowered his voice as if confessing something. "I'll let you in on another secret. The truth is — I was a terrible pirate."
"Terrible?" said Tom.
"Dreadful!" the pirate laughed. "Clumsy. Forgetful. Couldn't find buried treasure to save my life. In two hundred years I never once filled my treasure chest!" He grinned. "But — I did find one thing. The single greatest find of my whole career."
He rose from his chair, crossed to an old wooden trunk, and lifted out something carefully with his metal hand. It was a map — old and yellowed and rolled tight, tied with a faded ribbon. Gently, he unrolled it across the table.
It was a map of the whole galaxy. Stars and planets and swirling nebulas were drawn across it in faded ink. And there, in one far corner, marked over a single unknown spot, was a great red X.
Emil and Tom leaned in, eyes wide.
"What's the X?" Tom breathed.
"That," said the pirate, "is the great mystery. I've had this map for fifty years, and I never did discover what lies beneath that mark. But I'll tell you this — a map doesn't mark an X for nothing. Whatever's there must be something precious. Something rare. Something valuable beyond imagining." He sighed. "But alas — I'm far too old and tired for such adventures now. My adventuring days are behind me."
He looked from Emil to Tom, and a twinkle came into his eye.
"But you two... you're young, and brave, and clever. You've a fine ship and a whole galaxy ahead of you." He pushed the map gently toward them. "What do you say? Will you take this map, and solve the riddle of the X? Will you find out, once and for all, what treasure waits at the end of it?"
Emil and Tom didn't need long to think about it. They looked at each other, and they nodded at exactly the same moment.
"We'll do it!" they said together.
"Splendid!" boomed the pirate, clapping his hands with a happy clang.
And so, before they left, Emil and Tom went over the directions one more time, making certain the old pirate knew exactly how to find the quiet green planet and his new home among the worms. He thanked them again and again, his eyes glistening.
Then, with the precious map tucked safely under Emil's arm, the two friends said their goodbyes, floated back across the stars, and climbed aboard their cozy red tomato-ship.
Through the big round window, they watched as the old Fury came to life. Her broken sails gave a flicker and a glow, her hull turned slowly toward the distant stars, and away she sailed — off to find a peaceful green home at last. Emil and Tom waved until the pirate ship was no more than a tiny speck among the stars.
Then Emil carefully unrolled the old map and laid it out flat upon their dining table, right beside the window. The mysterious red X seemed to glow in the starlight.
The two friends stood over it, side by side, hearts full of excitement.
A new mystery. A new treasure. A brand-new adventure — just waiting to begin.
To be continued...