One day Henry and Mr. Pickles the Flying Carpet Horse were playing down by the beach when they heard the sounds of someone crying behind a rock. They went to see what was going on and found a turtle dressed as a pirate.
"Why are you crying," asked Henry.
"People make fun of me because I'm not a real pirate," said the turtle. "I don't have any booty and look at this," he said as he lifted his eye patch. "I've even got two eyes. I don't really need this eye-patch but if I don't wear it I'll just look like a turtle in a silly hat. Everyone at the yacht club calls me 'Two-Eyes' and makes fun of me."
Henry felt very sad for Two-Eyes and came up with a great idea. The two of them rode Mr. Pickles home and headed straight for his aquarium.
"I happen to know that at the deepest, darkest corner of this aquarium lives The Happy Clam who has been working hard at making a pearl," said Henry. "If you get that, you will have definitely committed an act of piracy and no one at the yacht club should make fun of you any more since you'll have some booty."
"But," said Mr. Pickles nervously. "Isn't it more complicated than that? Aren't there... guardians?"
"That's true," said Henry. "But we shouldn't have any problems with them."
So Henry, Mr. Pickles and Two-Eyes jumped into the aquarium and started swimming to the bottom.
The first guardian they came to was the Crinkle Crab. He had laid down crinkly paper all along the bottom of the aquarium so that if anyone stepped on it, it would wake up The Happy Clam and he would close his mouth so tight no one would ever be able to get his pearl.
Luckily Henry and his friends realized they were in water and weightless so they swam over Crinkle Crab and his crinkly paper without making a sound.
The next guardian was The Clown Fish. When he swam up to everyone he started to make such funny faces and sounds that Henry was laughing so much that Mr. Pickles and Two-Eyes thought they'd never get past him. Finally Mr. Pickles put himself between the two of them so that Henry wouldn't be distracted by The Clown Fish's funny faces and he and Two-Eyes were able to swim deeper into the aquarium.
Then came the third guardian, Jingle the Star Fish who was always playing bells. Henry realized that someone would have to stay behind to occupy Jingle so he decided to because he had a maraca and knew a little piano that his mother had taught him.
While he and jingle worked on a song, Two-Eyes swam into the deepest, darkest corner of the aquarium where The Happy Clam lived.
But there was a problem.
"I can't see," said Two-Eyes. "My eyes haven't adjusted to the light and if I don't find The Happy Clam soon, it'll realize someone is committing an act of piracy and close it's mouth forever."
Then Henry remembered something his Uncle Mark had said and sang out while playing the maraca & piano with Jingle,
"Move, move, move your patch,
Gently to your other eye,
Your night vision will have been protected
And The Happy Clam's pearl you'll espy."
So Two-Eyes moved the patch to the other eye and discovered that his night vision had, in fact, been protected. He saw The Happy Clam and was able to swipe her pearl before she knew what was what.
Then he, Henry and Mr. Pickles swam out of the aquarium (But not before Henry had another good laugh at The Clown Fishes funny faces and sounds.) and got back on dry land.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Said Two-Eyes. "Now I really am a pirate and no one at the yacht club will make fun of me. I've also learned that it's okay to be a pirate with two eyes. From now on I'll never be ashamed of my handicap."
"No problem," said Henry who waved goodbye to Two-Eyes and rode home on Mr. Pickles so that he could chew on some slices of organic apple.
Just wonderful Stephen!!! I love reading these :) S0 imaginative!
ReplyDeleteYeh!!!!! Another story of Henry and Mr. Pickles!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Son ..... we love your stories - just imagine them illustrated and lo... we have the next Enid Blyton or Beatrix Potter !!! Not so sure about the moral at the end of this last story however....??? Otherwise very good Job !!
ReplyDeleteLots of love Dad
Love it!
ReplyDeleteMe too. Great story. More
ReplyDeleteSally