For Wilfred Worsfold and Lana Paun
Contents
The Popcorn Pirates
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
The Bubblegum Tree
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Also by Alexander McCall Smith
THE POPCORN PIRATES
1
The Popcorn Islands
Have you ever heard of the Popcorn Islands? Probably not. Very few people have – but if you look hard at a map of the Caribbean Sea, you might just see four little dots not far from Jamaica. The dots won’t be named, of course – they’re too small for that – but those are the Popcorn Islands.
Not long ago, nobody lived on these islands. From time to time, sailors were shipwrecked on them, and sometimes stayed for months, or even years. Sooner or later, though, they would be rescued and the islands would be deserted again. The shipwrecked sailors were often rather sad to go, as these were comfortable islands, with plenty of fresh water and lots of wild fruit trees. The turtles and birds who lived on the islands were also very friendly, as they hardly ever saw any humans and were always pleased to have some company.
Then, almost one hundred years ago, Lucy’s great-grandfather, who was a ship’s captain, sailed past the islands and decided to drop anchor and explore them. He liked them a great deal, and his wife, who always went with him on his voyages, liked them even more.
“Let’s stay here,” she said to her husband, as they sat on the beach and watched the turtles lumbering up from the water’s edge. “Let’s stay here and build a house. I’m tired of sailing around and never staying in one place very long. I want to have a house, with curtains, and sleep in a real bed, with legs, instead of a hammock.”
“I know how you feel, my dear,” mused the Captain. “I’d like to look out of my window and see hills, and trees with birds in them, instead of just waves and more waves.”
“And eat fresh pumpkins,” continued his wife, “instead of dry biscuits and salted ham.”
The captain spoke to his sailors, and they all agreed that this was a very good idea. They too had had enough of pulling sails up and down and singing sea shanties as they climbed the rigging. They wanted to have little houses, too, with taps that ran fresh water, and plates that didn’t always taste of salt when you licked them. So they left the Captain and his wife and took the ship off and fetched their own wives and children. Then they returned to set up home on the Popcorn Islands. And that is how it all started. It was as simple as that.
As the years went by, the number of people on the islands grew. By the time that Lucy’s grandfather was born there were fifty people on each of the four islands, and by the time that Lucy herself arrived, there were one hundred and twenty-five people on each. And that was about right, as it meant that there were just enough people for everybody to be able to find friends, and not so many that the islands became crowded.
It was Lucy’s grandfather who made the great discovery that was to give the islands their name. In his day, they had no real name, and were simply called Big Island, Middle Island, Small Island and Tiny Island. Then one day, when he was wondering whether he would plant pumpkins and melons again that year, he made the amazing discovery that the soil of the islands was suitable for growing popcorn. In fact, it was perfect for it. If you put some popcorn under a shallow covering of the islands’ rich, dark soil, within a few days a strong little popcorn plant would be pushing its way up into the light.
Then, less than six weeks later, you would have a lush crop of popcorn ripening in the sun, ready to be picked.
It was a marvellous discovery and everybody was quite overjoyed.
“It will be a great change from growing pumpkins,” people said. “Imagine having all the popcorn we could possibly want, right here on our doorsteps!”
“And we can sell it too,” said another. “We can send it off to America by boat. They love popcorn there!”
“We’ll all become rich!” said another. “Fancy that!”
Well, not everybody became rich, but certainly they did very well out of popcorn, and soon there was a thriving trade. From then on, it seemed natural to call the islands the Popcorn Islands. It suited them so well, and the people were proud to come from a place with a name like that.
They were, not at all surprisingly, all very happy – until things suddenly went very badly wrong.
2
The Popcorn Ship Arrives
Lucy lived on one of the popcorn plantations on Big Island. She had a brother, Sam, who was a couple of years younger than she was, and a friend, Hermione, who lived on the neighbouring plantation. She and Hermione spent most of their time together, and even at night they could send messages to one another by torch. All you had to do was to stand at your bedroom window and flash the message out across the darkness of the popcorn fields. Then the answer would come back through the night: flash, flash, flash!
During the popcorn-picking season, the island school was closed. This allowed all the children to play their part in bringing in the harvest, which was something everybody had to do. Even the island teacher and the island policeman had to lend a hand. And at the end of it all, when the popcorn crop was safely harvested, everybody had a wonderful party on the beach, with people singing the old popcorn-picking songs and eating as much of everything as they could possibly manage.
There were dancing competitions, too, and Sam always did very well at these. He was double-jointed, which meant that he could dance under a pole which was only a couple of hands’ width above the ground. Everybody enjoyed watching Sam show just how bendy his bones were and they clapped and cheered when he finished his performance.
The next day, the popcorn ship was due to arrive. This ship came without fail the day after the harvest was completed and everybody would go down to the harbour to welcome it. Captain Foster, who owned the ship, was very popular on the island as he always allowed the children to come aboard and drink the special lemonade that he made for them. It tasted like no other lemonade, and everybody was allowed to drink as much of it as they wanted.
Captain Foster had a dog, Biscuit, who was also popular with the children. He was not a very large dog, and he walked in a peculiar way, sideways rather than forwards. Yet he was very friendly, and would bark with delight when any of the children came on board.
Lucy was one of the first to welcome Captain Foster on that particular day. She and Sam ran down to the harbour and were soon joined on board by Hermione. They gave lemon drops to Biscuit, who could not resist them, and chatted to Captain Foster while they drank their lemonade. Then, when everybody had had enough lemonade, the serious business of loading the popcorn began.
The loading of the popcorn usually took the whole day, and again everybody had to lend a hand. Then, when the last sack had been put into the hold and the hatches lowered into place, everybody went ashore to wave farewell to Captain Foster and Biscuit. The Captain did not like to spend too long in the harbour, as he had a long way to sail with his cargo of popcorn and he knew that he would have to return straight away to get the second half of the crop.
Lucy and Hermione ran down to the beach near the harbour and waved to Captain Foster as the popcorn ship sailed out into the open sea. Then, when it was no more than a dot on the horizon, they went home.
That night, Lucy flashed a message through the dark
ness. “When do you think Captain Foster will be back?” she asked, in the special code that they had invented.
Flash, double flash, flash, flash, came the reply, which meant, “I think he’ll be back next Sunday, although he might make it by Saturday.”
Lucy thought that it might be Monday, as she had heard that there were storms at sea and these might hold Captain Foster up. They were both to be proved wrong. The next day, as Lucy was sitting reading in her room, she heard her brother shout from his tree house in the garden.
“The popcorn ship!” yelled Sam. “Look! Captain Foster’s back!”
Lucy ran outside to see if her brother was imagining things. But he was not: for there, coming into the harbour, was the unmistakable shape of the popcorn ship. Captain Foster had returned already!
Lucy ran down to the harbour, to find Hermione waiting for her. Then, when the ship had been tied up, she and her friend rushed aboard to find out what was wrong. They found Captain Foster on the front deck, and they could tell immediately that there was something very seriously wrong. Even Biscuit, who normally barked a welcome to the girls, was silent, his head lowered, his tail drooping sadly between his legs.
“We’ve been robbed,” said Captain Foster miserably. “Every last sack has been taken.”
Lucy glanced towards the hold. The hatches were wide open, and there was clearly nothing at all inside.
“Who robbed you?” she asked. “How did it happen?”
Captain Foster sighed. “Pirates,” he said. “They found me just about four hours off the island and they came aboard. They took everything, even Biscuit’s dog food.”
Lucy and Hermione gasped. Pirates! They had heard of pirates, of course, as everybody had, but were there still pirates on the prowl, even today? Somehow they seemed to belong to the history books, when people really feared the Jolly Roger flying from the mast. Surely that sort of thing didn’t happen any longer?
It was as if Captain Foster could read their thoughts.
“Yes,” he said. “I know that everybody thinks that pirates are a thing of the past, but they still exist, believe me! They aren’t quite so bad as they used to be, I suppose, but they’re still pretty wicked. In the old days they would have made me and Biscuit walk the plank – at least they didn’t do that!”
Later, in the kitchen of Lucy’s house, over a bowl of soup which Lucy’s mother had prepared for him, Captain Foster told everybody what had happened.
“The first I knew of it,” he said, “was when I saw a ship in the distance. I didn’t think much of it, as there are quite a few ships sailing about out there, but there was something about this one which soon made me take notice. She was sailing straight towards me, you see.
“I thought at first that she might be in trouble. We sailors help one another out, you know, and so I stopped my engine and stayed where I was. In a few minutes they were up alongside me and I saw that she was a large sailing ship, with great white sails and a long pole at the prow. She was a beautiful ship, really, and I suppose that is why I didn’t notice at first that there was a black flag fluttering from the foremast.
“They came up beside me and threw a rope across. Then, when they were close enough, a couple of men jumped aboard. I was beginning to worry a little bit now, because these men did not look in the slightest bit friendly, and I could tell that they clearly needed no help from me.
“Biscuit didn’t like the look of them either, because he gave a growl and then a loud bark. One of the men looked at him, and then gave him a good kick, sending him shooting across the deck.
“‘Don’t you treat my dog like that!’ I shouted angrily.
“‘You keep quiet!’ said one of the men fiercely, drawing a knife from his belt. ‘You just open your hatch for us.’
“I realised that I had no choice but to do what they ordered, and so I opened the hatch and had to stand and watch while they unloaded every single sack of popcorn and tossed it over into their own ship. Then, when they had finished, they got a piece of rope and tied me to the mast. They thought this was very funny, and they laughed as they jumped back on to their own ship and sailed away.
“I was in a spot of bother. As you know, my ship is a single-handed one and there was nobody there to help me. We could drift for days like that, and even run into rocks somewhere. So I more or less gave up any hope of being saved.
“I had forgotten about Biscuit – as had the pirates. No sooner was their ship out of sight than he bounded up to me and started to tug away at the rope with his teeth. It took him some time, but at last he did it, and I was loose. So I turned round and came straight back here to tell you all about it.”
“Thank goodness for Biscuit,” said Lucy. “Without him …”
“Yes,” said Captain Foster. “He saved my life.”
“But what are we going to do now?” asked Lucy’s father. “What are we going to do about the rest of the popcorn? Surely you won’t want to set sail with it tomorrow. Those pirates could still be lurking out there somewhere.”
Captain Foster thought for a moment. There was clearly a risk that the pirates would return, but he couldn’t stay on the island for ever. They had to get the popcorn off to market somehow, and if he didn’t take it, then who would?
“I’ll have to set sail again tomorrow,” he said. “I really don’t think there’s anything else I can do.”
3
Hermione Has An Idea
That night, Lucy lay in her bed and thought about Captain Foster’s plight. It would be only too easy for the pirates to raid his ship again, and if that happened there would be no popcorn at all to sell. How would people live, if they couldn’t sell any popcorn? Everybody would go hungry and have to live on pumpkins. The thought made her shudder. Pumpkins for breakfast, lunch and supper – for months on end! And pumpkin sandwiches at school as well!
She got out of bed and went to her window. It was completely dark, and even the sea-grape tree outside her window was no more than a large black shape. She looked in the direction of Hermione’s house, out across the fields. Would her friend still be awake, she asked herself. Was she also wondering what to do?
Lucy got her torch out of her cupboard and returned to the window. Then, pointing the torch out into the darkness, she flashed her signal.
“Are you still awake?” she asked.
For a few moments nothing happened, and Lucy decided that Hermione must be asleep. But then, through the darkness, a pinpoint of light flashed out.
“Yes. I’ve been lying here thinking. I’m so worried about Captain Foster and the pirates that I can’t go to sleep.”
“So am I,” replied Lucy. “Surely there’s something we could do.”
Flash, flash-flash, double flash, flash, flash, went Hermione, which meant, “Perhaps we could go with him. We could keep a lookout for the pirates while he sails the ship.”
Lucy thought for a moment before she replied. “But what if we see them? What then?”
Hermione’s answer came back through the darkness. “If we see them in time, then we’d have a good chance of getting away. Captain Foster’s ship is quite fast.”
Lucy was not sure about this plan, but it seemed to her that unless anybody came up with a better idea, it was worth trying.
“Let’s tell them about it tomorrow morning,” she signalled back.
“Yes,” flashed Hermione. “Good night.”
Lucy went back to bed. Hermione was well known for having good ideas, but Lucy was not so sure about this one. Still, she thought, even a bad plan is better than no plan at all.
The next morning, Hermione arrived at Lucy’s house well before the rest of the household was out of bed. She and Lucy discussed their plan, before revealing it at the breakfast table to Captain Foster and Lucy’s parents.
“Would it help if you had some warning of the pirates?” Lucy asked the Captain, as he put marmalade on his toast.
“Yes, I’m sure it would,” replied Captain Foster. “But when it??
?s just you sailing a ship you don’t have time to keep a lookout. And you’ve also got to stop the ship to get some sleep, you know. And then there’s nobody to see what’s happening.”
Lucy glanced at Hermione, who nodded encouragingly.
“We’ll be your lookouts,” said Lucy. “Hermione and I have discussed it, and we’d like to come along.”
“With me!” said Sam, who had been listening to all this with interest. Nobody had asked him, but he was determined that he would not be left out.
“Oh, I couldn’t,” said Captain Foster. “It’s far too dangerous.”
“But we’d be able to get away from the pirates,” Lucy said. “You said that they only had a sailing ship. You’ve got an engine on your ship.”
Captain Foster stroked his beard and looked at Lucy’s parents, who were whispering quietly to one another.
“We’ll let them go,” said Lucy’s father. “That popcorn simply has to get through. If the children can help, then I think we should let them.”
Captain Foster still looked doubtful, but he realised that there really might be no other way, and so eventually he agreed. Now all that remained to be done was to ask Hermione’s parents, and when they heard what was planned, they agreed to let her go.
“Remember your toothbrush, though,” said Hermione’s mother, who tended to fuss a bit. “And if you do see any pirates, I don’t want you to pick up any rough manners from them. Do you understand?”
There was not much time left for preparations. While everybody else helped to load the popcorn on to the ship, the three children packed their bags and made sure that they had everything they needed. Hermione’s father spent the whole day making pies for the voyage, and Lucy’s mother, who was the quickest sewer on the island, made three splendid sailor suits for the children to wear.
Then, when everything was ready, Lucy, Hermione, and Sam set off for the harbour, wearing their new sailors’ outfits and carrying their bags of provisions.