A Letter from Laurabeard – FINALLY!!!

Dear Nibbles,

I’m sorry I haven’t written to you. It’s just been so crazy around here. There’s been a stowaway on board and we have been searching high and low trying to find them. I’ve actually been kind of scared, knowing there was someone out there but not knowing who it was.

Then, the other day I was heading back to my cabin after dinner and I heard this strange sound. It was like a whining noise. I didn’t know what was making the sound but it seemed to be coming from a lifeboat that was hanging on the side of the ship. I thought it might be the stowaway and I wanted to go and get Dogbeard, but we had searched so long and hard, I was afraid that they would just get away again if I left. So I walked quietly over to the lifeboat and, being careful not to make a sound, I lifted the cover. And do you know what I saw?

Crouched down in the lifeboat was a little boy crying. As soon as he saw me he started crying even harder. He told me that he had wanted to see the world so he decided to stow away on board, but as soon as the ship sailed he started missing his mom and dad and now he was scared that he was never going to see them again. And he didn’t want to come out when we were looking for him because he heard the cook talking about ‘throwing him in irons’ so he kept moving about, finding new hiding places.

Of course Dogbeard immediately had the crew turn the ship around and head back to the port where the boy snuck on board. And the cook was so sorry for the little boy that he took him up to the galley and cooked him a huge hot meal. Then we found him a hammock in a quiet cabin and he fell sound asleep. He must not have had a proper sleep for days. But I’ve been helping to look after him which is why I haven’t had time to write.

When we got into port this morning his parents were overjoyed. They had been worried sick about him. His mom just cried and cried. I have to admit, I kind of cried too. It was so sweet.

Dogbeard promised him that he could have a place on the crew as soon as he was old enough and gave him his hammock to hang in his room at home so he could pretend he was living on a ship.

I’m so glad everything turned out okay in the end!

Love, Laurabeard