Mayflower
By Claire Shao (age 8)

            “Sir, we had a pair of mischievous youngsters running around; and now they are seasick. Hmm! I can’t believe it! I told them to behave. Sorry Captain!” John Clarke’s face was turning bright red with embarrassment as he tried to explain, “I’ll….”

“Nonsense,” said the Captain Christopher; “Just go alert Mary Ann, the ship nurse.” And with that, off John Clarke went; but when he found out he was going the wrong, he turned around and rushed off the other way. Yet, finding himself heading in the wrong direction again, he hurried the other way with his face beet red and feet clomping loudly on the oak floors.

**********

            “Sir, we have a man overboard named Nicholas Johnson. We must hurry!” shouted another mate, Robert.

“Well! What are you standing here for? Go ring the bells!” yelled a very furious-looking, Captain Christopher. The frightened Robert dashed away, as if the wooden planks were on fire by a ferocious dragon. Little did they know, there would be a ferocious dragon.

**********

            “It’s just too much work,” screamed Christopher at the top of his lungs. Just after he said that he heard a big, “Thump;” he shook his head and imagined John Clarke bumping into one obstacle and another; but what it was, he didn’t know. “THUMP!” When Christopher heard the thump again he started yelling, “John Clarke!” When he didn’t answer, Captain Christopher knew that something was terribly wrong; but before he could do anything, he heard a roar. Just then a wave of water swept over the Mayflower and a slimy, pink tentacle crammed into the ship and tossed Captain Christopher off his heels into the sea waiting below him. When he landed in the water, the waves swallow him whole into the depths of the ocean. He saw red, then black with a blanket of stars.

Captain Christopher comes to, and finds himself in a shimmering glass dome under the beautiful, aqua, underwater sight of the vast, deep ocean. “What is this place?” mutters the captain in the dim light of the glass dome. He was lying on a glittering marble floor surrounded by marble columns with a marble wall.”Too much marble!!” grouches Captain Christopher as he rubs his eyes trying to monitor where he was. He looked up to see a turquoise flag with octopuses on it. The same slimy tentacle the captain had seen before his beloved Mayflower sank. Captain Christopher froze in fear. A giant octopus slithered out from the door led by two young fairies both holding a plate of purple grapes. “Why are you here? What do you want from MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?” screamed the scared captain as the two fairies exchanged looks of pity. “What is your name? You must have a name.”

The octopus said nothing but in the air almost like there was an invisible hand, he formed the words, “Kamoldom.” Then he waved a tentacle for the captain to follow him. Captain Christopher stepped uncertainly after Kamoldom until suddenly they came to a stop. Kamoldom pushed a hidden switch with a flick of his tentacle; there was a grinding sound and then the wall split into two with a groaning noise that pulled them apart.

When they stepped into the secret room, they saw a glowing globe that showed a dragon with evil red eyes. “John Clarke! John Clarke?!” questioned Captain Christopher, “He’s helping Dragonini!”

“Yes, and that’s why I need your help.” Those words lingered in the air for a minute and then disappeared. Now it all made sense to Christopher.

**********

            Kamoldom handed the captain a sword and armor to take with him saying, “Farewell.” With a whoosh , the lights went out and all of a sudden Captain Christopher found himself face to face with a ferocious dragon. With all his might, he thrust the sword into Dragonini’s chest, and she immediately fell over. John Clarke saw this and ran away as fast as he could; and with that, Captain Christopher marched his way back in triumph.