Ghost Ship

Ghost Ship







Three brothers went sailing on the sea one night

The sky was clear and the moon was bright



Singing and fishing and stories they told

Drinking hot chocolate to keep out the cold



Stories of monsters from out of the deep

Creatures that swim and crawl, dive and creep



Boat eating serpents to fill you with dread

Howling mermaids to stop you sleeping in bed



All of a sudden the moon became dim

Clouds covered stars and a ghostly fog rolled in



The sea once calm had started to swell

The brothers hugged each other and began to yell



The lights of the shore disappeared in the mist

The water around them crashed, foamed and hissed



Lightning flashed across the now dark cloudy sky

The thunder was loud and made the boys cry



Then out of the fog something slowly appeared

Something big, old and wooden and terribly weird



The thunder had ceased and the sea became calm

But what the boys saw caused them alarm



A Huge wooden ship in front of their boat

Its hull full of holes and yet still fully afloat



“Ahoy” called the boys, but no response from the ship

Should they go on board, should they venture a trip?



A ladder hung from the deck to the water below

So the boys clambered up and shouted “hello”



Yet again no reply to their calling to greet

And the old wooden planks creaked under their feet



Their eyes were drawn up to the tall crooked mast

The sail was in shreds and the crows nest was vast





Then they saw an object that increased their fright

A horrible vision, a terrible sight



From the tattered rigging that was frayed and loose

Hung a skeleton from the neck, tied on with a noose



Turning and running from the bones that they feared

Where is the ladder? Had it just disappeared?



“How do we get off, where can we go?”

The boys saw a stairway that went down below



Slowly they descended the dark wooden steps

Into the unknown, down into the depths



At the bottom they reached a small cabin door

Should they enter this room? Do they dare to explore



The handle creaked as it turned and the door opened in

The room behind smelled musty and the lighting was dim



A candle flickered on a table in the middle of the space

And cobwebs hung from the windows like dusty old lace



They walked to the table, eyes adjusting to the light

Staying close together, keeping themselves tight



As they approached they saw an object by the candle that was tiny

Something that was round in shape and ever so shiny



With trembling fingers a boy touched it, it was cold

He picked it up and looked closer at a coin made of gold!



Suddenly a wind whistling and blowing throughout

The door slammed closed and the candle blew out



In the dark the boys panicked and ran for the door

But found it was locked, which panicked them more



Then from out of the floor in the corner of the room

A light started glowing to cut through the gloom



The glow formed a shape that got much clearer

And the boys gave a scream as it moved slowly nearer



As it approached them they saw the true form of this demon

It was a ghoulish pirate, a very ghostly seaman



Seaweed dangled from its bearded chin

Its mouth curved up in a sinister grin

A rusty old hook sat where there once was a hand

Its clothes were ragged and covered in sand



A patch on one eye its mouth dripping with mud

A sword on its hip, a leg fashioned from wood



It stretched out an arm to point at the boys

From its throat emitted a gurgling noise



Then it spoke with a voice that was distant and cold

It said whilst still pointing “that’s my coin of gold”



The boys pulled the door again and again

It suddenly opened and they fell out in the rain



Pushing and shoving they ran up the stairs to the deck

To hear laughter from the skeleton that was hung by the neck



The boys ran and jumped off the side of this boat

Into the freezing cold water barley able to float



They managed to scramble onto their own little ship

Shivering from fright and their forced icy dip



They turned to look back where the ghost ship had been

Then looked at each other with relief at the scene



No ghost ship, no fog, no eerie seas swell

No skeleton, no pirate no visions of hell



They talked and talked until it turned light

“Who will believe our story when we tell of last night?”



“We still have the coin that is made of gold”

“When they see it they will have to believe what they’re told”



Into his pocket one boy put his hand

To retrieve the treasure but found only sand!



Disappointed and wet they headed back for the shore

But on the way back in the water they saw



An old bottle, bobbing up and down and side to side

With a net they retrieved it, there was a letter inside



They unfolded the paper and observed what it said

The writing old fashioned and the ink was blood red







“To the lads who boarded to steal my treasure

Your efforts were good and our meeting a pleasure

This time you have failed to keep hold of your find

But don’t be deterred and keep this in mind

The ocean is deep and its secrets a plenty

Some treasure chests full and some that are empty

If you search long and hard rewarded you’ll be

But heed some advice from an old pirate like me

If you see a ship in the fog in the night

Let it pass by your boat till it sails out of sight

And above all else please heed and be told

Keep your scurvy hands off my coin made of gold”