Treasures of Albatross Island

It is a dark night, except for moonlight dancing over the ripples of the ocean alongside Pete the Pirate's sailing ship. Pete is Captain of his pride and joy, and sails the high seas in search of the elusive treasure, the subject of a legend that's been passed down the generations. To date, no one has ever found this treasure, even though the inhabitants of Pete's remote island home have spent years in search of it.

Pete is now approaching 40 years of age, and after working on a Pirate ship for a number of years, decides it's time for a break. Alongside his trusted companion, and crew, comprising of a green Amazon Parrot named Hannibal, he has dreamed of finding a treasure one day. He has plundered boats off the coast of the mainland in the past, which has resulted in Captain Pete and his crew being able to live comfortably. For now though, it's time for a change of fortune, an adventure like no other! This time though, his only crew is Hannibal! If he does end up finding the ultimate goal, the treasure spoken about by the island Elders, then Pete wants to keep it secret, for a while at least!

As Pete brings down the sails of his ship for the night, and drops anchor into the black depths, he realises how fatigued he is, and cannot wait to get back to his wooden cabin on the shore of his island home. He climbs down into his tiny rowing boat and rows steadily ashore. Up in the sky, the moon shines down and lights up the pebbled pathway up the beach to his shack.

Pete falls to sleep, dreaming of a treasure chest of gold, and jewels, shimmering in the sunlight. He wastes no time next morning, in getting back on his ship, obsessive now about finding the object of hundreds of years of a legend.

It's a sunny, warm morning when Pete casts off from the shore, and sets his compass due South, after remembering the stories from his ancestors about the location of a tiny, remote island, ringed by palm trees. which is due South of Pete's island.

After a whole morning sailing with a favourable wind, he catches sight of a beautiful vista, a tiny island shimmering like a jewel in the blue ocean. Pete sails up to a white sandy beach, drops anchor and rows ashore, his heart beating fast in his chest.

It's not long before he comes across a lagoon, circled by palm trees. With an excited intake of breath, Pete realises he has seen this picture before, as a child. He has deja vue, a picture in his mind which results in a vision that lies in front of him. His grandfather showed him his idea of the geography of the island, with an arrow going up from the beach, to a lagoon! He stated there on the edge of a lagoon, beside the biggest palm tree, was a large boulder, and under this, was buried a wooden box containing precious jewels!

Evidently, Pete's grandfather was an expert in geography, when he was young, and he showed his young grandson where he thought the treasure mentioned in the legend, was buried!

Pete decided now is the time, the only opportunity he has to investigate his Grandfather's claim. With a flat piece of slate, he starts digging beside the tree, where the huge stone lies, down and down. After a while, Pete suddenly hits something solid, giving him such a fright! Excitedly he digs around the edges of what appears to be a box, and, with trembling hands, lifts this treasure box up out of the damp sand, I say treasure, because that's what Pete is convinced it is!

In fact, he is quite right! With a blow of his slate stone, he slices off the worn wooden lid of the box, and to his utmost shock, inside is a dazzling array of gold coins, laid out in rows, small ones and one end, and larger coins at the other! Then underneath these, and some brightly coloured stones, Amethyst, Jade, and Opals. He is totally speechless, and so is Hannibal, sitting on Pete's shoulder. Pete wastes no time in setting off down to the beach, dragging the heavy treasure box with him, He realises he must get the treasure onto his ship via the little rowing boat, which is waiting at the water's edge. This achieved, Pete unfurls the sails, and sets off due North, back to Albatross Island.

Pete decides to let his closest friends know about his find, as they have had a hard time lately, with storm after storm lashing their island home, making it impossible to go to sea to earn a living. The inhabitants are experiencing poverty nowadays, and Pete wants to make their lives easier.

He hatches a plan to divide the jewels between the most needy of the population. In this way, he will feel that the legend of the buried treasure will be shared physically, as it has been shared vocally, throughout the generations! Hannibal agrees, as he shouts out the word "Treasure" repeatedly, so Pete realises he could never have kept it a secret with a parrot around!!

Next morning, as Pete emerges from his shack, he feels elated about his plan to help the Island's inhabitants. He rows out to his ship, with many ideas floating around in his head. He wants to surprise people, and realises that the act of doing this good deed, is the opposite to the meaning of what it is to be a Pirate. For most of his life, Pete has been taught by his Pirate friends, that life means gaining from others, in any way possible. He now finds the thought of his hostile. He is glad that the other people he used to go to sea with, to plunder, have moved away. Pete is filled with good feelings now. He can never ever go back to attacking boats, and stealing their goods, and private possessions. Pete is now a different person, a good person, and all he wants to do for the rest of his life, is to be an even better person.