2/15/24, 9:22 AM Achieve3000: Lesson

Printed by: Karen Aracely Avalos Garcia

15 February 2024
Printed on: 15 February 2024

A Pirate's Life for Me?!: Episode 8 - Spooky Surprise

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Illustration by Janos Jantner

Episode 8: Spooky Surprise

In Episode 7, Brody, Sofia, and the twins went to the lighthouse. There, they found Jacob, the boy who called Brody a
weirdo. Sofia invited Jacob to be part of their treasure hunt. They learned they had to go to an island called Skeleton
Key.

I asked Dad when we could go to Skeleton Key. His answer wasn't great.

"No way," Dad said.

"But why not?" I asked.

"You want to sail to a creepy island tomorrow? No way," Dad said again. Then he said, "We're pirates. So we're going
tonight!"

"Yes!" I yelled. I almost knocked Dad over with a hug.

It was dark when our ship left Clam Cove. As we got near Skeleton Key, there was a chilly breeze. Our pirate flag
whipped in the wind. It made a spooky sound.

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"Are you ready, kids?" Mom asked.

"Aye, aye, Captain," most of us replied.

"Aye…aye…am not," Marcus said.

"I got you, Marcus," Sofia told him. "You don't have to be scared."

"Thanks, Sofia," Marcus whispered back.

"That's strange. This dock looks brand new," Dad said when we got off the ship.

"Maybe the ghosts built it," Mara said.

"That's not funny, Mara," Marcus hissed.

The air felt salty and thick. I couldn't see much in the darkness. Then, a light came on. Someone walked toward us. A
ghost?

Everyone shouted. Dad shrieked the loudest. Jacob hid behind me. My heart pounded. It felt like it was trying to jump
right out of my chest. But then…

"Howdy, folks," a voice boomed.

"Mr. Jerome?" Mara asked. "Is that you?"

"You followed my clues here. Who did you think would be here?" Old Man Jerome said.

"Cranky ghosts. And their pet sharks," Marcus said.

Old Man Jerome laughed. "Did you bring the key?"

We showed him the key.

Old Man Jerome nodded. "That's it. Follow me." He typed something on his phone. The bright light went dark. "I don't
want to spoil the surprise," he said.

Old Man Jerome started to walk. We followed him. We had lots of questions. But he didn't answer any of them. Then, we
reached a tall fence. Old Man Jerome pointed to a lock. "Go ahead. Open it."

Sofia unlocked the gate. Loud music came on. Lights blazed on. And we all screamed.

"That's what I hoped to hear!" Old Man Jerome opened his arms wide. "Welcome to Kooky Spooky Island. It's my new
theme park!"

There were rides everywhere. It was AWESOME.

"This is the treasure!" Old Man Jerome explained. "The treasure hunt was supposed to get people excited. But no one
tried it. Not until you three did."

"Did you make up the stories about the ghost sharks?" Marcus asked.

"I sure did," Old Man Jerome replied. "I didn't want people to come here before I was ready. I thought the spooky story
might keep them away. But now, it's ready."

He waved toward the park. "Go ahead. Check it out. And come back as often as you want. You all get free passes for
being the first to solve the clues. Everything's free forever."

"I'm so glad we're moving to Clam Cove!" Jacob shouted. He ran toward the tallest rollercoaster.

Oh, great, I thought.

But then Old Man Jerome told us something.

"There's another treasure," he said. "Gold, silver, and jewels. The clues are in the book. But they won't be so easy. You'll
need to really use your heads."

We spent the rest of the night enjoying our new riches: rollercoaster rides and enough sugary snacks to make us all sick.

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2/15/24, 9:22 AM Achieve3000: Lesson
But the next day, we went back to Old Man Jerome's book. We had more treasures to find. Just like real pirates.

Dictionary

awesome (adjective) super; great

breeze (noun) a gentle wind

dock (noun) a place where ships load and unload things

spoil (verb) to affect something so that it's ruined or no longer works

theme park (noun) a park that has rides, shows, food, and other fun things to do

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