Past Pirate Adventure

Chapter 1

Danny's P.O.V.

The room looked the same except, if possible, Theo's desk was even more of a mess.

I walked towards the sofa and sat down.

"Where did you place it?" Theo asked, closing the door open.

"Under the sofa pillows." I bluntly said.

"Why is it there?" He spluttered.

"Your desk is a mess and I thought since we have so many 'guests' popping by, the couch would suffice for now." I explained while lifting the pillow next to me and revealing the scroll.

"Very well." He said and walked over, "Come on." He grabbed the scroll from me and with a sigh I followed him.

I noticed we were heading towards the navigations cabin.

"Why are we going to the navigations?" I asked, climbing the ladder after Theo.

"It's practical, Dove. Besides, my desk has no room for four men and a woman."

He held the door open for me but I stopped in front of him and bluntly said, "Your desk has more than enough room, Theo, it's all that clutter on it that's the problem." I playfully added, "Cluttered man." and strode past with a tsk.

"Hello boys." I greeted Williams, Gibson and Skipper, sending each one a friendly smile.

"Ahoy Lass!" They all greeted in chorus, "Ahoy Cap'n!"

I laughed at them and went to stand at the table in the middle of the cabin. I watched as Theo unrolled the scroll and laid it out, placing bits and bobs at the edges to secure it.

"Skipper, go see where Fisher is, I might need him." Theo ordered.

"Aye, aye Cap'n."

"Where do you want to start?" I asked Theo.

He gave a thoughtful look, "Let's begin by analysing the scroll."

I shrugged and gazed down at the portrait. I didn't really like staring at it, but if I wanted to find answers, I had to suck it up.

My face was painted with a careful hand. It was drawn as if it was a vivid memory, one the painter thought about long and hard. Every detail - form, colour, stroke - was an exact replica of myself. The person was confident of every stroke, yet they made sure not to make a single mistake. My name was elegantly inscribed at the bottom and a beautiful golden frame was painted around the edges.

I looked with eagle-eyes for anything that looked out of place, but this may take longer than we might have expected.

"Ahoy Cap'n, ye called fer me?" Fisher called after he had knocked and entered the room.

"Yes, see if you can find anything on the scroll that might lead us to the painter. I remember you speaking about how you a talent for uncovering encryptions and decryptions."

"Aye aye Cap'n, tha' I be, met a scallywag a few years back who taught me all he knew." Fisher explained, joining us at the table.

Theo nodded, satisfied, and leaned further over the table. I smiled mischievously as I noticed that his underarms were wide open for attack. With a loud cry of war, I attacked.

I laughed as he jumped and he nearly crashed into the table. He started squirming and fighting back and unfortunately, he won.

"No, don't!" I yelped in panic, trying to run away.

"Oh no Dove, you asked for this." He stated and attacked me more aggressively.

"No! Theo! No! Stop! Please!" I gasped between laughs. He just chuckled deeply and continued his tickling.