Cherry Meets Peter Pan

chapter 8

The children were tied against the mast of the ship as the pirates gathered to sing and danced around.

Pirates: Yo ho, yo ho

Yo ho, yo ho, yo ho

So try the life of the thief

So sample the life of a crook

There isn't a boy who won't enjoy

A working for Captain Hook

The world's most famous crook

Smee: Crock, crock

Crickity-crockity, crickitty crook

Crocodile's after Captain-

Hook hit his henchman on the head and walked over to the boys and girls.

Hook: A special offer for today

I'll tell you

What I'll do

All those who sign without today

Will get a free tattoo

Hook showed the kids one of his crew members with tattoos on his arm. The man then smiled at them and bounced his arm muscle to make the tatoo move and appeal to them.

Hook: Why it's like money in the bank

Come on, join up

And I'll be frank

Unless you do

You'll wanna walk the plank

The choice is up to you

Cherry turned white as a sheet and sweated anxiously as she looked out to the water. She couldn't see any sharks, eels or anything dangerous, but she couldn't swim and had bad luck, so she felt terrified. She then looked back at the pirates as they sang again.

Pirates: The choice is up to you

Yo ho, yo ho

Yo ho, yo ho, yo ho

You'll live the life of a thief

You'll relish the life of a cook

There's barrels of fun for everyone

And you'll get treasures by the ton

The pirates moved to a pathway where Hook was sitting at his desk with a quill in his good hand.

Pirates: So come and sign the book

Join up with Captain Hook

One of the pirates let the kids go, and the boys rushed over. Chris and Pat moved with them, but Wendy and Cherry stayed put.

"Boys!" Wendy called out to make them stop dead in their tracks. "Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?"

"But Captain Hook is not insistent, Wendy." John told her.

"Yeah," Nibs said. "He says we'll walk the plank if we don't."

"Oh, no we won't," Wendy said. "Peter Pan will save us."

"Like a knight in shining armor..." Cherry sighed dreamily clasping her hands together.

"Peter Pan will save them, you hear that, Smee?" Hook laughed with his henchman. Hook then walked over to the girls and Cherry hid behind Wendy, looking up, nervously. "Beg a thousand pardons, my dear. I don't believe you are in our little joke. You see, we left a present for Peter Pan."

"A sort of surprise package, you might say." Smee added.

"Why, I can see our little friend at this moment, reading our tender inscription..." Hook explained. "Could he, but see within the package. He would find this little ingenious device."