Colin and the Magic Bookmark (3 page)

“Now, everyone,” called Colin, “a toast to the captain on his birthday. Happy birthday, Captain Twitch!” The crew laughed, raised their cans and echoed the toast. “Happy birthday, Cap'n Twitch!” They gulped down the rum and cheered. Captain Twitch was stunned. No one had ever been nice to him before, not even his daughter. He twitched uneasily on his chair, unsure what to do or what was going to happen, and he had already knocked over two rum bottles with his twitches. Electra just glowered silently.

“Gather round again”, called Colin. “As this is the captain's birthday, we are going to have a
real
celebration, a proper party, and we are going to play a game. It's called Little Mary. First we need to divide you into two teams.”

All the crew were chattering in amazement. They had never played a game on board ship before.

“Listen carefully,” shouted Colin, as Sammy woofed happily. “Quickly line up in twos. That's right. Two lines equal in number.”

The crew shuffled into two lines. They waited expectantly.

Colin continued, “As there is not a lot of room on the deck and there are too many things lying about that you could stumble over…”

“Aye. Bosun Buller,” yelled someone, and everyone laughed, except the Twitches of course.

“So…,” Colin paused. “The race will be up and down the rigging. All of you sit down on the deck now please. Good. Thank you. Now each of you look at the person sitting next to you. In the game the two at the front will be Little Mary. These two tough-looking men were somewhat taken aback. One of them blushed bright red above his black beard, but his friend laughed and said, “It's only a game.”

Colin went on. “The next two people in the line are Mummy and Daddy. All the other people in the line are the animals.” Colin walked along the deck, telling each pair of crewmen which animal they were in the game. “Now, I'm going to tell you a story,” he said. “If you hear yourself mentioned, you stand up, race up the rigging, touch the yardarm and return to sit in your place. On getting back to your places Mary must say, ‘Thank you, Mummy and Daddy', Mummy must say to Daddy, ‘You scurvy knave!', Daddy must say to Mummy, ‘Yes, dear,' and the rest of you, the animals, must make the correct noise of your animal. If you forget to touch the yardarm, if you forget what to say or if you cheat, a point is given to the other team. You must make the right noise for your animal. For example cows don't say, ‘Cluck! Cluck!' Jakie will keep the score. Ready? Then let's play. One day Little Mary…,” At this point one of the men at the front stood up and started climbing fast up the rigging. Suddenly the other Little Mary realised that he had been slow and raced to do the same, but he could not catch up and sat down in his place well after Big Lennie, alias the first Little Mary, had shouted, “Thank you, Mummy and Daddy!”

Colin continued his story. “Yes, one day she asked Mummy and Daddy, if she could go to the farm.” Before he had finished the sentence all four of the right crewmen leapt to their feet and raced up the rigging. All of them jumped nimbly down on the deck, sat down and in chorus shouted, “You scurvy knave!” and “Yes, dear!”

“Two points each,” announced Colin. Jakie was busily keeping the score. Sammy was yapping excitedly. Captain Twitch, still sitting on his chair, could not take his eyes off what was happening. Even his evil daughter was smiling and once was seen to clap her hands. The bookmark continued to glow in Colin's pocket.

 

As Colin told the story of Little Mary's visit to the farm to see the animals there, all the crew except Bosun Buller thoroughly enjoyed themselves and tried to outdo each other with their moos, oinks and other animal noises. It was a very silly game, but it was a lot of fun.

At last Colin came to the end of the story, saying, “And so Little Mary, Mummy and Daddy said goodbye to all the animals.” At that moment everyone except Colin, Sammy, Jakie, the Twitches and of course Bosun Buller clambered one last time up and down the rigging and collapsed laughing on the wooden deck.

“Well done, everyone!” said Colin. That's the end of the story. And so they went home.”

“Who's won?” shouted somebody.

“All of you,” said Jakie.

“Yes,” said Colin. “All of you have won and your prize is that you get to go home.”

“What? We don't have to be pirates any more?” asked Big Lennie.

“That's right. You know how to sail the ship, so sail it home. You can share out among you whatever treasure or money is on board.”

“What!” roared Captain Twitch, leaping up out of his chair. It had just dawned on him how much trouble he was in.

“What!” screamed Electra even louder.

They both moved at once. Quickly drawing his sword, Twitch slashed it viciously at Colin, but at the same time his arm twitched to the right and the swordpoint stuck firmly in the wood of the cabin door. With both hands he frantically tried to pull it free, until a sharp snap of Colin's whip made him yelp with pain. He licked his sore fingers.

“You scurvy upstart!” he howled.

Electra had also launched herself at Colin. She was brandishing a large dagger encrusted with jewels.

“How dare you attack my darling Papa!” she squealed. “Kill him! Kill him!” she shouted to no one in particular. The crew ignored her. Just as suddenly her squeals of fury turned to squeals of pain. Sammy had darted forward and bitten her ankle. She stumbled and tripped on the folds of her long dress. Like her father before her she found herself lying on the deck in a filthy puddle, but this one was a puddle of black oil. She lay there twitching and screaming with rage. Her father cowered, twitching, next to the cabin door.

“Colin called to the crew, as he picked up Sammy and patted him, “Come on, lads.” He pointed at the two Twitches. “Lock them in the cabin and take turns to guard it. Big Lennie, you are now the captain of this ship, so sail her home.”

All the crew cheered. Buller had been locked in the hold with the rats.

“I think you will find there is a reward for the capture of Captain Twitch and Bosun Buller, that is, when you hand them over to the prison authorities.”

Again the crew cheered. Jakie was jumping up and down excitedly because he was going home.

Big Lennie stepped forward. “Thank ee, thank ee, sir, but we don't know your name.”

“My name is Colin and I come from another place and another time.”

“Thank ee, sir,” repeated Big Lennie and shook hands with him.

“Finally it is time for me to go,” said Colin. “You enjoyed the captain's birthday party. You have learned how to be happy again. Goodbye, my friends.”

Everyone rushed forward to shake Colin by the hand and to make a fuss of Sammy. The last was Jakie, who hugged Colin and Sammy.

“Goodbye, Colin. Goodbye, Sammy,” he said. “I know what I am going to do, when I get home. No more sailing. I'm going to organise parties with lots of games and fun, and people will pay me very well for it. Some of my friends will help. You showed us the way.”

As he raised his arm for a final wave, Colin realised that he was back in his armchair with Sammy lying on his lap.

“That was some adventure,” he said to himself. “Did I dream it?” Then he looked down at his right hand. He was still clutching the whip that he had taken from Bosun Buller. The bookmark glowed warmly in his pocket.

 

 

 

Colin had so enjoyed his adventure with the pirates that he couldn't stop smiling.

Mr. Jellysox said, “ You are in a very good mood today.”

“Yes. It must be something I've read.” Colin could hardly wait to find out what would happen the next time he opened his new old book. As usual he worked cheerfully. Mrs. Biggle did not come in, and even if she had, she would no longer have been able to throw her weight about.

 

That evening after taking Sammy for his second walk of the day Colin settled once more in his armchair. Sammy came and sat on him, as he opened the book. The bookmark glowed red and seemed to flash with gold highlights. He opened the book at random and found that he was not reading, but walking. The shadows of evening had been replaced by a bright sunny day. He was walking round a blackthorn bush in a very large wood or forest. Sammy was trotting beside him, enjoying in his own little doggy way sniffing at everything. As they came round the bush, Colin saw that the path was blocked by a large, fast-flowing stream. A ramshackle, rickety wooden bridge spanned it. Just as he arrived at the bridge, someone appeared at the opposite side of it.

“I'll cross first,” shouted the stranger, who was wearing a large red cloak with a hood that somewhat hid his face.

The bridge was certainly not wide enough for two people to pass each other on it, but for some reason he did not understand Colin felt forced to say, “No!
I'll
go first!” and he purposefully strode forward.

The stranger was already advancing across the narrow bridge, carrying a large heavy basket covered by a cloth. Colin stepped onto the bridge too and advanced towards the middle.

“Go back, sirrah!” ordered the stranger. “I'm in a great hurry!”

“No, sirrah!” countered Colin, unconsciously mimicking the way the other man spoke. “You did not ask. You
told
me.”

“But I am on an important errand for my grandmother. She is very old and I am taking some things to her.” He held up the basket as if to prove it. “She is always worried, if I am late.” Sammy barked excitedly. Could he smell food?

Colin did not know why he was being so stubborn, but the bookmark was glowing in his pocket, as if it was telling him what to do.

Both men advanced cautiously towards the middle of the bridge, which was beginning to shake under their weight. It happened at the same instant. Colin and the man in the cloak lost their balance and fell into the water. Gasping, they reached the same bank of the stream and sat on the grass. Sammy hopped off Colin's shoulders. He was not even wet.

The stranger had managed to keep the basket out of the water, and now he put it down beside him.

“According to the legend,” he said, “we should have fought before we fell in.”

“Yes, isn't that how you met your friend Little John?” Colin had realised who the stranger was. “I'm certain this is not the first time this has happened to you. It's called déjà vu – something you feel or know you have experienced before.”

“Tis true,” replied the stranger, stretching out his right hand. “I'm Robin of Loxley. Welcome to the Forest of Sherwood.”

Colin said,” I'm Colin and this is Sammy. They shook hands, grinning delightedly at each other and Robin patted Sammy, who licked his face.

“Well, because I have a not so little friend called Little John, I shall call you Big Colin,” said Robin, “and by the way I am sometimes known as Little Red Robin Hood. It's a useful disguise.

“So that's why you wear that cloak.”

“Yes. My sister lends it to me. It helps Grandma to identify us. Her eyes are not so good these days. Perhaps you would like to meet her? Will you come with me to her house?”

“Gladly, but there is somewhere we need to go first.” Colin only knew that the bookmark seemed to be directing him again, and picking up Sammy, he put his other arm round Robin's shoulders. The bookmark glowed redly, and moments later it appeared that they were in a big room with a roaring fire in the large chimney and lit all around the walls by flaming torches in metal brackets.

“Why, this is Nottingham Castle, and yonder is the sheriff!” breathed Robin.

“Good,” said Colin.

“Can he see us?”

“No. I don't think so. This is a little like a dream, but the things we are seeing are true.”

They looked on in amazement at what the sheriff was doing.

“What
are
you doing, my lord poppet?” asked Mrs. Sheriff, who was sitting on a chair next to the log fire, sewing.

Once again her husband attempted to knock a small ball into a goblet that he had laid sideways on the floor. Without looking up, he replied, “It's a new game called golf, so I'm practising for the tournament here on Sunday. It's quite difficult, and it requires a calm temperament and a lot of patience.”

His wife pouted. “Qualities you lack, my lord.”

“What?” he roared. “Don't be ridiculous, woman! Watch!”

Carefully he swung his club at the ball, which sped through a doorway at great speed and disappeared down the stairs. Angrily he stamped his foot and cried, “Oh, Robin Hood!”

“Now, now! No swearing,” said Mrs. Sheriff.

“I'm not swearing,” he said, throwing his club after the ball. It sailed through the doorway, hit the wall and clattered down the stairs.

“Ow!” cried a voice, and almost immediately Louis Leloup, the tax-collector, appeared, holding one hand to his head and the golf club in the other. “Good day, my lord sheriff,” he said, bowing awkwardly.