You can learn of her adventures by reading on, into her journal. Don't worry, you have her permission.
She prefers the term 'Sea Log,' so don't call it a diary.
She is named after a character in a book I really like called The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.
Also, I didn't try to get Captain Chickenbeard's dialogue right. He's a little more... Gentleman-ly in this story than he was in the Summer Event.
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Chapter One:
Dear Sea Log:
Today, I am will be on an adventure. I am going to venture off, and sail the seas in a ship where I am the captain.
Maybe I will be a pirate. But first, I need to learn how to care for a ship.
A good teacher would be Captain Chickenbeard, but, well, he's not really.... in his prime.
He's pretty spry for his old age though, and tough too. I met him while my father Angelo Doyle ran a shop selling little fishing poles, nets, and crates full of food and other useful items at sea. But now my father is an inventor.
Captain Chickenbeard had docked his ship and had bought some supplies.
That was a few years back, but I still remember that he had a little pup with him. He was his apprentice. No, he was the First Mate, I think. His name was Tyler Merriman, if I remember correctly.
He was small for his age; I was a lot bigger than him, and I was stronger too. He was supposed to haul the crates onto Chickenbeard's ship, but they were too 'heavy' for him. I could pick them up easily, but he must have been the runt of his litter or something.
Anyway, I put the crates on the ship. It was a large vessel, perfect for piracy, which was its use.
It was constructed of brown wood, and had gold trim, and had big, white billowy sails.
There was also treasure.
I asked Tyler what one does as a pirate, and he said that Captain Chickenbeard told of sailing around the sea, looking for treasure, undiscovered islands, and sea monsters to fight.
That's when I knew, I wanted to become a pirate.
I tried to get the Captain to let me go with him, but he wouldn't let me, said I was too small.
But I said that I was bigger than his first mate. He agreed, but since I was a girl I would have to wait until I was older.
Just in case I decided I'd rather be a wife, or something.
Like I'd ever do that.
Oh, I heard an explosion from my father's lab; I have to see if he's all right.
Chapter Two:
Dear Sea Log,
Today Captain Chickenbeard docked in the harbor near our house.
I know this because I was walking through town trying to find a certain bolt for my father when I came across his boat. It was called Ruby's Revenge.
Later, when I was running another errand, I run up to the docked ship.
"Hello! I'm older, and I still want to go with seafaring." I call to Captain Chickenbeard, who was carrying a barrel.
"Charlotte! Are ya sure ya want to come? Ya could get sea sick, or scurvy, and there are only boys on this ship." The Captain says.
"That's fine with me." I reply.
"I'll have to ask your father." He says, not being fond of small talk. "Come along, Tyler." The Captain nods to his first mate.
His crewman follows, and I fall in beside him.
"H-hello." Tyler says to me.
"Good morning." I reply.
His face turns red and he knocks over a barrel. Tyler is a little bit... strange. And clumsy.
"My house is this way." I tell Captain Chickenbeard. "I know my father would like to see you."
We arrive at the small cottage, brown wood with ivy growing all over it and a rusty wheelbarrow in the weedy garden.
I open the door and we walk in.
The wooden floor is worn, because my mother was a dancer, but she died when I was younger because she got sick with scarlet fever. She would always dance around in the parlor, and I would try to copy her moves but I would always trip.
Chapter 3
"Cozy." Tyler says.
"That it is. I've lived here since I was a pup." I reply. "I'm sure it is much different from the ship."
My father walks out of his room.
"Oh, hello, Captain!"
"Angelo," Captain Chickenbeard says.
"Father, I still want to go adventuring on the ship." I say impatiently, interrupting the pleasantries.
"But, it's not proper for a girl your age to be running around chasing boats and shooting holes through them!" Father says.
"That's not what she'll be doin', Angelo. The lassie'll be our cook," Captain Chickenbeard says.
"What?! A cook?" I ask.
Captain Chickenbeard winks at me. I assume that he's meaning that I actually won't be the cook, but he wants to make father think I'll be safe.
It's dangerous enough living with an inventor on land; I don't see how much worse a pirate ship could be.
"Oh, I could never keep Charlotte's mother Leah from changing her mind once it was made up; I suppose that's the case with you too." He says. "I know you have been looking for adventure, so I will permit you to go. You must be careful."
"I will! You be careful too, and send word to me when you finally finish your invention." I say.
I'm not sure what his invention is, he never will let me see. It makes coughing noises, like a sea lion barking, when he works on it.
Once, I saw smoke coming out of his room while he was tinkering with it.
"Now, Charlotte, I don't want you swimming with sharks or being tied to the mast to be the figurehead or anything, so here."
Father says. He hands me a sword. "Use this only when you must, Charlotte."
"Thank you, father." I say. I take the sword and fasten it to my belt.
He hugs me. "Goodbye!" He says.
"I'll miss you," I say.
"I'll miss you too. I'll send word to you if you need to come back home, all right?" He says.
"All right. And I'll send word to you if we're being attacked." I reply.
"Pshaw, we won't be attacked! I be the best pirate in the sea." Captain Chickenbeard says.
Tyler nudges him. "The best that's livin'." I wonder what pirate could be better than Captain Chickenbeard?
He's definitely plundered the most ships.
"Go pack your bags Charlotte. We need to get goin', or we'll never get any treasure." The Captain says, interrupting my thoughts.
I run to my room and pack a journal, which I'm writing in now, a couple pens and a feather to write with, ink, a brown handkerchief, my red cloak, and some bread and cheese, just in case we run out of food.
I then put a picture of my mother into my writing book.
"I'm finished packing now!" I say as I come out of my room.
"Let's be gettin' off then." Captain Chickenbeard says.
"Yes, let's go!" Tyler says excitedly.
"Goodbye again, father." I say.
"'Bye, dear." He replies.
We set out for the ship. I turn back to the cottage and see father still waving, though we're so far off he can't see us.
He's very nearsighted.
"I hope Gullion is doing a good job watching the ship." Tyler says worriedly.
"Don't worry, lad, he'll be doin' a good job. You'll see." Captain Chickenbeard says.
"Who's Gullion?" I ask.
Back when I was just a pup and they visited, it was only the two of them.
"Oh, you'll see." Captain Chickenbeard says.
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