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The Boastful Pirate by Jak Sink

Jak Sink
/
Fort Wayne Community Schools

 Editor's note: For the fifth year, WBOI has partnered with students at Towles New Tech Middle School for the "Moral of the Story Project."  In the classroom, students learn about the teachings of Hinduism and Buddhism, focusing on the Jataka tales, which are the tales about how Buddha became enlightened. Students will learn about these tales along with literary devices and narrative story telling. With the assistance of WBOI, a select group of students will then create podcasts of their stories.  

Thank you Tia McFarthing and Fort Wayne Community Schools for including WBOI in this partnership.  

The Boastful Pirate written and narrated by Jak Sink. This podcast was produced by Rob Martinez.  

 

Once upon a time, there was a crew of pirates. All of them lived happily on their large wooden ship, out in the deep, dark, and dangerous ocean . The captain was always delighted to see his crew hard at work, except for one pirate. This pirate would boast of his skill every breakfast, lunch, and dinner. “I could carry every last cannonball on this ship!” he would announce. “Wow, ye sure are strong!” the crew would reply in awe. “I’m like a ghost sneaking past guards Too!” he would add. “Incredible! You are a force to be reckoned with! Yar!” they would all say.

One day, after the pirate captain had grown tired of his tall tales, he decided to confront the pirate. “I'm a snake slithering through cracks! Untouchable!” he boasted. “Is that so?” the captain asked. The ship went quite. Only the crashing waves dared to speak. The captain never spoke at dinner,  But today his raspy voice formed words like knives.

“Well of course.” the pirate stammered. The captain sat still for a minute, as if he was thinking over his words. “Then I challenge you.” he replied. “I give you one day to take every cannon on this ship and move them from below deck to the floor above, and back down again, all In one day” He then gave the pirate a stern look. “Easy” he said. “Then perhaps we need a harder challenge.” he considered. “Uh… that won’t be necessary.” the pirate replied. “Oh! I almost forgot!” the captain exclaimed. “If you cannot do such a task, then you will clean the whole ship, top to bottom.” he finished. They all finished eating. And went to sleep.

The next day, the pirate got up and went to get his breakfast, but was confronted by the captain. “Surely someone with your skill does not need breakfast.” he rasped, His dry voice cutting through his dark grey beard.  “You should get to work.” and so the pirate did. At first he had a major problem. The cannon would not go up the stairs and the wheels would get stuck. “How am I supposed to get this up!?” he thought. He kept trying, attempting to push the cannon but it would not budge. Hours past, but he could not get the cannon up.

Before he knew it, the sun was beginning to set. Its fading light almost teased him. At this time the captain walked by. “I cannot help but notice that you have gotten no cannons above.” he remarked “My crew, have you seen him take a cannon up?” he asked. “no sir” the crew answered. “ while uh-” the pirate began “No! Silence! You have boasted for the last time! You have failed. Now, you will eat dinner and clean this ship top to bottom!” the captain announced. A few members of the crew shook their heads. From that day forth the pirate never boasted, for he had learned an important lesson: do not say shark when you only caught a minnow.