Wesley leapt forward, hands out, trying to catch it before it hit the ground, but he was too late! The ice cream cone splattered onto the floor, spraying chocolate and strawberry everywhere.
“Noooooo!” he screamed, picking it up with tears in his eyes. “Why me? Why me?”
All his classmates just stared at him.
He started licking the edges of the cone, and two of the girls giggled at him.
“Hey bozo,” said Rezzit, from inside the Tracker Watch. “You’re scaring people. Stop it.”
“I love ice cream,” Wesley cried softly. “Why did this happen, Rezzit? Why?”
“Because you’re a klutz, that’s why. Hold the cone with both hands next time. Two-year-olds are more coordinated than you.”
“You’re not very nice.”
“You just noticed?”
“Attention, students!” called the tour guide, clapping her hands together like she was training seals. “We need to keep moving if we’re going to see the rest of the exhibits! Is everyone done with their ice cream?”
Wesley blubbered loudly.
“All right then! Now we’ve seen the history of trade and navy ships on the high seas… but do you know the thing those sailors feared most?”
“Wesley driving the ship?” a kid suggested, and everyone laughed.
“Pirates!” said the tour guide, with an enormous grin on her face. “Who knows what pirates are?”
“They’re bad!” said one kid.
“They have eye patches!” said another.
“And peg legs!”
“And parrots that talk!”
The tour guide nodded, and pointed to a pirate flag painted on the wall above her. Her face went dark and scary, and she spoke in a booming, angry voice.
“But pirates were more than that! They were the scourge of the seven seas! The flag with the skull and crossbones — the Jolly Roger — struck fear into the hearts of even the bravest sailors!”
The class was quiet, a little bit scared themselves.
“So…” said the guide, suddenly cheerful again. “Who wants to learn about pirates?”
A loud cheer erupted, and the students all flowed out of the room behind the guide, laughing and pretending to have sword fights with each other.
Wesley got up off the ground and threw the rest of his ice cream in the trash. But then he noticed something: his classmate, David, was outside, looking across the ocean, all by himself.
Wesley leaned his head out the door. The Maritime Museum was built inside a real old navy ship, which meant it was surrounded by water on all sides. Wesley was scared of boats, so he wasn’t too excited to be going outside.
“Hey David!” he hissed. “We’re going! Come on!”
David didn’t move. He seemed to be crying.
“David?” Wesley said, squeaking the railing carefully. “Are you okay?”
David didn’t look at him. He kept staring into the ocean. But he said: “They didn’t give me any ice cream.”
Wesley nodded.
“Yeah, me neither.”
“You dropped yours, it’s different,” said David.
“Is not. I didn’t get to eat it.”
“But they gave you one,” David argued. “They completely ignored me and didn’t give me any.”
“But I know what it’s like to—”
“No you don’t.”
“Well it doesn’t matter and la la la, I can’t hear you,” grumbled Wesley, wishing he hadn’t been nice to David after all. “Now are you coming with me or what?”
David looked at him sadly.
“I think I’m going to stay here alone for a while.”
Wesley frowned.
“Well then I’m staying with you.”
“Then I won’t be alone.”
“I know,” smiled Wesley.
David didn’t even blink for a minute. “I don’t think you understand what I’m saying.”
“Listen,” said Wesley, before catching sight of something truly odd in the corner of his eye. “Hold on a second. I’ll be right back.”
He ran back into the ship and stopped in front of the exit with his arms crossed. Creeping down the hallway was his teddy bear, Crash, wearing a pirate bandana, eye patch, fake hook hand, with a plastic sword and stuffed toy parrot. He looked scary, but not in a scary way.
“Crash!” Wesley hissed. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Crash stopped, looked up at Wesley, and tried to act like there was nothing wrong.
“Nuffin,” he said innocently. “Why?”
“Where did you get all that pirate stuff?”
“Da gift shop?”
“And how did you pay for it?”
Crash started staring at imaginary ants on the ceiling, which made him look very suspicious indeed.
“I don’t wemember,” he said.
“Crash, you can’t steal things.”
“I’m a piwate! Piwates steal stuff!”
“You’re not a pirate!”
“Yes I am! Wook at my hook!” He held up his hook hand and waved it around. “Auggg matey!”
Wesley snatched the hook hand away and pointed an angry finger at Crash’s nose.
“You bring this stuff back right now or you’re not getting any more cheesy snacks for the rest of your life.”
“You’re bwuffing,” said Crash, eyes narrowing.
“Am I?” Wesley said, being as serious as he could with chocolate ice cream splattered on his forehead. “Do you want to find out?”
Neither one of them moved for a second. But then…
“Wook! A wino-wiwwa!” Crash shouted.
Wesley turned around quickly, ready to fight one of the rhino-rillas… but there was none there! He turned back around, and Crash was gone!
“CRASH!” he yelled. “Get back here!”
Crash went running as fast as his little furry legs could carry him. But the floor was slippery, and he lost his balance because of all the pirate gear, and he slipped and fell straight out the door!
Wesley gasped in horror as Crash crashed into David, sending him toppling overboard, into the ocean below!
Wesley rushed to the railing, leaned over, and saw David splashing around in the water, gasping for air.
“David!” he yelled. “Hold on!”
“Help!” David choked. “I can’t swim!”
“Just wave your arms around and you’ll be fine!” Wesley called, looking for a life preserver or a rope or something.
David started waving his arms around, but all it did was make him sink.
“No!” yelled Wesley. “Not that way, the other way!”
But it was too late. David had disappeared beneath the waves!
“I’ve never seen anyone so useless in my life,” Wesley grumbled.
“Look in a mirror.”
Wesley climbed up on the railing, took a deep breath, and then leapt in after David. Just before he hit the water he hit the Tracker Watch and shouted: “Torrent on!”
