There Once Was A Pirate

“Wendla, I must go home now. Papa will be upset if I’m not there before dark.” Ilse said, looking up at the sky and then her best friend. Wendla pouted but sighed, knowing that her friend was right. If Ilse was late, her father wouldn’t allow her to play outside for a few days.

“I’ll walk you home, Ilse!” Moritz exclaimed, jumping up from his spot near Melchior. Ilse smiled shyly, looking down.

“Thanks, Moritz. Goodbye, Wendla. Goodbye, Melchior.” She said, waving to her two friends before starting to walk away. Mortiz waved excitedly before jumping, dashing off after Ilse. Wendla laughed quietly, watching the two walk away.

“He likes her, doesn’t he?” She asked, looking down at Melchior, who was still sitting in the grass. He grinned with amusement, his eyes holding that look which meant he knew something she didn’t.

“Oh, he does!” Wendla exclaimed, reading his look like a book. Melchior laughed.

“Yes! But you can’t tell her, Wendla, or Moritz will never speak to me again.” Wendla grinned, sitting down next to Melchior.

“I promise. I won’t tell a soul.” She said, nodding her head.

“Good. Do you have to go soon?” He asked, looking at her. She shook her head.

“No, not yet.” She said, smiling slightly. Melchior grinned.

“Do you want to play pirates, then?” He asked, standing up. She looked up at him.

“Just the two of us?”

“Why not? It will be fun. Come on, Wendla.” He said, holding out his hand to her. Wendla smiled slightly, taking Melchior’s hand and letting him pull her up. When Melchior got an idea, she couldn’t help but follow him. He was so bright, so…smart and nice; Wendla couldn’t help but want to please him. He grinned widely, not letting go of her hand.

“I’ll be the evil pirate, and you will be the princess! And I will try to kidnap you, because I’m under a dark spell cast by a witch and I have to have a princess kiss me or else I’ll be an ugly pirate for the rest of my life.” He said, painting the picture for her. Wendla smiled brightly; being a princess was fun. She didn’t really listen to what else he had said; images of her in a princess dress filling her head.

“Alright, now you go over there. That will be your castle.” Melchior said, pointing to a stack of rocks. Wendla nodded, scampering over to the rocks and sitting on top of them. They were no long rocks, now they were a beautiful throne, and Wendla was no longer plain old Wendla, but Princess Wendla, the beautiful ruler of the city by the sea. Melchior crouched nearby, but he was no longer Melchior. He was the evil pirate Melchior, terror of the sea with his big boat and mean crew. Whenever they played games like this, everything slipped away, becoming part of their little fantasy world.

She sat on her throne, singing a song about love and happiness. Melchior began creeping around her, sneaking behind her throne and popping up beside her.

“Princess Wendla! You must come with me!” He shouted, and she jumped, standing up and getting off her throne, stepping away from the ugly pirate that was suddenly in her throne room.

“No! You’re mean and evil! I shall never go with you!” She declared, putting her hands on her hips. Melchior grinned evilly.

“Then I shall have to kidnap you!” He exclaimed, moving towards her. She let out a shriek, quickly turning and running, picking up her dress so she wouldn’t trip. He laughed behind her, catching up to her quickly. He had always been much faster than she was, and pirates always moved quicker than princesses. His arms wrapped around her waist and he picked her up, cackling with triumph.

“Put me down! I am a princess! I demand to be set free!” Wendla said, wriggling to be put down. Melchior shook his head, laughing.

“You shall come with me, princess! I shall keep you in my boat forever and ever, and you will fall in love with me!” He said, running towards the pirate ship. Wendla stuck her nose in the air, looking away from him.

“I shall never fall in love with someone as mean and evil as you, pirate! Put me down!”

“Too late, princess!” He said, jumping into the ship and tying her up with a rope. Wendla struggled against the binding, but it was no use. Pirate rope was unbreakable. She was stuck.

“What do you want, pirate?” She asked, watching him as he paced back in forth in front of her.

“It’s simple, princess. You see, a long time ago, I used to be a handsome prince. But then, a wicked witch cast a spell on me, turning me into an ugly, mean pirate. To break the spell, I need a princess like you to kiss me.” Melchior the pirate said, stopping in front of her.

“I refuse! You’re a pirate, and pirates lie. I will never kiss you!”

“Then you’re never getting off this boat!”

“Fine! I shall die on this boat!” Wendla stuck her nose in the air, huffing.

“Please, princess? I wish to be a prince again, not a pirate.” Melchior asked, kneeling in front of her.

“How do I know you’re not lying?” Wendla asked, sparing a glance at the wicked pirate.

“Kiss me and I’ll show you!” Melchior said, looking up at her with pleading eyes. Princess Wendla was a kind-hearted princess, sweet and caring. As the pirate Melchior looked up at her, she felt compassion for the poor pirate. What would one kiss do?

“Fine. One kiss.” Melchior’s face lit up, and he scrambled to sit next to the princess.

“Really?” He asked, grinning widely from ear-to-ear. The princess nodded, holding up one finger.

“If you really are a prince, you can come home with me, and we can be married together. If you are not a prince, you must set me free.” She said, looking at him sternly. The pirate nodded eagerly.

“I will, princess. Please, kiss me.” Princess Wendla smiled and nodded, leaning in and kissing the pirate on the cheek.

“No, princess, you must kiss me here.” Pirate Melchior said, pointing to his lips. Wendla blinked. She had never kissed anyone there before. But the pirate looked so lonely and upset, living as a pirate. It was the least she could do for him. She leaned in and pressed her lips against his softly and child-like. The pirate kissed back, and in that moment everything changed. Wendla was no longer a princess, Melchior was no longer a pirate, and their imaginary world melted, leaving the children back in reality, kissing.

Wendla pulled away first, her heart racing. She no longer saw the pirate Melchior, but her best friend, the boy who had lived near her since she was a little girl, the Melchior she had admired since they first met. Melchior blinked when she pulled away, and stared at her. She was no longer the princess Wendla, but his best friend, his neighbor, the girl he undoubtedly liked.

“You are a handsome prince.” She said quietly, turning facing forward under the small tree he had designed as his boat. Melchior nodded.

“And now we shall be married.” He said, his voice just as quiet as hers. He turned forward, afraid to look at her. He reached out, finding her small hand and taking it into his. She laced their fingers together, and both of them smiled in unison, glancing down at their hands and then at each other. They looked away, embarrassed to be caught looking.

“I think I should go now.” Wendla said quietly and Melchior nodded.

“I should too. I’ll walk you home, if you want.” He said, almost shyly. Wendla smiled timidly, nodding.

“I would like that.” She said. He stood up, helping her up, keeping their hands intertwined. He began walking, and she walked next to him, smiles gracing both of their faces.

“Melchior?”

“Yes, Wendla?”

“Will we always be like this? Even when we grow up?” Melchior thought about this for a moment, and Wendla let him think in silence.

“Yes. Yes, I think we will, Wendla.” He said, looking down at her with a smile. Wendla beamed. She trusted Melchior; he was the smartest boy she knew. He was right, of course, and she was happy with this. She wouldn’t mind being married to Melchior. Not at all.

“Good. We will be happy together, won’t we?” She asked, looking up at him. He nodded decisively.

“Yes, we will. I promise.” With that, he kissed her cheek shyly, and she smiled brightly, thinking that a life with Melchior would always be a happy one.