The Unexpected Treasure

There once was a big, old pirate ship
That sailed the seven seas.
On board lived a selfish crew
Of pirates, crooks and thieves.

This selfish crew was an angry bunch,
The worst you can imagine.
They squabbled and argued all day long
With Leopold the Captain.

Across the seven seas they sailed,
Through storms and sleet and gales,
Searching all day everyday
For treasure on their trails.

But so far nothing had been found,
Not a single piece of gold
“I will find treasure! I will be rich!”
Cried Captain Leopold.

Just when they seemed all out of luck
Yellow-Boots, the cabin boy
Jumped up and shouted “do you see that?
I think there’s land ahoy!”

Indeed there was some land ahead,
An island just in sight.
The selfish crew all saw it too
And cheered with all their might.

So up they brought the anchors
And down they brought the sails.
Off they went, full-speed ahead
Through storms and sleet and gales.

When at last they reached the island,
They all staggered down the plank,
Captain Leopold and Yellow-Boots,
Grey-Beard and Fearless Frank.

On the island they searched high and low,
And hunted all around.
They all wanted treasure for themselves
But not one piece was found.

Just when they seemed all out of luck,
Yellow-Boots, the cabin boy
Jumped up and shouted “do you see that?
I’ve found something, ahoy!”

Indeed he found a treasure map
Though it was torn and ripped a lot
But he could still make out a big red X,
An X which marked the spot.

“There lies all the treasure,
All the silver, pearls and gold.
I’ll be the richest man alive!”
Cried Captain Leopold.

So back on board the ship they went
And down they brought the sails.
Off they went, full-speed ahead
Through storms and sleet and gales.

Months they spent upon the sea
Headed to lands unknown
But you see, this mean and selfish crew
Wanted the treasure all for their own.

So every pirate who saw the map
Thought they knew where to go.
They all had their own route planned out
That the others did not know.

So every time the ship was quiet
And no one was around
One pirate crept up to the deck
Without a single sound.

He turned the ship to starboard,
The next man steered to port,
They were going round in circles
Until eventually they fought.

"We’re lost!" shouted Grey-Beard,
“We’re all steering our own ways!
I’ll never find my treasure now,
We’ve all been lost for days!”

Then the real fighting started
With their guns and fists and swords
Because they were a selfish crew
And all wanted their own rewards.

They fought and fought for hours,
And no one would give in.
Each man thought the treasure
By rights belonged to him.

But this had got them nowhere,
They were lost without a clue.
They would never find the treasure now
And did not know what to do.

Just when they seemed all out of luck,
Yellow-Boots, the cabin boy
Jumped up and shouted “do you know what?
We can find this treasure, ahoy!”

“But how?” shouted Grey-Beard,
“We’re lost, don’t you see?”
“We’re not lost” said Yellow-Boots,
“Just listen to me!”

“If we all work together,
To find out where we are,
We’ll use the map to find our way
I’m sure it can’t be far!

"The treasure belongs to all of us
We can share out all the gold!”
“You know, that’s not a bad idea!”
Cried Captain Leopold.

So they put their heads together,
To figure out the map
And by working as a team
They finished just like that!

And then up they brought the anchors
And down they brought the sails.
Off they went, full-speed ahead
Through storms and sleet and gales

First they travelled east,
In search of foreign land
And then they travelled westwards,
Just as they had planned.

The seas were rough and deadly,
The ship swirled and sloshed and slopped,
But the pirates stuck together
And their teamwork never stopped.

After sailing for a week,
They still seemed so far from shore
But the pirates kept on sailing
Knowing they were closer than before.

Grey-Beard steered at day time,
Fearless Frank steered through the night,
Captain Leopold kept watch for land,
It seemed Yellow-Boots was right!

For by all working together,
They were sailing the right path
And now they no longer argued,
Their shouting changed to laughs.

Soon they became a happy bunch,
No longer a nasty crew.
They helped each other and found their way
Across the ocean blue.

Now it seemed they were in luck
And Yellow-Boots the cabin-boy
Jumped up and shouted ‘do you see that?’
I think there’s land ahoy!"

Indeed there was some land ahead,
Full of hidden treasure
And altogether the pirates cheered
With more joy than you could measure.

When at last they reached the island
They all stumbled down the plank
Captain Leopold and Yellow-Boots,
Grey-Beard and Fearless Frank.

Together they searched high and low
And hunted all around
To find the hidden treasures
Buried deep beneath the ground.

It didn’t take them long
Once they all worked together.
Their teamwork and the trusty map
Had lead them to the treasure.

For there upon the sand,
Much bigger than they guessed,
Shining in the sunlight
Was the missing treasure chest!

Together they ran forwards,
Stumbling with every stride.
“The treasure’s ours, we’ll all be rich!”
Leopold, the Captain, cried.

They threw the lid into the air
And then to their surprise
The treasure chest was empty!
They could not believe their eyes.

‘Where is all my treasure?’
Shouted Grey-Beard in disgust
He put his hand inside the chest
But all he found was dust.

The pirates slumped upon the sand
Defeated in their quest
After everything they’d been through
They’d only found an empty chest.

“We’ll never be rich” said Fearless Frank
“Our adventure was a waste.
How have we still found nothing
After everything we’ve faced?

“All the dangers that we went through
All the anger and the fights
Why did we even bother
Steering through those stormy nights?”

Just when they seemed all out of luck,
Yellow-Boots the cabin boy
Jumped up and shouted "do you know what?
We’ve found treasure, ahoy!

“We might not be the richest men,
Or have silver, pearls and gold,
But we’ve got each other, all of us
And Captain Leopold.

“We haven’t found the riches
But we’ve found something worth more,
For here we are, all friends together
Upon this sandy shore.”

It’s true, they had found treasure,
More than they could believe.
This selfish crew had become great friends,
All the pirates, crooks and thieves.

“We’ll just have to keep searching
To find that hidden gold,
But at least we’ll do it happily”
Laughed Captain Leopold.

So back on board the ship they went
And down they brought the sails.
Off they went, full-speed ahead
Through storms and sleet and gales.

The pirates sailed far and wide
But they always worked together
For in the end they realised
True friendship was the treasure.

And now that big, old pirate ship
That sails the seven seas,
Is home to the happiest, most friendly crew
Of pirates, crooks and thieves.