Lulu Bell and the Pirate Fun

by Belinda Murrell

  That started Lulu thinking again. What will we do if the rain doesn’t stop? Where can we have a fun party for Gus? And how can we build him a really cool pirate ship?

  Gus yawned and rubbed his eyes.

  ‘I think it might be time for a little pirate to have a sleep,’ said Mum.

  Gus shook his head furiously. ‘I not tired.’ He yawned again.

  Mum picked him up. ‘I’ll read you a pirate story, honey bun. Then you can lie down for a little while.’ Gus nestled his head against Mum’s shoulder.

  Auntie Tor helped the older kids pack everything up. ‘The rain seems to have finally stopped,’ she said. ‘What mischief are you pirates planning for the rest of the afternoon?’

  Lulu gave a mysterious smile. ‘Follow me, everyone. I’ve just had a brilliant idea.’

  Chapter 5

  A Brilliant Idea

  All the cousins – except for Gus – followed Lulu. With gumboots on, they walked back down towards the road. This time they didn’t go to the cubby fort. Instead, they crossed the timber bridge and took a shortcut across the paddock to the hay barn.

  Lulu slid the door open. ‘Tada!’ she cried. ‘This is where we can have Gus’s party!’

  ‘In the barn?’ asked Meg.

  ‘Yes,’ said Lulu. ‘It’s under cover, so we won’t get wet. We can make as much noise as we like. And we can build a super-duper pirate ship for Gus!’

  Lulu looked around at the large dusty space. Instead of a haystack, she could imagine the hull and sails of a ship – a Spanish galleon, with a carved mermaid on the prow.

  ‘But how are we going to make a pirate ship?’ asked Rosie.

  Lulu pointed at the pile of hay bales. ‘We can ask Uncle Nick and Auntie Tor if we can move some of this around. Maybe we can borrow some things from the garage as well.’

  Lachie and Tom nodded.

  ‘Ropes, cushions, crates,’ suggested Tom. He ticked the items off on his fingers.

  ‘And a plank,’ added Lulu.

  ‘Ye’ll be walking the plank, matey,’ growled Lachie in his pirate voice.

  ‘It’ll be a fine pirate ship for us scallywags,’ said Tom, as the cousins headed back to the farmhouse to speak to Uncle Nick and Auntie Tor.

  ‘Sounds like a great idea,’ said Uncle Nick, when the cousins had told them their plan.

  ‘If you can’t find everything you need, let me know and I’ll see what I can do,’ said Auntie Tor.

  Lulu asked Auntie Tor if she could borrow a broomstick and an old white sheet. Meg found string in the craft box. Tom fetched the wheelbarrow, then they all headed to the garage to see if they could find anything else to help build their pirate ship.

  In the garage, the cousins picked up some old rope, cushions, crates, bamboo poles, a tarpaulin and a plank of wood. When they had everything they needed, they put it all into the wheelbarrow and took it back to the barn.

  Once they had unloaded their goodies, the cousins had a long look around.

  ‘First we should move the bales of hay,’ suggested Lulu. ‘Then we can use poles and rope to make the masts.’

  ‘Aye aye, Captain!’ cried Lachie. He saluted smartly and scrambled up the haystack.

  The cousins worked for an hour. They moved bales of hay to create the base of the ship. Lulu knotted one corner of the sheet to the broomstick. Rosie tied the other corner to a pole to create a sail.

  Tom and Lachie balanced the plank of wood between two hay bales, and they all helped to spread the blue tarpaulin out on the ground to make the sea. Finally, Lulu tied one of the Jolly Roger flags to a bamboo pole and hoisted it up high.

  The cousins stood back and admired their work.

  ‘That’s a mighty fine pirate ship, me hearties,’ said Meg.

  ‘Gus is going to be super-excited when he sees it,’ said Rosie.

  ‘And there’s plenty of room for everyone,’ said Lulu.

  ‘Looks like all our troubles are solved,’ said Tom.

  ‘Arrr, you scurvy bilge rat,’ said Lachie. ‘There’s always trouble with pirates about.’

  Chapter 6

  Happy Birthday

  The next morning Lulu was woken by a slight noise. She rolled over and opened her eyes. Lulu was still a bit tired because she had stayed up late last night, finishing one final thing so that Gus’s pirate party would be perfect. She looked around. Huddled together in front of the fire were the cousins, all snug in their sleeping bags. They looked like fat caterpillars. The dogs were meant to be sleeping on their mats but instead they were curled up at the kids’ feet.

  ‘Lulu?’ hissed Gus. He was sitting up, his hair all mussed and on end. His face was bright with excitement.

  ‘Hey, Gus,’ said Lulu with a yawn. She rubbed her eyes.

  ‘Lulu, guess what? This morning I counted up and I was four!’

  The dogs and the other cousins quickly woke up at Gus’s shout.

  Lulu grinned. ‘Of course you are. Happy birthday, Gus. Today we’re going to have the best day, with lots of surprises!’

  ‘Happy birthday, Gus!’ cried everyone in turn.

  Mum and Dad came in, then Uncle Nick and Auntie Tor. Everyone made a big fuss of Gus. Mum cooked his favourite breakfast – buttery pancakes with lemon and brown sugar.

  Gus ate a huge pile of six pancakes. He held out his plate. ‘Any more?’ he asked hopefully. ‘I love pancakes.’

  Dad grinned. ‘Maybe just a little one,’ he said. ‘Only because it’s your birthday and you’re a big four-year-old now.’

  Mum peered out the window. ‘It’s still raining,’ she said.

  ‘The creek has risen even higher,’ said Dad, looking through the window.

  ‘But the bridge hasn’t washed away, thank goodness,’ said Uncle Nick.

  ‘So we can’t go horseriding today?’ asked Lulu.

  Uncle Nick shook his head. ‘Sorry, Lulu. It’s just too soggy.’

  Lulu’s mouth drooped with disappointment.

  ‘Luckily we have a good plan for the party,’ said Meg.

  Lulu grinned. She couldn’t wait to see Gus’s face when he saw the pirate ship they had built. And the special treasure map she had drawn for him last night…

  After breakfast, everyone had jobs to do. Meg and Tom were on dishwasher duty. Lachie and Rosie fed the four dogs. Lulu and Gus went to feed the chickens.

  Normally Chook and Griffin liked to peck around in the vegetable garden. But today they were huddled in their henhouse with their feathers fluffed up. Lulu opened the gate, waited for Gus to charge through, then carefully latched it behind them. She changed the water while Gus filled up the bowl with grain. When he finished, Gus sat down and cuddled Griffin. He loved the chickens.

  Asha and Jessie sat outside the chicken yard, watching. Jessie smiled her big doggy grin. Lulu always thought Jessie was the smiliest dog in the world.

  ‘There’s no more food for you, girls,’ scolded Lulu. ‘You’ve had your breakfast already. I saw you gobble it down!’

  Both dogs wagged their tails.

  Polly came over. She nudged Jessie with her nose then the two dogs raced away. They squeezed under the farm gate and ran off through the paddocks, towards the creek.

  Lulu watched the dogs bounding along together. ‘Come on, Gus,’ she said. ‘Time to leave the chickens. We need to help Mum make your party food.’

  Gus gave Griffin one last cuddle. Asha followed Lulu and Gus back inside.

  In the kitchen, Lachie and Meg were making the cake batter. Auntie Tor was cutting up oranges and Mum was scooping flesh from a watermelon. Tom and Rosie were making blue jelly cups. Lulu started greasing the cake tin.

  Gus peered into the mixing bowl. ‘More choclit. It needs lots of choclit.’

  Lachie grinned and added another teaspoon of cocoa. ‘Aye aye, captain,’ he said.

  Meg poured the cake batter into the greased tin and Auntie Tor popped it in the oven.

  ‘That needs about half an hour,’ said Auntie Tor, turning on
the oven timer. ‘That will leave plenty of time for it to cool down before we put the icing on.’

  ‘How would you like us to decorate your cake, honey bun?’ Mum asked Gus.

  Gus frowned. ‘How ’bout a really big sea monster?’ he asked. ‘With big goggly eyes!’

  ‘Hmmm,’ said Mum. ‘That sounds a little tricky.’

  ‘How about a shark cake?’ suggested Tom.

  ‘Or a deserted island?’ said Rosie. ‘With palm trees and a coral reef.’

  Mum’s eyes twinkled with laughter. ‘How about something a bit simpler, or we won’t be eating this cake for days!’

  Chapter 7

  Where’s Jessie?

  The buzzer went and Auntie Tor set the chocolate cake on the bench to cool. Mum stacked the jelly cups in the fridge to set.

  Lulu was helping Lachie and Rosie make mini pirate ships. They took the tiny Jolly Roger flags they had glued onto toothpicks the day before and stuck one in the middle of each orange wedge. The orange ships would then float on the blue jelly sea.

  A scratching sounded at the door. Tom opened it and let Polly in. He patted her head. Polly flopped down in the corner beside Asha and Daisy. Her long coat was soaked from the rain. Tom picked up a towel and gave her a quick rub to dry her off.

  Asha whined. She came over to Lulu and butted her on the leg with her head.

  ‘What’s up, girl?’ asked Lulu. She put down her orange wedge.

  Asha looked up at Lulu with her big brown eyes. She whined again then padded over to the back door and turned her head to look at Lulu.

  ‘Do you want to go outside?’ asked Lulu. She opened the door. ‘Out you go.’

  Asha ran outside. But instead of bounding off to play, she looked back at Lulu again. It was if she was trying to tell Lulu something.

  ‘Mum, I think something’s wrong with Asha,’ said Lulu.

  ‘You know Asha hates the rain,’ said Mum, coming over to the door. ‘Maybe she just needs to go outside but doesn’t want to get wet.’

  Lulu stood at the door and looked out. Asha came back and nudged Lulu’s hand with her nose.

  ‘No,’ said Lulu, shaking her head. ‘I think it’s something else.’

  Suddenly Lulu had a thought. A little shiver ran up her spine. ‘Has anyone seen Jessie? I saw her go out with Polly this morning but I haven’t seen her since.’

  Mum frowned. ‘I wonder where she could be? Jessie doesn’t normally wander off.’ Mum whistled loudly. ‘Jessie!’ she yelled. ‘Jessie!’

  Everyone went out onto the verandah.

  Asha gave Lulu’s hand one more nudge then she trotted off into the rain.

  Lulu felt worried.

  Where could Jessie be? she thought. She never wanders off by herself. Lulu flicked one of her honey-coloured plaits over her shoulder. ‘I’m going to look for Jessie.’

  ‘I’ll come too,’ said Rosie.

  ‘Me too,’ said Gus.

  ‘Let me just grab my jacket, honey buns,’ said Mum.

  Soon, Mum and all the kids were pulling on their gumboots, hats and jackets. They set off to follow Asha. Asha was running across the paddock towards the flooded creek. She had her nose to the ground, as if she was trying to sniff out a scent. She paused and looked back. She barked loudly. It was her warning bark.

  Lulu felt a heavy lump in her tummy. Where could Jessie be? Could something have happened to her? What if she’s lost or hurt?

  Chapter 8

  The Hunt for Jessie

  ‘Jessie!’ called Lulu. ‘Jessie, come!’

  Mum whistled again.

  ‘The floodwaters have definitely risen since yesterday,’ said Mum. ‘The water’s lapping up against the trees now.’

  Once she came to the flooded paddock, Asha seemed to lose the faint scent she had been following. She looked up and down, then barked again.

  ‘I think we might need some help,’ said Mum. ‘Something is definitely not right.’

  Mum pulled out her phone and called Dad. In a few moments, he arrived in the four-wheel drive with Uncle Nick. Auntie Tor followed in her car.

  Dad jumped out of the car. He was wearing his oilskin jacket and a hat. Everyone gathered around to discuss a search plan.

  ‘When was the last time anyone saw Jessie?’ asked Dad.

  ‘She was playing with Polly after breakfast,’ said Lulu. ‘I saw them run across the paddock towards the creek. Polly came home just a little while ago, but Jessie wasn’t with her.’

  ‘So she’s been gone a couple of hours,’ said Mum. ‘She could be anywhere.’

  Dad looked up and down the flooded creek. ‘I think we should split up,’ he suggested. ‘If we keep calling and whistling, she should hear us and come running.’

  Uncle Nick started the car engine. ‘Gus, you come with me. We’ll go and check around the cattle yards and in the back paddocks. She might be chasing rabbits up in the hills.’

  ‘I’ll drive out and check along the road,’ said Auntie Tor. ‘She could have wandered out the front gate. Meg, do you want to come too?’

  Meg nodded.

  ‘Why don’t you boys check the sheds?’ Dad suggested.

  Tom and Lachie ran off to search the farm buildings. Uncle Nick and Auntie Tor drove off in different directions.

  Dad looked at Lulu. He tweaked her cheek. ‘Come on, sweetie. Don’t worry. We’ll find our Jessie.’

  Lulu looked up at Dad. ‘What if she’s been washed away by the flood?’

  Dad gave Lulu a big hug. His arms felt strong and safe. ‘Jessie’s a big, clever dog. And she’s as brave as a lion. We’ll find her.’

  Mum took Rosie by the hand. ‘Why don’t Rosie and I search upstream?’ she suggested.

  ‘Good idea,’ said Dad. ‘Lulu and I can go downstream.’

  Lulu and Dad scrambled along the creek bank. The creek bed itself was quite narrow. At some points it was only one metre across. At other parts it expanded to form shallow pools that were usually only a couple of metres wide. Today, though, all the flooding meant that the shallow pools were now about the size of a football field.

  Asha ran back and forth, as if she was still trying to find a scent to follow. But the floodwater had washed away any trail.

  Lulu called until her voice was hoarse. Dad checked under the wooden bridge. There was no sign of the missing dog. Past the bridge, the creek flowed faster. It twisted and turned like a snake through the paddock. This was the part of the creek that Uncle Nick had warned could be dangerous.

  Dad helped Lulu clamber along the rough bank. There were gnarled tree roots, rocks and boulders. The ground was slippery and soggy underfoot. Dad stopped to check back across the paddock.

  Lulu scrambled up a small mound, with Asha following. Lulu paused at the top to catch her breath. Her face felt hot and sticky. Her hands stung with scratches from thorns and branches. Her clothes were soaked and stuck to her skin. And still there was no sign of Jessie.

  Down below her, the creek had widened out again, forming a muddy brown lagoon. The bank was choked with scrubby bushes that were half-submerged by the floodwaters. The rain plopped and splatted down. It drizzled onto Lulu’s face. She wiped it away with the back of her hand.

  ‘Jessie,’ called Lulu. ‘Jessie!’

  Asha whined.

  Lulu shut her eyes so that she could concentrate on listening. With her eyes closed, she thought she heard something. Lulu tucked a wet plait behind her ear. She listened as hard as she could. There it was again! It was a very faint sound. Was it a bird? Or could it be a very faint whimper?

  Asha must have heard it, too. She barked loudly and darted down the bank towards the water.

  ‘Dad! Dad!’ yelled Lulu. ‘I think I heard Jessie!’

  Chapter 9

  The Rescue

  Dad ran up the slope and stopped beside Lulu.

  ‘Did you see Jessie? Where?’ he cried.

  ‘Shhh,’ said Lulu. She closed her eyes again and cupped her hand around her ear. ‘There it
is again.’

  ‘I can’t hear anything,’ said Dad.

  Lulu kept her eyes closed and turned her face towards the faint sound. She pointed. Lulu’s ears told her that the noise was coming from the far bank. But she couldn’t see anything there except a tangled thicket of branches and brambles.

  Then she saw something. A small black shape was sticking out of the water. It was half-hidden among the undergrowth. Was it a submerged stone? Perhaps it was a log … But was it moving?

  ‘There, Dad!’ cried Lulu. ‘What’s that? Is it Jessie?’

  ‘It couldn’t be,’ said Dad. ‘What would she be doing down there?’

  Asha barked once more. She darted back and forth anxiously then jumped into the water with a loud splash. She started swimming for the opposite bank.

  ‘It must be,’ said Lulu. ‘Asha wouldn’t go in unless she thought Jessie was there. She hates swimming.’

  The shape moved again and finally Lulu could see it clearly. The dark shape was Jessie’s black muzzle. Her brown head was nearly invisible against the muddy water and the thicket of wood. Her eyes turned to Lulu. She whined pitifully.

  ‘It is Jessie,’ yelled Lulu. ‘She must be trapped.’

  Dad took his phone out of his pocket. ‘Ring Mum and Uncle Nick and ask them to come straight away. Please stay up here on the bank, sweetie. I don’t want you to go down near the water.’

  Lulu took the phone. She punched the buttons to ring Mum then Uncle Nick, to tell them what had happened.

  Meanwhile, Dad made his way down the bank. He slowly and carefully waded out into the lagoon. The water came up over his knees, then to his waist as he splashed out across the floodwater. He reached Jessie at the same time Asha did. Asha paddled to the shallows where she could stand. Lulu could see Dad struggling with the tangle of branches.