Young Storykeeper Volume III

120 | STORYKEEPERS VOLUME III AGE NINE | 121
THE PIRATE LIGHTHOUSE
One cold, stormy night in Ireland there were
pirates sailing on the sea. There was a cold
gust of wind and the sail of their ship ripped.
“Oh no!” shouted one of the pirates.
Next, here was a flash of lightning and all
the pirates got knocked out.
In the morning when they woke up,
they were not on the ship anymore. They
were washed up on shore and their ship was
broken.
“What can possibly go wrong now?”
said a pirate. They glimpsed out at sea and
saw a boat.
“A boat!” shouted the captain. “Oh,
it is the navy!” the captain said a very
disappointed voice.
Soon the navy pulled up on shore. “Is
everyone all right?” said a person from the
navy.
“Yes,” said the captain.
“Are you sure?”
“Well, it is getting late and we need a
place to stay,” said the captain.
Soon all the Navy got off the LE Eithne.
The LE Eithne started to float away. “Noooo!
We forgot to put down the anchor!”
“Now we are both stuck,” said a pirate.
“It is getting dark and we need
somewhere to stay,” said the captain.
“We know where to stay,” said a person
from the navy.
“We will follow you,” said the captain.
Soon he was climbing up rocks and
then, they were going through long grass.
“We will rest here for the night,” he said.
“WHAT?” said a pirate They used leaves
for a blanket and a rock for a pillow. “This is
not comfortable!” shouted another pirate.
“It will do for tonight,” said the person
from the navy. Night fell and everyone drifted
off to sleep.
In the morning, everyone woke up with
a start.
“We better get going,” said the captain.
Soon they went over a big hill. They
walked a little bit more and a tower shaped
building came into sight. They all started
running to it. “A lighthouse,” everyone said.
They knocked on the door and a man
was standing there. “We are lost and we are
wondering can we stay
here?” they asked.
“Yes” the man said.
“Would you be able to
fix my lighthouse?”
“Of course,”
said the captain.
Straightaway they got
to work. They screwed
in screws and changed
the bulb.
“Thank you,” said
the man. “This will now
be your new home.”
“Yay!” everyone
cheered.
That night they
had a big party!
Daniel Battles
Co Roscommon
THE CROOKED HEAD LIGHTHOUSE MURDERS
Thomas gently pushed open the door with a creak. Inside, Mr Sherman was
lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Dead. Thomas began to scream. He scuttled
out the door and dialled 999. He was in a state of panic, but he knew that the
police wouldn’t take long to arrive. He could see the police station from the
lighthouse door.
After examining the body and the crime scene, it became obvious to the
police that Mr Sherman had been drugged and then stabbed twice. Thomas was
inconsolable. Mr Sherman was the island’s lighthouse keeper and it was said
that working there brought bad luck. All the previous lighthouse keepers had
been murdered brutally but these crimes remained unsolved.
Thomas lived with his mother and father on the island of Skelly. Mr Sherman
was a family friend who visited frequently and never seemed to have any enemies.
Thomas decided he would avenge Mr Sherman by finding his killer.
Thomas started to think about who would want to kill Mr Sherman. Mr
Sherman was a kind, sociable man who cared for all the islanders. Thomas
wondered if his murder had something to do with being the lighthouse keeper.
But who would do such a thing?
Thomas strolled wearily to the library to research the history of the lighthouse.
It only took an hour for him to discover that the lighthouse should never have
been built there. It was built on land owned by the McDonalds, the clan that
owned half of the island. He was shocked to read that the town council never
looked for permission from the McDonalds to build the lighthouse. They must
have been angry and held a grudge against the lighthouse keepers, thought
Thomas.
Thomas raced out of the library and ran to the police station with the council
records. He demanded to see the sergeant in charge and told him everything.
Sergeant Lyons was stunned. He thanked Thomas for his help and dashed
into his patrol car. Six more cars of his colleagues followed him towards the
McDonalds’ estate.
The cars screeched into Fionn McDonald’s driveway. Sergeant Lyons
knocked loudly on the door. The housekeeper opened the door reluctantly.
Sergeant Lyons walked in to find Fionn sitting on an armchair.
“Do you recognise this man, Mr McDonald?” asked Sergeant Lyons, holding
a picture of Mr Sherman.
“Isn’t he the one who was killed in that awful lighthouse?” replied Fionn.
“Yes. Do you know who killed him?” demanded Sergeant Lyons.
“As a matter of fact, I do. It was my two sons. We never gave permission
for that lighthouse to be built on our land. I would burn it to the ground if I could!”
shouted Fionn.
Sergeant Lyons arrested Fionn and his two sons on suspicion of murder. They
were convicted of twelve murders in court and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Thomas was relieved that the murders of the Crooked Head Lighthouse
had finally been solved.
David Ryder
Co Mayo