Young Timmy, a rookie sailor with a sunburnt nose and a boundless enthusiasm for all things nautical (despite knowing practically nothing about sailing), bounced onto the deck of the “Sea Serpent,” a rather grumpy-looking fishing trawler. Captain Pegleg Pete, a man whose face resembled a week-old prune, glared at him from the wheelhouse.
“Captain, sir!” Timmy chirped, nearly tripping over a coil of rope. “Ready to set sail for adventure!”
Pete grunted, his eyes barely lifting from the compass. “Adventure? This is fishing, lad. Not a pirate movie.”
Timmy, undeterred, continued, “But sir, I’ve read all about it! We’ll battle the kraken, discover hidden islands, maybe even find buried treasure!”
Pete snorted. “The only kraken we’ll be battling is that darned seagull that keeps stealing my sandwiches. And the only treasure we’ll find is a decent haul of cod.” He squinted suspiciously at Timmy. “You even know how to tie a knot?”
Timmy puffed out his chest. “Of course, sir! I’ve mastered the… uh… the… the… sailor’s… uh…” he trailed off, desperately searching for a knot name.
Pete’s eyebrow arched. “The ‘sailor’s what’? The ‘sailor’s I-don’t-actually-know-any-knots’?”
Timmy’s face fell. Just then, a particularly large wave crashed over the bow, soaking Timmy head to toe. He spluttered, shivering, “Well, sir, I’ve certainly mastered the ‘sailor’s unexpectedly-soaked’ knot!” Pete couldn’t help but let out a low chuckle, a sound so rare it startled a nearby seagull right off its stolen sandwich. “Get yourself inside, lad,” he grumbled, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, “Before you become the ‘sailor’s permanently-submerged’ knot.”
