P.G. Kidd
and the
The Vilano Beach Treasure
By
GosselinGirl
(This is a fictional story)

It was the summer of 1974 and my parents had just bought a summer home in Vilano Beach. My dad, Gerald, loved to explore and he was a direct descendant of the notorious pirate, Captain Kidd. Him and I use to tell pirate stories to see whose was the scariest. My mother, Matilda, was a dressmaker and loved to work her magic with our costumes for our plays and stories. 

I had just turned 10 years old and loved the presents my parents bought me for my birthday. The gifts were things that were suppose to keep me busy for the summer. The gifts included a compass, pirate map of Vilano Beach, a pirates patch and hat, new bathing trunks, a mask, flippers, and some pirate binoculars. Hmm, guess they wanted me to go exploring.


Of course, I was not your typical 10 year old boy. I had been home schooled and traveled the world with my parents. My father was an archeologist, so digging up old things was nothing new to me. My mother said that I had a lively imagination for adventure.

Our first night in our summer home was kind of boring. After moving in numerous trunks and furniture, it was too dark and late for me to go exploring on the beach. So, I would have to wait until morning to check out my new surroundings.

I was an only child and very use to making new friends. My mother always had me involved in so many different extracurricular activities that I learned how to do all kinds of things.

Morning finally arrived and I was anxious to go walking on the beach. After chugging down my Captain Crunch, I headed out to explore the beach and ocean. Walking along the beach, my mind began to wander. As I looked out over the ocean, I noticed an unusual boat with tall masts. It looked old from a distance and I mentally thought…a pirates boat. Of course, you can imagine what was headed my way next.



I walked that whole beach from one end to the next. I combed over the shells and talked to all the people walking along the way. Not once, did that peculiar boat move. I was fascinated with it from the beginning. Deciding to wait until darkness to see if it had any lights or movement.



Turning in early after dinner, I rested for a while and then suddenly was awakened to  the sound of waves crashing against the rocks. My parents had been asleep for hours, so I decided to take my telescope up to the rooftop deck and have a look at that boat.

I climbed the numerous stairs quietly and set up my telescope in the corner of the deck. Looking out over the ocean, I caught a glimpse of the boat. It was bobbing back and forth in the water. I knew it was a pirates boat…I could spot them a mile away. As I peered through the lenses, I noticed movement on the deck of the boat. I refocused and got my first glimpse of the captain of the boat. He had dark eyes and a hook on his left hand. He looked mean and fierce. All together I counted 12 men aboard the boat. I can't tell you how long I sat on the  rooftop deck watching the boat, but eventually I fell asleep. When I woke up to the smell of eggs and ham it was 9:30 in the morning. My parents never said a word to me about being out so late. It was summer and I was a young boy full of adventure.

Once again, I walked the beach looking for anything suspicious. I looked in every nook and cranny as I walked along in the cool water. I looked under boardwalks, decks, and I even turned over every single rock I found. Nothing…I could not find anything on the beach. Next, I studied the tourist and regulars to see if any of them looked familiar to me. I wanted to know if the captain of that strange boat had come ashore. Finally, I gave up and headed home.

Tonight was going to be the night. I knew if I looked hard and long, I was going to spot the pirates burying their treasure on the beaches of Vilano. The anticipation grew as I turned out my light to sleep for awhile. Waking up again to the ocean sounds through my window.

Dressing in the dark is not easy. I didn’t want to wake my parents, so I grabbed my pirate bag and decided to walk down the dock to the beach. It was a dark and dreary night. My eyes were playing tricks on me and the water was sloshing against the rocks. It was an eerie feeling being out so late at night. My mind was imagining all sorts of things in the darkness of the night.

Our dock in the daytime...

As I got closer to the end of the dock, I heard some scurrying along the edge of the beach. I slouched down behind the gate of the dock and waited. A small row boat came ashore and a bunch of pirates got out. They were arguing back and forth as they pulled the row boat ashore. Then, out of no where, the fierce captain stepped ashore. I was scared and made sure not to move so that I wouldn’t be noticed. I watched them move a huge treasure chest ashore. I knew it…they were going to bury their treasure right in front of our beach house. How lucky could I get?

 

 

Hours passed and finally the row boat left to go back to the main ship. I snuck closer to the gate and finally opened it releasing me to walk further down to the beach. As I looked out over the ocean I didn’t see any lights on the boat. I got down on my knees and dug like crazy. Finally, I could feel something hard and wooden. I had found the treasure. After much digging, I was able to uproot the buried chest. I lugged it back to the house and up to my bedroom. I was so tired and decided to just call it a night and wait until the morning to explore its contents.



Morning came, and I woke to the bright sunshine coming through my window. I was anxious to open the chest. As I walked to the corner of my bedroom, I could see the huge wooden chest. I opened it and found some of my childhood things. Toys, certificates I had won, my baby shoes, and a bunch of pictures were neatly placed in the chest. Next to the chest lay my Peter Pan book, my compass, backpack, pirates map, and my wooden play row boat. I just chuckled out loud because I knew that I must of dreamt up this adventure in my mind. Oh, my mother was right…I did have a lively imagination.

After breakfast, I went down to the beach for a swim. The water was refreshingly cool in the heat of the summer. An old man was sitting on the dock next to ours and asked me if I had found anything good on my walks? I told him,  “No, nothing yet.” He just smiled and then I saw his hand come up alongside his body. He had a hook on the end. I stepped back a bit and then I noticed the wooden chest. Oh geezer now what? Had I dreamt the whole thing up, or was it real? I guess time would tell and I knew when I went to sleep that night…a new adventure was on the horizon.