HOME | DD

Description
"On the clearest of nights, when the winds of the Etherium were calm and peaceful, the great merchant ships, with their cargoes of Arcturian sura crystals felt safe and secure. Little did they suspect that they were pursued by pirates. And the most feared of all these pirates was the notorious Captain Nathaniel Flint!"

"Wow!" cried five year old Jim Hawkins, who was listening in fascanation to his sister. Belle, who was two years older, smiled down at her little brother, before going on with the story.

"Like a Candarian zap-wing ovetaking its prey-!"

"James Pleiades Hawkins!" Both children looked up with a start to see their mother, Sarah, standing in the doorway with her arms folded. "And Belle Rosalinda Hawkins! l thought you two were asleep an hour ago!"

"Aw, but Mum!" Belle groaned, flopping over onto her back on Jim's bed.

"We were just getting to the best part!" Jim added, hugging the book to his chest.

"Please?" they both begged, looking up at her with very, very big eyes.

"Oh," Sarah shook her head, but she was smiling at her children. "Can those eyes get any bigger?" Belle smiled. She knew that they had won, that their mother would give in and let them finish their story. "Scootch over," Sarah said, settling herself on the bed beside them. "Go ahead, Belle."

Belle took the book from her brother and opened it. "Like a Candarian zap-wing ovetaking its prey, Flint and his band of renegades swooped in out of nowhere!" Belle stood up on the bed and mimed a sword fight with an imaginary person. Sarah and Jim laughed as she bounced back onto the bed beside them. "And then, gathering up their spoils, they vanished without a trace!"

"Ooh!" Jim exclaimed.

"Flint's secret trove was never found but stories have persisted that it remains hidden somewhere at the fathest reaches of the galaxy stowed with riches beyond imagination - the loot of a thousand worlds-"

"Treasure Planet!" Jim said at the same time as his sister.

"That's the best story in the world!" Belle exclaimed, closing the book. Sarah smiled. "Now, you two little pirates had better get some sleep."

"How do you think he did it, Mum?" asked Jim. "How do you think that Flint just swooped in out of nowhere like that and vanished without a trace?"

Sarah grinned. "Well, I just don't know. Perhaps he's magic?"

"Or perhaps, he could vanish inside some kind of wormhole, or timeslip!" Belle cried. "Now that would be cool!"

"Alright, now, I mean it. Bed!"

Belle smiled as she climbed into her bed by the window, opposite to her brother's. "Goodnight, Mum."

"Night, Mum," Jim echoed, climbing beneath the duvet.

"Goodnight, you two. And this time, go to sleep."

"Yes, Mum!" they both chorused. Sarah closed the door and waited. No sound came from behind the door, and so, satisfied, she drifted off to bed herself.

"Is she gone?" Belle whispered as quietly as she could manage.

Jim slid out of bed and crept to the door to listen. "Yes, she's gone."

Belle sat up. "When I grow up, I want to go to space, just like Dad, and fight pirates just like Captian Flint!"

"Me too!" Jim said, clambering back into bed. "Only this time, we'll get him to tell us where his treasure is!"

"And we'll be the ones to bring it back!"

"Belle, it can happen, can't it? We will go to space one day, won't we?"

"Of course we will!"

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Satisfied, Jim lay down and presently Belle heard him snoring. But she couldn't sleep. Much as they acted like a happy family on the outside, Belle knew the truth. She might be young, but she knew about the problems between her parents. They argued all the time when she and Jim weren't around; Belle had overheard them often enough. Right now she knew that their father was downstairs, drinking, and in the morning, after he had sobered up, there would be more rows and more fighting. Sometimes she lived for the days when he went away to space, because when he came back, the house was always peaceful for a few days, and it always looked like they were about to be just about alright. But then the rows would start up again. It never got violent, but it often ended with one or the other storming out. Actually, Belle could remember one incident in particular when both their mother and their father had walked out of the house, leaving her and Jim all alone. For hours, they had waited for their parents to return. It had been a scary day, because when it came to dinnertime, neither of them knew how to cook. Belle remembered feeding her brother slices of cheese and crackers, which were the only things that she could find in the larder that didn't need to be cooked. Sarah had come back shortly afterwards, but their father hadn't returned until the following morning. It had only happened once, but Belle still feared it happening again. Even now, whilst her brother slept, Belle could hear her father downing glass after glass of rum. It was a hard life for everyone involved.

And that was why Belle read these stories of adventure and bravery to Jim every night. It was an escape; a way out from the life they led. And that was why they would go to space one day; to escape from it all.

Belle slipped quietly out of bed and crept across to her brother. He was sleeping like a baby. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, gently. "I promise we'll go to space one day, Jim," she whispered. "By all the powers in the universe, I promise it."

Description
"On the clearest of nights, when the winds of the Etherium were calm and peaceful, the great merchant ships, with their cargoes of Arcturian sura crystals felt safe and secure. Little did they suspect that they were pursued by pirates. And the most feared of all these pirates was the notorious Captain Nathaniel Flint!"

"Wow!" cried five year old Jim Hawkins, who was listening in fascanation to his sister. Belle, who was two years older, smiled down at her little brother, before going on with the story.

"Like a Candarian zap-wing ovetaking its prey-!"

"James Pleiades Hawkins!" Both children looked up with a start to see their mother, Sarah, standing in the doorway with her arms folded. "And Belle Rosalinda Hawkins! l thought you two were asleep an hour ago!"

"Aw, but Mum!" Belle groaned, flopping over onto her back on Jim's bed.

"We were just getting to the best part!" Jim added, hugging the book to his chest.

"Please?" they both begged, looking up at her with very, very big eyes.

"Oh," Sarah shook her head, but she was smiling at her children. "Can those eyes get any bigger?" Belle smiled. She knew that they had won, that their mother would give in and let them finish their story. "Scootch over," Sarah said, settling herself on the bed beside them. "Go ahead, Belle."

Belle took the book from her brother and opened it. "Like a Candarian zap-wing ovetaking its prey, Flint and his band of renegades swooped in out of nowhere!" Belle stood up on the bed and mimed a sword fight with an imaginary person. Sarah and Jim laughed as she bounced back onto the bed beside them. "And then, gathering up their spoils, they vanished without a trace!"

"Ooh!" Jim exclaimed.

"Flint's secret trove was never found but stories have persisted that it remains hidden somewhere at the fathest reaches of the galaxy stowed with riches beyond imagination - the loot of a thousand worlds-"

"Treasure Planet!" Jim said at the same time as his sister.

"That's the best story in the world!" Belle exclaimed, closing the book. Sarah smiled. "Now, you two little pirates had better get some sleep."

"How do you think he did it, Mum?" asked Jim. "How do you think that Flint just swooped in out of nowhere like that and vanished without a trace?"

Sarah grinned. "Well, I just don't know. Perhaps he's magic?"

"Or perhaps, he could vanish inside some kind of wormhole, or timeslip!" Belle cried. "Now that would be cool!"

"Alright, now, I mean it. Bed!"

Belle smiled as she climbed into her bed by the window, opposite to her brother's. "Goodnight, Mum."

"Night, Mum," Jim echoed, climbing beneath the duvet.

"Goodnight, you two. And this time, go to sleep."

"Yes, Mum!" they both chorused. Sarah closed the door and waited. No sound came from behind the door, and so, satisfied, she drifted off to bed herself.

"Is she gone?" Belle whispered as quietly as she could manage.

Jim slid out of bed and crept to the door to listen. "Yes, she's gone."

Belle sat up. "When I grow up, I want to go to space, just like Dad, and fight pirates just like Captian Flint!"

"Me too!" Jim said, clambering back into bed. "Only this time, we'll get him to tell us where his treasure is!"

"And we'll be the ones to bring it back!"

"Belle, it can happen, can't it? We will go to space one day, won't we?"

"Of course we will!"

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Satisfied, Jim lay down and presently Belle heard him snoring. But she couldn't sleep. Much as they acted like a happy family on the outside, Belle knew the truth. She might be young, but she knew about the problems between her parents. They argued all the time when she and Jim weren't around; Belle had overheard them often enough. Right now she knew that their father was downstairs, drinking, and in the morning, after he had sobered up, there would be more rows and more fighting. Sometimes she lived for the days when he went away to space, because when he came back, the house was always peaceful for a few days, and it always looked like they were about to be just about alright. But then the rows would start up again. It never got violent, but it often ended with one or the other storming out. Actually, Belle could remember one incident in particular when both their mother and their father had walked out of the house, leaving her and Jim all alone. For hours, they had waited for their parents to return. It had been a scary day, because when it came to dinnertime, neither of them knew how to cook. Belle remembered feeding her brother slices of cheese and crackers, which were the only things that she could find in the larder that didn't need to be cooked. Sarah had come back shortly afterwards, but their father hadn't returned until the following morning. It had only happened once, but Belle still feared it happening again. Even now, whilst her brother slept, Belle could hear her father downing glass after glass of rum. It was a hard life for everyone involved.

And that was why Belle read these stories of adventure and bravery to Jim every night. It was an escape; a way out from the life they led. And that was why they would go to space one day; to escape from it all.

Belle slipped quietly out of bed and crept across to her brother. He was sleeping like a baby. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, gently. "I promise we'll go to space one day, Jim," she whispered. "By all the powers in the universe, I promise it."