Captain Pip and the Upside-Down Map

Ages 5–6 3-min read Pirates

Captain Pip follows a treasure map through a storm, then realises it was upside down all along, and the treasure was much closer.

Captain Pip found an old map in a bottle. It had a wiggly path, three palm trees and a big red X. “Treasure!” she cried. “Squawk! Treasure!” cried Pepper the parrot.

They sailed past Seagull Rock and around Whale Bay, following the wiggly path. Pip held the map up high. It was very windy.

Soon the sky turned grey. The waves went WHOOSH, and the little ship went up… and down… and up again. “Hold on, Pepper!”

When the storm passed, Pip looked at the map. Then she looked at the islands. Nothing matched. Not one single palm tree.

“Pepper,” she said slowly, “I think this map is… upside down.” She turned it the right way up. Now the wiggly path led all the way back to… “Our own island?!”

So back they sailed, past Whale Bay and Seagull Rock, giggling the whole way. “Some pirates we are!” laughed Pip.

On their own beach stood three palm trees: the same ones they passed every single day. Pip started to dig. Pepper helped (mostly by flapping sand everywhere).

CLUNK! The spade hit a little wooden chest. Pip’s heart went thump-thump. Slowly, she lifted the lid…

Inside were seashells, a tiny wooden boat, a green feather and a drawing of a girl and a parrot. “Pepper,” gasped Pip, “this is OUR box. We buried it the day we became friends!”

They had both forgotten all about it. “Squawk!” said Pepper. “Best treasure!”