That Time when I was Captured by Pirates...
So... like... I was captured by pirates last weekend. Can you believe it? Me! A mermaid! I got caught by these Lake Michigan pirates and they stuck me on the back of a convertible car. A RED convertible car! What a strange place to put a mermaid! I mean, I managed to escape, so it's all good, but still... let's talk about this for a second! 😜
Boyne City Pirate Festival 2018 (VIDEO BELOW)
Memoirs of a Mermaid- Michigan Pirates
On August 11th of 2018, I was captured by pirates and stuck on top of one of their land-ships. They made me smile and wave to all of these miniature humans as they drove their land-ship on a solid black river of stone. This really tiny pegasus was following the land-ship that I was perched on. I guess he got captured too! I heard some strange birds squawking as well. Although I couldn't see them (because I am mostly blind!) I do think someone called them "parrots." Why didn't they fly away? Maybe parrots are friends with the pirates? After all, "parrot" sounds an awful lot like "pirate." Yeah. They were probably part of the pirate crew. This long line of strange creatures and sword-juggling buccaneers was called a "Pirate Parade." Apparently, a place called Boyne City thought it would be a good idea to let pirates run through their streets! Yeesh! What a thought! 🤔
I tried to convince myself that this was all just a dream, and that I was really passed out on a cozy rock somewhere in Lake Michigan. But, when the land-ship came to a sudden halt and I was hoisted off of the ship by a gang of pirates, I knew that I was definitely not dreaming!
Luckily, the pirates that carried me away to an area flooded with festive music were very gentle, kind and strong! They didn't drop me and they didn't even scuff my scales against the red parade vehicle. At first, I was worried that they were taking me to meet their captain, but then they put me in a big cave (called a "tent") with a bunch of human children. The children were very sweet, and a few of them grabbed my arms and "danced" with me to the music that filled the air. As it turns out, pirates aren't such bad singers! Even though I was a captive, I will admit that I did enjoy listening to the music of those swashbucklers... and their jokes were pretty hilarious!
While in the tent, some of the human kids tried to give me their treasure that they stole from the Boyne City Pirates, but I was too scared to take any, since I figured my jailers wouldn't be pleased if I was found with stolen goods. The parents of the children also asked me to smile at these black boxes called "phones." Humans are SO weird! However, I saw no harm in sitting with the children and smiling at all of the boxes. After all... if smiling made the "phones" happy, I didn't want to disappoint them. I smiled, and smiled, and smiled until I got REALLY dried out.
I needed to get back to the lake before I would be transformed into a human!!!
Photo by: Captain Jake at the Boyne City Pirate Festival (2018)
Escaping the Pirate Fest
Just as I was starting to think that I would be stuck on land forever and dry up into a human form, a kind pirate offered me some water. I swear... that was the most refreshing water I've ever had! And after that, a young pirate lad asked me where my mermaid home was. He tried to figure out a way to get me into the Boyne River, but the drop-off was too steep and much too rocky. It was too dangerous for him or the other nice pirates to transport me to safely. He ran off to find another friendly pirate who suggested that we take the secret passage from the tent to the ship-launch ramp. With the help of these pirates (and a push-cart) I managed to escape from the Boyne City Pirate Festival and made it back to Lake Michigan before I dried up and turned into a human. Whew! What a relief! 😮
When I was realeased into the water, a few of my mermaid friends (who had also been captured) were waiting for me by the boat-launch. I was SO happy to see them!!
We were getting ready to swim away when all of these human families started gathering around the shoreline to stare at us. Didn't they know that staring is rude??? Oh well... they seemed harmless and we knew that we could out-swim them, so we stuck around for a while to entertain them with fins slaps and tail tricks. They loved it!!! Many of the humans had never seen real mermaids before, so they had tons of questions for us. And again... some asked us to smile at their black boxes called "phones." Phones must be very sad creatures. They seem to need a lot of smiling to cheer them up!
After a long day of getting captured by pirates and then escaping, my pod and I were exhausted! Despite the day starting out as a big scary event full of strange creatures and cackling pirates, we all agreed that we had a good time! I don't know about the rest of my pod, but I think I might try to go back to that place called "Boyne City" for the Boyne City Pirate Fest next year too... 😇
I think it is time for a nap... this mermaid is exhausted!😴
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