The crash of the sea was never absent, from Luke’s bedroom. The house was perched somewhat precariously on the highest cliff overlooking the cove, and salt spray often splashed him rudely in the face as he slept. This was much more uncomfortable than the morning sunlight now beginning to creep into his dreams, but nowhere near as uncomfortable as the sudden earthquake jarring him awake...

“Luke! Luke! Wake up!”

Luke opened one weary eye, and then promptly hurled the nearest pillow at his assailant. “Oh for crying out loud, Anna, go away…”

“No, really, it’s been hours since dawn, what are you still doing asleep??? You know what today is.”

And Luke sat up with a start, realizing that he did know what day it was. Anna, earrings clinking and legs crossed, peered at him somewhat disdainfully from where she sat at the foot of the bed.

“Honestly, of all days to oversleep…what a lazy brother.”

Leaping out of bed and landing on the wood floor with a thud, Luke ran to the window and saw the tall mast and billowing sails of Matanza, his father’s prize ship. It must have just anchored, for figures still swarmed over its decks, carrying cargo in a steady line from ship to shore. His eyes now wide open and his senses completely awake, Luke pushed his scowling sister out of the room and proceeded to pull his boots on, hopping about on one foot for a good five minutes before finally succeeding. Last came the eye patch, a fresh one.

When he opened the door Anna was still there, tapping a foot impatiently.

“You’re so slow!”

“I’m going as fast as I can!”

And together they ran, out of the house and down the steep path to the cove, to meet the Pirate King.