Our Voyage

I have recently been asked to write about my experiences at that accursed island. And so, though writing this memoir, I travel back to a simpler time, when I was running “The Tavern” back in the United States of America along with my dear Olive. What beautiful memories that nobody and nothing, not even what followed, could take them away.


I still remember how we built it: My father and mother, approximately two years before they died, had finally gathered enough funds to open their own business. But they hadn’t decided yet what it should be. Initially we thought of opening a small Inn, but we decided on a tavern instead.


It was me that suggested the name, and thus we simply called it “The Tavern.” The reasoning behind that simplistic title was personal to me: When I was a kid, my parents often took me to a business with that same name. I knew its owner, who loved me like I was a child of his own.


But maybe I went off-track here. Back to the main events:


It was a stormy night and we barely had any customers. We were about to close for the night when suddenly, a mysterious figure burst inside, demanding a drink. We served him but he asked for more and more. Eventually, he got so drunk he passed out. We tried to wake him up but he couldn’t hear anything.


-”Olive. The man’s drunk as hell! We best let him sleep here.”


-”We have a bed upstairs. Let’s carry him over there.”


And that’s what we did. We took him upstairs. We then went to our room -yes, we lived inside the Tavern- watched TV, and then fell asleep.


The next morning we heard knocking on the door.


-”I’ll get it!” shouted the mysterious man from last night.


Once he opened the door, we heard some strange noises and… a gunshot.


We rushed downstairs and found the man shot in the stomach. He was bleeding out, and we called an ambulance. But it couldn’t possibly arrive in time.


Before he died, he spoke to me:


-”I don’t know your name or who you are… But here take it!”


He gave me a piece of paper.


-”This is a map. It leads to incredible things. Take it, before they find it!”


-”They…?”


-”Yes, they…”


Before the ambulance could arrive, he died in my arms.


A few days later his funeral took place. There, I saw some old friends: John Stevenson and Robert Silver.


I met them during my service in the American Navy during WW2. John was a doctor while Robert had since been promoted to a Naval Captain.


-”John! Robert!”


-”Popeye! Glad to see you again!” said Robert.


-”Glad to see you too!”


-”How’s life?”


-”Going well… Tavern’s making us some money.”


-”Good… Now tell me, what is that in your pocket?”


-”Oh nothing… Just a piece of paper.”


-”What is on it?”


-”A map I think. I don’t know, I haven't looked… Do you want to take a look at it?”


-”Yes!”


So I gave Robert the piece of paper and when he looked at it he was shocked.


-”That’s… a treasure map…”


-”A treasure map??”


-”Yes! And it leads to an island. I’ll tell you what. I will put together a crew, and with the backing of the government, we are going to go get it!”


-”I don’t know… I have a tavern to run.”


-”So? Olive will run it.”

-”I don’t know how she’s gonna take it…”


-”Trust me she will have no issue. I’ll talk to her!”


-”Ok!”


And so a few days later, they took me to meet the crew at a restaurant. I went inside with them and I saw people dressed in awful, cheap clothes.


-”Are they our crew?” I whispered to Robert.


-”Yes! And don’t underestimate them!”


Amongst the crew, most of them were very nice and warm, with only a few exceptions.


However, undoubtedly the nicest one was Adler. He was about 1.69 in height. He had a mustache, and medium-sized hair. He was charming and warm. He was the ship’s cook. He was older than me, maybe, let’s say, 57? I don’t remember too well to be perfectly honest.


I remember, he had a budgie parrot, who would perch on his shoulder and on his finger. He would tell me all sorts of stories about it:


-”Now, that bird is, maybe, 200 years old? Maybe even much older. They live forever, you know. This bird has sailed with Blackbeard, Jack Ward, Calico Jack, Black Sam Bellamy. It was owned by Long John Silver at one point. None other has seen more.”


He would teach me many things too. He taught me how to pray a rosary -as he was a devout catholic- which I still do and to play a Greek musical organ named “Bouzouki.”


He also cooked delicious food!


Pasta with meatballs, pie, soup, and more!


One day, I was eating at the Captain’s cabin along with Robert and John.


-”This soup is delicious,” Robert said, “But in my opinion you know what it needs? More salt! Go fetch it from the kitchen!”


I got up, and walked to the ship’s kitchen. I couldn’t find it despite the fact that I looked for it in every single possible place it could be. Suddenly I heard someone walking towards where I was. He turned to the left. Then I saw that he was holding a gun.


I followed him silently so he wouldn’t hear me and he reached a room. I followed him in and I hid inside a barrel.

Then, I heard some weird stuff:


-”Alright Captain. Everyone’s here. I think we are ready.”


-”Not yet! Let the night come first.”


“Captain?” I thought. “He’s no captain! He’s but a mere cook…”


-”So let me remind you of the plan.” Said Adler.


-”Yes, tell us!”


-”We gather all the guns available in the ship and bring them here. When the night comes, we tie the captain and the doctor so they can’t move and we fight the loyal crew. We outnumber them and they will be mostly unarmed, so it’s unlikely we’ll lose. We then take over the voyage and we find that treasure.”


-”And then?”


-”Then we set sail for the Soviet Union.”


-”And what do we do with Popeye?”


-”Popeye… He may be strong but he’s no match for me!”


I then peeked over and saw Adler rip off his face. And when he did, he suddenly shrunk and a tail appeared…


This creature… was none other than Comrade Monke. His budgie parrot then flew to him, and he let out a laugh so loud it almost deafened me…”


-”And our rewards?”


-”Your rewards,” said Monke, “will be service and loyalty to the motherland…”


I was shocked at what I had seen and heard.


I hid in the barrel until they all left the room.


I then peeked over and when I saw no one, I left quickly. I returned to the captain’s cabin.


-”Popeye! Wait, where’s the freaking salt?”


-”There’s more important things here. Adler… he’s not who you think.”

-”What do you mean?”


-”His real name is Comrade Monke. He’s a soviet spy! And he and most of the crew are planning a mutiny!”


When they heard this they immediately got up and gathered the few remaining loyal crew. I told them who I hadn’t seen in the room when I peeked over the barrel I was hiding in, so they knew who to gather.


A few hours later, the night came.


I was in my cabin, worried. Then, I heard gunshots.


I wasted no time, I grabbed my spinach, ate it and came out for battle. However, I found the Captain and Doctor unconscious and some of the loyal crew dead while others had surrendered.


-”We are victorious!”


And so, the rest of the voyage was taken over by Monke and his villainous crew of soviet spies.


When we finally reached the island, some of Monke’s crew stayed on the ship to watch over me and the rest while Monke and the rest of his crew went on land.


It was then that I found the chance to escape. I had some spare canned spinach on me. I ate it and became very strong. I beat up Monke’s crew and freed the Captain and the doctor. We armed ourselves to the teeth and went to land to find Monke and the rest of his crew.


We started walking through the mysterious forest that was on the island and we eventually saw it: A giant temple.


We went inside and found Monke and his crew taking the treasure outside through a gate.


We rushed to them but the gate closed and we were trapped in there.


Thankfully, I had some canned spinach on me, so I ate it, became strong, and smashed the gate to pieces.


We exited and saw them from far away. They were heading towards a very old port where there were some broken old rowboats. We rushed back to the ship and quickly went around the island to the port. They still hadn’t managed to repair them.


We arrested them and brought them on the ship while loading the treasure on the ship. We then set sail for America.

However, one night, Monke broke free from the ropes that were keeping him tied to the mast, took his budgie parrot and the treasure and left by using an old, still usable rowboat that was on our ship. He also left a note to his loyal crewmates, saying he will be back to rescue them.


And so, this was our adventure.


The end… I hope so at least.