Frankie vs. the Pirate Pillagers by Frank Lampard

Author:Frank Lampard [Lampard, Frank]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2014-09-25T04:00:00+00:00

Louise laughed, then tried to cover it with her hand.

“Something funny, missy?” asked the captain.

“I just didn’t know pirates played soccer,” Louise replied.

Rolf growled and chucked the ball into the air. Tito the parrot swooped down and knocked it with his beak to Scarlet. She flipped onto her hands, caught the ball between her feet, and tossed it to Captain Cropper. He bounced the ball on one foot three times, then pinned it against the deck with his wooden leg.

“Yer in for a surprise, missy,” he said.

“What’s the prize?” asked Charlie. “And don’t say buried treasure!”

The hologram of the Ref flickered above Louise’s console. “The winners will get to play again.”

“And the losers?” gulped Frankie.

Rolf extended his hooked hand over the side of the ship. “The losers end up there — until they build a raft or the crabs eat ’em!”

Frankie squinted and saw a low, flat island, dotted with palm trees and not much else. It’s my fault we’re here, he thought. There’s no way I’m letting my friends get marooned on a desert island!

“May the best dog win!” said Max, scampering back and forth.

Frankie swelled his chest and stepped up to face Captain Cropper. He held out his hand. “Let’s start the game!”

Captain Cropper snarled down at the hand.

“Where is the goal?” asked Charlie. “Should we use the masts?”

The Ref shook his head. “Each game in the league has different rules.”

Scarlet drew her cutlass and pointed to a tiny basket on top of the main mast. “The winner is the first to score three goals in the crow’s nest.”

“That’s not how we play back home,” said Louise.

“Not our problem,” said Captain Cropper, throwing the ball onto the center of the deck. As soon as it stopped, a cannon blasted from the side of the ship, making Frankie’s ears ring.

“Ready?” said the Ref. He brought his whistle to his lips and blew.

Captain Cropper pounced toward the ball, and Frankie dashed in, too. He slid across the deck and reached the ball first, sending it between his opponent’s legs. Frankie scooped the ball onto his foot and sent it curling into the crow’s nest.

“Barnacles!” muttered the Captain.

“One–nothing, Frankie’s team!” shouted Charlie.

“Beginner’s luck!” squawked Tito.

The game restarted with another boom from the cannon, and again Frankie closed in on the ball first. He barely heard Louise call “Look out!” before Rolf plowed into him. Frankie went tumbling across the deck like a bowling pin.

“That’s a foul!” said Louise. “Ref?”

But the Ref seemed to have disappeared.

Rolf grinned at Frankie. “Nothing wrong with a little shoulder shove.”

Max ran at the huge pirate, but just bounced off his leg.

We might as well try to tackle an oak tree! thought Frankie.

Rolf kicked the ball to Scarlet. With a swish of her leg, she chipped the ball into the crow’s nest.

“One goal apiece!” said Scarlet.

“What are we going to do?” Charlie said.

Max’s ears pricked up. “We need to stop chasing our tails.”

Charlie rubbed his forehead with a gloved hand. “I can’t believe I’m taking advice from a dog.

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