Roger and the silver ship

One summer Roger went on holiday with his Mummy and Daddy to a little island in the sea. Daddy drove from their house to the harbour where they took a red and blue ferry to the island. Roger was lucky because they were to stay at a hotel overlooking the island harbour and beach.

The first day they were there Roger spent watching the blue and red ferries come and go from the island harbour. He was fascinated by the noise their hooters made when entering and leaving.

That night Roger was very tired and went to bed straight after tea. He soon fell asleep but was awoken in the middle of a night by a bright light shining through his window. He noticed the time on his bedside clock was 3:33. Curious, Roger got out of bed and went over to the window. He looked outside and saw a beautiful silver ship bathed in a wonderful white light. It was the light that had woken Roger. After a couple of minutes the ship’s hooter sounded and it left the harbour. Roger went back to bed.

Next morning he couldn’t wait to tell his Mummy and Daddy what he’d seen. He’d spent all yesterday watching the ferries come and go but hadn’t seen anything like the silver ship that left in the night. Puzzled, Mummy and Daddy asked the hotel owner what the ship had been. But the hotel owner was even more puzzled, “there are no boats entering or leaving the harbour after 11:30 at night until 5:30 next morning”, he told them. Roger must have dreamt about the silver ship, but it had seemed so real.

Next day Mummy, Daddy and Roger spent exploring the island. They climbed some rocks up to a cliff from where they could see the whole island and right across to the mainland. The afternoon sunlight was beautiful as it reflected on the gentle waves of the clear sea.

Again that evening Roger felt tired and went to bed soon after dinner. Again he quickly fell into a deep and dreamless sleep… Until he was suddenly awoken by the sound of a ship’s hooter. Again he noticed the time on the clock was 3:33. Again his room was filled with light from the window. He looked out and saw the silver ship in the harbour. He thought he saw some people queuing to get on. This time he was sure he wasn’t dreaming.

Next day Mummy and Daddy took Roger to visit the island fish market. They had a fish and chip lunch in the market restaurant. It was delicious but Roger couldn’t stop thinking about the silver ship. He didn’t tell Mummy and Daddy he’d seen it again because he knew they wouldn’t believe him, but he had already made a plan to prove to them it was real.

That night Roger again went to bed early, but this time he set his alarm clock for 3:20. He could hardly sleep for excitement at the adventure to come but eventually drifted off. At 3:20 he was awoken by the alarm. He looked out of his window, but the harbour was in darkness. He quickly dressed and crept out of his room and out of the hotel. It was a short walk to the harbour. Then he heard the tooting of the ship’s horn as it maneuvered into the docking bay. The harbour was now alive with the sound of people waiting to board the ship. They were all smartly dressed, but their clothes seemed old-fashioned. Roger joined the queue waiting to board. Soon he reached a man saying “fares please”. Roger handed him the pound coin from his trousers pocket. The man handed Roger back a silver coin with a picture of the ship on it.

On board everyone entered a huge room. A big party was going on. There was sandwiches and beer and wine and fruit juice. A band was playing and people were singing and dancing. Then the ship started to move. Roger just heard the sound of the horn as it left the harbour. He didn’t know where he was going but he didn’t care because everyone seemed so happy. Roger had some fruit juice and sandwiches and he danced with a lady with a big flowery hat.

Then he started to feel tired. He sat in a chair and desperately tried to keep his eyes open because he didn’t want to miss a second of his adventure. But he just couldn’t stay awake.

Next morning he awoke as usual back in his hotel room. How had he got back? Had it really been a dream? He got up to find his clothes where he’d left them the night before. He wanted to tell Mummy and Daddy about his adventure but was afraid they would laugh at his “silly dream”. As he was getting dressed he put his hand in his pocket and felt a strange coin. He pulled it out to find it had a picture of the silver ship on it.

Next Roger's day out