Reading time: 4 minIt was a hot summer day at the harbor. People slowly made their way along the promenade, eating ice cream or dipping their feet in the water.
Jeffrey the seagull had plenty to observe—fish sandwich leftovers and cake crumbs as far as the eye could see. “I don’t need to worry about food today,” he smiled contentedly.
After the long, hot day, he wanted some peace and quiet. With one leg bent and the other stretched out loosely, he landed on his favorite pole. His eyes half closed, the breeze pleasant—everything was ready for a little nap.
But then something on the water made him pause. A crab boat, sluggish and silent, was drifting out to sea. No position lights, no flags hoisted, no discernible destination.
Jeffrey blinked. Now he remembered: “This morning at the newsstand. Two tourists were talking about a boat that seemed to be just drifting on the waves.”
Jeffrey hadn’t seen any boats during the day. Only the many sailors and a few excursion steamers could be seen on the water.
But now he saw it too. The small boat swayed peacefully back and forth with the waves, barely moving forward. “Looks pretty relaxed for a crab boat,” Jeffrey noted.
At that speed and in that heat, none of his experienced captains would set out to fish for crabs. Jeffrey became suspicious. “I’d better take a closer look,” he decided.
Seagull Jeffrey took off. The air was still. The heat of the day had not yet dissipated, and hot air combed through his thick plumage. Jeffrey had to squint his eyes. The water glistened and blinded him so much that he briefly lost sight of the cutter.
Jeffrey flew a tight curve. Just as he flew over the cabin of the cutter to plan his landing, a thick, heavy raindrop suddenly hit him. “Well, where did that rain come from?” he asked, bewildered.
He looked around and saw not a single cloud far and wide. Jeffrey was just able to catch a glimpse inside through the windows when suddenly a thunderous storm broke out above him. He couldn’t understand what was happening.
“Just a moment ago, the sky was still peaceful, with no clouds or storms in sight!” he cried in alarm when he suddenly discovered dark blue, almost black clouds above him, from which dangerous thunder seemed to be rumbling.
Jeffrey shook his head in amazement. What on earth was going on here? There was no one to be seen on board. There was no sound to be heard except for the lapping of the waves and the creaking of the wood. The door to the cabin was open.
Despite the looming danger brewing in the sky, Jeffrey cautiously approached the bow of the old cutter. In the cabin lay a half-eaten sandwich next to a coffee mug.
“It’s as if someone stopped eating halfway through,” Jeffrey wondered, and suddenly he became seriously concerned. Perhaps it was a robbery, or the captain had gone overboard. “Pirates!” Jeffrey croaked excitedly.
He looked over at the coast. If this was an emergency, someone had to act. But he didn’t want to cause too much excitement either.
So he flew back to the harbor. Determined, but as fast as he could. He landed next to Captain Andrew, who was just tapping out his pipe.
“Andrew,” Jeffrey croaked. “Whatever is going on out there, something terrible has definitely happened!”
Jeffrey had caught the old captain’s attention. He moved quickly to the railing of his cutter to look out to sea with his binoculars. “Strange! No lights. No course.”
Andrew looked at Jeffrey. “Was there no one on board?” In front of him stood a wildly gesticulating seagull, signaling to him that the cutter was unmanned. Andrew hurried to his radio. “Man overboard, send someone quickly!”
Just a few minutes later, a rescue boat set off. Jeffrey watched from the air as two men with lifebuoys and a boat hook boarded the cutter.
“Look here!” one of the men shouted, lifting something into the air. Jeffrey had to squint his eyes again.
“Why is it so bright?” he said irritably. Just as he thought he could make out what the rescuers were holding in the air, he was disturbed by a deafening noise.
Behind him, the bell of the ice cream truck rang several times, trailing a crowd of cheerful children. Jeffrey shook himself and looked around: “Where is the cutter and where are the storm clouds?”
Jeffrey realized with surprise that he was still standing in his favorite spot. One leg bent and the other firmly anchored to the pole.
“This time it was probably just an adventure in my dream,” thought Jeffrey. But to be sure, he flew toward the horizon once more. “Wait a minute, there’s a cutter drifting there…”
More Bedtime Stories:
You’ll find more bedtime stories in our collection: All Bedtime Stories for Kids →
Popular Topics: