The Funeral

The knife cut through the soft flesh. Jack fell on the deck with a muffled cry. While the blood splurted out of his mouth he thought of the life which was going to end. He closed his eyes and all went black.

Mario looked down at the lifeless body of Jack. He said" This is the best Scuba Pirate of all the world." Then he spat on him. He raised the body above his head, and he threw it on the enemy deck. Then he called the retreat, and they set sail. Mario was very happy with what he had achieved. He had killed a dangerous enemy, and he had captured Gud. Then he remembered. Gud had escaped, Jack had helped him escape. During the battle with Jack he hadn't noticed his disappearance. He knew that he would never catch him again. The emperor Adriano doesn't like failures. Nobody survives to a failure, not even his brother.

Captains Vlad Gory and Gud looked at the body of Jack with a horrified face. Gud spoke first. " I I I was nnot expecting him to loose." Then he started crying. Vlad tried to comfort him, but then Karl arrived panting on the scene. He saw Jack, and his face turned red. Then he screamed, " Mario and Adriano! I do not know how, but I swear I will kill you, or die trying!" Gud stopped crying, he raised his head, and he said," I was not expecting my only son to die, I will help you have vengeance. I think that Mario will be executed for failing to capture me, but our anger will turn to his brother." Gud and Karl ordered Vlad to set sail, and they began their voyage to the capital of the enormous Zaninian Empire, the mastodontic metropolis of Trieste.

Mario's boat arrived in Trieste one week later. Mario had thought for all the voyage of his imminent death, and he had reached the conclusion that he was old enough to die, he had already reached the venerable age of sixty years. He walked slowly to the castle on top of one of Trieste's hills. The castle was close to one of Trieste's military camps, called Opicina. There the troops, lead by commander Frank de Gianelle, were constantly training for a possible attack.

Mario entered the castle with no fear, he walked to the great hall, where Emperor Adriano and his wife sat in the gigantic thrones. Adriano's wife had a strange name, she had been called Adriano's wife, maybe the father had guessed what she would become. Once Mario reached the doors that opened into the Throne Room, he hesitated, for a moment he stood in front of the doors, then he pushed them open, and walked until the Emperor. He bowed, and waited for further instructions. Adriano observed him with an angry look, and than he said," Dear brother, you have deluded me, Now I can not have faith in you. My spies have reported the story, I am happy of the killing of The new Scuba Pirate, but Gud has escaped." Mario trembled, and then answered," I ask forgiveness, your majesty. The Scuba Pirate was strong, and during the battle, I could not control the prisoner." Adriano meditated for a while and then said, "I have no pity for the defeated, you will be executed tonight!" Mario turned white and almost fainted, but Adriano laughed and said, " fool! Do you think I would kill my brother, you will be "officially" executed, so nobody will expect you are alive. I predict Gud and his student will be here tomorrow. They will attack in great number, while the pirates attack the guards, Gud and the captain will come here and try to ...

..kill the emperor. Remember Karl, he is subtle and intelligent, and he will certainly have a plan. He never keeps guards in the great hall, because he says that inferior minds disturb him. He can't fight, and I doubt his wife can fight either." Karl thought of what Gud had said, killing the Emperor was going to be easy with an intelligent mind like Gud's.

The next morning Karl's ship docked in Trieste. They were disguised as merchants, with the fifty pirates hidden in two caravans. They slowly marched towards the palace, " all is going well", Karl thought. He didn't know he was completely wrong. In front of the palace they found twenty-five guards waiting for them. The pirates quickly jumped out the caravans, and started fighting. The pirates were more, so they started pushing the guards away from the entrance. Gud grabbed Karl and said," the door is free, we need to leave your crew behind, but I am sure it will win the battle." Karl and Gud entered the castle and they started running towards the great hall.

A moment after the two captains had left, the guards took of their disguises. They were twenty-five Scuba Pirates. In a few seconds the Scuba pirates turned into killing machines, and little was left of Karl's crew.

A satisfied smile spread on Adriano's face when he heard the horn announce the victory over the pirates. In a few minutes the two pathetic captains would enter in the Hall. He waited patiently until he heard the footsteps. With the help of his wife, he raised from the throne, the missing leg was a great problem he had. Then with a scream Gud and Karl entered the room. Adriano tried to make a terrified face, but the he started laughing. Furious Karl charged, followed by Gud. Silently Mario walked out of his hiding place, he took out his two guns, and shot the two captains dead. The last thing Karl saw were the feet of the enemy who should have been dead. Adriano kicked Gud and said, " poor Gud, you were too dangerous to be kept alive, also if now you can't tell me the secrets." Gud didn't answer, and not because he did not want to.

Memory and myself

During the language arts class, which is passed in the computer lab, we took surveys on three sides of our personality. The first survey was on our moral. This showed us if we were mature, and our ideas on the relationship with what surround us is honest, and full of goodness, or evil and immature. The second survey showed us our ways of thinking. This will help when we grow up to become adults. It will help us in the drammatic and sifficult choice of the job. The third survey measured our memory. In this survey I found out that I have a horrible memory, but I have wonderful logic skills, and my luck is immense. I also found out that these two abilities can be used to remember. These surveys were interesting, amusing, and made you think about the soul that lays beneath the crust we call body. My thoughts were many, but they are not found in the introduction.

The first survey did not surprise me. It stated that my attitude towards moral issues is mature and adult. In grade 7 we had many debates, and within these discussions I found in myself the ability to analyze and defend both sides of an issue. This ability was unknown to me, but Mrs. Banar helped me develop it, until, towards the end of the year, she said I had achieved a great task, and that I was now ready to think of the world that surrounds me. These traits will help me in my future; they help you understand what people want, so you can give it to them, a useful skill in diplomacy. They may also help in the case of judging a situation without taking the wrong road, which judges have two frequently do. People have to understand what moral is, and then they have to respect it. For morality is justice.

The second survey surprised me. The survey's objective was to make you understand the way you think. In the site's opinion I was three types of thinkers. Firstly I was a linguistic thinker. This did not surprise me; I love to write, read, and analyze stories, and this was only a proof of my suspects. The survey stated that, if you are this type of thinker, you could become: a journalist, not bad, a librarian, they give too little money, a proof-reader and a translator, absolutely futile, I write, not correct works, or the poet, I like poetry, but I would never be a poet. I quickly excluded the possibility of choosing one of these carriers, I like to read and write stories, not articles, poems or translations.

The second thinker was the Interpersonal thinker. This type of thinker reflects my characteristics perfectly. I pass the majority of my time thinking. Also when I read, sometimes I notice that I had started thinking about something, and that my body was reading without the mind. I normally think of myself, of others. My mind travels in the books I read. I analyze people, create diplomatic accidents, in which I have to fight to convince people. This way of thinking can bring me to become: a politician, but he has too many responsibilities, a psychologist, and this is a work that interests me. I like to analyze the soul of people. Their way of thinking and reacting. Then I could have become: a nurse, which probably I will exclude, a counsellor, another interesting job, and the teacher. I would not like to become a teacher for the simple fact, that I would laugh all the time, creating a state of not seriousness in my class

The third type of thinker was the Intrapersonal thinker. I also pass a lot of time thinking of myself; of the good, and bad sides of me. This type of thinker proposed: the teacher and the psychologist, of which I already talked, the pilot, I can't understand why, child care workers, I would not like to run all day trying to catch babies, and the explorer. Adriano Livingstone. I do not like these carriers, and I came to the decision that the only two carriers that interest me are, the writer, and the psychologist.

The last test measured your memory. I do not have a good memory, I remember things using logic, and listening to what others say. The test went well only because of luck. I think that improving my memory is an impossible task. I can't remember to sign a test, when I had thought about it ten minutes before. I will have to accept my problem and balance it with my great intelligence.

I am sorry I wrote so much, but this topic interested me, and made me think of what I am and what I will be.

Analizing the story

q) Why is the story titled Scuba Pirates, and so are the characters, if they fight mostly above the surface?

a)The name is given not because they fight only underwater, but because they are the only people who can fight and act underwater.

q)Does Jack die?

a)I would never ruin you the surprise! If you want to know it read the next book, " The Funeral".

q)Why is the ship called the " Moaning Seal"?

a)Firstly, how should I call it if not this! Then, did you ever hear a seal moan; well, I never did, so it is a strange name for a strange plot.

q)Why does the story end in tragedy?

a)Because, everybody would expect Jack to win, and surprise, he does not.

if you have other questions, contact me personally.

The scuba pirate c.

Jack Curnington, and his friend Karl von Waffer were cutting the water with their small sailing boat," the moaning seal". Karl was skilfully piloting the small ship. Then with a sudden splash Jack jumped in the water. He could keep his breath for ten minutes, and this was enough for his mission. He silently dived under the Caravel, he took out his sword, and he cut a hole in the ships belly, this took an enormous strength, but it was nothing compared to the next step, he activated the bomb, and he stuck it in the hole. While he swam away he counted the seconds: three, two, one, boom! The wave created by the explosion was rapidly reaching Jack, "remember what they toughed me, arms on the sides, unite thy legs, and with an aye aye captain, survive the wave!" The wave finally reached him, but Jack's position was perfect, so instead of crashing on him, it passed through him, causing no damage. Jack climbed back on the moaning seal, resting while Karl brought him back to the base.

They sailed to the secret cove, were the Academy for future Scuba Pirates was situated. Waiting for them was an old man; he helped them dock their ship, while he looked at them with an enormous smile. The first to exit the ship was Jack; He was high and muscular, with arms as big as trees. He was never happy, and a scar cut his left eye. He was intelligent and courageous, and he never failed a task. His friend Karl instead was fat and stubby, he was always smiling, and he never risked his life, or his ship. He was very cautious, but he was a skillful sailor, totally capable of sailing in a hurricane. They together formed a Scuba Pirate team.

These pirate teams consisted of a ship captain, who sailed the boat, and the Diver, the Diver had to keep his breath for a long period of time, he had to dive to the enemy ship and stick a bomb under the ship or climb on the ship, and exterminate all the passengers. These teams, although very small, were feared throughout all the Zaninian Empire, the Diver could eliminate an entire crew!

The old man was captain Gud, the teacher of the two teenagers. He was a retired Scuba Pirate, with a fast mind, and always a smile on his face. In fact he had that smile, when Jack and Karl approached him. He then announced, " I have splendid news for you, you have both passed the exam with the highest grade," he gave Jack a folded piece of paper, Jack opened it and read, "Grades based on the six traits: damage received; 5, damage made; 5, speed; 5, perfection; 5, beauty of explosion; 5, strategy; 5. Final grade 100%, signed Mrs. Kelly Witter." Captain Gud exclaimed, "Congratulations, you have finally become Scuba Pirates. "

Jack read the piece of paper over and over, and then he ran to embrace captain Gud, first Gud responded to the hug with an affectionate smile, but then he pushed away Jack, and his face lost every trace of happiness. Jack turned suddenly, and he understood the reason for the changes in Gud. Ten pirates were approaching slowly; they had their swords already drawn. Jack unsheathed his sword, Gud announced, "These are the men of the Scuba Pirate Mario Zanini, brother of our great emperor, and they want me to tell them the secrets of the true art of Scuba Pirates."

Karl was no fighter, he could only pilot a boat, and so he hastily retreated. Jack instead had been trained to do nothing but destroy, he raised his sword, and with a heart-stopping cry, he charged the enemy. Although much more expert, the enemy pirates were no match for a Scuba Pirate, in a few minutes, they were all on the ground. Jack turned to face his friends, but he found only Karl, he was semi- conscious, but Jack had the satisfaction to notice three bodies spread around him. There was no trace of Gud. With a sharp kick he awoke Karl. He explained, "five pvirates attacked us, I vas able to defeat dree, but van of dem hit me on the head, und de last ting I saw vas dem fleeing vif capvtain Gud captive." Jack thought hard, were on Jupiter could they have brought Gud, and then he understood, " prepare the boat, " he ordered Karl, "we have a captain to find."

Jack and Karl ran in the academy, they told the director what had happened. The Director answered, "We need to hurry, I will try to make the celebration shorter. Captain Karl, you are awarded the galleon, "Moaning Seal," and its crew, blablabla, ah here it is, Jack Curnington, you are about to become Scuba Pirate, do you promise to honour our guild, and to kill and steal for the rest of your life," Jack hesitated, and then he answered, " I do."

The galleon was enormous; Karl looked at it with a pleased smile, and said, "Tis is life!" They climbed on the deck, and walked until the command station. There they found the second in command, which greeted them with a bow and he said, " Captain Karl, we are happy to meet you, and serve you. I am Sergeant Vlad Gory, and this is your new ship." Jack said, " there is no time for formalities, we need to find captain, He was captured by captain Mario, and his ship is already sailing away. I hope this ship is fast enough to overtake Mario's sip," Vlad bowed again, and while walking away he said," I think you are going to like this ship, Captain Karl, with the right captain it can go pretty fast." Karl looked at him and whispered, " we shall see."

Captain Karl was fantastic, the stream of orders that exited his mouth was continuous, and so was the increasing of the speed, after one hour of sailing they finally sighted Mario's galleon. It was captained, by the best commander in the Zaninian Empire, after Karl of course. They rapidly reached the enemy ship, the two ships were manoeuvred until they were parallel to each other, and then the cannons started to shoot.

The first cannon ball hit the moaning seal on a side, causing little damage. The moaning seal responded to the fire, and the battle finally started. Amongst the General confusion Jack told the crew, " nobody is permitted to jump on the enemy ship, I will attack it alone, Your job is only to defend this ship, understood," the entire crew responded with a yes, so Jack skilfully jumped aboard of the enemy ship, he unsheathed his sword, and he said, "they'll see what a scuba pirate can do." The enemy crew laughed at Jack, thinking that one man could not beat fifty, but they were wrong. Jack attacked first, he moved at an incredible speed, and ten pirates were dead even before they took out their swords. Jack attacked everywhere, he was united with the sword, and nobody even scratched him. By the end of the battle he was alone, and on the floor were fifty men, nobody moving. Jack was about to put his sword away when he heard a voice. "Are you tired? I see my men were not strong enough to beat you, but can you beat me?" Jack turned, but he knew to whom the voice belonged, it was Mario, greatest Scuba Pirate of all times. Jack raised his sword, and with no fear, he charged.

Mario easily blocked the sword. Jack attacked him again, again, and again, but he could never break the enemy's defence. But then he had an idea, Mario could be better than him at fighting on the ground, but he had heard that, although he was a good Scuba Pirate, he was not good at fighting underwater. Under the surface of the water you had to have an incredible strength to strike the enemy hard enough to make any damage. Jack had trained an entire year, and now he could cut open a coconut under the water with his bear hands. Mario instead, could not cut a coconut underwater also if he had the best sword. The decision was made, Jack faked to attack the enemy, and then he turned around, he took a deep breath, and then he jumped into the water.

Mario stupidly chased after him, understanding too late the game of Jack. Jack quickly struck, making Mario loose grip on the sword, the sword fell into the abyss of the sea. Jack struck again, and his sword perforated easily the flesh of his belly. Mario's body stopped moving, and the victorious Jack climbed back on the ship. He searched all the boat, and he finally found the cabin were Captain Gud was imprisoned. He was tied to a chair, they had tried to convince him to tell them the information they were searching for, but they had not used the force. Jack quickly untied him, and they walked out the deck.

Jack was the first to exit from the deck, but what he found shocked him greatly. He found Mario smiling at him, how did he survive? Then he understood, he did not kill him, but only injured, him, Mario had faked to die, and his ability to keep his breath had helped him. Then he had climbed on the ship, waiting for Jack. Jack thought all this while Mario's sword was swinging towards his neck. Instinctively he raised his sword, and he blocked the blow. Then he saw a knife plunging towards his stomach, he tried to block that too, but it was too late.


By: Adriano Zanini Astaldi

Pepin the short

Pepin the short, the small king who was father of Charlemagne, the great leader of France. The playwrit decided to write this fabulous play focusing on the life of this small but funny character, creating a very interesting play. I enjoyed it for many reasons, the background art, the good acting of the performers, and much more. The actors looked frequently at the audience, making it part of the play. Read and enjoy the play of Tony Cucchiara.

The play is set in France, between 735 and 740 b.c.. The main character are Pepin the short, Falista, who fakes to be Pepin's promised wife, and then marries with him, her squire Marante, Berta, who is the true promised wife, and three diplomats who are called: Bernardo, Aquilone, and Morando. My favorite character is Pepin, because he has a good sense of humorism, making everybody laugh. The play was written by Tony Cucchiara in 1978.

The play opens in the palace of Pepin the short, he is old, and his courtesans try to convince him to marry, so he can have descendants to run the kingdom after his death. He acknowledges the problem, and he says that he will marry with a beautiful women, and have many descendants. He asks his courtesans to find for him such a women, and they say that Berta, the princess of Hungary, is young, beautiful, and unmarried. Pepin the short tells them to send his diplomats: Bernardo, Aquilone, and Morando, to the King of Hungary with many presents. They will then ask Berta's hand, in the name of Pepin. The courtesans then say to Pepin that Berta has only one problem, she has one foot bigger than the other. The courtesans are relieved when Pepin says he does not care. The travel is planned, and the three diplomats depart for Hungary. Arrived to the king's palace, they ask the fatidical question to the father of Berta. The king answers with a yes, he is happy for the daughter, but he is sad for her departure. They depart again, but they are stopped a German baron. The baron invites them to a party and they happily accept. The party goes well, but the German king is evil, and he sends his daughter Falista and her squire to travel with the group. The baron has a plan, the squire will kill Berta, and Falista will take her place. The plan is successful, Falista marries with Pepin, but one thing goes wrong. Marante does not have the heart to kill Berta, so he leaves her tied to a tree to die of hunger. A hunter passes nearby and saves Berta. Ten years later there is another problem, the King of Hungary and his wife visit Pepin, but they find Falista instead of Berta. Pepin gets angry, and condemns to death The two of them. The servant does not want to die, so he says that if he beats the king's hero, he they will be safe. He wins, but he kills also a courtesan, so they are slain anyways. The search for Berta starts, and they find her story sewn on a carpet. They find Berta, and Pepin marries her, They live happy ever after, and Pepin finally has his descendant, Charlemagne.

After this long, but I hope interesting, summary I hope the reader is still awake to read my opinion on the story. I think the traits of this play, that make it good are: the very artistic background, making the reader always understand the setting, the fantastic acting of the performers, they were funny, they made the audience part of the play, and they had clear voices, and finally the music. The play was full of songs, with fantastic musicians, singers and dancers. The problem of the play is the length; nobody understands that by the end of the play half of the audience is asleep, and only somebody discovers how the play finishes? This is not the fault of the actors, the actors' jobs are: to memorize their parts, to speak clearly so the audience understands at least some words, to not only use the voice, but also the hands, and to help other actors in difficulty, for example when they forget their lines.

In conclusion, I hope you all go to see this play also if you know all the story already. It not only entertains you, but it teaches you important facts on Pepin the short, king of France, and father of Charlemagne.