Davey The River Pirate Visits St Augustine

 

By “TheStoryTeller”

 

“Arr, Arr Matey,” thePirate said as he bounded out of the 57 Ford Farelane that his family had just pulled up to the Castillo De San Marcos on the shores of the Sebastian River in old St. Augustine, Florida that summer day of 1958. Davey, otherwise known as The River Pirate or just thePirate for short was ready to storm the fort and claim the city for the Pirates of Baden, Pennsylvania, a motley crew of, his brother, Alan, his father Stan and of course his mother, Grace Evelyn, the Gem of the World. So on he ran to the entrance of the fortress and there he was met by a nice but firm Park Ranger who kindly asked him for his ticket.

 

“I’m thePirate,” Davey blurted out, “I don’t need a ticket,” Davey boldly and defiantly and confidently asserted.

 

“Now young man, everyone needs a ticket, how else can we get money to keep this park going?” asked the Park Ranger.

 

Just then Davey’s mother and father and brother caught up and his dad gladly gave the Park Ranger, all of the families’ tickets.

 

At that Davey bounded across the mote on the wood bridge and he started scouting for Spaniards to capture. 

 

Davey searched all of the rooms of the Castillo for booty and hidden treasure and ran from room to room seeking out prisoners that he might make captives for his pirate crew.

 

All of a sudden, Davey went into a trance and he was transported to a great Pirate Ship on the Atlantic Ocean and in his dream he was the captain of the ship known as the Dravo. His sailing mates were Katie and Bruzzie and Joey and his brother Alan and all the other kids that lived on First Street in Baden, Pennsylvania, where Davey lived when he wasn’t out on his Pirate raids or on vacation with his family.

 

Now, Captain Davey, thePirate, called to his crew, “Strike the mast and put the sails out, I just saw a Spanish Galleon in my spy glass and we are attacking.” Bruzzie, his first mate and Katie dutifully did as told and his brother Alan and Joey and the rest of the crew manned their posts and the Dravo was under way. Out to sea as fast as the wind would take them, and straight for the Spanish ship. Now the Galleon was quite a ways out to sea and had a great head start, but Davey was not daunted. He barked out orders and even assisted with the sailing of the ship.

 

Quickly the trusty Dravo was overtaking the Galleon, and Davey was getting very excited along with the rest of that group of wild pirates. Then it happened, the sky suddenly darkened completely and the wind picked up to hurricane strength and the rain came down in torrents. Both ships were at the mercy of the angry waves and the boisterous black skies. Lightning was flashing everywhere and thunderous booms could be heard over the din of the ships creaking in the huge swells.

 

What to do? Davey with all his courage and faith, kneeled down onto the deck of the Dravo and fervently prayed to God, “My father in heaven, I know I have been a scoundrel and led my friends and family into a life of piracy and lawlessness and I know that the very ship that we were chasing is full of innocent men and women, please hear my plea for my crew and the crew of the other ship and help the Pirates of the Dravo and thePirate do the right thing. Please dear Lord, grant us mercy and Grace and save us from this storm.”

 

Suddenly, Dana Grace, the saint of the good pirates and all little children of the world appeared before thePirate and Davey was renewed with courage and strength from on high. Dana Grace, touched Davey thePirate, and told him not to fear that his Father in Heaven was looking down from above and was in control of the situation. All Davey needed to do was to put his trust and faith in the Lord and from this moment onward seek His Kingdom and His righteousness with all of his heart and first and be a good pirate and lead souls to Jesus and he and his crew and the crew of the Spanish Galleon would be delivered from this storm and be given the opportunity to choose what to do with their lives.

 

So that is what Davey did. As Dana Grace disappeared into the raging storm, Davey shouted out to the crew, everyone kneel down and listen. Dana Grace the saint of good pirates just appeared to me and we are to be spared if we only choose to serve the Lord with all of our hearts. I say that we should from this day forward, right now as the storms of life rage around us, right now, all of us, put our trust in the Lord and pray for deliverance and salvation and mercy.

 

As Davey spoke there was a miraculous break in the weather for a moment and the pirate crew of the Dravo realized that the Galleon had been blown right next to the Dravo. Manuel, the captain of the Galleon and his whole crew was praying for their lives. Davey shouted to Manuel, we have been baptized by the Lord in this storm and now we must use the gold in your ship for good and for God. Manuel looked into the skies and then looked at Davey and said, “I just saw a vision of a Pirate girl and she told me to take up my cross and follow Jesus with all of my heart and to seek his Kingdom and to use this gold for good and for God and we would be delivered. Oh, thePirate, will you spare us and will you join us in this quest for God and good?”

 

“ I too, saw the Pirate girl Dana Grace the patron saint of the good pirates and I am convinced that God has given us a reprieve and is allowing us to choose our fate and is delivering us from this storms of life that He has brought on us to cleanse our hearts and to give us the opportunity to do good for the rest of our lives.”