“I want you to have these, James. I found them in a distant magical land called the Many Kingdoms,” the captain said, handing James a pair of gold boot buckles and a rolled piece of parchment. “And that, my young friend, is a map to the Many Kingdoms. I know it’s not your beloved Never Land, but it is a wondrous place full of magic. I need you to seek out the three most powerful witches in those lands and tell them I have given you my ship so they may release me from their curse. And I am sure they can show you the way to Never Land. But be careful, James, there is always a price with the Odd Sisters.”

“The Odd Sisters? Are these the witches who cursed you and your ship?”

“The very ones. But you’re smarter than I was at your age, my boy. You won’t fall into one of their sticky traps. Simply do the favor they require of you for the information you seek, nothing more or less, and whatever you do don’t lie, try to deceive them, or take their treasures. They always know. That was my mistake.”

“And these boot buckles, were they, too, a gift from the witches?” asked James.

“A gift of sorts,” said Blackbeard, laughing. “Let’s just say I wouldn’t wear them when you pay them a visit. But you needn’t worry about the curse on the ship; I have fulfilled my end by giving it to someone who saved my life. The witches are treacherous, but they do keep their word, for good or for ill.”

James held the boot buckles in his hand and felt a wave of fear pass through him, a tingling sensation that ran through his entire body. He dropped the buckles, and they clattered to the floor. He looked down at them, hesitating before picking them up.

“The buckles aren’t cursed, my boy!” said Blackbeard.

“How do you know they are not cursed?” said James.

“The Odd Sisters love to brag about their misdeeds. I imagine if they were cursed they would have delighted in telling me so,” said Blackbeard.

“And you think these women will help me find Never Land?” James asked.

“I do, my boy, else I wouldn’t charge you with this mission, even if it meant I continued to live with this curse they have set upon my soul.”

“But I thought you said the curse was broken,” asked James, wondering again if this was all a dream.

“The curse on the ship is broken, James, but not the curse on my soul. In order to break that I need you to visit the Odd Sisters and let them know you have taken possession of my ship.”