Rose has a way with animals, especially magical ones.

By the time I’ve climbed the ladder—slowly and carefully—and pulled myself onto the deck of the ship, she has gained the respect of our crew. The two honey badgers are huddled close to her, waving their paws around and barking.

“Where’s the rest of the crew?” asks Win, looking around.

“I think this is the crew,” I say, remembering the moment in the game when Rose shook hands with two imaginary badgers.

Rose grunts back at the badgers.

“Are you speaking Honey Badger?” I say.

“I think so.” She points at the smaller of the two badgers. “This is Danny.”

“And let me guess, the other one is Eric?”

She does a sheepish smile. “A few more honey badgers might have been a good idea.”

I look up at the masts and sails and the coils of ropes that make up the rigging. “Perhaps.”

“Come on, Arthur,” says Win, running across the deck. “Let’s explore!”

At the front of the Bowt there’s a raised forecastle, and at the stern I see a door that must lead to the captain’s cabin.

Forecastle, stern . . . these words come back to me so easily. Thanks to Grandad I used to love pirates. I made treasure maps, read pirate books—I particularly liked ones with a supernatural twist like a skeleton crew—and I had a parrot and an eye patch. Obviously I tried to get my pirate games into Roar, but Rose wasn’t having any of it.

All these piratical thoughts come flooding back to me as Win and I run around the Bowt, climbing down wooden stairways, trying out the slides below deck, and swinging on the hammocks. We appear back on deck wearing polar bear onesies, with our pockets stuffed full of assorted candies and loads of things to tell Rose.

“I’ve eaten Marmite!” says Win. “It’s so salty and, look, we found these furry suits!”

“And boots made of moon dust,” I say, pointing at my feet.

Rose examines the padded boots with a frown. I notice that since we’ve been gone she’s acquired a tricorn hat. “They look like rubber,” she says.

“Moon dust,” I say, stamping my foot and sending a cloud of sparkly dust up into the air.

“When can we set sail?” asks Win. “I reckon she’s going to be fast. We might even catch up with Crowky.”

“Come into my cabin and we’ll discuss the voyage,” says Rose, and she turns on her heel and strides toward the room tucked away at the stern.