Written by Juan van As

Illustrated by Storyjumper

Once there was a big, wooden sailboat called 'Mary'. She was old and creaky,  with sun-bleached sails and a bustling crew. 

Jack, an adventurous 8-year-old boy, was curiously exploring the riverbank to see what treasures he could find when he spotted the ship. Excitedly, he raced back to town to share the news.

Everything was peacefull. The sweet smell of rice in hessian bags mixed with the rich aroma of stew boiling in the kitchen.

Mary's hull sang her squeaky song while gliding through the still-blue water. Hundreds of rice bags, filled to the brim, cluttered her deck. Live was good...

Soon, they reached the town where curious people waited. 

Where do you come from? Where do you go? 

What are you carrying?

“We're going someplace somewhere,” declared the navigator boredly. 

“We've the world's rice on board,” the captain shouted proudly. 

"Is that not dangerous? What happens when there's an accident?" Jack questioned in a concerned voice.

Just then, the captain spotted a pile of rocks.“Oh no! Look out! LOWER THE SAILS!” He hollered frantically. 

The deckhands hurried, but it was too late…

Mary grunted as her hull was crushed. Water started flooding her; dragging her down.

Jack was horrified! He watched helplessly as the crew worked to save the ship. Tears started rolling down his shocked face. "Oh no! The world's rice is lost! What are we going to do?" He gasped in fear.

“MAN THE PUMP! GET OF THE ROCKS!” Roared the captain. 

“SAVE THE SHIP!” Yelled the captain.

 “SAVE THE RICE!” Yelled the navigator. 

“SAVE ME!” Yelled the cook.

As everyone jumped overboard, the captain announced, “All good captains go down with their ship.” His voice was filled with bitter sadness. He pretended to be a hero, but deep inside he was getting cold feet too.