I stood on a wooden dock as a vibrant red boat with several rows of seats pulled up to the dock. It stopped in front of me with a lurch, sending a small gush of water out from underneath it. I then stepped into it, expecting it to rock at my imposing weight. It didn’t rock but I barely had time to sit on the somewhat narrow seat before it jolted forward and descended into the murky water.

As the boat released from the loading tracks to a much smaller, underwater track, the boat took on a smooth, floating motion. Right around the bend, I was greeted by a plethora of small lights, representing fireflies. Ahead was a dilapidated shack with an old man in his rickety rocking chair on the porch. With his hound dog by his side and his banjo in his lap, the slow, gentle picking of “Oh Susanna” could be heard above the soft hum of crickets.

The old man and his song faded into the distance as the boat continued on into a small tunnel. Above me was a skeleton’s head, mounted as though it were a prized hunting trophy with a single light shining upon it. The skeleton warned anyone who would listen at the dangers that lie ahead. Nervous feelings arose knowing there was nowhere to go and no way out. Before I could think any further, the boat tilted forward and plunged down a steep drop into the awaiting abyss!

A spray of cool water blew past me as I caught my breath. I was surrounded by a hearty song of “Yo Ho, Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me)” sung by what I could only assume at that point to be pirates. The sturdy boat swayed and rocked amongst the waves that the drop had created and was carried around the first corner.

To my right, I was greeted by a decayed skeleton at the wheel of an obviously once great ship, no longer in existence. Thunder and lightening crashed all around him. Wind gusted past all occupants in the boat in a small fury. Next to the devoted sailor sat two more skeletons, partying and drinking well beyond their expiration. The warm, red shimmer of wine flowed down one of the pirate’s throats, disappearing to perhaps the floor as his stomach had long since departed!

Onward the boat forged into the chamber of a ship Captain who had met his timely end quite some time ago. Perched upon his bed, surrounded by pile after pile of gold and jewels, he examined a tattered treasure map; perhaps to add to his already overwhelming collection. In his chambers, an out-of-tune organ played the familiar song heard only moments before.

Passing from the bright and glittery room and into a pitch black cave, I became very aware at the smell of the water for the first time. The dank cave was so dark, I could no longer tell if the boat was even still moving until we emerged at the other end, suddenly surrounded by noise and chaos!

Cannons fired back and forth across the boat from a Spanish fort and an opposing pirate ship. As the smug pirate Captain and proud soldiers exchanged insults, small geysers of water shot up around the boat, emulating the cannonballs that had missed their target.

Before I knew it, I was gazing upon a bald little man with a bushy mustache being dunked repeatedly into a well by a mischievous group of ruthless pirates, demanding to know where his treasure was hidden. Every so often the man’s nightgown clad wife would open the shutters and yell out encouraging words to her bound husband before being chased back in by a stray bullet from a pirate’s gun.

Next, I was introduced to another feisty pirate auctioning off wives for his fellow compatriots. A line up of women, tied together by rope, waited in fear to be the next item up for sale. At the end of the rope stood a magnificent, voluptuous woman dressed all in red. She had brilliant red hair and a matching hat to adorn it. As the auctioneer showed off a rather plump lady, welcoming the surrounding men to bid on her, he was met with shouts and demands of, “We wants the redhead!” over and over.

My finger traced along the droplets of water that had formed on the side of the boat before my attention was drawn overhead to a scene of fire and creaking beams, threatening to fall on anyone who dared pass under them. Warm air blew around me and felt pleasant after being in the stale, cool air for so long.

Too soon, I was viewing numerous, dirty pirates in jail cells. All of them had their attention focused on the mangy dog at the end of the row, holding the key to their freedom in its mouth. No matter how much they called, whistled and offered their scraps and bones to the mutt, it would not budge, thus frustrating the trapped pirates more.

Just before the ascent back to the real world and daylight, the boat glided between two obviously drunk pirates sitting on TNT boxes and shooting their pistols at each other. Ducking by instinct, I could still feel small gusts of air as supposed bullets flew far too close to my head.

The boat rose slowly into daylight and I squinted slightly as I took a breath of fresh air. It carried me back to the sturdy dock and I was glad to be on solid land once again.