S.E.V.E.N.: The P.C. Pirates Reloaded

By C.J. Cronin

Get free access to games, videos, poems and a talking book at http://www.sevenbooks.us. Teachers may upload/download lesson plans. Your password is in your Ebook - Following an electrical mishap, three half-brothers, and later their sister, are absorbed into a cyberworld where games programs merge with reality. In the cyberworld they must pass the 7 tests of the 7 seas and the 7 deadly sins.

• Language: English
• Publisher: C.J. Cronin
• Release date: Apr 26, 2011
• ISBN: 9780980724530

C.J. Cronin

The author of 42 feature films, 5 television series, 4 plays, 11 novels, 2 novellas, & 3 non-fiction books. Directed and narrated the documentary “Treasure the Gulf of Thailand Incident". Authored and designed the concept and function of the seven electronic games in the electronic book “Seven” in association with the Acme games company. Invented and designed the concept and function of the electronic component of “Slip Slap”, an indoor game and exercise invention.

Book preview

Seven © C.J. Cronin

39,500 words

Get free access to games, videos, poems and a talking book at http://www.sevenbooks.us. The name you use is: seven

The password you use is: makereadingfun

Copyright. Smashwords edition. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author, C.J. Cronin, his agent, or a properly authorized officer bearing a written authority from C.J. Cronin to that end, excepting brief quotes used in connection with reviews written specifically for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, internet article or on any form of multi-media book show.

For my mother,

Shirley Cronin

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

"So, there ye are!

Are ye ready to travel o’er the seven seas

And pass the seven tests that reveal y’destinies?

Whether they be filled with pain of the worstest kind,

or be filled with treasures, all is in your mind.

’Tis I, Pumanero, who’ll be chasing ye,

running ye down like scurvy dogs, so fair warned ye be.

Lose this game and I’ll have y’soul to play with as I please, if’n you should fail these tests…of the seven seas."

Captain Lycridian Ecrobidian Matteleus Pumanero

CHAPTER 1

Frogs croaked softly around the marshy land, which was cold and covered with a low, cotton-wool mist. There was a large, stagnant green river nearby and the sky was pink and clear and the air perfectly still.

A thunderous, deep-gutted roar shattered the silence, shaking trees nearby with its sheer volume.

Harry, Jack and Henry sat bolt upright.

What was that? asked Harry, then looked round at Jack, Jack, what are you doing in my dream?

"What are you doing in mine?" answered Jack, and they stood up, looking about in confusion.

The roar came again, this time quite near.

The boys clung to each other in fright.

"What is that?" asked little Henry, standing on Jack’s feet in order to get closer.

The roar came again, just beyond the trees. The boys had had enough. They turned and ran for their lives.

Jack looked round and saw a monstrously huge dinosaur come from between two trees. It looked a bit like a T-Rex, except it had horns on its head and its arms were quite long and there were dull spikes on its shoulders. Where the small hand claws should have been there were long, curved, murderous talons.

Don’t look back! Jack shouted, which caused Harry and Henry to look back.

Ahhhhhhhhh!

"What’s that?!" Henry bellowed.

It’s a T-Rex! yelled Jack.

No, worse! corrected Harry, Utah Raptor!

Ahhhhhhhhh!

The boys were running as fast as they could. They could hear the heavy thump-thump of the dinosaur’s massive feet springing behind them, and because the sound was getting faster they knew it had seen them and was giving hungry chase.

They burst into a clearing.

A huge, four-legged animal that looked like a Stegosaurus whirled round at them and a colossal frill on its neck sprung up as it hissed, Haaaaaaarrrrrrsss!

Ahhhhhhhhh!

Harry could see an escape route off to his right and bolted for it. Jack saw him go and quickly followed. Neither noticed that Henry was now frozen to the spot, so scared he could not even move.

The big Raptor came into the clearing, Henry right before it. But the Stegosaurus saw its arch enemy and hunched its back as it swung a barbed tail forward, thrusting it upward, ready for a fight.

Seeing the greater danger, the Raptor ignored Henry and circled the Stegosaurus. The Stegosaurus also moved in a tight circle, not letting the Raptor get behind it and flinging the four big spikes on its tail constantly forward, each time barely missing Henry. The result was that poor little Henry was perfectly trapped between the two deadly giants.

As Harry and Jack leapt up onto some rocks Jack turned to help Henry and gasped as he looked back, Henry! he shrieked.

Without a second thought Jack jumped down and sprinted toward his little brother. The big Raptor barely noticed as Jack ran straight up to Henry, grabbed him by the hand, and dashed back to Harry.

A gemegar yabba umma umma umma! Henry was saying, unable to make words.

Wow, Harry mumbled to himself, amazed at how brave Jack was, but then he noticed something up in the sky. It was big and coming fast.

Harry knew from his studies that it was a Pteranodon, a Pterodactyl from the Cretaceous Period, a giant one with 6 metre wings the size of a small plane, but what did not make any sense was that a young boy was standing on its back, holding onto a rope tied around the dinosaur’s long beak. It swooped down and opened its jaws, ready to strike.

Duck! Harry shouted, and Jack heard him just in time, pulling Henry to the ground.

Harry dived to the ground and the Pteranodon skimmed so close that its claws drew sparks from the rock where he had been standing. The instant it was gone a spear thudded into the ground right between Harry’s open legs.

As he stood up, Harry was shocked to see the giant Raptor slash a fatal blow to the Stegosaurus’ throat, and as blood gushed from the dying beast the Raptor turned toward them once more. Being the budding scientist that he was, Harry found this very odd. Why would the raptor not eat the Stegosaurus, he thought, it was far more food than a couple of little boys, and its natural prey. More than feeling surprise, however, he found he was no longer afraid, but was growing angry.

Suddenly he bellowed, Get away from my brothers! and with that he pulled the spear from the ground, ran bravely forward and launched it at the monster.

It was a good throw and caught the Raptor in the left side of its neck. To everyone’s amazement there was a big squirt of blood from what must have been an artery and the Raptor staggered a few paces, trying to knock the spear from its throat with frantic, taloned hands. Finally, its eyes rolled back in its head as it tripped and collapsed forward, just missing Jack and Henry as it smashed to the ground.

Hey, good work, Harry!! shouted Jack, amazed and slapping him on the back.

If anyone was amazed it was Harry. He never thought he could do something as brave and clever as that. He looked at the dead Raptor, its long, pink tongue lying out between its razor sharp teeth, and he felt his legs go weak.

I did do it, he muttered, I killed a Utah Raptor.

It was all too much for Henry, his face white with fright, and he burst into tears.

A large, dark shadow appeared over them and they heard the ear-piercing screech of the Pteranodon. They looked up at the monster, its giant wings gliding by, and were amazed to see a boy on its shoulders. He leapt and somersaulted a huge distance to the ground. He landed perfectly on his feet right before them and did not move a muscle from the instant he touched down.

Henry stopped crying immediately.

The boy was dressed like an ancient warrior and folded his arms proudly across his chest.

Harry guessed he could not be more than seven years old, Who are you? he asked.

I am Efwon, was all the boy said, with what seemed a little lisp.

Efwon? asked Jack, What’s that? A Chinese name?

I am Efwon.

Harry, Jack and Henry stared at the boy, waiting for him to say more, but he did not. He remained perfectly still, staring straight ahead.

Eventually Harry felt he had to say something, Efwon, can you tell us how we got here? We don’t know what’s going on.

But the boy did not move or answer.

Please, Harry pleaded, "we need your help!"

Things suddenly got stranger than anyone could possibly imagine.

With a whirlwind sound the boy magically transformed himself into the Microsoft paperclip.

What would you like to do? he asked in a pleasant grown-up voice.

Henry giggled and thought the paperclip was cute. It was holding a pencil over a sheet of paper and was looking at them expectantly.

Whoa, said Jack, What’s happening, Harry?

For a long moment Harry was wide-mouthed stumped, his mind racing to explain things, then he realised something, "He’s not Efwon… F…won...F 1. He’s F1. He’s the ‘Help’ button!"

What?

You may call me anything you like, said the paperclip, Would you like to give me a new name now?

Dan! I want to call him Dan! exclaimed Henry.

Very well, I am Dan.

Jack looked at Harry and rolled his eyes a bit, Dan is Henry’s invisible friend.

Oh, said Harry, having had an invisible friend of his own when he was little.

Dad said he’ll be the religious one, added Jack.

What form should I take? went on the paperclip, and he quickly changed into each character as he said them, There’s Happy Face, Robot, Earth, Wizard, Jigsaw, Cat, Dog, or me!

Dog! I want a dog!

Henry, Jack said with weary patience.

"Daddy said I can have a puppy!!"

Alright…Jeez.

Jack looked at Harry, his expression admitting Henry was right - their father had said that.

Harry shrugged and agreed, Puppy.

The paperclip merely looked sideways then back at him. Harry realised it was a problem with programs, you always had to say things exactly right, Dog, he corrected, and the paperclip transformed into a dog.

Dog it is! said the dog, Now please choose your player.

The dog quickly transformed into each character as he said them, Your can have Warrior Boy, Warrior Girl, Warrior Teen Boy, Warrior Teen Girl, Warrior King, Warrior Queen, Warrior Warrior, Warrior Amazon, Warrior Lord, Warrior Lady, Warrior Knight, Warrior Damsel, Warrior...

Warrior Boy’s fine, interrupted Jack.

Immediately Warrior Boy was looking at them again.

Alright, F1, said Harry, how do we get...

Warrior Boy changed back into the dog, You may call your character anything you like, said the dog, Would you like to give him a new name now?

No, no, my mistake, corrected Harry, Dan, right?

The dog switched back to Warrior Boy, I am Dan the…

Dan Dog! demanded Henry.

Warrior Boy became Dan Dog and bounced around them playfully, What would you like to do?

Henry, stop it! shouted Jack.

But Henry ran over and patted the dog.

Harry sensed a struggle of wills was in the making between Jack and Henry and so decided to quickly get to the point, Um, how do we exit? How do we exit this…game?

Dan Dog was licking Henry’s face as he recited, You exit game by passing the seven tests of the seven seas. There is no ‘beginners’, ‘intermediate’, or ‘expert’ levels, the game is a test of character, not a test of skill, although skill matters and you must try with all your might.

Without anyone noticing, a giant crocodile pulled itself up the riverbank behind the boys. It moved noiselessly forward, creeping up on them. As Henry patted Dan Dog he