Once upon a time, there was a little man named Max who lived in a tiny house by the sea. One day, Max decided to take his sailboat out for a ride. But as soon as he lay down on the deck, the wind picked up and started to blow his boat off course.

Max tried to steer the boat back on course, but the wind was too strong and he soon found himself being overtaken by a huge wave. He tried to keep his balance, but he ended up falling off the boat and landing on his heel in the water.

Panicking, Max swam back to his boat and started to overhaul the sails. But as he was hoisting the sails back into place, he realized that the boat was now a complete mess. There was seaweed everywhere and the deck was slick with seawater.

Just when Max thought things couldn't get any worse, he spotted a pirate ship approaching. The pirate captain demanded that Max jettison all of his valuable possessions, or else he would keelhaul him.

Max, not wanting to part with his belongings, had an idea. He mustered all of his courage and climbed up to the top of the mast. From there, he started to make silly faces and silly noises, causing the pirates to burst out in laughter.

The pirate captain, unable to stop laughing, decided to let Max and his boat go. Max sailed away, happy and relieved, and the pirate crew continued to laugh and joke for days to come. From that day on, Max was known as the "Silly Man of the Sea" and every time someone told his story, they couldn't help but laugh.

Reflections

1. Why did Max fall off his sailboat in the beginning of the story?
2. What did the pirate captain demand from Max?
3. How did Max escape the pirate captain's demands?
4. What did Max do that made the pirate captain and crew laugh?
5. How did Max's bravery earn him a new nickname?
6. What lesson do you think Max learned from this adventure?