On the bright blue sea, where the waves glittered like spilled buttons, sailed a small pirate ship called the Marmalade Moon.

It was not a very scary pirate ship.

Its flag had a silver spoon painted on it.

Its cannon only fired round puffs of lavender smoke.

And its captain was a parrot named Captain Zubair.

Captain Zubair had emerald-green feathers, a curved golden beak, and a little red pirate hat with three holes cut into it for the feathers on his head. He was famous across seven islands for two things.

First, he could sing every sea shanty ever written, including the very long one about a sock lost in a storm.

Second, whenever his crew had an argument, he did not shout.

He said, “To the Tiny Stage!”

The Marmalade Moon had a tiny stage right in the middle of the deck. It had velvet curtains, a painted cardboard moon, and a box full of costumes. There were tiny hats, tiny capes, tiny wigs, tiny crowns, and even a tiny dragon suit with one missing tail.

Whenever anyone argued, Captain Zubair made the sailors put on a little play about what they had really been trying to say.

His pirate band thought this was unusual at first.

But then they discovered it worked wonderfully.

The crew was a fine and furry, feathered, flippered sort of band.

There was Binta the bear, who played a drum made from an old biscuit tin.

There was Niko the otter, who played the fiddle with a bow made of smooth sea grass.

There was Yasmin the fox, who played a shiny little trumpet.

There was Teo the turtle, who played a deep bass made from a turned-over wooden bucket.

And there was Min-Jae the mouse, who played tiny silver bells tied to his whiskers.

Together, they were called Captain Zubair and the Salty Whiskers.

Every evening, as the sun became peach-colored and round, they played music for the fish. Dolphins leaped. Seals clapped their flippers. Even grumpy old crabs shuffled sideways in time.

One evening, after a lively song called “My Hat Has Sailed Away,” the band was preparing for bed.

Binta was rolling up her drumsticks.

Niko was polishing his fiddle.

Yasmin was putting her trumpet into its velvet case.

Teo was slowly climbing toward his cozy hammock.

Min-Jae was counting his bells.

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…” Min-Jae squeaked.

Then he stopped.

His whiskers drooped.

“My biggest bell is gone!”

The crew looked around.

They searched beneath the deck chairs.

They looked inside the biscuit barrel.

They checked in Captain Zubair’s hat, though everyone knew it was much too small.

At last, Min-Jae pointed one tiny paw at Binta.

“You took it!”

Binta blinked. “I did not!”

“You did,” said Min-Jae. “I saw something shiny by your drum.”

“That was my drumstick,” Binta said, beginning to rumble. “And I would never take your bell.”

“Well, it is gone,” squeaked Min-Jae.

“And I am not a thief!” said Binta.

The sea seemed to go quiet.

Niko stopped polishing.

Yasmin slowly closed her trumpet case.

Teo pulled his head halfway into his shell.

Then Captain Zubair flapped up onto the tiny stage.

“To the Tiny Stage!” he cried.

“Oh, feathers,” sighed Binta.

But rules were rules.

Captain Zubair opened the costume box. “Min-Jae, you shall be Binta. Binta, you shall be Min-Jae. Niko, you may play the Missing Bell. Yasmin, you shall be a suspicious wave. Teo, please make ocean sounds.”

Teo nodded solemnly and made a deep, gentle noise.

“Bloooob.”

The velvet curtains opened.

Min-Jae wore Binta’s enormous striped scarf, which wrapped around him twelve times. He marched onto the stage, trying to look big.

“I am Binta!” squeaked Min-Jae. “I am busy playing my drum because music makes my paws feel happy.”

Binta watched him closely.

Then Min-Jae noticed Niko, who had put a small silver bowl upside down on his head to be the Missing Bell.

“Oh!” said Min-Jae, still pretending to be Binta. “There is something shiny near my drum. But I do not know it is Min-Jae’s bell. I think it may be a raindrop or a fish scale or perhaps a moon pebble.”

Captain Zubair tapped the stage floor. “And now, Binta as Min-Jae.”

Binta put on a tiny mouse cap that sat between her ears like a button.

“I am Min-Jae,” she said in a soft voice. “My bell is special because it belonged to my grandmother. When I ring it, I remember sitting on her warm paw while she sang to me. I am scared it is lost forever.”

Min-Jae’s angry little face changed.

“Oh,” he whispered.

Binta looked at him too.

“Oh,” she said.

Captain Zubair tucked one wing behind his back. “Now what were you both trying to say?”

Min-Jae curled his tail around his paws. “I was trying to say I was frightened.”

Binta nodded. “And I was trying to say I wanted to help, but I did not know the bell mattered so much.”

“Excellent,” said Captain Zubair. “Now, let us find it.”

They searched again, this time together.

Binta lifted the biscuit barrel with one paw.

Min-Jae crawled beneath the fiddle case.

Niko inspected the ropes.

Yasmin sniffed around the deck.

At last Teo, who had been very quiet, said, “Bloooob. I mean… I found something.”

His big turtle foot was resting gently on Min-Jae’s silver bell.

It had rolled into the shade beneath his hammock.

Min-Jae gave a squeal of joy. “My bell!”

He rang it once.

Ting!

It sounded like a star winking.

“Thank you,” Min-Jae said to Teo.

Then he looked at Binta. “I am sorry I called you a thief.”

Binta smiled. “I am sorry I rumbled at you.”

Captain Zubair bowed. “A beautiful play. A happy ending. And now, perhaps, a bedtime song?”

But before the band could begin, a great wind came rushing over the water.

Whoooooosh!

The Marmalade Moon tipped sideways.

The silver spoon flag flapped and snapped.

A dark purple cloud rolled across the sky, and from it came a crackling voice.

“Captain Zubair!” called the voice. “Return my treasure at once!”

Out of the cloud sailed a long black ship with tall sails shaped like bat wings.

At its front stood Captain Branka, a walrus pirate with a magnificent curly mustache. Beside him stood his crew of puffins, pelicans, and one very sleepy seal.

Captain Branka pointed a flipper.

“You have my Moonmelon!”

Captain Zubair blinked. “Your what?”

“My Moonmelon!” boomed Captain Branka. “A rare melon that glows at night and tastes of honey, cucumber, and a tiny bit of thunder. It was on my ship this morning. Now it is gone. And I saw your band sailing near us!”

The Salty Whiskers gasped.

“We did sail near you,” said Yasmin. “But we did not take a melon.”

Captain Branka’s mustache bristled. “Then why did your ship smell so sweet?”

“That,” said Teo, “was Binta’s biscuit tin.”

“It was cinnamon,” Binta said.

Captain Branka folded his flippers. “I do not believe you.”

Captain Zubair looked at the dark cloud, then at the worried faces of both crews.

“To the Tiny Stage!” he called.

Captain Branka stared.

“What?”

“To the Tiny Stage,” repeated Captain Zubair. “We shall perform what each of us was trying to say.”

Captain Branka looked as if he might roar.

Then the sleepy seal on his ship lifted one flipper.

“I like plays,” she murmured.

So the two ships tied their ropes together, gently bobbing side by side. The tiny stage was carried onto the Marmalade Moon’s deck.

Captain Zubair handed out costumes.

Captain Branka had to wear a cardboard crown with glittery moons on it.

Binta wore a walrus mustache made from black yarn.

Two puffins wore green scarves and played the Moonmelon.

The curtains opened.

Binta stomped onto the stage as Captain Branka.

“I am Captain Branka!” she declared. “I have spent three years looking for a Moonmelon. I wanted to bring it to my little sister, who is not feeling well. She loves moonlight, but her cave has no window.”

Captain Branka’s big eyes blinked.

Binta continued, more softly. “I thought the Moonmelon would glow beside her bed and make her smile. But now it is missing, and I am afraid I have failed.”

On the other side of the stage, Captain Branka stood in Captain Zubair’s red hat.

“I am Captain Zubair,” he said awkwardly.

His puffin crew waited.

Captain Branka cleared his throat. “I am trying to say… my band did not steal anything. We work hard to be kind pirates. We only take buttons that have already fallen off coats, and sometimes empty jars that are floating in the sea.”

Yasmin gave a small nod. “That is true.”

Captain Branka looked around at the Marmalade Moon. He saw Min-Jae’s tiny bell. He saw Teo’s bucket bass. He saw the biscuit tin drum. He saw the little silver spoon flag lifting in the wind.

“You really did not take it?” he asked.

“We really did not,” said Captain Zubair.

Captain Branka sighed, and his mustache drooped.

Then, from high above, came a sound.

“Caw! Caw! Crunnnch!”

Everyone looked up.

A huge white albatross was circling in the purple clouds.

In its beak was a glowing, green-striped Moonmelon.

The bird swooped low, gave another crunchy bite, and soared toward a rocky island shaped like a sleeping whale.

“My melon!” cried Captain Branka.

“After it!” cried Captain Zubair.

The two pirate ships untied their ropes and sailed side by side, racing through the moonlit water.

Binta drummed a quick beat.

Boom-bim, boom-bim, boom-bim!

Niko played a rushing tune on his fiddle.

Yasmin’s trumpet called out bright notes.

Teo thumped the bass.

Min-Jae rang his bell.

Ting! Ting! Ting!

The music sailed ahead of them like a sparkling ribbon.

The albatross landed at the top of the sleeping-whale island, beside a nest made of seaweed and twigs. Inside the nest were three fluffy chicks, cheeping hungrily.

The albatross looked down at the ships.

“Caw!” it said.

Captain Branka raised his voice. “That melon belongs to my sister!”

The albatross fluffed its feathers and cried back.

“Caw caw caw!”

“What did it say?” asked Niko.

Captain Zubair tilted his head. “It says its chicks have not eaten since the storm blew away their fish.”

Captain Branka stared at the chicks. They were very small. One had a twig stuck to its head.

Then Captain Zubair said, “Perhaps we need one more tiny play.”

On the rocky shore, beneath a pale moon, they set the little stage between two driftwood logs.

This time, Captain Branka played the albatross.

He wore the dragon costume, because it was the closest thing to wings.

And the albatross played Captain Branka, wearing the glittery moon crown.

The chicks watched with bright round eyes.

Captain Branka flapped the dragon wings.

“I am an albatross,” he said. “I found a big bright snack. I wanted to feed my babies. I did not know someone else needed it.”

The real albatross lowered its head.

Then it put on the moon crown, which perched crookedly over its feathers.

“Caw,” it said.

Captain Zubair translated. “It says, ‘I am Captain Branka. I wanted the melon to make my sister’s dark room feel less lonely.’”

The albatross looked at the Moonmelon.

Captain Branka looked at the hungry chicks.

The sea made soft sleepy sounds against the shore.

At last Captain Branka said, “We can share it.”

Binta’s face lit up. “A Moonmelon is very large.”

“And we have biscuits,” she added.

“And seaweed soup,” said Teo.

“And three blueberries,” said Min-Jae. “I was saving them, but the chicks may have two.”

Soon everyone was busy.

Binta sliced the Moonmelon with a clean pirate cutlass, very carefully.

The chicks got sweet glowing pieces.

Captain Branka saved a large shining half for his sister.

The albatross got biscuit crumbs and a bowl of seaweed soup.

The band played gentle music as they ate.

When all the bellies were warm and full, Captain Branka stood beside Captain Zubair.

“I was wrong to accuse you,” he said.

“And I am glad you told us why you were upset,” said Captain Zubair.

Captain Branka gave a grand walrus bow. “Your tiny plays are clever.”

Captain Zubair puffed out his chest. “They are small, but they make room for big feelings.”

The two crews sailed together until they reached Captain Branka’s island. In a little cave near the shore, his sister slept beneath a patchwork blanket.

Captain Branka placed the glowing Moonmelon half on a stone beside her bed.

Soft green-gold light filled the cave.

His sister opened her eyes and smiled.

Outside, the Marmalade Moon rocked gently on the water.

The Salty Whiskers played their quietest song of all.

Binta tapped the biscuit tin like raindrops.

Niko’s fiddle sounded like a breeze in tall grass.

Yasmin’s trumpet whispered like a faraway star.

Teo made the softest bass note.

Bloooob.

And Min-Jae rang his grandmother’s bell once.

Ting.

Captain Zubair tucked his red hat beneath one wing and looked up at the moon.

“All sailors,” he said, “even pirate sailors, have things they mean but do not always know how to say.”

Then he yawned a great parrot yawn.

The crew yawned too.

One by one, they climbed into their hammocks.

Binta curled around her drum.

Niko tucked his fiddle close.

Yasmin used her trumpet case as a pillow.

Teo slept with his shell facing the moon.

Min-Jae placed his silver bell safely beneath his blanket.

And Captain Zubair settled in his small nest at the wheel, where he could hear the sea whispering beneath the ship.

The Marmalade Moon sailed on through the silver night, its spoon flag fluttering softly.

Far behind them, an albatross sang to her chicks.

Far ahead, the morning waited quietly.

And on the deck, the tiny velvet curtains rested closed, ready for the next time someone had a big feeling that needed a little play.