Bedtime-Story
For the Busy Business-Parent
Whimsical Bedtime Stories for Children of All Ages
Bedtime-Story.com
Seafood Fight at Su Shi’s Café
Su Shi had a café.
Sunday night was Seafood Night.
All Pirates eat for one half off.
The Pirates always arrived at 5 p.m.
All Ninjas eat two for one.
The Ninjas always arrived at 6 p.m.
They both liked to sit in a booth.
In particular, they both liked to sit in the big round booth in the back.
(The booth was a little more square than it was round, but you get the picture)
The day was Sunday.
Not just any Sunday, it was the second Sunday in March,
the Sunday of Daylight Saving Time.
Everyone set their clocks ahead one hour.
(That means if it was 8 o'clock at night when you were ready
to go to bed,
you would make the clock say it was 9 o'clock instead.)
Those who did not use a clock set their rooster ahead one hour.
The Ninjas knew this and showed up at 6 p.m.
The Pirates were just back from Hawaii.
But Daylight Saving Time is not observed in Hawaii.
So the Pirates also showed up at 6 p.m.
Both the Ninjas and the Pirates tried to sit
in the same booth.
The Pirates rushed forward and leaped into the booth.
The Ninjas just appeared in the booth from out of nowhere.
The Ninjas got mad.
They crouched low and glared at the Pirates
through the eye holes in their masks.
The Pirates got angry and shouted Arrrgggh!
And also, they wondered how the Ninjas intended to eat
with masks over their mouths.
The Ninjas circled the Pirates.
The Pirates watched the Ninjas circle them.
They also growled a lot, exposing their missing teeth.
The Ninjas wondered how the Pirates intended to eat with missing teeth.
The Pirate captain said
"Give us the booth or we’ll make ye walk the plankton."
The Ninjas did not say anything.
Ninjas do not speak much.
After all, they have masks over their mouths, remember?
The Pirates drew their swordfish and rushed
at the Ninjas.
The Ninjas jumped away, bouncing from floor
to table to wall to ceiling and back down behind the Pirates.
The Ninjas stepped on the long ends of the
Pirates coats. The Pirates fell backward.
The Pirates swung from ceiling fans and wall fixtures.
They knocked over the Ninjas.
The Ninjas threw their starfish.
The Pirates dashed and clashed.
The Ninjas snuck and ducked.
Secretly the Pirates were having fun…
and so were the Ninjas.
One Ninja used a blowfish to shoot a dartfish.
It hit a pirate in his eye patch.
“Yo HO!” cried the Pirate
“You could put a mate’s good eye out like that!”
A big, burly Pirate swung his giant Hammerhead
shark
but the Ninjas were quick, agile, and just a little lucky.
The Hammerhead shark slammed into a shelf on the wall.
One of Su Shi’s prized tea cups began to spin. 
The Pirates stopped their shouting.
The tea cup started to totter.
The Ninjas stopped their creeping.
The tea cup leaned way over the edge.
Everyone held their breath.
The tea cup fell gently back into place.
The Pirates sighed and wiped their brow.
“Whew!.”
The Ninja sighed and wiped a Pirate’s brow.
Pirates can get awfully sweaty.
The shelf went crashing to the floor.
Everyone gasped!
Su Shi came out of the kitchen.
“You” she said to the Pirates
“Clean up!”
She handed them sea sponges.
“You” she said to the Ninjas
“Pay me two hundred sand dollars for damages.”
Ninjas do not have pockets.
They had to borrow from the Pirates.
“Everyone” said Su Shi
“No more rough-housing!”
“Yes ma am” said the Pirates. “Yes
ma am” mumbled the Ninjas.
From that day forth the Pirates and the Ninjas lived by a new code:
Always share your booth
Don’t rough-house indoors using dangerous sea creatures
Never, ever break one of Su Shi’s tea cups
And...
Remember Daylight Saving Time.
Seafood
Fight At Su Shi's Cafe
by Todd
& Brynna Strader
Copyright 2015 - All Rights Reserved
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Todd Strader has spent most of his life preparing for
his writing, mostly by holding an odd assortment of jobs, from scrubbing out
printing presses to conducting court mediations . "I caught the writing
bug the first time one of my papers was read in class. It was in the seventh
grade, if memory serves. My freshman year of undergraduate studies I signed
up for an English class and a journalism class with the intention of ... well...
being a writer of course. Unfortunately, those classes were full so I took speech
instead and somehow ended up parting my alma mater with a degree in speech communication.
I have always intended to return to my first love but life is full of ...
distractions. So now
here I am giving it a go." Todd lives and writes in the beautiful Shenandoah
Valley of Virginia. A former Arts Director, when not writing children's fiction
or spiritual non-fiction, he can be found working in the local library. He shares
a “home by the lake” with his wife and daughter.
Brynna Strader is currently a high school freshman. She co-wrote this story with her father during middle school. Brynna intends to make a career writing and teaching. She enjoys young adult literature, manga and fringe web comics. Some day she hopes to make her own mark in these genres but in the meantime her bunny needs a cuddle. Todd and Brynna Strader hope you enjoy their story.
You may write to Todd
and Bryanna and let them know how much you liked their story!
(Remember to put the name of the story in the subject line of your email.)
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:
INTERIM ILLUSTRATIONS: Courtesy of Bedtime-Story
This tale is available for professional illustration.
INTERESTING STUFF
Su Shi's Cafe specializes in sushi (pronounced SOOshee).
Su Shi is the chef, (she pronounces her name soo-SHEE)
On Sunday nights she also offers cooked shrimp and lobster
(Because Pirates and Ninjas like that too!)
Sushi is a Japanese dish consisting
of
small balls or rolls of vinegar-flavored cold cooked rice,
served with a garnish of raw fish, vegetables, or egg.
Sushi is usually eaten with chopsticks.
STORY SUBMISSION
From: "Todd Strader" stoddstraderATgmail.com Date: Sun, December 14,
2014 8:56 pm To: bedtime-storyATthe-office.com
I have read, understand, and agree to abide by the requirements for inclusion
as specified on the Bedtime-Story.DOTCOM page. If my submission should be selected,
I grant permission for its inclusion. See my work: facebookDOTCOM/pages/S-Todd-Strader/403045429742712?id=403045429742712&sk=notes
Winchester, VA 22603
Stories
and Illustrations found on this site are exclusive to Bedtime-Story
Reproduction
of any content without the express
written permission of Bedtime-Story is prohibited.
