Danger Dan Spooks the Peculiar Peranakan Pirate Read online

  Praise for Danger Dan

  “I find Danny so funny! I like the exciting parts where Danny and Melody have to escape from the bad guys. I like the gadgets they use too. I can’t wait for the next book!”

  —Fang Jun, 9, Temasek Primary School

  “Danger Dan is funny and courageous. I really enjoyed reading his exciting adventures through time. I also learned bits of Singapore history.”

  —Michael, 10, St Gabriel’s Primary School

  “Danger Dan’s so funny! It has story facts about Singapore. You must buy the books!”

  —Kristin Bay, 9, Methodist Girls’ School

  “I like how the Danger Dan series brought me to old Singapore. The adventures never fail to excite me. I had fun reading the stories and will continue!”

  —Nerissa, 12, St Margaret’s Primary School

  “Expect the unexpected with Danger Dan as you join him on his adventures.”

  —Susan Liang, History and Social Studies teacher, Pioneer Secondary School

  “A fun story that also educates! Readers can learn good vocabulary and understand more about Singapore history as they join Danger Dan on his adventures.”

  —Dr Tay Hui Yong, Vice-Principal, Nanyang Girls’ High School

  “An entertaining and engaging combination of fantasy and history!”

  —Edmund Lim, author of Where’s Grandma?, winner of the Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award 2013

  “A relaxing read. The history and culture of Singapore are cleverly weaved into an adventurous story.”

  —Louise Law, Festival Manager, Hong Kong International Literary Festival

  written by

  Lesley-Anne & Monica Lim

  illustrated by

  James Tan

  Also in the series

  Danger Dan Confronts the Merlion Mastermind

  Danger Dan Tackles the Majulah Mayhem

  Also by Monica Lim

  The Good, the Bad and the PSLE

  Copyright © 2014 by Monica Lim and Lesley-Anne Tan

  Illustrations copyright © 2014 Epigram Books

  All rights reserved.

  Published in Singapore by Epigram Books.

  www.epigrambooks.sg

  Illustrations by James Tan

  Cover design and book layout by Lydia Wong

  National Library Board, Singapore

  Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

  Lim, Monica

  DANGER DAN SPOOKS THE PECULIAR PERANAKAN PIRATE/

  written by Monica Lim and Lesley-Anne Tan –

  illustrated by James Tan

  Singapore : Epigram Books, 2014.

  pages cm

  ISBN: 978-981-4615-21-1 (paperback)

  ISBN : 978-981-4615-20-4 (epub)

  1. Superheroes – Juvenile fiction.

  2. Time travel – Juvenile fiction.

  3. Pirates – Juvenile fiction.

  4. Singapore – History – 1819-1867 – Juvenile fiction.

  I. Tan, Lesley-Anne. II. Tan, James. III. Title.

  PZ7

  S823 -- dc23 OCN878367843

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First Edition:

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  For English teachers who inspire the love of words, especially Ms Yao

  Danger Dan has been captured by the evil Peg Leg Pirate and his crew! He is bound and locked up in the brig. His prison is cold, wet and dark except for a small barred window. Danger Dan needs to escape before the pirates make him walk the plank! Taking a deep breath, he musters all his strength and pulls.

  The ropes binding his hands and feet fly apart. The pirates are fools. No rope or chain is any match for Danger Dan’s super strength. Now to escape! He scans the cell for a weak spot. The cage bars are made of solid steel and are unbreakable. But the bars on the window are thin and rusted from the sea water.

  Danger Dan leaps up and grabs hold of one of the wooden beams on the ceiling. Like a trapeze artist, he skilfully swings forward, does a double somersault and gives a mighty kick.

  The metal bars break and tumble out the open window, disappearing into the deep blue sea.

  Danger Dan dives into the ocean. He rises to the surface for air and whistles an unusual, high-pitched tune. A friendly dolphin answers the call and playfully circles him. He climbs onto the dolphin’s back and it takes off! Standing on the dolphin, Danger Dan surfs past the pirate ship and towards the shore. The island is in sight! He can already see the familiar coconut trees and white sandy beach. Just a little closer…

  “Danny, lend me your e-dictionary!” Danny’s eldest sister, Amy, suddenly barged into his room unannounced, jolting Danny out of his daydream. As she swung open the door, it slammed into Danny’s skateboard and threw him off.

  Amy wasn’t really asking for permission. She usually just took whatever she wanted. Amy was 18 years old and had a Big Mouth. She often talked only because she liked the sound of her own voice. She needed the e-dictionary to find new words because she had grown tired of using the same ones.

  Amy spotted Danny’s e-dictionary on his desk and grabbed it. “I didn’t say you could have it!” protested Danny.

  Just as he lunged at Amy’s legs to stop her, his second sister, Betty, marched into his room. “I’m borrowing your calculator, Danny!” she demanded. Betty was 16 years old and had a Big Brain. She was working out how fast a submarine functioning at three-eighths of its capacity would be travelling if it left the base at 0415 hours and almost collided with a whale moving in the opposite direction in search of its calf 73 kilometres away. Betty didn’t need a calculator for that, though. She needed it for the bonus question: what was the length of the submarine’s periscope?

  Betty boldly rummaged through Danny’s school bag. “Stop taking my stuff!” cried Danny. He let go of Amy and threw himself at Betty, who dodged.

  Just then, Danny’s third sister, Candy, clumped into his room. Candy was 12 years old. She didn’t have a Big Mouth or a Big Brain. She was just…BIG. Her idea of a balanced meal was three burgers, three bowls of chips and three milkshakes. Candy spotted an unopened bag of peanut butter crisps on Danny’s bed and snatched it.

  “HEY!” Danny was furious. Peanut butter crisps were his absolute favourite and he had been saving the pack. “GIVE THAT BACK!” He grabbed Candy’s arm but she brushed him aside like he was a fly.

  The three sisters hurried out of the room with their finds, leaving Danny screaming in frustration. Oh! Why did he have to be a small and scrawny 11-year-old? It wasn’t fair!

  Danny had had enough. He slammed the door, placed two chairs against it and started stacking random items onto them. Thick textbooks. Brimming school files. Schoolbag. Beanbag. Lava lamp. Pillows. Wastepaper basket. Badminton racket. Skateboard. A whole army of toy soldiers for good measure.

  Danny pushed his immensely heavy toy chest against the chairs to secure the barricade. Finally, he climbed up the pile and gently positioned his basketball at the top. If any of his pesky sisters did break through, they would get a nasty thump on the head! Danny stood back to admire his massive masterpiece.

  Danger Dan’s barricade is impenetrable! Nothing can get past this sturdy barrier. Not Arguing Amy, Brainy Betty or the Colossal Candy-saurus.

  “Kids!” Danny heard his father’s voice coming from the living room. “Remember we’re leaving for the Family Day carnival in 15 minutes!”

  The barricade is immovable. No one can get in…wait a minut
e! No one can get OUT! Not even Danger Dan! Danger Dan has accidentally trapped HIMSELF!

  Danny stared helplessly at the barricade. The door was completely blocked. His father rapped on the door. “Danny! Did you hear me? Get ready to leave soon!”

  Danger Dan starts to panic. He claws maniacally at the barricade. He tries kicking and punching it. He runs around the room in distress. But the barricade stubbornly refuses to budge. Danger Dan sinks to his knees in bitter defeat.

  Danny reluctantly decided to call for help. “D-AA-AA-D? I’m stuck! Help me! HELP!”

  “Danny?” His father tried opening the door but succeeded only in opening it a crack. He heaved against it hard and the barricade slowly started to move. As the mountainous pile gradually gave way, the basketball dropped to the ground and rebounded. It bounced once, twice…and landed smack on Danny’s head.

  “OWW!” Danny fell to the floor and saw stars. His father stood over him, surveyed the mess in the room and sighed, “Danny, Danny. How on earth do you get yourself into these situations?”

  Danny’s three sisters stood outside the door, laughing like hyenas.

  “Hahahahaha!” guffawed Amy.

  “Heeheeheeheehee!” giggled Betty.

  “Hurhurhurhurhur!” gurgled Candy.

  The three of them chanted together, “Girls are cool, boys are fools!”

  Danny’s Big Ears turned red with rage. “Th-th-that’s not true!” he spluttered. “Boys are fine! Girls are…are…NOT! You’re just mean, mean, MEAN!” Danny could never think of anything clever to say when he was upset.

  He stomped off to get his red sling bag. The company his father worked at had organised a Family Day carnival and the whole family was taking the MRT there. The promise of food, games and prizes outweighed the unpleasantness of having to spend an entire day with his sisters. With any luck, he would lose them in the crowd.

  Danny suddenly had a thought. Maybe this trip on the MRT would turn into another time-travelling adventure. That was how his previous time-travelling adventures had started. When he had gone back in time to 1947, there hadn’t been much food. Going hungry was one of the most disagreeable experiences he had ever had. It was even worse than studying for exams. What if he ended up travelling back to the past again?

  “No way I’ll starve this time,” he told himself. “I’ll pack food in my bag!” Feeling rather pleased with his brainwave, Danny hurried to the kitchen and searched through the stock of tinned food. What should he bring? Button mushrooms? Yuck. Sardines? Meh. Baked beans? Hmm…too messy. Oh! Luncheon meat! Perfect! Danny smacked his lips. He loved luncheon meat with almost anything. Bread, rice, noodles, even on its own. It was the universal food. There were five tins in the cabinet—he decided to take them all.

  He stuffed the tins of luncheon meat into his red sling bag along with his water bottle. Then, he spotted a family-sized jar of peanut butter (extra crunchy). He’d better take that too! One can never have too much peanut butter. The only problem was that his bag had run out of space. Without hesitation, Danny replaced his water bottle with the peanut butter. Peanut butter was more important.

  Wallet. Check. Fantasy Squad comic book. Check. Peanut butter. Check. And five tins of luncheon meat. Check-check-check-check-check. All set!

  “Ugh!” grunted Danny as he struggled to lift his bag. Gosh! It was unexpectedly heavy. But he would just have to manage.

  Danger Dan is prepared for all occasions! He is ready for floods and famines! Well, maybe not floods. Famines! But not too long. Just five days! Okay, maybe four!

  The family left their flat and boarded the train at Toa Payoh MRT station. They were headed towards Raffles Place MRT station which was just a short ride away. Danny’s sling bag was so heavy that his shoulder started to ache. As the train drew near their destination, Danny grew increasingly excited. Would this train ride be an ordinary one? Or would he get to time-travel again? He was longing to reunite with Gadget Girl for another extraordinary adventure. She was the only girl he found tolerable. He had already gone back to 1964 to save the Merlion and 1947 to restore the national anthem. What new mission was in store? Whatever it was, he couldn’t wait!

  The automated train voice announced: “Raffles Place”. Danny stepped out of the train expectantly and to his delight, saw a familiar flash of wavy blue streaks.

  Danny saw that he was standing on muddy ground, surrounded by trees. “Yes!” he hooted. “Oh boy! I hit the jackpot!” He looked around for Melody aka Gadget Girl, who was usually waiting for him when he materialised through the time portal.

  And then he saw her. Except she wasn’t her usual cool and collected 14-year-old self. She had a terrified look on her face and she grabbed Danny’s arm.

  “Quick, Danny! RUN!”

  “Where? What? Huh?” Danny yelled, befuddled as he starting running beside Melody. “Why are we running?” He glanced back and saw two tanned, middle-aged women hot on their heels. They looked outraged and were waving large sticks menacingly.

  “No time for questions!” screeched Melody, her silvery voice tinged with panic. “Just RUN!”

  They ran through the mangrove swamp, weaving in and out of the trees and scampering over rocks. The women were surprisingly agile and had no trouble keeping up with them. Danny was panting and his shoulder ached badly. His sling bag seemed to be growing heavier with every step and it bumped painfully against his leg as he ran.

  Danny couldn’t bear the weight of his bag anymore. “Here, Melody!” he yelled. “Catch!” He tossed the bag over to her.

  The impact of the bag nearly knocked Melody over. “Qwigglepuff! What did you put in here? Rocks?” She flung the bag back at Danny. Danny stumbled over a tree root, dragged down by his cumbersome bag. “Melody…WHEEZE…I can’t run WHEEZE any more…”

  Melody turned and saw with horror that the women were gaining on them. Thinking on her feet, she hauled Danny up. “Quick, Danny!” she ordered. “Up the tree!”

  Danny looked up at the tall mango tree next to him. It had a broad trunk, strong thick branches and was covered in a mass of green leaves. Perfect for climbing and perfect for hiding in.

  Like a squirrel, Melody nipped up the tree in no time, skilfully scaling the branches. Danny had a lot more trouble. His bag weighed him down and threatened to throw him off balance. He was barely up the second branch when a woman caught up with him. She grabbed hold of his leg and tried to pull him down. Danny clawed at the tree and hung on for dear life. In the struggle, his bag slipped from his shoulder.

  The bag landed squarely on the woman’s head, causing her to drop to the ground. She rubbed her head and yelled curses at Melody and Danny. The other woman ran to her aid before attempting to climb the tree after the children. In desperation, Melody plucked a ripe mango and flung it at the woman. Unfortunately, her aim was wide…and the mango almost hit Danny instead.

  “Oi! Watch it!” yelped Danny, ducking.

  Danger Dan glares at Gadget Girl. Gadget Girl has many strengths and is a pretty decent partner. But her terrible aim is one of her biggest failings.

  Free from the shackles of his kit’s load, Danger Dan grasps the branch directly over his head and deftly swings himself over it. Plucking a plump mango, he takes aim and releases it.

  The mango hit its target and split open, its sweet juice spilling down the pursuer’s face. She fell from the tree and landed next to her partner.

  Wiping the sticky mush from her face, the woman exchanged a few angry words with her friend. Much to Melody and Danny’s relief, the women decided to give up the chase and left.

  “Are they really gone?” asked Melody, peering down through the tree’s branches and leaves.

  “I think so,” said Danny. “But I’m staying up here a little longer just to be sure. Who are they?”

  “Oh, they’re the sea gypsies,” explained Melody. “They live in houseboats along the Singapore River. This is 1819 and they’re the early natives of Singapore.”

  “1819!” Dann
y’s eyes widened. “That’s going way back! Are there dinosaurs here?”

  “Of course not!” snapped Melody. “1819 was the year the British set up a port here. The treaty is supposed to be signed tomorrow. You see, Raffles wanted to set up a trading port here—”

  “Raffles!” Danny perked up. “Really? I’ll get to see Raffles? That’s so cool!”

  “Can you please listen?” said Melody, frowning. “So Raffles wanted Singapore as a base for the British. But Singapore was ruled by Johor’s Sultan Abdul Rahman who was controlled by the Dutch. The Dutch would never agree to a British base here. Being a crafty guy, Raffles knew that Sultan Abdul Rahman had an older brother, Sultan Hussein, who thought he should be the ruler of Johor.”

  “So Sultan Aboo Ramen is Dutch?” asked Danny puzzled.

  “No! Sultan ABDUL RAHMAN is not Dutch! He was controlled by the Dutch who had a port in Malacca. Sultan Hussein should have been Sultan of Johor but in the end, his brother, Sultan Abdul Rahman, took his place.”

  “Oh, I see,” said Danny thoughtfully. “So Sultan Hussein was actually the real Sultan and Sultan Raboo Ahman…I mean Amoo Raban… no wait, oh whatzisname was actually the fake Sultan!”

  “ABDUL RAHMAN! ABDUL RAHMAN! He was the real Sultan of Johor!” Melody smacked her forehead in exasperation, shaking the tree branch dangerously. “But Raffles knew that Sultan Abdul Rahman would never sign a treaty to let the British set up a port here. So he decided to appoint Sultan Hussein as the rightful ruler of Johor instead.”

  “This is very confusing,” said Danny crossly. “So Sultan Hussein was a fake Sultan and Raffles pretended he was the real Sultan so he could sign the treaty? But that’s cheating! How could he do that?”

  “Well, he did. In history, he smuggled Sultan Hussein into Singapore secretly to sign the treaty which later, led to Singapore becoming a British colony.”