A Spooky Haunted Tale for Hallowe'en Time

This is the third and final portion of our reprinting of the 1956 classic "Cap'n Wacky and The Ghost Ship" originally run in three parts in "Swell!" magazine and then collected in a nice hardback book. If you still have a copy from your childhood days, a Cap'n Wacky collector might shell out as much as $65 to buy it from you. If you haven't read parts one or two, go back and do that first.

"You know," said Kurt. "When I told Cap'n Wacky we were willing to help out I didn't really mean I wanted to peel potatoes."

"Well you offered for me," said Anna, hanging a shirt on a line. "And I still got stuck doing laundry."

"I suppose we should be happy doing anything we can to help such a respected corporate mascot as Cap'n Wacky."

"Right," agreed Anna. "His hit single, 'Rock Around the Boat' is the most!"

"It sure is," said Kurt. "Any teen who doesn't buy the single is a square."

Suddenly, Anna's stoic exterior dissolved to reveal her true womanly emotions as she fell sobbing on her beau.

"Oh, Kurt," she cried. "How are we going to get back to shore? Is this ship really haunted? What will we do?"

"Don't get hysterical," Kurt replied. "Cap'n Wacky will take care of us."

That very moment, as if to refute his comment, Kurt and Anna saw the ghost of the ship at last.

* * *

"Cap'n Wacky! Cap'n Wacky!" yelled Kurt as he and Anna raced across the

deck toward the beloved sailor.

"What is it?" asked the Cap'n. "Ye look mighty afeared!"

"We are!" said Anna. "We just saw the Ghost in the decks below!"

"Egad!" bellowed Cap'n Wacky. "What did it look like?"

"Well," said Kurt. "It kind of looked the way someone would look if they draped an old sail over their head and cut a couple holes out for their eyes."

"It was really spooky," added Anna.

"And what did it sound like?" Cap'n Wacky asked.

"OOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOOoooooo!"

"That was a good imitation, Anna," Kurt said.

"It wasn't me. I thought it was you," his sweety responded.

"It wasn't me," said Kurt, not recognizing the cliché.

"OOOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOOOOOooooo," came the mournful moaning again. Kurt and Anna turned to see that the ghost had followed them up to the main deck and was coming right toward them!

"Run!" yelled Cap'n Wacky.

The three of them turned and ran from the spectre, but it quickly followed. Soon, they found themselves at the boat's edge with no more room to run.

"Swim for the shore!" Cap'n Wacky yelled, pointing into the darkness, it's that way! I'll stay and try to fend off the ghost."

"What?" shrieked Anna in terror. "It'll RUIN my sweater!"

"It's either that or let the ghost get you," Kurt pointed out.

Anna rubbed her chin, weighing her options.

The ghost floated closer.

"Oh all right," said Anna.

"Swim for the shore!... I'll stay and try to fend off the ghost."

The teens dove into the cold, dark water desperately swimming in the direction Cap'n Wacky pointed, hoping to reach safety.

Back on the ship, Cap'n Wacky's loyal boatswain, Scurvy, approached the Cap'n as he folded up an old sheet.

"Don't fold that old thing up," said Cap'n Wacky. "Now that it's got holes in it, it's useless."

"Aye sir," said Scurvy. "Say, Cap'n, why did you do it."

"It was for their own good," said Cap'n Wacky. "The docks are no place for young teens to hang out at night. A stern lecture doesn't work with these kids today, but a good dose of terror always will."

"Oh," said Scurvy. "Yer a strange man, Cap'n, if ye don't mind me sayin'."

"Well, after yer out at sea so long, it'll do strange thing to yer

head," Cap'n Wacky explained.

"We've only been out a few hours," Scurvy pointed out.

"Sometimes that's long enough," said Cap'n Wacky.

"And we grabbed those two before we even left," the boatswain went on.

"Shut up, Scurvy," ordered the Cap'n. "Besides, they'll be safer now."

"IF they survive the swim to shore," added Scurvy.

"Right," said the Cap'n.

And the two sailors enjoyed a hearty laugh about that.