My name is Kurt Owen, I really like to talk and help people. Everyday after school I go to the retirement home to talk with the old people there. I have talked to every single one on the retirement home, except one. People call him Old Peculier. He always alone and he have a creepy glass eye that moves in a completely different direction than the real eye. There are some wild rumours about how he got a glass eye. I have heard that he tried to kill his wife a long time ago, and he managed. However, right before she was stabbed by a knife she ripped out his left eyeball. I don’t know if it’s the case.

One day when I went down to the retirement home I thought that, I maybe should have talked with him. When I came inside the retirement home I was really nervous. Shall I talk with him, or not? I thought.

“I’ll do it,” I said to my self. I walked towards him. He was sitting at the same place, sleeping as usual. I said “Hi!” with a high voice. He woke up and said “Hi?” with a grumsy voice; it sounded like he was surprised that someone talked to him. “I’m Kurt, I just want to talk with you,” I said. “Oh, that’s nice of you” he said and smiled. “Can I ask you something?” I said “Yes, of course! Go a head” “How did you get that glass eye?” I asked with a really curios voice, “Oh that’s a long story, I don’t want to bore you” Peculier answered, “I’ve got time,” I said.

“Okay then. It happened a long time ago. I was about 27 years old.

My friend Israphel and I, worked as marine-soldiers in the US Navy on a small boat called Verigan. Verigan was on a patrol between Kenya and Somalia there was only five people aboard including myself. When the boat reached Somalia’s coast side pirates captured us.

They took Israphel and three other people from my troop as hostages. They did not find me because I was sleeping below deck. I woke up when I heard Israphel screaming “HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP” I ran up to deck as fast as my feet would let me. When I got up to deck, I saw four pirates standing behind Israphel and the three others in my troop, pointing at them with a machinegun. They said something in Somalian to me. “In English” I said angry. “If you want to let your troop go, you have to follow me” said one of the pirates with a really bad English. “DON’T DO IT!” Israphel shouted. “Okay, I’m going with you if you let my troop go” The pirates cut the ropes. However, they still held them tight.

“What are you doing?!” Israphel said to me with angry eyes. I ignored him. The pirates took Israphel and the three others blow deck and locked the door. Then I walked with the pirates down in their Zodiac. We drove fast towards land. I saw an opportunity to escape from the boat. There was an AK-47 lying right beside me. If I was quick, I could shot them all and take the Zodiac back to Verigan. Everything felt like it was in slow motion. I picked up the gun and shot two of the pirates who were standing in front of the boat. The one behind me took up a knife and cut my left eye. I could only see on my right eye now, but I managed to shoot the pirate with the knife. I have killed three out of four. But the last pirate was gone. I took control of the Zodiac and drove toward Verigan. When I had just drove a few meters I found the last pirate swimming towards Verigan. I shot him too. When I got up on Verigan again we sat our course back home.” Peculier sighed and looked up in the sky.

“Whoa! You are a true hero!” I said. “No, I was just helping my friend” Peculier said with flushed cheeks. “But what happened to Israphel?” “He died six years ago out of cancer”

“I took so wrong of you Peculier, I’m so sorry!” I said. “It’s okay Kurt, it is true what they say, don’t judge a book by its cover”