A Pirates life for me!
I
Morgan, the captain of The Sea Stone, looked up as her cabin door flew open; it was William, the cabin boy, with a frightened expression on his little twelve-year-old face.
“William, What is it? What’s wrong?”
“There is a ship, with many men and cannons, cumin’ this way. It looks like they want trouble sir.”
On the deck, Morgan took the spyglass that the Quarter Master, Thomas, offered her.
“It’s one of them pirate ships, lookin’ for trouble,” He said holding his big hands in fists.
“Don’t judge to quickly Thomas, for we are also pirates, remember?”
“Yes sir. But would we attack another fellow pirate ship?”
“No.” Morgan saw the truth in his words but also had a thought of her own, “Unless they had something’ that we needed, and wouldn’t let us have it for no reason at all,” she put down the spyglass and called to one of the Mates. “Do you think that ye could get‘em to talk before they attack?” She wanted to know their purpose in coming here.
“I don’t think they’ll like talking sir, they already have their guns at the ready.”
“All-right then, Gunn Master Hennery! Get our guns loaded but unseen, and hold your fire till I give the order!” As Hennery went to fulfill his orders Morgan tried to see who the opposing captain was through the spyglass, but no such luck came to her. She turned to the Sailing Master, “Get us into position for a broad-side, but not to quickly, we’re in no hurry for now.”
The Battle was hard and long. Both ships firing at each other, both crews swinging from boat to boat, killing and being killed. It wasn’t until after the sun started to set that the battle was over and The Sea Stone escaped, leaving the torn ship and its dead crew behind.
After searching the crew to see who was lost in battle they were pleased to find that only two people were missing, but the sorrow was great when they saw who they were; Hennery the Gunn Master, and Captain Morgan.
The crew was in shock from their young captains death. As assumed, they turned to Thomas, the Quarter Master, whose rank was almost as high as the captain’s. Thomas, has often before been a decoy for Morgan, being the tall strong, muscular man that he was, it was easy for any one to believe that this man was captain of a ship, this had saved Morgan’s life more than once. Now that she was gone though, he suddenly felt out of place taking the name of captain. He did the best he could in her place but the crew just wasn’t the same without her smile, or laughter aboard.
≈≈≈
Out in the sea, another ship sailed full of pirates, who had seen the battle between The Sea Stone and its attacker. They watched as The Sea Stone sailed away leaving a ship with no living soul onboard behind. And as they saw The Sea Stone sail out of sight they moved closer until they were able to board the ship with dead scattered across it’s deck.
They searched it first for gold or any other valuable things, then they searched for any life that might be left aboard. They only found one, a young girl dressed in boys clothing, with long dirty-blond hair spraying like golden sunshine around her head, and a pistol wound in her thigh.
The captain ordered that the girl be brought aboard and laid in her cabin. She would tend to her, herself, she had said.
As the captain tended to the girl, she opened her eyes and rolled up, standing tense and out of the captains reach.
“Why, hello there little one.” the captain smiled. The girl’s leg must have hurt her, though she said nothing. But you could see it in her hazel-green eyes that she was using all her strength just to stand there.
“My name is Cecilia, I am captain of this fine ship ye be standing on.”
“I am Morgan, captain of The Sea Stone.”
“Captain? Ain’t you a bit young to be a captain?”
“I am fourteen.” She looked around and then said, “Where is my crew?”
“There all dead from what we saw.”
The girl’s eyes grew wide “Dead? Tell me what you saw!”
“Not till you sit down Little one, you’re shakin’ as if you were in a stormy sea!”
Morgan wanted to know more about her crew but could not muster even a single word out of her mouth as she lay on Cecilia’s bed, all she could do was stare at the ceiling as Cecilia tended to her wound and think of all the things she could have done to help her crew, but failed to do. Eventually she slept in an uneasy sleep full of fowl dreams.
II
Morgan awoke to the sounds of fighting coming from the deck. With some effort she stood up and opened the cabin’s door a crack. She saw Cecilia’s crew and royal navy men fighting onboard the ship! She looked around the cabin till she found a cutlass, and then she edged her way into the fight till she was fully engaged.
Cecilia was knocked over board and like all good pirates she used this to her advantage. She climbed up the side of the navy ship using her dagger and cutlass, and headed to take out the captain.
≈≈≈
The navy boat was sinking, and the survivors were paddling away as fast as they could in the lifeboats. The fight was won.
Captain Cecilia, still soaking wet, called for the dead to be counted and the wounded tended to. She saw Morgan leaning against the railing of her ship, watching the underwater shadow of the navy ship get smaller and smaller.
“Morgan.” she said. Startled she jerked her head up and stood straight.
“How’s that leg of yours?” Cecilia asked
“Pain’s gone,” she smiled as if remembering something funny, “On my ship we would send some of the wounded out to fight as a cure, it always took the pain away.”
“I’m sorry, about your crew.”
“Why did you take me in?” Morgan hurriedly changed the subject. “You don’t even know me.”
Cecilia smiled, “I helped you, because ye reminded me of someone.”
“Who?”
“Me. I saw adventure in you and I knew that ye had a mind of your own. I knew ye were special.”
“Thank you,” was all that Morgan said. Cecilia looked into her eyes, and at that moment they understood each other, and they smiled.
Morgan’s smile faded and she collapsed. Cecilia caught her and laid her down onto the hard deck, and as she did so she noticed a gash in Morgan’s side.
“You seem to get hurt a lot Little one, just like me when I was a lassie.”
≈≈≈
“I’m sorry,” Cecilia heard a whisper behind her. She turned to see Morgan looking at her. “What in the seven seas would you be sorry for?”
“I’m causing ye so much trouble.”
“Don’t ye worry about it Little one, your just fine.”
“Cecilia, I am not a real pirate.”
“What are you talkin’ about?”
“I am, was, a governor’s daughter. I had everything I could ever want, a family, a warm bed, hot baths. The only thing I didn’t have was friends, and freedom. I was stuck inside a great big house with nothing to do.”
“What happened?”
“I wanted adventure, so I ran away, to find some. I snuck aboard The Sea Stone and the captain took me as his cabin boy. He would call me his niece and I would call him uncle. Before he died, three years ago, he had said he would love for me to be captain of his beloved ship someday, and when the time came the crew agreed. Ever since then I have been trying my best to be a good captain and friend for my crew.”
“That’s some story Little one, but I believe it.”
“Thank you. I once thought about returning to my real family.”
“And why didn’t you?”
“I don’t really know. I guess I just never got the courage to face them.”
“Don’t think on it now Little one, rest, you are tired.”
“Thank you.” Morgan said as she slipped into a dreamless sleep.
III
Over the next few days Morgan slipped in and out of conciseness. Cecilia was worried about her.
On the fifth day since the fight with the navy ship, the man in the crow’s nest called; “Pirate ship ho!”
Cecilia grabbed the spyglass and took a look. Indeed it was another pirate ship, and on the side it read ‘The Sea Stone’.
“That’s Morgan’s ship,” she whispered.
She kept her ship in place while the other one grew closer till; the boat was close enough to be able to talk to the other crew.
“That’s a mighty fine ship ye got there!” Cecilia called to them, “Who’s the captain of such a beauty?”
“Thomas be the new captain here, and who be yours?” one shouted back.
“I be this ships captain. What do you mean by; new captain?”
“Our former captain died about seven days ago.”
“What a pity. Tell me, would ye be interested in a truce? Just between our two ships of course.”
“We will talk first.” Thomas called, “You and your Quarter Master can come over here with no weapons.”
“That’s fine.” Cecilia agreed.
“Madam!” Edward her Quarter Master looked shocked, “How do ye know we can trust ‘em?”
“Because I think I know who they are.”
Without letting him speak another word, she swung across to the other ship.
“This be madness,” he whispered to himself and swung right after his captain.
“Why would ye be wantin’ to make a treaty with us?” Thomas asked as soon as Cecilia’s feet touched their deck.
“I have a good feeling about this ship and its crew. Will you accept my offer Mr. Thomas?”
Thomas called William over to him and whispered in his ear; “You knew the way that Captain Morgan thought, what do you figure she would do right abut now?”
It was difficult to think about Morgan for young Will, but all the same he wanted to do his best for her even now, “I think that she would accept Sir.”
“That be what I was thinkin’ too. Thank you will.” Thomas dismissed William and turned to Cecilia; “We will accept your offer to treaty.”
“Very well,” Cecilia said, “I have never signed a treaty before so I would like to do it with me special quill.” She turned to her Edward and whispered; “Go back to our ship and bring the young girl back with you. Oh and don’t worry about a quill.” He left without a word but Cecilia could see that he disagreed with this move in his eyes.
As he came back with Morgan still unconscious in his arms, Thomas’ crew tensed at the sight of an uninvited person coming aboard their ship.
“What is this?” Thomas argued, “I only allowed two members from your crew to come aboard my ship.”
“Aye, that you did, but this Little one is not a member of my crew. And I think you would like to meet her.” Edward turned Morgan so that the crew could see her face. Will gasped and started to run toward his lost friend but Thomas stopped him.
“What is the meaning of this?” Thomas asked, “How did you get the body of our former captain?”
Cecilia laughed, “This is not just the body of her! She lives.”
Thomas seamed not to believe her.
“If you don’t believe me come and see for your self.”
Cautiously Thomas approached Morgan, still limp in Edward’s strong arms. The whole crew was silent waiting to see if their beloved captain was still alive. When Thomas was close enough he stroked Morgan’s cheek, and she stirred.
IV
Morgan saw Thomas’ face and she thought she was still dreaming, until she saw William behind Thomas, and Cecilia next to Edward, who was holding her.
Morgan smiled up at Thomas, and he exclaimed, letting the whole crew know that she lived. At Cecilia’s word Edward set Morgan on her feet. She fell into Thomas’ arms and he hugged her back in an awkward way.
When she had hugged each member of her crew she found Will, she embraced him, and they both sank to the ground in joyful tears.
“Thank you,” Thomas said to Cecilia, “for retuning our captain to us.”
“It was a pleasure to get to know her. Are you going to keep her as captain? She might not be able to run a whole ship on her own right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“She has taken some beatings, and this is the first time that she woke since five days ago.”
“She will be the judge of this ship, and her own self.”
“That is fine by me. What about that treaty?”
“That’ll be Morgan’s decision now.” Thomas said as he glanced at her. Morgan was being helped up by the crew and was still embracing people; eventually she came back to Cecilia leaning heavily on one of the mates.
“Thank you so much,” she said. “How did you find them, I thought you said that they were all dead?”
“Well Little one, they found us, and I guess that I mistook the ship I found you on for The Sea Stone.”
“We were just discussing a treaty between our ships,” Thomas informed her.
“That was just my way of thinkin’ Thomas!”
“Great.” Cecilia jumped in, “Then you can sign it with me right now.”
And so they did.
Afterwards the two ships sailed, pillaged and plundered together.
Eventually Morgan went back to her family and met her two younger sisters and learned of her mother’s death. She tried to fit back in but it was not to be, so she left again to roam the waters of the seven seas with her faithful crew.
And some say that her spirit still roams the sea in search of her mother’s spirit.
(oo)
““’
(skull)
