On The Seas of Destiny

Piracy

Chapter One

      A shipping vessel bobbed along as it cut through the rough waters of the Caribbean Sea. The clouds overhead were dark and swirling violently. Suddenly a sharp gust of wind caught the sails of the ship, bringing the ship to crash into a strong wave. Water splashed onto the deck, beckoning the rain to start pouring down.

     Underneath the deck, within the hull of the ship, sat the crew's quarters. Two members of the crew, Don and Eli, lay in their bunks.

     "The squall's hitting." Don said.

     "Indeed." Eli responded, staring at the wooden planks that made the ceiling and deck. "With no one at the helm, we are going to get lost. Foolish of the captain."

     Don sat up in his hammock. "We should go up. Make sure we don't lose our bearings. The captain wouldn't like to miss the deadline. Getting lost would only make us late."

     "That's a great idea." Eli said. He got out of his hammock and stood up.

     Their boots echoed along the inside of the ship as they walked upstairs. They opened the door to the deck and were met with an onslaught of rain. The sky was dark, only lighting up with a flash of lightning followed by the clap of thunder.

     "It's hard to see." Eli pointed out.

     "I can see that." Don said, annoyed. "Perfect conditions for a pirate attack, eh?" He poked his elbow into the side of his friend teasingly.

     "Pirates aren't real." Eli said, rolling his eyes. He never believed in pirates. They were like ghosts—they don't exist.

     "They are!" Don said as they walked to the bow of the ship. "I saw one once, with my own eyes!"

     "Here you go again, with your made-up stories. Don, pirates aren't real, and if they were, one wouldn't be that young."

     "But he was! I was there. He had these eyes that were the color of the sea that day! He had a sword held up to my throat! And all I could think was that he was so young. No older than a kid."

     "You got held up, by a kid?" Eli said with an eyebrow raised. "That's just sad."

     "He wasn't alone! He had three others!"

     Eli gazed into the darkness. "And did this young kid tell you his name?"

     "No, but his crewmates called him Captain Jackson."

     A thump came from the stern. Both Don and Eli turned around. The rain was so dense they could barely see the poop deck. They crept closer to it, before reaching the stairs. They paused before hearing another thump. They crept up the stairs slowly, the wood creaking underneath their weight.

     They reached the top of the stairs and stepped onto the poop deck. It was empty. At least, they thought it was. Their illusion was shattered by the sound of metal scraping against leather—like a sword being drawn from a sheath. They turned around to be met at sword point.

      The man holding the sword was staring at them with a grin on his face. "I'm going to need you to drop your weapons." He said calmly.

     Don pulled out his pistol. His finger curled around the trigger and squeezed. The newcomer waited as nothing happened. Don pulled the trigger multiple times.

    "Mate, wet gunpowder. It's not going to fire." The man said.

     Eli pulled out a knife and slashed at the man. The young man grinned as he blocked the slash and smacked Eli's hand with his sword, causing the sailor to drop the knife. Eli yelped and rubbed his hand.