Revenge So Sweet

Honey

It had been a few days now and Danielle was slowly familiarizing herself with the large ship.  She was surprised when she stumbled upon a library!  In a ship!  There was a very good variety of books to choose from and several reading nooks and frescos to enjoy a quiet and peaceful space. 
Danielle being an avid reader found herself quickly lost for hours exploring all the different titles.  However, each evening just as the sun was setting on the horizon she found herself back in her room sitting on her balcony waiting for that song. 
Like one of those sirens she read about in a book she had borrowed a few days past, the sound had hooked her.    She would be still for those few moments, drawn to the haunting story the song would tell.  She struggled at first to hear the lyrics, but eventually day by day she pieced the parts together.
Now once again she found herself back in her room and on her balcony, anxiously awaiting.

"Sailing 'cross the treacherous seas,
Be they pirates, be they thieves,

Hope to plunder then swiftly leave,
She'll find his treasures all indeed,

Revenge did guide her to her love,
And gold may not have been enough,

We loved her port we loved her stern,
But love did take her life in turn,

When storms did blow her mass did bend,
And where hope fell no man may ken,

Dove into depths, revenge did follow,
Alas with riches deep she wallows,

So raise a glass to revenge so sweet,
And to hope her love to keep

Oh sweet revenge your secret kept
Neath time and murky waters depth"

The song finished and the round brilliant light of the sun was now below the horizon leaving only a sliver of a glowing line.
Danielle sighed to herself.  There were only a few things she knew for sure, and that was that the singer was a nearby neighboring passenger.  And also that it was a woman who sang soft and sad.
The song had inspired Danielle for the past couple of days to read whatever she could find about ships and maritime.  Luckily, it being a ships library, there was an abundance to choose from.
What really caught her attention were the stories and history of the pirates.  It being relevant to her current travels in the Caribbean, she found it ironic that there really were such a thing as pirates of the Caribbean.  But the true pirates of old were not quite the same as the characters in the kids movie version. 
She found that during the 17th and 18th century there was an influx of piracy, most prevalent in the Caribbean.  This was greatly due to the historical events at the time led by the explorer Christopher Columbus and his discovery of the Americas.  The Spanish royals, in their greed were set on acquiring the wealth of the new found world.  This lured many other countries and people seeking their own share.  This brought many to the routes used to transfer those treasures back and fourth between Spain and the Americas.  Some of those people were hired, some not, most of them were called pirates and they raided thousands of ships and collected vast amounts of loot.
The romanticized version that the world concocted about pirates were a far cry from the reality of it.  Many people died in the pursuit of riches and several ships were sank littering the bottom of the ocean with maritime history preserved beneath the depths of uncharted territory. 
Being on a ship in those days was not as luxurious as the one Danielle found herself on today in current times.  Some of the practices used on a ship back then made Danielle both giggle and shudder at the same time.  There was a reason bathrooms were called the 'head' for sailors to this day.  In old times the front or head of the boat would be extended out and over the water having several slats and holes where one would sit and do their business right there in the open letting everything go directly into the ocean.  History was fascinating.
Although the cruise ship was very large and had a plethora of things to do, the next day excited her as they would be stopping at a port in Haiti for a few days.  There were several companies onboard offering touring packages.  One in particular had gained Danielles interest.  The tour included a museum and a short stop on an island known as Turtle island.  She had made arrangements to join the party.