Confessions of a Pirate's Heart

Chapter Eight

Two days passed by slowly. Faint rays of light streamed into the brig through the boards overhead, feet casting shadows as they walked above. It was the only way Scarlett and William knew it was daytime. As night fell upon them, they were shrouded in its darkness and left to guess what scurried about and squeaked in the corners of their cells.

Their stomachs quickly became empty and their throats parched, as they were rarely visited by the pirates. Once, however, the cabin boy was sent down with bowls of gruel and tossed them in the brig. Scarlett lifted her nose up at the putrid smell and refused to eat but soon enough, grasped for the bowl on the floor, held her nose and swallowed its contents.

It was approaching the close of the third day and Scarlett was ready to settle down for another long night of cold, damp sleep. But there was commotion above deck, followed by the clanging of the anchor. The ship was coming to a halt. Before she knew it, the voices of pirates came through the gunroom until they stopped at the brig. One wearing a bandana around his head held up a lantern and shined it in Scarlett's face.

“Get up, you're comin’ with us,” he said in a gruff voice.

“I'm not leaving without my brother,” she said.

“Don't worry, he's comin’ too.”

The stout pirate beside him unlocked the brig and took her brother, bound his hands roughly behind his back and led him away. Scarlett rose from the ground, anxious to not let him out of her sight. The pirate holding the lantern then hung it on a hook overhead and jumbled the keys in the lock. He forced Scarlett's hands together as well, the rope cutting into her skin as he yanked it tight, and pushed her past the gunners. This time, however, the room was empty. As they climbed above deck, Scarlett saw the whole crew had gathered as they prepared for their stay on land.

She was forced beside William, standing helplessly in the middle of the deck. As they waited for their captors’ next move, she gazed into the town but it was shrouded in fog. Tears welled in her eyes as she imagined how far away from home they were. She feared if they would ever see freedom again.

Sensing her trepidation, William moved his hands to Scarlett's and held them awkwardly behind their backs. The moment of his comfort was quick, however, when suddenly, they were ripped from each other's touch.

“No funny business!” a pirate yelled in their ears.

Scarlett flinched but diverted her attention as Blackbeard approached, his boot heels tapping on the deck announcing his presence. He looked her up and down carefully before reaching forward. She kept still, resisting to show any signs of fear, as he brushed back her hair and sighed through his nose.

“It'll have to do,” he said, turning away from her to face his crew.

Immediately, they broke into action and began maneuvering the jolly boats. The pirates guarding Scarlett and William guided them to the starboard side for departure. She watched as her brother was urged into a boat and lowered down to the sea. Following suit, she climbed into the second boat, along with a few pirates who crowded around her. Scarlett clung to the wooden plank seat as they were lowered, only loosening her grip when they splashed into the water and bobbed haphazardly around. Then a pirate untied the rope and began to row.

Scarlett watched on as they drew closer to shore, the faint lantern at the bow weakening against the dense fog. It was well into the night and the waters were quiet. Slowly, however, she began to see the town was riddled with twinkling lights but they were unfamiliar and cold.

She remembered the feeling all too well--being surrounded by pirates on all sides as they pushed and shoved her into a cruel world far from home. But there was comfort in her memory. She had lived through it before--why couldn't she do it again? She knew this crew, anyway. They would simply go to a tavern and intoxicate themselves so much they wouldn't even notice her and her brother's escape. But what if it isn't that easy? she pondered.