Giving Fantasia: The Taking Fantasia Sequel

Chapter 1: Sinbad

Chapter 1: Sinbad

"What the fuck happened in Fantasia?"

Ruber glanced. A twitch curled under his eye and through his lips

"Charming language..." he said to the pirate hanging off the shrouds. "...Captain Sinbad."

The pirate turned. He beamed at Ruber with sunny brown eyes. Then, head thrown to the salty breeze, Sinbad laughed.

Yes, Captain Sinbad. The gallant, courageous, devilishly handsome master of his ship, The Princess, and ruler of the Seven Seas...plus some. But those were his less admirable qualities. Sinbad was also a lying, reckless, cheating scum. Perfect for piracy.

"Well you know me." Sinbad swung from the shrouds. "Go big or go home!"

"And a stunning vocabulary to match, Captain." Ruber joined Sinbad at the bulwark. "But why waste it on Fantasia?"

Sinbad gazed into the sunset. Hot magenta rays melted into the ocean. The western horizon was on fire, but behind it was another land. A land called Fantasia.

Fantasia.

Sinbad stared. The sunset colors burned his eyes as he remembered.

He had fallen in love in Fantasia. Head-over-heels, insanely fallen in love with a Fantasian girl. She was a wild one; unbounded as the wind, relentless as a storm, and smart as a whip. And sweet mama did she have incredible eyes...among other incredible things. Sinbad sighed. What a woman.

Such a woman, in fact, Sinbad needed her. Their teamwork was dynamite as their first kiss, and Sinbad knew that together they could conquer every adventure. So, as pirates do, Sinbad kidnapped the girl, brought her to sea, knelt down, and asked for her hand in marriage. She punched him, kissed him, said yes to him, and together they sailed into the golden horizon and lived happily ever after.

Just kidding.

Sinbad glowered. Heavily he watched the sun drop.

They had so many adventures. So many. So many adventures with countless monsters, villains, and near-death-experiences. It was heaven.

Who would have thought that the one thing to end it all, was a child? A baby boy. Her baby boy. His...baby boy.

Sinbad's insides recoiled as the memories became painful.

She had ended it. Without hesitation she refused every adventure, except for the one crying in the cradle. She wanted a family. She wanted to settle. She wanted to raise their baby boy into a man. She wanted the adventures to end. Forever.

Sinbad had seen her regret. He'd felt her restlessness. So he tempted her. Every trick and every temptation Sinbad used to bait her inner turmoil. But she could not be persuaded. It was one of his wife's more infuriating character flaws. Well actually she had two: stubbornness and love.

Her sacrifice was admirable. Too admirable. And since Sinbad was (1) crazy about her and (2) not about to be shown-up by her bravery, he followed her to Fantasia. And as it turned out, raising a baby boy was an adventure. A stinky-diaper-sleepiness-night-Christmas-presents-piggy-back-ride-amazing adventure.

But then it ended. This time it utterly ended.

And he ended it. On the dawn of their son's eleventh birthday, Sinbad left. He ran away. And he never looked back. All because...

Sinbad rubbed his left palm. A scar, red as the sunset, stung beneath his thumb.

Sinbad sighed. Ruber was right. He had a foul mouth. But there were two names Sinbad refused to speak. Two names that he could still taste on his tongue.