Blood in the Water: The Lost Tale of Captain Hook

Book One

A Lost Boy

The late night's quiet was interrupted by the splashing footsteps of a dark-haired woman running upon the wet cobblestone street. Once she safely arrived at the door of The Moore Orphanage, she glanced around furtively, before carefully lowering a large basket she'd kept hidden under her cloak. Upon the steps outside the door, the basket stirred and revealed the tiny face of a baby boy. A mother's tear fell upon his innocent face as she bent down to kiss his soft cheeks for the last time. "I hope one day you can forgive me," she whispered, wrapping him tightly in his thick red blanket. Holding his tiny hand in hers, she cried, "I pray you will be safe now. Goodbye, my sweet James." She looked into the dark streets around her once more, closed her eyes, and murmured a wish for her baby. Gathering her resolve, she steeled herself and loudly knocked on the door. After three hard raps, she ran into the pouring rain and disappeared into the darkness.

Minutes passed, and no one inside had heard her knocks as the tiny baby lay quietly upon the steps. Normally, the absence of seeing his mother's face would bring him to tears, but somehow the image of the storm in the sky left him calm and unafraid. Soon his basket became soaked from the rain, causing him to slide down on the watery doorsteps. One by one, the basket slipped down and began floating down the streets. As it was very late at night and as everyone was inside, nobody noticed the little basket sailing upon the flooding streets. He began to laugh and coo with joy as the water carried the basket thrashing around upon the bumpy roads.

Finally, the water led him into a dark alley, and as the water went down into the sewer drain, his basket got stuck. Frustrated, he tried to wiggle and squirm around, but it didn't work. Peering up for help in the darkness, he suddenly felt scared. He started to cry, but no one could hear such a tiny voice through the powerful storm. He cried out for his mother, hoping she would come to find him, but she didn't come, no one came.

Truly in the dark now, James felt an unfamiliar emotion: fear. He cried out in that special baby language that mothers understand, pleading for her to comfort him, the way she always had. Unfortunately, the storm drowned out his cries. For the first time in his young life, his mother was not there, and he was alone. Then, the storm and darkness receded as a brilliant ball of blue light approached him.

"Well aren't you quite the little adventurer?" Asked a tiny voice. Surprised, baby James wiped at his watery eyes to discover a small fairy with vibrant azure hair and large pearlescent wings floating above him. She smiled and whispered in a reassuring tone, "Don't cry, little James. I have come to help you."

He watched with amazement as she danced gracefully in the air. The fairy's dance was indeed like another language, communicating with James that he was safe. He cooed happily and kicked his feet as her glittering blue dust began to fall upon his basket. With each of his giggles, the basket began to rise into the air and floated in her direction. She encouraged his eyes to follow her as she danced her way through the streets and back toward the entrance steps of the orphanage. After guiding the basket to the top step, she flew up to the bell next to the door. James watched her grab the clapper and push it. She tried to hit the bell, but it barely made a sound. Again, and again, the fairy couldn't make a ring. James giggled in amusement as she contemplated her next move. She whipped up her hand, revealed a dazzling silver wand, and sent a blue blast of energy upon the bell. James gasped at the force and winced at the loudness of the banging. The clapper began to swing wildly, and the clanging was so loud, it seemed to vibrate through the building. When she suddenly heard footsteps coming towards the door, she quickly flew away, and the storm resumed as if it had never stopped.

A kindly nun opened the creaky door to discover a tiny baby boy with beautiful blue eyes. No one else was in sight, so she picked up the wet basket and brought the baby inside. "My goodness! You are soaked to the bone, my child," the nun said as she lifted him out of the basket and cradled him against her chest. She took him to a large nursery with five rows of old baby cribs filled with the soft cries of orphaned children. She took him over to one of the empty cribs and laid him down. He started to cry, and as she unwrapped his wet red blanket, she noticed a name stitched into the top right corner. "Baby James," she read quietly.