Pirate whirlwind

This is one of the first short stories i've written and also the first i posted on my blog. I hope you all enjoy this little story.

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Gusts of wind rocked the ship, making the whole thing creak and sway. The crew was unsteady. It was night and the ship full of pirates slowly sailed across the dark blue water. These pirates had just attacked, robbed and sank another ship. Everyone on board would normally be cheering and celebrating, but tonight was different. Tonight was a moonless night. It was rumored that on moonless nights, a dark whirlwind would sink pirate ships. It was only ever pirate ships other ships were left alone. Lately pirates had even stopped attacking or plundering on such a night, but this ship of pirates had gone too long without supplies and food. The plan was to attack a merchant ship, grab everything then sink it so there wasn’t a trace of their deeds. Then they would slink away back to their hideout.

The wind grew stronger and the pirates began to panic, they counted themselves dead men for being out tonight. Some spirit or curse would bring the whirlwind to destroy them all. The winds eventually died down and the men relaxed. Then the lookout spotted something in the water. It was a wooden raft with a hooded figure sitting slouched over next to a large bag. The captain was called and he looked down at the raft. It was probably someone lost at sea, sick or starving and sitting with his or her last few possessions, possibly gold. The captain told the crew to bring the man and his bag aboard. They weren’t planning on rescuing anyone though. If the hooded figure were a man he might be in good enough shape to be put to work, if it was a woman the pirates would be able to satisfy their cravings, regardless of what shape she was in. The captain also planned on helping himself to whatever was in the bag.

The ship didn’t stop, but it slowed down just enough to bring the hooded person and the bag on board. The ship then picked up speed and continued on its way home. The wind had died down, but the captain and crew still feared the mystical whirlwind. The captain walked over to the hooded figure. He wore a long sailor’s coat and large fancy hat that separated him from the rest of the crew. “Now what do we have here?” the captain said lifting the black hood from the stranger. Long black hair fell down in front of the strangers face, and then she looked up. The pale, thin face of a girl looked back at the now grinning captain. The girl was maybe in her twenties, she had a pretty face, black hair and deep purple eyes that stared out without emotion. She was wrapped in a black cloak and sat silently on the deck. The night, combined with her black cloak and hair made it look like she was just a face, poking out of the shadows. “stand ‘er up and letssee what kinda body shes got” The captain said after a few moments of staring at her. The other crewmembers all smiled and laughed. Two pirates grabbed the girl’s arms and lifted her to her feet. The black cloak fell open revealing a medium height, small-framed girl wearing a sleeveless sailors shirt, black pants and shin high leather boots. She might not have been the curviest of women, but all the pirates looked at her with lust and desire.

“so who’s first?” one of the pirates asked with a perverse grin. The captain was about to speak when the girl interrupted. “Your first” She said pointing at the captain, he eyes serious and her expression grim. The captain laughed, “girl knows what she wants” but the laughter was cut short as the winds began to pick up again. Fear spread across the ship like a fire. The girls black cloak blew in the wind, she put her hand in the air and a tiny tornado formed in her palm. The tornado stretched out and the wind blew fiercely around the girl. The cloaked girl now held a weapon, as if it had been brought to her by the wind itself. It was a scythe, a dangerous and heavy looking weapon. “Your first but don’t worry, everyone will get a turn” the girl said coldly. The captain pulled his sword but as soon as he did a sharp wind blew right through him. The girl was gone, she had moved and was now standing behind the pirate captain, holding out her scythe now covered in blood. The captain slowly started to turn around to see what happened but before he could he choked on his own blood, gurgled and died. The captain had a slice almost right through him. The some of the crew charged at the girl in attempt to avenge their captain but the smart ones turned to run, taking lifeboats and some just jumping into the water. “Death will always find the wicked” The girl called after the fleeing pirates. She turned her attention to the pirates attacking. She began to twirl her scythe, faster and faster above her head. Wind twisted and formed around her, picking up speed until she was at the center of a small whirlwind. The whirlwind grew and grew, pulling the ship apart and tossing the pirates around, smashing them against each other and pieces of their ship.

The pirates that tried swimming away quickly got sucked into the ever-growing whirlwind, getting tossed around and sliced to pieces by hidden blades. One lifeboat of pirates managed to escape the chaos and looked on in horror as an enormous whirlwind twisted through the ocean, obliterating everything surrounding it. Five pirates in a lifeboat began to row to the nearest town. There was a small portside town that they knew of, it was a good place to hide until morning. The twister raged on as the pirates slowly sailed away, not speaking or even looking at each other, the horrors of what happened fresh in their minds. Then one huge gust of wind blew against their boat, nearly tipping them over. The girl in the black cloak now stood in the center of the boat. “Death will always find you” She said, her lips for the first time curved up into a smile. “You, you will tell the wicked that death comes from them. The pirate whirlwind comes for them all” She pointed at one of the sailors. All went black. Screams echoed into the night, the wind roared and drowned them out, then the water washed away their blood, hiding any trace of the whirlwind of death.

Miles and miles away a lone pirate washed up on the shore. Ranting like mad about the whirlwind. He would continue the tale, spread the word to anyone else who would dare plague the land with their evil and every night when the moon disappeared the winds would find the guilty and bring death to them all.