January 6, 2015
Revised March 15, 2015
Word count: 827.
Won a Merit Badge in Writing.com
"We should prove ourselves by conquering the blue Chateau and plundering its treasure", said Jean Luc to his men.
"Are you not afraid of the ghostly tales?" inquired a young man.
"The wild animals in the jungle around it are more of a challenge" said another.
The men were talking at a long table full of succulent food: roast pork, bananas, mangoes, pineapples and other tropical fruits, plenty of French red wine and rum.
Their meeting place was at the Uneyeux Tavern on the beautiful island of Martinique. Their breaths smelled of rum and red wine and their skins darkened by the sun reeked of salt water and sweat.
"Tomorrow we will buy our provisions at the market and make our tortuous travel through the jungle" said Jean Luc.
"In the meantime, let us sing to Red beard:
"Red beard the brave pirate was he,
He conquered Africa and was feared
For his cruelty and might,
To gather his treasures will fight."
The men not singing gambled playing blackjack and dice until late hours of the night. Later, they slept in five rooms upstairs, four men sharing each room.
The next morning, they went to the market and haggled for prices on fish, rum, spices, telescopes, clothing and hats. They also went to the locksmith and bought swords, lances, muskets, gunpowder and pistols for the long journey. They also bought horses with all the mounting paraphernalia from a local rancher.
"This should do well against all those wild animals" announced Jean Luc while he sprinkled rum on the horses for good luck and called on Yemaya (the African Goddess of Creation and the Sea) for her blessing.
That night, they slept at the barn after playing some more dice, while their peasant squires fed their horses.
The next morning after a hearty breakfast of sausage and cheese croissants with milk, they set out on the road to the Blue Chateau to find the long awaited treasure.
* * *
As they entered the jungle its lushness and beauty was enhanced by the chirping of birds and colorful cockatoos.
"Ayr" a pirate's yell was heard, he was down by a growling tiger, Jean Luc ran to him and shot him. That night, the hurt pirate was bandaged by the barber after medicinal plants were applied to his wound to coagulate the blood. They slept next to a fire, with a rotating guard. A flipping of wings was heard around the horses,
"Somebody is attacking the horses" announced a guard.
"Don't go now, let's wait till morning, it may be dangerous" said another.
Next morning, two of their horses, were dead and extremely pale. After their burial, two men had to pair on their horses. By nighttime, they arrived at the castle, after a knock the butler opened the door, a man dressed in a black cape welcomed them: "Eat and be merry gentlemen. Welcome to the Blue Castle, I am Prince Dracula, your host." Dracula's skin was extremely pale, almost transparent. A huge table with the most succulent food and wine awaited them, they sat down to eat, and a locking sound was then heard.
"Now you will stay for the night, there is no way out" said Dracula. After their dinner, they went to sleep, four men for each room, locking their doors for safety.
That night, four men were killed, their window was wide open, and their bodies were extremely pale when they were found the next morning. After these unfortunate events, Jean Luc decided to change their strategy and without Dracula's knowledge, they all left their rooms the following night and went to the Library. At the Library, Jean Luc tapped several books and a secret door opened leading to a passage to the basement, with four men he went there. Down the corridor they went, the smell of Death exuberated from its walls. Unfortunately, all they found were five empty coffins and no treasure. The next morning, the same group goes back to the basement and fined the coffins with the bodies of their dead friends and another with Dracula in it. They dragged their coffins in front of a huge window, so as to expose them to the sunlight, the bodies then turn to ashes.
When they reach the Library, on the desk Jean Luc finds a will, he reads it to himself and then makes this announcement:
"We are now the owners of the Castle and all the land surrounding it, including the cemetery, in fact, we should go look there and see if we can find the treasure."
The next day, at the cemetery, they find the treasure. That night, they have a grand celebration at the castle and sang the following:
"Pieces of Eight were found
Under the Blue Castle,
Pirates rich they were
And Dracula was not there."
Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire
YOU ARE READING
The Blue Chateau
HorrorA band of pirates hunts a vampire. This story has been self-published in a book called Short Stories in bookrix.com.
