Fair winds

I'm pretty sure I’m gonna die on this godforsaken ship, he thought, staggering towards the sails as the galleon threatened to capsize at any moment. Williams was neither the biggest nor the strongest man on the ship and being out in the open sea in the middle of a storm with someone yelling at him every five minutes was certainly not his first choice, but after a long year of bad luck he decided to turn his luck around.

The storm was upon them and just as another sailor fell off the ship, he disappeared  in seconds into the grim, dark sea. The waves were so tall that it looked as if they would swallow the whole ship and leave nothing behind. The wind turned the ship violently from side to side. Williams had never experienced anything like this before and now he stood in the eye of the storm using all his strength to tighten a rope and secure the sail.

“Get out of there, you stinking dog”, the Bosun said. “Climb up the mast and do your job, boy. I’ll not say it twice.” The Bosun was a huge man, with what seemed to be a Jamaican accent. 

Williams was struggling to climb on the mast. With the wind and the rain, it was hard to get on top of the sail. This was a huge galleon, heavy and strong, with his two gun decks, which sported 40 cannons. It was a wide ship, designed to accommodate a massive weight of gold, silver or any sort of treasure they might find. William was glad that they weren’t on a small frigate in this storm. He worked at the slick wooden yards with the heavy canvas soaked by the water. He looked down but saw mostly shadows running in a hurry from the stern of the ship to the bow.

As he climbed down, he saw another huge wave hit the deck and the crew was very close to falling overboard. Williams barely put both his feet on the deck and the Quartermaster took him, pushing his shirt and screamed into his ear.

“Get your skinny legs downstairs and help secure the rest of the cannons! We are close to the end”

“The end?”

“The end of the storm or the end of us, now get those twigs out of my sight!"

“Aye aye, sir”

The crew worked hard but they started to get really tired. This ship was bigger and people were dying, apart from the fact that every man did two jobs at once. Williams had just been released from duty and had a few moments to grab some grub and warm up. He ate with his eyes closed, carried by the swaying sea back to Devonshire, back to Mary.

Devonshire was miles behind him, but just below the surface of his rough face, the memories of home were the first thing on his mind. He had never intended to leave, but he was tired of the sandy beaches where he had spent his life just staring at the horizon. Everything changed when he met Mary. If the will or the desire to do something with his life was lacking, now it was stronger than ever.

The two fell in love at the end of that summer and they exchanged promises of eternal love on a cliff watching the sunset, but he had no future in Devonshire. Her family wasn't gonna let her marry a nobody, so he decided to leave and come back wordy of her love. After giving her a long kiss goodbye, he went home to grab his belongings. 

It was a bleak morning and a soft fog surrounded the old creaking deck where only an old boat was setting sail. Williams quickly jumped onto the boat and when he looked back, he saw Mary on the same cliff they had fallen in love with, waving to him as he disappeared into the horizon.

It was a long and silent journey. Surrounded by a calm he would later miss, he laid down and looked to the sky until the seagulls announced that land was near. Williams was now alone for the first time, but to his surprise he felt no sadness as he looked back at the ocean. He knew that this was the only way to a better life and the heart of Mary.

After a long year, Williams traveled from London to Port Royal with no success. No one would hire him. What was left for him was cleaning jobs that paid almost nothing. He now shared a small room with a sad old man named Larry, with a drinking problem. Larry was missing an eye and a leg, wasting all his money on rum. He was funny and not bad company for Williams, but eventually he realized this life was nothing he thought it would be.

Every night Larry went to a local pub alone, but on this particular night Williams got tired of feeling sorry for himself and decided to join him. After a few drinks, Larry wouldn't shut up and kept telling all his tales from his time as a sailor.

“You see lad… you have to make a choice. Life is hard everywhere but it’s harder at sea… I was in the navy soon... till I lost my leg… after that they sent me away like a dog”. Larry suddenly seemed to fall asleep, but in a jump, he began again. “That’s when I chose a not so honest life at sea, if you know what I mean”.

Larry came very close to him and whispered in his ear. “You can make a lot of money these days with the right ship. You just have to ask the owner for a shot of A drunken Kraken”.

Williams flirted with the idea. So he finished his drink, got up and talked to the owner.

“Give me A drunken Kraken, please.

The owner was a tall man with a thick mustache and a skull tattoo on his left arm. He looked at Williams for a few seconds and without saying a word, gave him a bottle of rum while he pointed to a guy eating alone at the end of the pub.

Williams turned to say goodbye to Larry, but he was completely out by now. So he walked towards the man, introduced himself and before he even finished his first name, the man stopped him.

“Sorry, lad. We’re full”

“I need this, sir. I’m a hard worker.”

The man finished his meal and stood up, ignoring him. Williams didn’t have much choice and he got in his way. The man grabbed the gun and pointed to his face.

“Hire me or shoot me, sir,” Williams said. “Either way, tonight I leave this sorrowful excuse of a life”.

The man cracked a smile.

“Okay, lad. Let's see what you’re made of. I’m James.”

A rogue wave kicked him back onto the ship. Through the creaking walls he could hear the captain pacing impatiently in his cabin.  After taking another bite of the grub, he heard a voice shouting. “All hands on deck”.

He was almost on top when a huge wave knocked him on his back. As he tried to get on his feet, a hand pulled him up. He looked behind and realized it was the captain. The man wore a big hat with a white feather, a black overcoat and tiny drops of drool fell on his silver beard.

Williams rushed to the stairs to see waves the size of mountains hitting the ship, chaos took over the deck and it seemed the vessel would capsize at any moment. The captain took the helm, guiding his ship away from the storm. At the meantime, a lot of crew members fell overboard performing their duty.

The night was long and now over. They made it through the storm but the rain continued to make its presence clear in isolated drops on this misty morning. A hush settled over the ship.

Eighteen lives were lost in the storm. The crew rested and Williams picked up a bottle of rum laying on the floor. He sat on a broken barrel and tried to rest. Even after many seasons, he couldn’t understand why the captain was so obsessed with this particular treasure. After all, there were other types of loot. But if what he says was true and each man would take three times his weight, it would be worth it. 

“Land ho! Land ho!”

The men started to look around and not far from them, surrounded by big stones, a foggy beach took shape. 

When the men saw this view, they got excited. A few men said how they would buy a thousand bottles of rum. A bald sailor named Beaver Bill grabbed Williams by his shoulder and gave him a big smile with no teeth.

“We are rich, lad! I’m gonna crack Jenny’s teacup!”, said Beaver Bill.

The toothless man kept smiling until he was interrupted by the captain, who drew the crew’s attention.

“Are you ready to pillage, you scallywags?”

“Aye”, said the crew in excitement.

“Are you ready to fill your pockets with doubloons, gold and all sorts of treasure?”

“Aye!”, the crew wave their hands and cutlasses.

The captain knew he had lost too many sailors so he decided to choose one to go off and ensure the safety of the island. After a few endless moments, he pointed to a man with a red beard and long, curly hair. The man fell to his knees, started to cry and begged the captain to choose someone else. He said James was right, that the island was cursed and he didn't want to die.

The crew suddenly lost all their excitement and only whispers could be heard among them. The wind itself began to whisper and it sounded like a soft melody as it passed through the torn sails of the old ship.

“James was a coward and a superstitious fool”, said the captain. “He now lies on Davy Jones’s Locker for his actions”.

The man with a red beard started to crawl to the bow of the ship and the captain removed his hat. He walked towards him, extended his hand, helped him to his feet and shot him on his chest, surprising everyone on board. Then he pushed him into the water and went back to get his hat.

Eight bells! He shouted while he walked back to his cabin. Just before he entered, he called from the door.

“Quartermaster!”

“Aye sir”

“If I don't have a volunteer in half an hour, find a man and put him on a boat, or it’s gonna be you on the boat.”

“Aye sir!”,  the quartermaster replied loudly in his hoarse voice.

There were no more whispers, only distant eyes staring at the horizon, avoiding any contact. The captain was about to close the door when a voice emerged.

“I volunteer,” William said.

The captain’s soaked heavy boots stopped as he stood at the entrance to his cabin, turning his head just enough to see who spoke.

“Good man! Quartermaster, give this man a pistol and a better sword. We’re counting on you, Master Williams.”

“Aye, sir,” William replied, nodding his head and seeing the captain do the same. William saw a chance to be the first to see the treasure with his own eyes and not just a story. He wasn't a superstitious man, he didn't believe in sea monsters or cursed gold pieces and now he was one step closer to Mary. 

He jumped into this old piece of wood they called a boat. His mouth was suddenly dry. Halfway down, the wind blew again and this time it sounded like a flute coming from the mist gathering behind the ship. Suddenly, a stomp could be heard from under the ship.

Williams The water under the ship was cloudy and the sea got rough. They kept lowering the boat when they heard a scream followed by a splash of water coming from the stern. A few crew members went to see what happened. However, there was nothing in the water.

“Man overboard!”

The wind stopped blowing and the waves stopped crashing when a strange calm took over that morning.

The first sighting was like a nightmare. A creature launched itself into the ship without any effort, right into the first mate's neck. The tale of a shark swinging was a shock to the crew, but not as much as the rest. From the waist up, it was almost translucent, it was frightening and at the same time it had a disturbing beauty in its shape. You could almost see what it looked like organs in this creature with long, strong arms and scales, as it held the first mate's head. Then, with a strong movement and one single bite, it ripped out his jugular, spreading blood across the deck. Then, it turned to the crew and let out a high-pitched scream.

All the sailors put their hands over their ears in agony and some fell on their knees. The sound stopped and when everyone was able to look up, the creature was standing still, with blood in its mouth, with a crooked smile, just staring at them. From the top of its head to the middle of its back it had some kind of hair and pointy bones sticking out of its body. Williams stared at this abomination that got on the ship. The first thought in his mind was how could God create such a creature.

The first mate’s body layed on the floor and his blood spread all over the wet wood to the sailors’ feet. They didn't move a muscle and neither did the creature. Suddenly, countless splashes of water at the same time made them all look up and the sight was dreadful. The little light of the day was obstructed by dozens of creatures jumping together with their mouths opened, riding the sky to take them to hell.

It wasn't a fight, it was a massacre. Most of the men could barely lift a sword after fighting for days against the tides. The sound of swords and firing guns didn't last even a minute. The ship became red.

Williams was about to cut one of the ropes with a knife, but it took forever. He became aware of the silence and stopped. The sounds from above were eerie, he heard cracking bones and something he thought was chewing flesh. He looked up and blood was dripping from the edge of the ship into his hands and face. Williams and the creature locked eyes and now he heard something crawling towards him. It didn't blink or move and its mouth slowly stretched and opened in his direction.

A loud bang made him close his eyes and when he opened again, half of the creature's face was missing from his side. It was the captain with his single-barrelled flintlock pistol. He took his sword and cut the first rope, causing Williams to fall on his back. Even so, Williams kept his eyes upwards as the captain beheld once more the island, letting go of his dream, his obsession, his life. Williams could see the glow in his eyes starting to fade just before he cut the second rope and freed the little boat.

Williams paddle quickly towards the island and he could hear the captain shouting at the creatures as more shots were fired.

“Come on, you scurvy dogs! Come and get me, you bunch of bilge-sucking demons!”

Williams saw him climb the main mast, followed by dozens of creatures. He was swinging his sword, hitting as many creatures as he could. Williams decided to go back, but when he reached for the paddle, he saw the captain jump from the mast into the deck, followed by a wave of creatures like a big school of fish. Williams still tried to paddle, but he heard a single gunshot and then two small explosions followed by a huge blast that blew up the ship, forcing Williams to stop.

For a few seconds he stood still, watching the huge yellow fireball turn into a dense black smoke. He paddled hard towards the island, shifting his eyes between the water and the rest of the ship that was sinking in the deep blue sea. After  paddling for what felt like an eternity, he finally reached the shore, throwing himself exhausted out of the boat. He could no longer feel his arms and his head was still trying to understand what had just happened. Before he stood up, he looked once more at what was left. The captain went down with the ship and The Santiago was no more. There was only him and the beach.

He looked around and walked. In the center of the island, there was a dark cave. He was curious and with a little effort he went inside. He felt something hard and pulled out a diamond the size of his hand, his eyes couldn't believe it as he started to get more and more. Gold coins, necklaces, some spices, all in large quantities. He spent the whole day and still wasn’t able to loot everything out of the cave. It looked like a treasure of a hundred ships. As the night fell softly, he could see dozens of yellow eyes glowing just above the waterline. He thought about his life before The Santiago and before leaving Devonshire. He also thought about Mary and the life he could provide for her, but it didn't matter now. He went close to the sea and had only his feet touching the water, tossing a gold coin in the air while he observed the malicious yellow eyes lurking just beneath the surface.