Captain Hemingway & the Treasure of Love

The sound of the calm sea waves sways back and forth against the rough edges of the wooden ship. Each splash would splatter tiny droplets enough to soak within the cracks of the hardened wood. Above the deck, members of Hemingway's crew paced back and forth with their daily tasks. The captain promised them fortune and glory with his convincing proposition that somewhere in the Pacific lies an island full of life's greatest treasure: love. Lately, the captain isolated within his quarters, solitude from the company of his ambitious crew. No one had seen him for hours, perhaps day. Until one very lad knocked thrice upon his door.

"Captain!", the pirate said. "Are you in there? Please! Come out and see the sun you coot!". With that, he grabbed hold of the brass doorknob, its dim reflection mirroring the young lad. He slowly twisted the knob and pushed with ease letting the door swing into the damp and dark environment of the captain's quarters. Pitch blackness covered the squared-shape room as the crew member looked with awe and gaze. He felt somewhat disturbed, but concerned seeing that this is the first time he has entered the captain's bedroom.

After what seemed like long minutes, he breathed in and spoke, "Captain? Are you there?". Again, nothing responded as his eyes adjusted the pitch-black void. The young lad noticed movement out of his peripheral vision before he could react, the dark figure approached behind and tackled him down to the floor. "What are you doing in my room!", the figure screamed with a rough hoarse tone, filled with the burden of no sleep, no sanity, and no sense of hospitality.

"Captain! Is that you? Let me go, sir, please!", the young boy plead before he saw what looked like a tired, old man filled with exhaustion in his pupils. The smell of alcohol filled his nostrils and he saw rotten teeth barely with the ability to speak comprehensibly. "Not until you tell me what yer doing in me room!", the captain demanded from his crew member."

"I was just checking up on you Captain! I was so concerned... what's driven you mad?". He fidgets and squirmed underneath the heavy man before pushing him off with barely enough force. The captain groaned before standing back up and closed the door before flicking a match to light his lantern, light begin to cast upon the room. "None of yer business boy! This is my concern only!". The captain's attitude towards his young follower seemed to be harsh, but he insisted that it was for his good not to know the captain's motives.

"Captain Hemingway! Are you still obsessed with that island?", a fear echoed out of his mouth before the captain anchored in his desk chair. His pupils quickly glared at the lad, with brows arching with a look a man gives to another man who insulted his manhood. Hemingway sighed as his eyes shut softly feeling slight remorse upon his tired soul. "Lad, there comes a time when a man's gotta find his destiny. This is one of those years of my life, all I ever wanted was that glory and fortune to live a perfect life."

"Don't ever tell anybody about this because if you do.", he grabbed his cutlass and aimed it at the young boy with an intimidating posture. "I'll cut yer head off!", he threatened in a tone that sent shivers down the lad's body. He felt as his life was just now on the line, for the captain. After all, he swore an oath to his superior because of his good nature and naive inexperience of sailing out to the Pacific Ocean. The young man gave a slight nod before exiting the room, only to glance back as the door shut.

Another sigh arose from the captain. He pulled out a large book filled with dusty pages of this 'island' he had been chasing his entire life. Pages painted with dim images of an island surrounded by water. On the island, there lays an 'X' mark with a note above it reading: "Only the most courageous of man can ever find this". The captain flipped skimming as he reminiscences on his adolescence and early adulthood. An ambitious, determined lad out to find this place full of what only life can offer the most glorious and most handsomely.

Night arrived shortly and all the crew was asleep except the captain who was stationed on the upper deck holding a telescope looking out into the desert of blue land. A hint of cool wind slithered and made contact with his rough skin. He shook it off being he was tougher than any man thanks to his alcoholism and tolerance to low temperature. What seemed like nothing out in the distance continued until the captain saw a lump in the distance north-west of his direction. Was this an illusion? The answer to his wish? Nothing the captain could ever comprehend. His expression grew with shock and awe. His hands suddenly started shaking uncontrollably, like his soul was being drained or his life finally came to terms with life. His crew didn't wake up until the next morning.

Peace filled the air as the young lad rose up from his bed stretching and yawning. His door burst open loudly as one of the other crew members announced, "Wake up lad! I think the captain found it!". Confusion overwhelmed his face before he came to his conscious and got dressed eagerly before walking out to the deck. The sun greeted his eyes very brightly as he raised his hand to shield his eyes. The ship wasn't moving, almost more like it stood still. The lad walked over and overlooked the edge to see an island in front of him. Sand spread out like tan paper, and palm trees standing tall like towers. He couldn't believe it.

With one swift move, he jumped down and felt the intensity of heat before his boots. He hadn't felt like this sense of the ground in months so it was all invigorating to him. His eyes caught a crowd of the other accomplices gathered around something obscured from his vision. He took a few steps and slipped himself between two people and witnessed horror before his eyes. In front of him, was a hole empty, and next to it was a chest cracked open. A piece of note appeared on the chest before a trail of footprints and an unknown shape of the line followed behind.

Inscribed on the note was the following: "Only the most courageous of man can ever find this." A skeleton hand was holding the note from inside the chest. The young lad stood there shaken with paralysis and as everyone ran away retreating back to the ship.