WILD SEAS

It was a Sunday morning like any other, and Michelle woke up early to go for her run. She liked to get out early before the weekend lifestyle families hit the park with their babies and dogs. Michelle wanted the silence, the stillness before the day became busy. She jogged past the road and on to the forest trail. Michelle ran for a few minutes before noticing someone following in her tracks. She took the next turn along the route, and he turned on the path too. Her heart sped up, and she ran faster, almost breaking into a run. He kept his pace, running along behind her. She came to a thick part of the forest, with branches almost covering the path.

Suddenly, a large man jumped out right in front of her and grabbed her. She struggled to get away, but he was too strong. He held a handkerchief over her face, and she felt herself get faint, losing focus. Eventually, she lost consciousness.

She woke up in a place she didn't recognize. It took her a while to figure out her surroundings. Looking around, she realized she was on a ship. She was in a tiny room and could see the sea outside the tiny window. She was lying on one small bed, still dressed in her jogging gear. Her shoes had been removed. The ship was rocking and rolling, but not moving on the sea. She ran to the door and tried it, but it was locked. She looked around the room for anything she could use as a weapon. She wondered what she was doing there and who had taken her.

She never jogged with her phone. She couldn't call anyone for help. She wondered if she had been taken on purpose or if she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She settled against the wall, despondent.

The door suddenly slammed open, and a pirate walked in, well, she thought he was a pirate. He looked like her idea of a pirate, with a hat rakishly patched on his head and the swagger with which he walked. He looked at her, his eyes running over her up and down. 'So this is the child of destiny?' 

She asked, 'What am I doing here? Who are you, and why have you taken me?'

He laughed, 'Well, unfortunately, you fit the specifications to get a job done. It is just bad luck for you'

She asked, 'What do you mean? Why did you kidnap me? Let me go. I promise I won't tell anyone.'

He said, 'It's a little too late for that. I am in search of a treasure and you are the key.'

She sobbed, 'But why? I don’t know what you are talking about. Just let me go.'

He spoke, 'Well, this treasure is worth a lot of money. I will let you go after we find it.'

She said, 'But I don’t know anything about it. You have the wrong person.'

The pirate spoke, 'Well, we shall see. The prophecy was clear.'

She screamed, 'No, let me go' as she flew at the pirate and tried to push past him to escape. He shoved her back on the bed. 'You can't leave. This is your home now. Well, until we get to the treasure. I suggest you make yourself comfortable. '

He locked the door and left, and she lay on her bed, sobbing. 

Over the next few weeks on the ship, the pirate who she found out was the captain, brought her food himself. She later learned he was called Rob. The journey was kept a secret even from some of the crew and no one was let in to see her. Rob told her pirates couldn’t be trusted.

Each time she tried to escape, he shoved her back. Eventually, she stopped trying, she just glared at him and told him how much she hated him repeatedly, and he said he didn't care; all he cared about was the treasure, not about who liked him or didn't.

 He brought her records and books to keep her busy. She asked him about the prophecy and he always didn’t respond. Then one night, he told her the story.

There was a treasure older than time, all the wealth of a once-powerful king. The king had simply disappeared from history and his treasures with him. It was hidden by powerful magic. Pirates had sought this treasure for millennia, the one to find it would be the pirate king. A seer had proclaimed that only the blood of the child of destiny would unlock the doors to the treasure. Rob and his crew had searched for this child with an amulet the seer had given him. He had come to believe it was Michelle.

She tried pleading and trying to appeal to his sense of honour and morality. 'Please let me go, I'll pay you. I won't tell anyone. Do the right thing.' All he said was,' This will be the catch of a lifetime. I can’t let it go.'

When they were close to the port, she heard the crew running up and down and shouting. The sea was tossing and turning the ship. She wondered what was going on. She asked Rob when he brought her meal. He responded that a storm was coming soon.

When the water got violent, and the ship was rocking wildly, Rob came down and opened her cabin. He told her to go to the deck because the rooms may flood. Rob said it was safer to be on deck during a storm. She followed him up, happy to be outside her room. She felt free, even though they were in the middle of the sea. She was a little shaky and had to lean on him, unused to walking far on a moving ship. She was so happy to have no roof over her head and so she drank in the stormy sky with starved eyes. Rob showed her to a bench in a corner where she could sit. He told her to hang on; it might get rough.

Even though they were expecting it, she still felt that the storm came upon them suddenly. The raindrops pelted them, soaking everything on deck. The clouds gathered into a dark foreboding mass and released the water within in torrents. The wind blew loudly, and she could hardly hear over the deafening noise. As the ship soared across the sea, waves splashed on the deck. The sea rose, and waves churned, forming two columns, framing the vessel. There was only one direction to go; forward. A few of the sailors were thrown overboard when the ship suddenly heaved. She was almost flung from her bench. She slowly held onto the rail and inched her way towards Rob, who was steering right ahead.

Surrounded by the wild sounds, she knew she was helpless. The cold rain on her skin filled her with clarity. It felt dangerous, and yet she felt more alive than she ever had. She knew that her life was indeed in his hands. She watched Rob masterfully steer the ship. The wind blowing like a gale around them through the rising waves, the visibility almost wholly distorted. She couldn't see anything; all she could do was hear his voice faintly through the Roaring storm. She finally reached his side. The ship pitched again, and he shouted, 'Hold on.' 

She reached for him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and leaned against him. She could feel his muscles tense as he poured all his energy into steering the ship and trying to keep it steady. As the storm raged on, waves crashed over the deck. She was drenched, and so was he; she was shaking, and yet she could feel his heated skin against her. She pressed her face against his back and shouted, 'Rob, I don’t want to die.' 

He said, 'I know. Besides, we need you alive to find the mystical treasure.'

She smiled and said, 'If we die tonight, I want you to know that being your captive hasn't been all that bad.' He turned his face, looked into her eyes, and when their gaze met, there was an unspoken promise that this was a new beginning for them both.