Land aweigh with booty ahoy!

Submitted into Contest #67 in response to: Write about a pirate captain obsessed with finding a mythical treasure.... view prompt

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Adventure Fantasy Horror

Anchor aweigh with the booty ahoy

I climbed aboard the Jolly Roger. It was most definitely enormous and mighty, but it was a relatively new ship on the dock made from unfamiliar ingredients that I assumed would be of the highest quality. Burly and daring men danced on board, crying about the tale of the seven seas in unison. They seemed delighted and rather jubilant, unlike my divergent attitude, which excited me. The wind whistled sonorously like a bagpipe in rhythm, accentuating the pride of the unrestrained jolly roger flag. Not so long after, the ship set sail for the hidden treasure situated near an old remote island. I could not gain information regarding the glory, and the pirates didn't seem to entertain me. Our captain(pirate), a very mysterious man, never seemed to come out of his room or, to be precise, never communicated with the menacing men who never seemed to stop fighting. The journey was exceedingly alarming to me; I was always expected for the unexpected, yet my instinct always reminded me that something was peculiar about the weather. Our captain has yet to introduce himself, the odd behavior of the men, and the devoid of tone and excitement frightened me. The cold flowing breeze brushed against my skin, slightly numbing my body and disheveling my hair, which I found exasperating. The abnormal raging ocean violently trashed around, seeding fear into everyone on deck. In an instant, a shadowy figure emerged from the inn, as the light slowly exposed his frame, which was starting to ascent on deck. Pirates observed as he came into visibility, the captain asserts,

"IN THE QUEST FOR THE TREASURE ISLAND, WE W-WILL DOCK RIGHT NEAR THE BENBOW PORT IN AN HOURS FROM NOW"

With that speech, he left, without entertaining questions. Indeed he had already established the hierarchy, but his voice hinted something was in disarray. He struggled with his sentences. Our captain's a well-groomed man, and a had a proliferating amount of skills. One of the finest may I add and feared across the seven seas. But never once did he seem so eccentric. Night had befallen, every pirate on deck was heading into their inns, but since I was the skipper, I was required to check the tides, current location.  The sea calmed down after the aggressive activity that occurred during the day. The scene was almost tranquil and serene, just like how the clouds float on the pleasant days of spring. I dragged myself to the inn while jerking my body to not pass out until I overheard a few men leaning beside barrels. My current state would not let me stay awake any longer, but I succumbed to my tendency of butting into conversations. I lay beside and heard them squabble.

"eye dont think the captain can take this ship over, blody he cannt talk" shouted grunt.

"aye, you're right if I think so myself, how bout we overthrow this captain and seize the treasure? I NEED THAT TREASURE," cried Black dog.

The rum was taking effect on them, and I ran back to the inn and slept. The next morning, I awoke and noticed a clash between the captain and Black dog. The men shouted at each other as they clashed notoriously. Black Dog insisted on stealing the treasure and taking control of the Jolly roger. The captain blatantly refused and charged forward. Black dog and his men retaliated, grabbing their pistols and swords. Followed by this, the opposing men in favor of the captain fought in defense. I have grasped my flintlock and primed to defend myself and aided the wounded. Suddenly, Black dog charged towards me with his bloodthirsty aura, I was vulnerable, and there was nothing I could do. Simultaneously, the captain shielded me and told me to rush to safety as he gave me a glass that seemed to contain a map. With no time to waste, I ran and hid in one of the inns and locked the door. I sat down in panic and slowly passed out from dehydration.

"wake up, littl boy, GIVE ME THAT SCROLL YOU ARE HIDING," shouted Black dog.

I lurched up from the wall and was surrounded by Black dog and his men. I had no choice but to surrender. With nothing left for me to give, I thought I would be killed; I reminisced all the previous events and dreamed of how I could free and languid like the white clouds in the sky. I felt the sword as it brushed my neck and down to my chest.

"You are a lucky boy; I won't kill you just yet. You see, we don't have any other skipper in this ship, so how will we navigate round the treasure. Now, won't you help little Jimmy?, If you do a great job, you too will be rewarded," exclaimed Black Dog.

"S-Sure I'll help…." said I

"good Jimmy, now help us with the treasure," said Black Dog

With that talk, he and his men left the room with joy. The captain had been overthrown, and I was now in their endeavor. The cold air, the smell of blood, and sweat made me sick. I was in a state of turmoil. These heinous, wicked men showed no remorse as they stomped and ordered around the deck. I have severely injured myself, and I could barely walk. I trudged down the deck and saw the state of the ship. It was disastrous. Dead bodies rolled around and smothered with a concoction of body fluids. It was one of the most horrific moments of my life. This incident was unanticipated, so I ran back to help those in need. In the days that followed, I helped around the Jolly Roger and did my jobs as a skipper would do. The pirates would grow impatient day by day, and the need for treasure grew with every passing second. Black Dog often lost his patience and almost made someone walk the plank. The sky was ever so calm. No deadly storms and raging tides occur during that day. The following day, we arrived at the shore and docked it near the tropical lake that was connected by the sea. The pirate obsession with the treasure was crystal clear, and so was his attitude. He often burst with anger when we were unable to pinpoint the location of the buried treasure. After a few days of searching and scavenging, we had finally found the buried treasure; Black Dog jumped in joy, as well as the other pirates. I was happy because I was going to receive some of the treasure. We marched to the ship and lifted our anchors to escape this island with the prize. Black dog kept most of the money, and the rest was split between the other pirates and me.

The treasure value was a staggering 500 million quids. I received 25 million quids for which I was excessively happy. Each of us departed and went our own separate ways after we reached land. Black Dog mysteriously disappeared and abandoned the Jolly Rodger after getting the treasure. His attitude shocked me, but I soon disremembered it and left to fulfill my desires in life. After a few years, with my money, I was able to afford a house and start my own family in London. I often still go to watch clouds while I reminisced the whole eventful journey. It was ridiculous, but every now and then, I am haunted by Black Dog and the other souls of the dead pirates. And that is my journey in the Jolly Roger with a pirate who had a strange obsession with a not so mythical treasure.

November 13, 2020 13:39

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