by D. J. Holmes
“I’ll move with you…”
“No. No, this won’t work. I’ll get shot because I won’t be able to move and you’ll be just fine.”
Looking over at the tussle between some of his crew members, Black Beard yells, “Oh quit complaining you lily livered so and so’s.”
The larger of the two crew members shouts back, “And what are we supposed to do without any water, you just blew it to smithereens.”
“We’ll dock in a couple of days. Don’t worry I’ll take care of you. Haven’t I always taken care of my crew?”
“Yes Sir.”
“Remember that…” Turning back around he asks, “Now Gray Wolf, where were we?”
“You were showing me how your pistols worked.”
“…First of all you have to have as many pistols primed as you can hold. They only fire one shot at a time.”
“So that answers why you have so many.”
“Yes and after you shoot it, the only thing that it is good for is to throw it at someone or to hold it in your hand and hit someone over the head; that is unless you have time to reload and fire again.”
“That seems like a lot of work for possibly one shot. I would think that a Cutlass would be more useful.”
“They are both useful in their own ways. Here, why don’t you try it?”
Taking the pistol in his hand, Gray Wolf points it toward the same barrel. Shooting, he makes another hole and more water pours out onto the dry deck.
“That’s quite good. Are you sure that you’ve never shot a pistol before?”
“I just thought of it as an arrow and aimed in the direction that I wanted it to go.”
“I knew from the moment that I saw you that you would be a natural pirate.” Black Beard slapped Gray Wolf on his back and they both smiled at each other.
Feeling a strong wind on his back, Black Beard suddenly instructs Gray Wolf, “Help the helmsman tie himself to the wheel and tell him to keep land to Starboard. Then get below and check on the girls, this is going to be a rough one.
To the rest of the crew he shouts, “Tie everything down that can move. If the wind gets too strong be ready to make the sails luff, let them loose so that they wave back and forth in the wind. If we let the sails fill with air in this weather, we could lose control of the ship; and then for your own safety so you won’t be swept overboard, get below.”
The rain begins to fall from the sky just as it did when Gray Wolf fell from the portal to the beach where Black Beard had made camp on Martinique. As the ship continues to sail toward Haiti, the sea is extremely angry. Twelve-foot swells rush them for one moment to the clouds, and the very next moment they drop to the bottom of the ocean, with walls of water all around threatening to swallow them up.
The helmsman struggles to breathe as water rushes over the rails and onto the deck. Continuing to look at land, he holds the wheel with all his might keeping the land to his right.
Just as quickly as it started to rain, it suddenly stops. The sea becomes calm and the sun begins to shine.
Gray Wolf comes up on deck to check on the helmsman. Fortunately he is still breathing, but extremely tired. Gray Wolf offers to take over the helm and allow the helmsman to go below and rest.
Black Beard checks on everyone below and on the condition of the lower deck of his ship. He talks to the helmsman as they meet in the stairwell, “you did a great job. I’ll give you a bonus for keeping us on track.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
Finally Black Beard comes up on deck to check the condition of his sails. “Thank you Gray Wolf, for taking over as helmsman while he rests.”
“I’m glad to be of help, captain.”
“It looks like I’ll have to get my women to mend our sails. It’s a good thing that we aren’t too far from home.”
Within a day and a half they anchor just off the coast of Haiti. Knowing Black Beard’s ship, several long boats full of people from the island come to welcome him.
“It’s been a long time Black Beard. Where have you been?”
“I’ve been looking for the devil himself,” he smiles as he steps onto dry ground.
“Mata, I’ve got some girls that I need you to take care of for me while I sail to other ports.”
“How much are you going to pay me?”
“I’ll pay you for everything that they need and a large bonus included.”
“Sounds good, captain… where are they?”
“Gray Wolf, will you bring the girls to me?”
“They are just getting off the ship. I’ll walk down to the beach and make sure that they are brought to you.”
Walking up to Jody, Gray Wolf asks, “Black Beard has asked me to bring you and the rest of the island girls to him.”
“My, my, Gray Wolf knows how to speak. During this long journey sir, you have never spoken a word to us.”
“Just follow me…”
Walking back to Black Beard, he states “Here they are, captain.”
“Thank you, Gray Wolf.”
“How long will we be here?”Jody asks.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure that you will be comfortable.”
“I’d rather be in my own home.”
“We don’t always get what we want, Jody. If all of the island women, on your island, would have given me what I wanted you would be there today instead of here.”
“My mother told you the truth. My father never brings the treasure home.”
“That’s something that I find hard to believe.”
“Gray Wolf, this is Mata. She will be taking care of the girls. Will you help them to get settled? I need to do some shopping.”
“Yes, captain.”
Though Gray Wolf rarely speaks to the girls he has been taking mental notes while he watches for his chance to help them return to their island home.
Black Beard has never been one to stay in one spot for a long period of time and within a few days he gathers his crew together to sail for Port Royal.
As the girls watch his ship leave for open waters Jody reminds her sisters, “I know what you are thinking, there goes the only way that we will ever get home. Queen Anne’s Revenge was a nice ship and Black Beard was kind to us…” a thought comes to her mind, “did any of you ever talk with Gray Wolf?”
“No. I just remember him watching everything that went on all over the deck.”
“It was like it was all new to him; he seemed to be in awe of every little thing.”
“I know. His eyes were always so wide.”
“Well, I heard some of the crew say that he came from the sky.”
“That’s impossible.”
“…Well, that’s what I heard.”
“The only thing that I noticed about Gray Wolf… that is after the night that we all became older…was his broad shoulders and his strong arms.”
All of the girls started to giggle.
“I know. When Black Beard was teaching him how to use a Cutlass his muscles would show each time he was advancing toward him.”
“I loved the determination that he had on his face.”
“And he learned so quickly.”
“I remember mother using her sword as good as he does.”
“Yes, but mother doesn’t have the muscles that Gray Wolf has.”
All of the girls begin to giggle once again.
“My sisters, listen to what I have to say.” Jody raises her hands in the air. “Do you remember the time that I fell overboard and my father jumped over the stern to the sea below to rescue me?”
“Yes.”
“I had tried so hard to stay above the waves so that I could breathe, but the waves were too strong… Do you remember when we would throw flowers into the sea and watch the waves take them away?”
“Yes, that was so fun.”
“That’s what I felt like, a flower being moved by the waves and I couldn’t do anything about it. After a while, my strength was gone and I couldn’t keep my head above water any
longer… I remember being under the water for what seemed like eternities. And then I was shocked when Daniel spoke to me.”
“Who is Daniel?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that he had this strange thing that looked like a window, but I could see my father in it. And in a little while, after my father had killed that shark…”
“Ian killed a shark?”
“He was so brave. The shark was swimming toward him with his mouth wide open, ready to gobble him up. That didn’t scare my father; he continued to swim toward him with his knife in his teeth. After stabbing him several times, the shark came after him again and he hit him on the nose as hard as he could. I guess the shark finally got the message that he wasn’t the strongest one in the bunch and decided to swim away.” Jody smiled with pride.
“Just a minute…didn’t you just tell us that you couldn’t keep your head above water any longer?”
“Yes…we got side tracked didn’t we?” Jody smiles once again.
“Well who wouldn’t when anyone says Gray Wolf, all of our hearts begin to flutter.” Giggling once again erupts.
“I know it’s hard, but let me remind you that while I was with Daniel he told me that I needed to go back, that my sisters would need my strength.”
“He was right. We need you Jody.”
“Just know that I’m here to help you. If you need to talk to me anytime day or night, I’ll be there for you. We’ll get through this my sisters and soon our fathers will find us.”
***
The sounds of the birds and the ocean’s ebb and flow sounded so familiar to Ian and his crew, but waking up with their faces in sand was something different.
Sitting up and slowly looking around, Ian sees what is left of the ‘‘Mysterious’’. Remembering that he has been shipwrecked, his mind relives the moments before they hit land. Covering his ears, his eyes quickly shut as he remembers the blinding bright lightening and the ear splitting thunder; the ringing in his ears became so loud and painful that he falls to his knees on the deck. He felt like he was kneeling in the seat of a rocking chair that was rocking violently forward and backward and wobbling side to side. Disoriented in the darkness of the storm, he was unable to help any of his crew who were also in the same situation.
“Lucas.”
“Yes, Ian. I’m here.”
“I just looked over in the direction of our ship. What happened to the sails, every one of them looks like it was shot by a cannon ball.”
“It was the lightning, Ian. It was like it had a lot of fingers and each one of them fired at a sail.”
Laying back down, surrounded by a deep sadness, Ian closes his eyes once again.
Walking up to his captain Lucas asks, “I just cut holes in the top of this coconut. Would you like some breakfast?”
“That’s my favorite. Grace would always make sure that we had coconut milk every morning.”
“Just don’t get me mixed up with your wife, Ian.”
“You don’t need to worry about that, you look nothing like her.”
“I was just making sure that your mind was clear, you were tossing and turning all night long.”
“I was?” thinking about the previous night as he drinks his morning juice he adds, “I do have a few aches and pains from sleeping on this sand. It’s alright for a little while, but not for a whole night.”
“Here, here!” his crew shouts as they raise their coconuts to salute him in agreement.
“Maybe the first thing on our list should be to build a better shelter with comfortable sleeping quarters.”
“Now that sounds like something that we are capable of doing.”
“Lucas, this coconut milk is really good, but we need fresh water. Why don’t you take three men with you to find some water and I’ll keep the rest of the crew here to build our shelter.”
“Sounds like a plan Ian. We’ll leave as soon as we finish our breakfast.”
As the sun moves to the west, its heat can be felt by everyone.
Lucas returns with good news, “We found a waterfall, Ian, and there are wild chickens everywhere.” Raising the ones he is holding above his head, he says, “we brought a few back.”
Turning around to see the returning men Ian states, “That is good news.”
“Ian, I can hear the crew working, but I can’t see them.”
Pointing his finger to the tops of the trees, Ian smiles, “that’s because they are up there.”
Everyone looks up as Lucas declares, “that’s a great idea!”
“It serves several purposes: first of all the island still looks deserted; second we are protected from roaming animals and possibly other pirates while we sleep. And since the heat settles in the sand we are up in the breeze staying cool, even in the middle of the day, since there are still plenty of palm branches above us.”
“Now that is why you are the captain, Ian.”
“Actually we all sat down and talked about what would be the best type of shelter to build here. The idea belongs to everyone that helped build it,” he smiles.
“It’s best to hear what everyone says since we all have different life experiences and we think of things in different ways. That is how we found the water and chickens.”
“Exactly… If we want to be a team, we need to act like a team. One cannot survive on their own, we need to be a team, doing our part in helping everyone out.”
“For instance Lucas, what would I have done without your help? I was too weak to help myself out of the water. And I was still too weak to walk by myself to the tree line and to shelter. Now I am able to help build a permanent shelter and hopefully we will be able to rebuild our ship.”
“Do you think that we will be able to repair the ‘Mysterious’?”
“Only time will tell. First we need to take care of our immediate needs; First a basic way to protect ourselves; next shelter, then water and finally food. As time goes on we can create better ways to protect ourselves, add to, or build a better shelter, save more water and grow more food.”
“You sound like we are going to be here a long time.”
“It’s always been my plan to prepare for the worst, while I hope for the best.”
“That is why you are our captain. We know that we will be safe in your hands.”
“Thank you, I know that I can trust everyone here. Let’s get a fire going so that we can eat these chickens. I’m hungry.”
***
Black Beard prepares a ceremony for Gray Wolf. With his men standing at attention and Gray Wolf at his side, he turns and says, “Gray Wolf, because you have learned all the skills of a pirate so quickly, I will reward you with your first experience of taking a ship on the high seas.” Looking out to his men he shouts, “ARE YOU READY MEN?”
“Aye, Aye Captain.”
“Climb the rigging, let out the sails and raise the anchor…harden the jib sail. I want this ship to cut through the water at lightning speed. It’s time to capture another ship.”
His crew begins to chant as they prepare the ship for the open sea. Soon the sails are taught and a fresh breeze begins to blow.
“Here we go Gray Wolf. Are you ready?”
“I’m ready to be by your side, Black Beard.”
Black Beard smiles with the pride of a new father as he shows his son the ways of his world.
Sailing throughout the open sea for the first day brings no sight of another ship. As the sun lowers red hues cover the sky, “Ah, red sky at night, sailor’s delight.”
“What does that mean, Black Beard?”
“Red sky at night is a good thing, Gray Wolf. You see it’s something we say to help us remember what will happen. Listen to this: Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. You see that means that a storm is coming and to prepare for it. Then red sky at night, sailor’s delight, means that the evening is going to be very nice, that we can relax.”
“How funny, I’ve never heard anything like that.”
“If you t
hink they are funny listen to this: When clouds look like black smoke, a wise man will put on his cloak.”
“What is a cloak?”
“It is a coat or covering to protect you from the rain… here is another one: When a halo rings the moon or sun, rain’s approaching on the run.”
“What is a halo?”
“It’s like a circle of light. Here is the last one: Onion skins very thin, mild winter coming in; Onion skins thick and tough, coming winter cold and rough.”
“I know what an onion is, but I didn’t know that you could tell what the coming winter would be like by looking at it’s skin.”
“People would make up these rhymes so that they would remember them.”
“CAPTAIN, SHIP ON THE HORIZION.”
Looking to the crow’s nest, Black Beard blocks the sun with his hand as he asks, “What are its colors?”
“It looks Dutch…” looking through the eye glass again to make sure, the mate states with confidence, “yes it’s Dutch, it’s colors are red, white and blue. Red on the top; White in the middle; and blue on the bottom.”
“Well then, let’s get out our Dutch flag,” Black Beard states with a smile.
Thomas answers, “Aye, Sir.”
“Thomas, get it and put it up.” Turning to the rest of his crew he yells, “cut down our speed men, we don’t want to sail past her…” Looking at Gray Wolf he says, I’ll go to my cabin and get ready for the party. You take over being captain until I return.”
“Aye, Captain.” Gray Wolf turns to the men and shouts, “Continue on men, cut our speed.”
As they get closer and closer to the ship, Gray Wolf wonders where Black Beard is.
The Dutch colors are up, the ship is going slower and slower as a sign that they would like to talk to the other approaching Dutch ship. As soon as the two ships are side by side and Gray Wolf is talking to their Captain, Black Beard appears, the Dutch flag is quickly taken down and a black flag with a white skeleton, its black pitch fork pointing toward a red heart is hoisted in its place.
Looking toward Black Beard, Gray Wolf can hardly believe his eyes. This man, who had been the kindest man that he knew, now looked like the devil himself. The tallest man around with his six foot five inch stature, he had braided his beard and tied each braid with black ribbon. His sashes are crossed in front and stuffed with pistols and daggers as he carries his Cutlass in his teeth. He is surrounded in smoke as pieces of rope burn like fuses stuffed under his hat and through his black hair.