have fog in Port Royal. I watched as it rolled over the water slowly creeping towards the shore. That canceled my fishing plans. I left the boat where it was, and walked to my haven. I took the gold piece from my pocket and stroked it before putting it back under my pillow.
I lay there on the bed thinking about how much it was worth, and who I would sell it to. I thought about how Calico reacted when he saw it; as if he knew something, as if this treasure could somehow hurt me. But what did Calico know? He was just a crazy old man. That was my last thought as I fell asleep.
Boom, Boom, Boom, was all I heard as I clutched my chest and gasped for air. I was lost in one of those dreams again. There were more blood and screams this time, and what sounded like cannon fire.
Boom, boom, boom, again; this time I woke up and realized it was the door. I hurried to open it. Outside it was already dark. How long was I asleep? I looked around but there was no one there, just more of that strange fog.
I peered out into the darkness to see if there was someone playing a trick on me, but saw nothing. As I started to close the door I glimpsed something moving in the fog. It crept closer, towards the door, and it seemed that I couldn't get it closed fast enough.
Then I saw it. It was the same shadow I'd seen that night. It moved even faster this time, that same golden grin upon its face, as it reached out to grab my hand. I pulled away a little but not fast enough. It sunk its nails into my arm and I screamed in pain.
I woke up once again, confused, in a cold sweat. Boom, boom, boom. Someone was hammering away at the door. I stared at it, unwilling to move, until a voice accompanied the banging: “Morgan, Morgan, are you okay?” I relaxed when I heard my name and opened the door slowly to see Calico standing there. He looked at me, but not at my face; instead he focused on my arm. I followed his gaze and realized that my arm was bleeding slowly. I grabbed at it and only then did the pain start to register.
Calico let himself in as I backed away, heading towards the bathroom. My arm stung as if someone had thrown salt into the wound. I could hear Calico following me.
“What happened?” he asked. I told him about the dream and the shadow with the golden grin. Calico said nothing as he helped me clean and dress my wounds. He walked back with me to the room and demanded that I give him the gold piece. I asked him what he knew about it, and about what was happening. He stared at me in silence, hand extended, demanding that I give him the piece. Once again I asked him what he knew; all he would say was if I kept it things would get worse and I would end up locked away or dead.
Calico asked me for the piece again and this time I told him where it was. He brought it over to me and sat down. Carefully, he examined it, and then rubbed the piece with his sleeve. I watched him curiously; he looked at the piece as if it were his own.
I asked him again what he knew about it; after all, Calico knew everything about Port Royal. He told me that the piece was part of a large treasure that was stolen from a ship called the Arawak, when the Spanish were here.
They'd taken the treasure and sailed off towards Spain, only to meet their doom in Port Royal harbor. Every soul on that ship died, except for one sailor. All the pirates perished, including their captain, named Caliban. He was the worst kind of scoundrel and even other pirates stayed clear of him since he didn't care who he plundered.
The surviving sailor was picked up adrift at sea and brought to Port Royal. He was frightened, but he told his rescuers about the treasure and the strange fog that had crept through the ship before the pirates attacked. He said before the ship went down Caliban claimed the treasure as his own and swore to kill any man who dared to lay his hands on it. He smiled a golden grin as he went to his watery grave gripping a round, golden piece.
Calico had told me all he knew about the treasure I held but I still didn't believe him. I gave him the piece anyway, and asked him what he was going to do with it. He looked at my arm and said that we had to put it back where I found it or the dreams would never end. The shadow with the golden grin would eventually finish what it had started on my hand.
We made our way back downtown to the shore, and climbed into Calico's boat since mine didn't have enough room. The ride to the stretch of beach where I'd found the treasure seemed to take forever. As we got closer the same fog drifted even closer to the boat. We finally arrived at the point where I thought I'd found the gold piece. Calico threw out the anchor and told me to tie a rope around my waist. Before I went into the water I thought about my arm and the pain I would be in, but I quickly forgot about that when I remembered the shadow with the golden grin.
Calico gave me the piece and I jumped into the crystal clear water. I swam till I could touch the bottom, and then carefully placed the gold piece back into its watery tomb. I had just started to swim back up when out of the corner of my eye I saw the same shadow, grinning as it moved towards me.
I swam as fast as I could to get out of the water. When I broke the surface I inhaled deeply since I was already out of air. Calico watched in amazement as I swam towards the boat. He started pulling up the anchor as I climbed aboard. As before, I felt a tug on my leg, but this time when I looked round it was the shadow; this time I could see it clearly.
The figure was still fully clothed. His flesh was pale white and hung off his bones. He was grinning at me, with clear intent to pull me under. I called to Calico for help, but he did not move to aid me. Instead he continued to pull up the anchor and then started the engine.
I screamed his name as I tried to kick my would-be killer off me. Calico finally responded once he had the anchor in the boat. He grabbed my hand and pulled me aboard. We sped away from the shadow with the golden grin. I watched as we left it in the distance. It stared at us, still smiling, as it descended back into the water.
Calico said nothing on the ride home. All I could think about was how much my arm burned.
When we finally reached the shore I got out and helped pull the boat in. I looked at Calico, puzzled. “I thought you were going to leave me out there,” I said, and I really did think he would. Calico looked at me in silence, and a chill ran down my back.
I left Calico there by his hut as he gazed out at the sea. The fog that covered most of the town had started to lift. I went home to change my bandages and clean my wounds before wandering sleepily towards my bed.
I crashed onto my pillow like a wave against the shore. It was as if I hadn't slept for weeks. I reflected on everything that had happened, but all I could think was that I was stuck in this town.
As sleep overcame me, I realized that my only way out of this place, this little town, was the glittering way I had been forced to throw back.
Author of The Adventures of Marco and Carla series and What Happened to Kerbie Walobee?, Shamara likes to write stories that send a chill down your spine.
Originally from Jamaica, Shamara takes all her inspiration from stories she made up herself as a child, living in Port Royal. She thinks of all the adventures she and her brother have been on and makes them a little more frightening just for your reading pleasure.
She is currently working on a new novella, which takes her into a genre that she has never written for Sci-fi. The book is currently in the works and has no title at the moment, but she is making great progress.
Shamara currently lives in New York with her family, where she is attending graduate school. Happy reading.
Other Book by This Author
The Adventures of Marco and Carla : The Dark Castle (Book 1)
The Adventures of Marco and Carla: The Forest of Faces (Book 2)
The Adventures of Marco and Carla: The Monster of Lake Shan (Book 3)
The Adventures of Marco and Carla: The Ghost of Black Crow Bridge (Book 4)
What Happened to Kerbie Walobee?
Short Stories
The Cave
Burden
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Throw It Back (A Very Short Pirate Story) Page 2