Life and Love at Sea: A Pirate Love and Adventure Story

Chapter One

Before I start this story I want to apologize in case I mess up when I am trying to upload it. I am still trying to understand this website. Also, the chapters are shorter then they are in normal stories because I originally made this story for Quizilla and decided to upload it here, too.Finally, if there is anyone out there who would like to make me a cover and/or a story summary please do and send it to me. Thanks!! :)

      “Toss the ropes!” cried a sailor to the right of me.

     “Fresh pork!” shrieked a woman behind me.  “Fresh pork!  Straight from the slaughter house!”

     I was on the docks of the city, about to step aboard The Seaman’s Treasure.  It had been a long time since I had stepped foot on a pirate ship.  I knew a lot about them, for I had spent most of the first eleven years of my life aboard them.  I was seventeen now, and I’d had both feet firmly planted on the ground for the past six years now.  I longed to be out at sea again.  I had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

     While most people thought being on a pirate ship on the open sea was a thing to dread, I welcomed the thought.  I enjoyed the company of pirates.  They were not as horrible as most people believed them to be.  There were certainly pirates who were rough, greedy, and cutthroat, who conformed perfectly to their reputation, but for most pirates, that stereotype had as little truth to it as it would for the people you meet in the streets every day.  Most pirates put up a tough front so people wouldn’t bother them, but around those who knew them, they were kind, reasonable, and, while still very opinionated, quick to stand up for one another.  Pirating was just their way of making money, like being a blacksmith or a soldier.  In fact, my own parents were pirates.

     “State your name and business,” a pirate sneered at me as I stepped aboard.

     “My name is Mandy Bransaw, and I am here to find work,” I answered confidently.

     “Bransaw, eh?  Sounds familiar,” the pirate scratched his chin.  “Were your parents pirates?”

    “Yes, sir,” I responded.

     “You’re Tom’s kid, then?” I nodded as he continued.  “Well, one of our serving girls just left.  I’m sure you can have her position.”

     “Just be sure to mention who your father is,” he added.  “The Captain’s office is right up there.”

    When I got to a door labeled Captain Davy, I knocked gently.

    “Come in,” came a male voice from inside.

     I went in and saw the Captain sitting at a desk with maps spread out in front of him.  He was handsome, not much older than me.  He had dark hair and tanned skin that could only come from spending almost all his time out in the sun.

    “Your name is and you are here because?” he asked impatiently.

     “My name is Mandy Bransaw, daughter of Tom and Mary Bransaw, and I am here because I am looking to find work on your fine vessel,” I answered quickly.

     “You’re Tom Bransaw’s daughter?” I nodded.  “That man saved everyone on this ship from a watery death back when I was just a cabin boy.  The least I can do is give his daughter a job!”

     “Okay, then.  When do I start, where will I stay, and what will I do?” I asked, smiling anxiously.

     “You're taking the position of the Captain’s personal maid, and you are staying in the room across from this one.  My corridors are over there,” he gestured to a closed door across the room.  “One of your duties will be to tidy them up when asked.  Some of your other duties will be fetching me things, writing letters for me, cooking, and cleaning.  In return, other than room, board, and a salary, I will teach you a bit about the ship.  You may eventually move up to a higher position, such as a deckhand, if you excel.  We leave port tomorrow, be in my office before dawn.”

     “Yes, sir,” I responded.  “But may I ask, where we will be sailing to when we leave port tomorrow?”

     “That,” he declared with a small, slightly bewildering smile, “is to be decided.”

    I stared at him confused.

     How do you set out on a journey without knowing where you are going?  What kind of a Captain would do something like that?  The answer was either an exceedingly stupid Captain or a Captain who followed his gut and got unimaginably lucky from it.  It was at that point that I knew this voyage would either be a horrible disaster that landed me at the bottom of the ocean or a wonderful adventure that turned me into a life-long pirate.  However risky, this was a chance I was willing to take.

     “In case you have been wondering,” he began, “my name is Captain John Davy.  You may call me anything.  Captain, Captain John, Captain Davy, or Davy.”

    “Understood, Captain Davy,” I answered hesitantly.

     “If that is all, you may go to your room and unpack your bags now,” he said, turning away from me.

     I left quietly, gently closing the door behind me.  I found my room to be small, yet comfortable and sufficient.  There was a great, big bed that took up most of the space in the room.  In the back corner, there was a small desk with a chair.  The most appealing part of the room was a large window on the side wall which, when the ship was at sea, would be filled with a beautiful ocean view.

     As I quickly unpacked my few belongings, I thought about my new Captain.  He was definitely strict; there was no doubting that.  The ship seemed to be well-run, though, so maybe that was a good thing.   As I thought this, I realized I didn’t really know that much about the ship.  I made my decision to explore it a little: find out when supper was held, meet the crew, inquire about their opinion of Captain Davy, and perhaps discover what would be in store for me in my next few days at sea.  After all, I did plan to spend quite a while aboard the ship; it was probably a good idea to find out what it was like aboard.  I thought, if I’m lucky I might even make a friend or two.

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