Mark Read

Chapter 3 - The Shadow Woman

Mary had been a pirate for a fortnight, helping with odds and ends around the ship. The pirate crew asked for her help, adjusting the sails, retying knots, or preparing food. Beyond that, the crew mostly drank, played music, and sang toneless shanties. The day leading up to this night had been overcast and uneventful beyond occasional downpours punctuating the constant stormy drizzle. The night promised much of the same. The crew finished the bare minimum of tasks for the day, delaying the more strenuous chores for better weather.

Lanterns hung below deck brightening the storage room where Mary and the other pirates congregated. There were a couple of tables with rudimentary benches slid beneath the table tops. The pirate crew filled the benches; and where there were no seats left, pirates leaned against the ends of the table. They oversaw the cards dealt and the dice rolled. Mary sat at the table on one of the creaking benches. Her elbows brushed with the pirates squeezed onto the bench beside her. The room was humid from the rain and the number of people crammed into the low-ceilinged dwelling.

Mary pressed her ante into the top of the table. "Two pence." She looked at the pirate to her left. He nodded and pushed two pence towards the center of the table. The remaining five players squeezed around the table matched her price. The dealer, Harry, sitting to the right of Mary pushed his ante in and ruffled the cards into a shuffle in his hands. After Harry finished a couple of shuffles he slid the face-down deck to Mary to cut. Once she had, he dealt each player two cards. 

Mary looked down at her cards and slid two pence more into the center. Three of the pirates folded which left three players; Mary, John, and the dealer Harry. The turn was back to Mary.

"Have it," she spoke with her lowest grumbliest register. The dealer laid another card face up in front of her a red queen summing with her pipped 8 and 7 to bring the total to 25 points. The crowd next to her yelled and sipped their beers. Their red crinkled faces were glossy with sweat reflected orange in the lamplight. She spoke again, "Have it." The dealer smirked and the crowd cheered. The next card face up in front of Mary was a 5. "Stick it." She said locking in her total at 30.

The turn moved to John. His brow was furrowed up to his receding hairline. Mary could see that the top of his head scrunched up as well beneath the last few wisps of hair he maintained on his crown. The right side of his mouth pursed in concentration. "Have it." He said decidedly. The dealer flipped another card face up to John. The crowd held its breath as the card turned John's total to 26: a 7, a 9, and now a King.

John took a breath, "Have it." Another king. The crowd booed and laughed he had lost the game with a total of 36 pushing him out. The crew members standing around grasped his shoulders and shocked and mocked him for being so bold with that last move. John slammed his fist on the table and raised his other hand to his brow elbowing the table. He huffed and stood up from the table forfeiting his four pence to the table.

"Don't be such a sore loser John," Harry spoke.

"Fuck you, Harry." The crew all laughed and John huffed away to get himself another stein of grog.

Harry watched as John left with a smirk on his face then he turned his gaze to Mary, "Bet you three more pence I win" Harry's had a Jack and a Queen on the table in front of him.

"I'll take that bet," Mary said. Cheers all around. Grog and rum sloshed from tilted cups. Harry returned his attention to the deck in his hands. A hush amongst the crowd which had a few more of the crew filter during the last round of the game.

Harry flicked the card from the top of the deck to the section of the table in front of him. A two, and a total of 22. The crew murmured as Harry's jaw tightened and he flipped the next card. A 7. A total of 29. Mary was still closer to 31.