Adeline (Watty Awards Finalist 2013)

The Cure

Picture to your right is Indie

I turned around wildly, “His father? Where?” Argo pointed behind me. I turned and squinted looking for an object or person.

“All I see is the sea,” I said, frustration lacing through my voice.

“Exactly..” Argo said solemnly, the rain pelting down on his beautiful face. “His father is the sea.”

“What are you talking about?” I yelled over the loud winds. I threw my hands onto my head to keep my hat down. The sun had completely vanished, as if it were never there.

The skies were black, while rain flooded onto the ship. For once since being aboard this ship, I was afraid of something other than being found out to be a fraud. I was afraid of toppling over the railing and drowning.

And who would stop to get me? I only had one true friend here, and he was below deck. And even then, they would know I was a woman. They would still kill me.

“I’m not at liberty to say, just know that this happens regularly.” Argo yelled back. I wanted to scream! Why was everyone so secretive? What was seriously wrong with the captain?

Sure he was a bit eccentric, but he still seemed to an average guy, well at least up until this morning.

“I’ll not settle to this hell with the likes of you, ya cursed bastard!” Flynn roared at the mast. 

I looked about for some sort of surprise from the rest of the crew, but they ambled about doing their best to keep the ship afloat while the waves crashed around us.

I was just about to head downstairs to the safe confines of the kitchen with Loki when a loud noise stopped me. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t of seen it with my own two eyes.

A flash of light appeared out of thin air and struck the giant wooden pole holding the sails. I didn’t know what it was called, but I was a beginner after all.

The flash of light could only be described as lightning, seconds after it happened, everything was quiet, and the crew had stopped working, moving even.

The captain had ceased yelling at nothing and no one. Even the treacherous sea had calmed to some extent, all waiting to see the effect of the lightning.

And that’s when I heard it, a loud crack as if wood was splitting. I closed my eyes not wanting to witness the look on Flynn’s face when he saw the monumental crack crawling up the pole.

“You think that’ll stop me?! I’ll just get another!” Flynn barked at the open sea. I winced, he was really losing it, and no one seemed to be alarmed in the least.

“Make haste men, if we are going to be successful on this voyage, we’ll need to prepare all damage done to the ship.” Flynn barked.

He prowled around the ship inspecting all damage, his face turning redder every time he discovered a new causality.

Then Argo walked up to him, a grim look on his face, “We’re going to have to make port in Tortuga if we want the ship to be able to withstand the hell you plan to put her through.”