Pirates

Chapter 15

As I was leaving my bedroom the next morning, I couldn't help notice the smell of wine outside my bedroom and what looked to be a handkerchief on the floor. I picked it up and studied it. It appeared to be of fine quality and I thought to myself that if any of the men on board actually cared about it, they wouldn't have forgotten it and with that conclusion, I stuffed it in m pocket and claimed it mine. As I stepped on board, I met Vic who handed me a mall piece of bread and some cheese "Just to tide you over until dinner," he added.
"Thank you." I called out as he walked away to which he just turned and smiled before continuing.
I ate my bread which, to my surprise, was not as stale as I had anticipated and the cheese was rich with flavour, so I savoured every morsel, taking small bites and rolling the food around my mouth. It was as I sat, devouring this gorgeous food comparing it to that I usually get for breakfast, I noticed the black clouds tumbling along the horizon at an alarming rate. Then Leo noticed as well and called out.
"Men, ready yourselves! We are in for a big one today!"
Wind picked up, spraying water over the edges of the ship and raising the waves, making the ship rock side to side.
The Captain came out of his office to inspect, looking through his telescope to the heart of the storm which lay just a few minutes from us. The look he gave was enough to spark fear in the most courageous of men. I felt my legs start shaking as he looked towards his men with almost a look of remorse, as though they were dead already. I knew I would never forget that look for the rest of my life, however much longer that may be.
It was as he was surveying his men, his home, that he locked onto my eyes and I was struck, physically knocked back, by the pain within them. Looking into those eyes was like swimming in the coldest ocean, as waves of chills ran through your body and it slowing shutting down, the fear of knowing any second, the water will swell above your head and their will be nothing you can do about it. I possibly could have braved this storm, had I not seen his eyes. As it was, I grabbed the railing, knowing I could at any minute collapse.
Then he was like a different man as he put on his brave face and smiled, shouting "It's not that bad, you cowards. Honestly. Call me when I'm actually needed." Throwing one guilty glance my way.
He walked towards me. "Don't try to lie to me. I saw that look, weit's likely that we will die, is it not?" I asked before he could try to cover up the truth.
"I just wanted to apologise, if I will not have this opportunity again. I'm sorry that I took you from where you were happy and to your death. I never meant to harm you, only to exploit you." I laughed a little, but was mainly overwhelmed by all this unexpected emotion.
"It's alright." I found myself saying, shocked at my attitude towards him. "I forgive you." I said again shocked at myself more than anything, but knew why I said it the second I saw the glimmer in his eyes, the light which shone from within.
We were interrupted by a sudden jolt of the ship as a wave of magnitude struck the side, the start of the worse to come. The Captain caught my arm, holding me upright. "Find my nephew, then get yourseves below deck and do not under any circumstances return, do you comprehend me?" He instructed searching my face for an answer, which I assumed he received as he jogged off to help his men maintain the ship.
I caught sight of the child and grabbed him despite his multitude of protests, his main argument being "I'm the Captain's nephew, I can do as I so please." Nevertheless, I dragged him below and stood in front of the door, preventing him from leaving, just in time for a second jolt to throw me to the floor bruising my side as I landed on the boy. Then the room began to tilt as the ship climbed a wave. "Hold on to me." I instructed. I held onto some pegs on the wall normally used to hold rope or fishing nets and grabbed the boy between my arms in front of me pinning him to the wall as the room continued tilting until the strain began on my arms. Boxes and tools fell along the tilted floor and I started to sweat at the strength needed to support both myself and the child. It was as my arms started shaking that the ship finished scaling the wall of water. I knew this was still only a sample of the horrors we were going to face, we had only been tilted a few seconds and my arms were straining under the weight. What was going to happen when the waves got bigger, what if, heaven forbid, the ship tipped?
I then heard the tap, tap, tap of big, heavy raindrops splashing on the roof above us and the few muffled cries from men above. The tapping got harder and quicker as the ship headed further into the storm.
After a few minutes of rain, the door opened above me and a man stepped down the ladder, soaked through and shivering. He completely ignored both me and the child as he rushed for a rope from across the room and clambered back. I didn't know why, but I felt I needed to help, so I attempted to follow him, but he pushed me back.
"The Captain said to stay here. Now is not the time to be disobeying orders."
Before I could respond he slammed the hatch back over the roof, a few drops of rain dripping down the ladder, forming a small puddle on the floor. A quick flash appeared, accompanied by a tremendous crash of thunder which rattled me to my very bones and the storm was upon us.