Year of 365

September 19

For years I had thought about the children that disappeared from our town. These thoughts were the most common whenever in a tavern with a drink in my hand. Often they were formed in the questions of Why am I sitting here, with grog in my hand and with a warm fire, when we don't know what happened to the children? No one ever seemed to actually do anything. 

I was currently in the tavern, and I glanced around me. My crew was mingling with the wenches and landlubbers, laughing gaily as they gulped down the rum that we almost never had on the ships. I, however, was sitting in the corner of the tavern like I always did, my hat casting shadows over my face and my hand resting around the handle of the tankard in the light coming from the candle. Barmaids often came over to my table to offer another tankard of rum or liquor, but I usually turned them down. 

It had been another month since the last child had disappeared, and though I was supposed to be a hard and cold captain who cared for no one save meself, I couldn't help but feel upset. For I had an attachment to the last child who was taken. I had known her for a few years of my life, though not as well as I probably should have. I never cared for the innocent child-like I should have. Now that she was gone, I sought comfort in the many drinks in the taverns, late at night.

Suddenly, my right-hand man, Smith, or Smee as everyone called him because of how he often slurred his name while introducing himself, fell onto the seat across the seat from me. This was one of the few times that I had seen him without a drunken look on his face. 

"Yes, Smee," I sighed, taking a swig of the amber-colored liquid in my mug.

"There was another takin'," he said in a low voice that was barely audible over the clamor of the tavern.

"Who was it?"

"Lil lass over from the orphanage." He seemed unbothered by this fact, but I saw right through the facade.

"Your kid?" 

It had been years since Smee last told me that his daughter had ended up in the orphanage. He had ended up splitting from her mother shortly after his kid's birth and he lost contact with his daughter. He spent a few years pillaging until he eventually tracked down his daughter, only to find out that she was in an orphanage and that her mother had been killed in a rogue attack. He had gone to the tavern for the whole night after that, barely making it back to the Jolly Roger in the morning.

"Aye."

Smee took a rather long drink and I couldn't help but wonder if he wouldn't be able to stand up tonight either. The relationship between him and his kid was strained, but the poor pirate loved that girl more than anything.

That night, we returned to the Jolly Roger, one of the other pirates dragging Smee's nearly unconscious body back to the ship. I headed to my cabin as soon as we entered the ship and sat down in my chair, pulling out the dagger that was resting in its holster on my hip. I stared at it for a good long while. 

Silver metal made up the blade, nearly white with the way it shone in the moonlight filtering through the glass behind me. It had been set in a silver hilt, wrapped in black leather with a gem set in the hilt at the bottom. It was a beautiful dagger, and I had kept it since I had been given it five years ago.

Suddenly, my door burst open and one of my pirates came running in, sweat dripping down his face.

"It's here!"

I jumped to my feet in an instant and ran up to the deck, searching the skies wildly for any sign of the entity that we had been fearing for decades. As I was searching, one of my men called our attention to the side of the ship where we could see a young boy, no older than eight, being pulled along the cobblestone lane. Tears were streaming down his face and his mouth was screaming endlessly. Wrapped around his wrist was a dark green vine, thicker than my arm, and covered with what looked like thorns. 

Something in me snapped and I ran toward the edge of the ship, vaulting over the edge. As I fell toward the bank, I whipped out my cutlass. I landed on the back of the vine and wasted no time in slicing through the thick stalk, my hook sinking deep into the flesh of the vine. My hook held tight as the plant tried to buck me off, having forgotten all about the boy. My body was suddenly flung up into the air. I scrambled around, watching clouds and stone whirl by. Eventually, I started to plummet again, but I was able to get my bearings. Twisting around like a fish in water, I dove toward the vine. My momentum was enough and I was able to sever the vine, the tip landing on the ground with a solid thump, while the rest retreated back into the water. 

"Men," I called, grabbing the young boy by the waist and throwing him over my shoulder. I ran back up onto the deck and dumped the boy on the side. "Follow that beast!" I had had enough of these things coming to take the children. Sometimes they came as thorny vines, other times they were rouge waves powerful enough to sweep down the front row of houses like they were built of hay, and there was also the dreaded times when shadows would come and steal children right out of their beds.

Our ship was running in a second and we launched forward, following the wake of the vine as it cut through the water. Smee was at the wheel, steering carefully as we charged over waves and through currents, the wind in our favor. But, we were falling behind.

"Pete," I yelled, picking up a length of strong rope that was coiled on the deck. "Throw a line!" I tossed it to him while taking the other end and securing it to the bow of the ship. Pete easily had the strongest throw. He looped the rope around a harpoon and ran to the front of the ship, kneeling down and taking aim with the spear. Letting out a single grunt, he threw the harpoon like a javelin. It cut through the air like an arrow before curving back down and sinking deep into the vine. 

Our ship lurched again and we all fell back, holding onto the sides of the ship for dear life, hoping that we wouldn't fall off. I was suddenly thankful for Smee's years of experience at sea, as he was laughing joyously at the stern, turning the wheel and guiding us with ease in the wake of the vine.

It took all night, and eventually, we approached a large island covered with tropical wildlife. It was here that I knew that the dreaded soul was waiting, and it was here that I cut the line connecting us to the vine. We slowed our pace, but the vine continued, journeying up the land and into the forest.

"Cap'n," one of my pirates said, pulling out his cutlass. "Now what do we do?"

I pulled out my twin pistols and turned back to the crew. "Gents! This is the day we earn our place among men! Today is the day that the crew of the fearsome Captain Hook claims this island for pirate folk and rid it of the beast that lurks within!"

A/N: Cliffhanger!! Please let me know if you want me to continue this, because I do have a few ideas. I hope you enjoy!