Prompt 3: The Life - Episode 1

I became breathless at the horizon that laid before us. The sun was just rising, and pinks, blues, and purples swirled with the sky like paint in a bowl of water, freely, without pattern. I had never seen a more beautiful sight in my entire life, not even in the present day. There were too many buildings where I was from, blocking nature's gift almost everyday. I closed my eyes and allowed the sound of crashing waves to greet my ears. I was getting use to this type life, falling asleep to the sonorousness of nature, the rocking and wavering of the boat, taking anything and everything I wanted by just the draw of a sword, having people cower in fear, but the pirate life was still a rough one. Not only did we have to worry about extreme storms (too bad satellites hadn't been invented yet), but we also had to deal with the law and rival territories, specifically with the Spanish, and the lack of cleanliness.

My crew bustled down below from the Crow's Nest where I stood, getting my ship, the White Stallion, ready to set sail. There was only one more place I needed to go, and that was La Blanquilla. It's said that was where Blake Sam hid his treasure, and I wanted to find it. I grabbed hold of the closest rigs and climbed down to my rightful place on my ship, at the helm.

"I hope my steed is ready to tackle her course!" I bellowed taking the wheel. My first mate, Jonny Eras, or Jolly Eyes, handed me my hat. I gave him a hearty smack on the back.

"Aye," he replied in his raspy, low voice. "She's all ready to go, Captain." He was about 6'7", an absolute giant with a harsh demeanor, a big, scruffy, red beard that reached the midsection of his chest, braided, and bright, ocean blue eyes, hence where his nickname originates from. The guy was built like a tank, which made sense; he worked out non-stop as we traveled the seas. He maned the sails which required you to tug on ten pound rope. He had a scorpion tattooed on the back of his neck, its tail curling toward his collarbones, but I learned quickly that he had a heart of pure gold.

He became my first crew mate when I traveled to the 1670's, the peak of the Golden Age of Piracy. I always wanted to visit the pirate age. It intrigued me as I studied at the Institute of Time Manipulation in Tokyo, Japan. I read all about it; famous pirates like Blackbeard terrorizing the oceans with his ship, Queen Anne's Revenge. And so, I came across Jonny.

He was a mere beggar in the first island I came to, Tortuga. I knew he would be the perfect addition to the White Stallion, a Man O' War ship that I captured in the bay only days earlier. It needed work, and he was the muscle that I needed to get that work done.

"Could you spare some change, love?" He asked in that raspy voice that I now knew so well. Then, his beard didn't look nearly as red, and he didn't have his scorpion tattoo. He looked a lot less intimidating.

"How about a place on my ship?" I countered. "Leave this begging life behind. Sail the seas with me and you'll have so much gold that you won't be able to hold it all."

At first, he gave me a reluctant look. I knew he didn't believe me, but then I ushered him to my beauty that rested at the docks and he was automatically convinced. From that point on, I knew that it was the start of something great.

"Captain," I repeated. "God, I will never get over that." I sat my hat securely on my head and grip the wooden helm. I had been in this time period for a little over a year, but I felt like it was just getting started.