A pirate's promise

9. Too good to be true

Weeks passed and I got used to raise sails, cook for 25 people, take turns to clean the decks and "rooms". The worst was the polishing... Each evening I was invited to play cards and make bets by the camarades. I used to win even when others tried to cheat, so I included a new rule for the bet: losing if caught cheating. I used to catch them. I actually felt proud of it because they stopped cheating and things started to be more even, they learned to win fairly (not against me).

As the loss was too big, we put new rules: no betting for money but for orders or services, like the winner gave an order to the loser or asked him to do a job. That was funnier and more motivating. I lost once and was asked to sing for them. I couldn't have been more embarassed.

They loved it and asked for another song.

And so I motivated them to win if they wanted to hear me sing again.

One day, we were playing cards after lunch and I won again. I asked one of my mates to dance. That was hilarious! I found out that some could play instruments and they started playing music, dancing and singing:

I met a lassie on an island the other night
And we sang and we danced 'till morning's light
I told her: "I'm a pirate and the seas I sail on"
And she said: "I want a man who'd stay on land"

Yohoo I said I'd never leave the sea...
Wind in my face and ocean breeze
every day I want to feel
Yohoo... The sea, the wind, the storms and rum sound like home

Yohoo... One and two and three... Bottles of rum!

And so they sang on until I learned the hole song by heart! Then Derek came and silence made its way through the music until only his steps could be heard. I wondered many times what was the cause for all the respect they gave him... It couldn't have been just admiration, I could tell.

- Let's make a bet. I heard you are good with cards- Derek said with a smirk-. So I challenge you to a game.

- What are we betting?

I was ready. We practiced for weeks so I was pretty sure of myself.

- Careful Missie- a pirate warned me- he is the best, no one ever won against him.

- Even better. I like challenges- I said proudly.

In the distance we could hear some thunders, but we were going in another direction so there was no need to worry.

Derek looked at the sky and then he looked at me.

- We might head to the storm soon, so let's leave this for later and let's go prepare the ship, there is no time to lose.

- But we are in a different direction- the pirates argued.

- Winds are changing. It doesn't look good, we'll have those black clouds upon us in no time- Derek declared.

- You heard him! Go!

The captain started giving orders left and right, organizing everyone and everything in an amazing way. I kind of admired that part of him. And like Derek said, we found ourselves underneath the dark clouds before we knew it. Seeing the sea so enfuriated was so scary I couldn't even describe it. The waters and the skies seemed to lunge upon us as if they were trying to punish us for invading nature's territory.

Nature was terrifying. Never want to make nature mad at you, really. That day I found out what was feeling alive meant. I lived every second there as if it was the very last one. We fought the greedy storm and the starving waves to survive for two days. The boat fliped over several times, we were attached to the main mast with strong ropes so that we wouldn't be carried away from the boat by the devastating waves.

I thought several times that I would drown. I swallowed salty water until I coughed and pouted. I feared each wave that rose upon me and thought it was the end. I feared each piece of wood that looked like a shark's fin circling around me because of the watercourses.

I promised to be a nice girl and leave the pirate life if I got out of that alive. I swore to marry whoever I had to. I promised to forgive my father for what he did, and sing to my camarades. As I was desperate, I also promised to apologize to Derek because of all I did and confess my love to him. I actually cried out loud each of the words so that I made sure nature heard me. Maybe someone else heard me but I didn't care if I was to die.

Yes, pirate life was looking too good to be true and I finally saw they didn't exactly always have it easy.

An enormeous wave reached me and fell upon my head, carrying me as deep as it could. I trusted the rope's strenght no more and just then, it broke.

I recall seeing Derek swimming towards me as fast as he could, grabbing the rope that held my waist and pulled until I was back on the ship. I couldn't move anymore, I even made efforts to cough the water out of my lungs. It hurt. Salty water hurt my lungs and my throat terribly. My nose and my eyes also were irritated. I was lying on the deck's floor, strenghtless, exhausted, hopeless.

I was about to give up when finally, at sunset, the clouds went tired of chasing us and left. The waves calmed down and the sun showed its last rays of hope until it dissapeared and went to rest. I looked one more time around me and saw every single ship member lying on the floor, unconscient or sleepy, but completely exhausted. No one else could rise their heads until late in the afternoon the next day, mostly because of angry stomachs.

Most of our supplies were floating in the water around the boat, so we had to do some fishing, and even cought some real fish. We made a feast that night. We had just survived the worst storm of all times. I haven't seen one like that ever again.