Secrets of a Pirate's Heart

Chapter Six

Scarlett's breathing was rapid, as she ran down the dock and onto hard ground. She had just stabbed two men in the leg, and panic was beginning to overtake her. But she kept running as fast as her weak, starved body could allow.

Glancing behind, she saw the lanterns of the ship glowing and small figures as the crew discovered the two men. It wouldn't be long until they would be after her.

Scarlett breathed even more heavily, her stays constricting her lungs from expanding, and her mind felt foggy.

After sprinting through a small village, she realized homes were becoming farther apart and only moonlight lit her path. Scarlett stopped to catch her breath in the tall grass alongside the road she had traveled along. Crouching in the weeds, she gasped for oxygen but never felt her body start to recover. She knew she had to find food and water, though it was difficult to stand back up.

Still, she pushed herself to her feet and continued her trek. Slowly stammering along the road, she glanced over her shoulder again. The bright village homes she had whizzed past was a small glow now, and the ships at dock were completely out of sight. Now Scarlett's priority was to find shelter before she found herself lost in the wilderness.

Walking only a few minutes longer, she found herself at the doorstep of a small house with its farm and pasture towards the back. There wasn't a flicker of candlelight coming from inside, but Scarlett felt like it called her name. She tapped upon the door and waited, collapsing to her knees from complete exhaustion.

She knocked again, this time louder, and waited. Finally, she heard faint footsteps approaching. The door cracked open and she gazed wearily up at the householder, whose face was dimly illuminated from the candle they held. It was a middle-aged man dressed in his sleepwear.

He stared for a few seconds before he said, "Claire! I think you should come here." Instantly, there was a shuffle of feet when a woman approached. "I think she's lost," the man added.

"She looks starved," Claire said, quickly helping Scarlett up to her feet and bringing her inside. The man and woman sat Scarlett in a chair and quickly brought water for her to drink. This time, the water she drank was cool and refreshing. She gulped down the last drop and begged for more.

"Of course, dear!" Claire said. "You look to be in quite a mess, poor thing!" The woman ran to fetch more as the man, with a puzzled look, questioned Scarlett.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm...my name's Scarlett," she stuttered.

"You're English, aren't you?"

The woman reentered the room with the water, which Scarlett took with gratitude. "Edmund, let the girl rest first! The poor thing looks rather beaten up. She needs food." Claire plopped some stew into a bowl and set it on the table in front of Scarlett. "It's a bit cold now, but you're in such a horrible state at the moment."

"It's alright, thank you," Scarlett said as she dived into the potatoes with her fork. After she had inhaled all of her stew, she began to feel more alert, though slightly nauseated. Despite this, she knew she had to address her situation. "I'm sorry to wake you up like this," she said to the couple.

"No, we are always ready to aid anyone in dire times such as you," Claire replied. "I'm Claire, and this is my husband Edmund. Edmund says your name is Scarlett."

Now capable of listening to her hospitable host, Scarlett noticed a tinge in Claire's accent, and pieced it together with the stew she had just eaten - it was Irish! She paused before she said, "Where am I?"

"Well," Edmund replied, slightly confused. "You're in Greystones."

"Where is Greystones?" she asked further.