Phantomverse Stories

Captain Phantom Part 1

(Arrrrrrgg!)

My name is Jonas. And this be the tale of a beloved and benevolent captain who changed into a swashbuckling, fierce, evil eyed, nefarious, thieving pirate. From a man whom one could share his deepest secrets to a man with far too many secrets of his own.

I was the one who witnessed the transformation first hand, and the only one who recorded it. Read well, so that there may be no secrets upon what came to pass.

And be wary!

The year was 1654.

I was twelve. And it was time to leave my family and Mother Spain because I'd become a burden. Always the more adventurous of the two brothers, my uncle agreed to bring me along on a voyage to the New World. Not only could I find a job, but the feeding of my mouth was no longer my immediate family's responsibility.

I leaned over the edge of the rail of the La Nueva Carta, waving to my mom, who had a shawl wrapped tightly around her arms, as if it were the only thing holding her together. My father had his arm protectively around her, gently rubbing her back. He was the only one who met my eyes as they said their final goodbye. None of us knew when and if we'd be seeing each other again, but my father had to be the strong pillar that my family rested upon.

My father quoted scripture like a devoted disciple, but only to his own purposes.

My youngest brother was too distracted by his new scarf to say a farewell, but I had no offense for it; he was young. My two middle sisters, who were so close in age many a passerby wrongly called them twins, politely waved, but only because they'd be punished if they had stuck out their tongues or yelled profane things "extremely unbecoming for young women" like they usually preferred to do in my company.

I was hopeful I'd never see them again.

Bitches.

Soon the anchor was drawn up, and my mother finally openly sobbed into her shawl as I began to become smaller in her vision. I turned, and walked away from the railing. Unceremoniously. I wasn't in the mood.

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If I assumed that since I'd family on this voyage, I'd have company, I was mistaken.

My uncle Nataniel Baez was adventurous on land, but he took to the sea poorly. The first morning I walked out on the deck, grinning with each sway of the ship, Uncle Nat was heaving. And a green as pale as Mother's split pea soup.

"Uncle Nat what's wrong?!" I ran over to him, horrified and excited to see my brace uncle leaning over the deck, probably challenging a shark or a sea monster.

"Leave me be, Jonas!" He groaned, then vomited into the ocean. I backed away, now surprised and disappointed.

He was seasick?

Uncle Nat? Impossible.

Unsure of what to do now that my adventure with Uncle Nat was postponed, I wandered around the deck, which was beginning to swarm with the busy sailors, pulling ropes, adjusting sails, and calling out to one another with strange words.

"Oi! You!" Yelled a sailor, looking directly at me. He tossed a coil of rope at me, which I caught without much difficulty.