Of Mochas and Macchiatos

Part 15

We spend the next day researching Henry Avery. Nevermind that I had already finished the whole project; Rafe is determined to do this thing together. Fortunately, our Astoria Library ban is over. But Barnes still eyes us suspiciously as we enter the place, peering at us derisively over her half-moon spectacles. I contemplate glaring at her but remember my endeavour to ingratiate myself to her, so I paste on a contrived smile and give her a cheerful wave instead.

We spent hours poring over books about Avery, reading pages and pages until my brain is positively overflowing with facts about the renowned pirate (commonly known Every) and my eyes are so tried they're practically about to snap shut (even though I'd decided to wear glasses and not contacts today). I'd thought I'd done a tonne of research before but evidently I'm wrong. There is so much more to the famous pirate. Rafe is utterly obsessed with the man and spends no time procrastinating whatsoever.

Eventually, I stumble upon a 16 paged pamphlet, published in 1709. It's a scanned PDF and I airdrop it to Rafe straight away, knowing immediately that he'd be wonderstruck by it. The test is entitled The Life and Adventures of Capt. John Avery; the Famous English Pirate, Now in Possesion of Madagascar -but I choose to call it Possessed Madagascar- and it is anonymously written under the pseudonym Adrian van Broeck, whom claimed to be a Dutchman captured by Avery's crew. Not only did Broeck display, in veritable detail, Avery's Barbary and cruelty, he also romanticised the famous pirate to such an extent that he made out that the thief sacked a Mughal ship and kidnapped the Emperor's daughter and married her. Apparently, the newlyweds fled from the army of the Mughals to Saint Mary's Island to create a kind of paradise... similar to 'Libertalia'. I'd never heard of the place, and after some quick googling, I fell into another rabbit hole of research. Apparently, after the American revolution, several pirates fleeing England were wrecked upon an island to create a kind of sanctuary, Libertatia or Libertalia (the sources are divided on this), and the named. The pirates, -I found this hilarious- common criminals and thieves, created a 'democracy' and used delegate council systems. They believed themselves to be equal 'comrades', called themselves 'Liberi' and started up a new language as well as a socialist economy. Moreover, they had a motto... 'for God and liberty'.

I found the whole thing rather outlandish, but Rafe- he was engrossed. After about 40 minutes of my little detour from Avery to the suggestion of a whole real life pirate community founded on some island off the coast of Madagascar, I was exhausted of Avery. I spent a while typing up more precise notes (on one of the desktop iMacs) and rewriting the transcript for our oral presentation. I could guarantee we'd be getting a high distinction on it. I sent the finished draft to Rafe and he quickly skimmed over it, making suggestions and commenting on it half-heartedly before returning to articles of Libertalia and Avery's little paradise, utterly absorbed by it all. Tired, I leaned against a tall bookshelf, gazing up through the skylight at the darkness of the sky. "Rafe?"

"Yeah?" He said, flipping through a large textbook and making a note of something on his laptop.

"Do you believe in Libertalia?" I asked flatly. I was bored and cold. I hadn't worn enough layers for the frosty Astoria weather and it made me irritable. Also my Tommy Hilfiger skinny jeans, although gorgeous, were a bit too tight and were digging into the backs of my knees, cutting off my blood and that only added to my grouchy mood. Moreover, Rafe wasn't paying any attention to me, and even though that must have been the most childish thought ever, I couldn't find it in myself to be mature.

Although I pretended to be disinterested in the answer of the question, I actually really wanted to know. It was hotly debated among historians whether or not Libertatia or Libertalia had ever existed. I thought it was totally insane but I wanted to know Rafe's thoughts.