Cutlass Anne

Cutlass Anne - Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-eight

"What do you want to do then, Jane?"

"Go home. I want to see South Carolina again."

"Even though you know what father did?"

"It may sound strange, but after what I have been through there is nothing more I want than to climb into my own bed and sleep until eternity comes."

A light knock came at the door.

"Aye?" I called out.

"Captain?"

"What is it?"

"Scully said a storm is heading our way."

"Come in, Christopher."

The door opened slowly and the man came in. I heard Jane's breath get caught. I took a side look at her and saw that her mouth was hanging open slightly.

I suddenly had a brilliant idea.

"Christopher, my sister Jane." I introduced him. "Jane, this is Christopher."

"The pleasure is all mine, lady." He bowed deeply to her.

She giggled and extended her hand.

"Christopher, would you mind taking Jane to the galley so she can eat while I talk with Scully?"

"Absolutely, ma'am."

"It is so hard to believe my sister is a pirate captain."

"It is new for me as well, madam." He extended his arm for her to take.

"Please call me Jane."

"That is a lovely name," he replied, lost in her dazzling eyes.

I watched as they walked below deck. Jane was already smiling.

Maybe she will be okay.

I decided to ask her about what happened at a later point. For now, she needed some normalcy.

I joined Scully and Flynn at the helm. I could already see the darkening clouds. We were sailing right into the storm. There was no avoiding it.

"How bad do you think it is going to be?" I asked.

"From here, it looks like it is going to be a pretty massive storm." Flynn held the spyglass near to his eye.

"What do we do?"

"Tie everything down. Put whatever we can below deck and hold on."

That was how the voyage went. Clear skies until a far off storm sent the crew into a flurry of flesh trying to get everything secured better. I did not understand why the impossible men did not keep things secured anyway or put them away when they were done. The first storm was the worst. There were moments when I thought the sea was going to swallow the ship whole, taking everyone aboard to the icy abyss below. Wind and seawater whipped about like small knives, slashing at our flesh. Some of the men were covered in blood by time we would reach clear skies and calm seas again. Andrew spent the majority of his time below deck trying his best to keep up with the sheer number of wounded.

The last week we were at sea was calm, hot, and humid. It got to the point where most of the men stayed below deck when they were not needed on deck. I had long abandoned my thick, stuffy jacket for the relief of a white, long-sleeved, cotton shirt.

"We are close," Flynn said as I stood behind the wheel keeping our massive vessel headed toward the Virginia coastline.

"I know." I stared straight ahead.