The Gold Curse

It was a cold, windy day in Port James. The sun was just about set, and it cast a pink glow on the clouds that were gathering in the east. Atop of a tower in Fort Henry sat a fourteen year old girl by the name of Alexandra Higgins. Her smooth sandy hair was swaying to and fro in the wind. Her dress was tattered and her arms and legs ached terribly, but she paid no attention to them as she watched the sun disappear behind the mountains. Alexandra, or Alex, as she preferred to be called, was a very thin and brave girl. Her mother had died while giving birth to her and her father had left long before she was born, or so she had heard. Some people had even said that she had a brother that was 4 years older than her, and that her father had taken him when he had left her mother.

Alex stood up and climbed down the side of the wall, just as she did every night. She walked into the streets, where many shop owners were closing their booths or stores. She picked up a dirty apple that had rolled in the mud and slipped it in her pocket. It would be her dinner that night. As she strolled on, she heard people talking.

"He's back! And in that wretched ship of his too, The Gold Curse. Captain Lewis Bloodbeard, I knew it! And they say he has a new member aboard, Pirate Oliver the Dagger. They say that The Dagger is his secret weapon. In my opinion, you all had better watch your backs! I heard the ship was spotted nearby."

Alex ran past them. Lewis Bloodbeard. She had heard of him before. At festivals, old men used to tell children stories about him to frighten them. Never left anyone alive, they said, once they came.

Once Alex was well out of sight, she pulled out the apple and started eating it, thinking what it would be like to be a pirate.

She walked along a few streets until she finally arrived at a large house behind gates. This was where Governor Robinson and his 14 year old daughter Rosie lived.

Alex sometimes stood at the gate and watched the governor and his daughter eat supper at the table, since it could well be seen. Rosie was thin as well, but not as thin as Alex. She had short brown hair and always wore a bow in it. She wore fancy gowns and always looked her best when she left the governor's household. Alex sometimes longed to look like Rosie, seeing as she was very beautiful.

Alex sighed and turned away from the house and looked to the ocean. The sky was fairly dark now, but she could make out the shadow of a large ship moving towards the town. She squinted, and she was right. Then she was blinded by a glow that reflected off of the side of the ship into her eyes. It read The Gold Curse.

Alex nearly fainted. She slipped through the gates and ran to the governor's house and pounded on the door.

"Please! Open up!" she yelled. A servant came to the door.

"How may I help you?" he asked. Alex slipped past him and ran to where Governor Robinson and Rosie were eating.

"They're here." she said out of breath. Governor Robinson immediately knew what she was talking about and walked to his window.

"Who's here? Father?" said Rosie, stunned.

"The pirates." said Alex quietly.

"What?"

"Rosie, go to the hideout under the house. Take her with you." said Governor Robinson, referring to Alex.

"But where are you going?" asked Rosie.

"Go!" he yelled.

Rosie grabbed Alex's hand and pulled her out of the room. Suddenly there was the sound of a cannon firing and there was a crash as the top floor came falling.

"AAAAHHHH!" screamed Rosie and Alex.

"We can't get to the hideout!" said Rosie, showing Alex the doorway had been blocked.

"Come on!" said Alex. She pulled Rosie out of the hallway and outside.

"Why are we outside?"

"Because I know where we can be safe."

Rosie followed Alex through the gates and out to the streets where the pirates were leaving the ship and attacking Port James.

"Just listen to me and you'll be fine." said Alex, seeing the worried look on Rosie's face. Rosie nodded.

They ran behind buildings where people were screaming and running. The pirates were burning almost everything. Alex crouched low behind a bush.

Suddenly a pirate grabbed Rosie's hair.

"AAAHHHH!" she screamed.

"'Ello pretty!" he said. Alex grabbed a sword that was lying on the ground. She stabbed the pirate in the chest and he fell to the ground. Then Alex dropped the sword. It was the first man she had ever killed.

"It's ok. Come on." said Rosie. Rosie helped her up and they ran fast. They managed not to run into anymore pirates until they reached near the dock.

"There are so many of them!" said Rosie. "How do they all fit on that ship?"

"Big ship." said Alex. They ran behind another bush. "I think we'll be alright here, for now." Rosie nodded.

"Look, it's the navy. We'll be alright." said Rosie.

"I hope." said Alex. Then she screamed. Two pirates had come up behind them and grabbed them. They were taking them off to the ship.

"Let go!" screamed Alex.

They threw them onto boats and started rowing. Alex and Rosie kept trying to get free from their strong grips. But they realized they couldn't. As Port James began to shrink and The Gold Curse became larger, they couldn't help but think that they were doomed.