Prologue
The smell of salt in the air mixed harshly with that of rum and wine. Sailors knew to save their rations of food and hide the hunger with spirits. Candles dotted the crew's cabin, hammocks swaying with the waves. In a corner, five men circled around a crate and played cards as another sailor joined them. This one was fresh, his face unmarred by the sun and a gleam still in their eyes of the promise of riches. He passed for 16, but in reality was much younger and naive to the hard work and misery that was going to await him for the next 3 months. He sat on a similar pare crate the men all used for chairs and observed the game.
"How do you play?"
"With money," the largest man in the group sneered at the boy.
Another man lightly cackled and picked up his bottle, "If you don't ever teach the young'uns, how else you going to win?" He passed the bottle in his hands to the boy, who took an apprehensive taste. He tried his best to keep his disgust at bay, but a shiver still crept up his neck at the rancid taste. "How old are ya, anyway? I've seen rats on board bigger than you."
"Old enough," the boy said with spirit, sticking his jaw out and sitting up. This warranted another whooping cackle from the sailor.
The boy stood in offense, but the sailor calmed himself and motioned for him to sit again. "Son, I would gladly show you how to play, but without money you bet with labor."
"Sure," he agreed, leaning forward with interest.
"The game's called Devil of the Sea. Based off the old story, you know the one-"
"No, actually," the boy interrupted him.
The sailor stopped short, "How in the hell did you end up here? Where'd you come from where they ain't tellin' stories?" The man settled in, "I'll have to explain that first."
The other sailors groaned and one threw his cards down. "Shut it!" the sailor snapped at them all, "You ain't never heard it like I tell it!"
"It's a bedtime story for children. You're really going to stop the game for this?" One of the sailors took a hefty swig of liquor.
"You want out of morning duty tomorrow? Then shut your face and listen up." He turned his attention back to the boy, "So it starts with a boy, right around your age. He's been born at sea and stayed at sea his whole life. Not once did he touch land. Not even once. He grew into the best sailor y'ever seen cuz of this, controlling an entire starboard side on his own without breaking a sweat. His captain realized this, and awarded him the pay of however many men he could replace. Suddenly, he was putting people out of work, men with wives and children to provide for, and made plenty of enemies. Those men had to resort to less honest means to send money home, if you get what I'm saying. Holding whole ships captive and taking as much as they could and divvying it up between the lot of them. One day, the sailor's ship is attacked, the captain slain and the rest of the crew taken on by the raiders. One deck hand recognized him, claiming he put him out of work and callin' him all sorts of nasty slang. He had claimed that the sailor had personally murdered his own son as well. The sailor refuted this, but it didn't matter. They ran him straight through with a cutlass. Didn't even give it a second thought. The body of the sailor fell to the ocean floor, lost to the sea."
The boy's eyebrows furrowed and he sat back up. "That wasn't very good of a story."
"Hey! You gonna let me finish or you just going to be an ingrate about it?!" The lack of response prompted him to continue. "The sailor was dead, yes, finding his way to the beyond. His soul didn't make it though, some say out of stubborness; other's say it was the injustice of a hard-working man's death. The devil himself rose up from the deepest trench and offered the man a deal. Power's beyond his imaginings in exchange for an eternity of service. With nothing to lose, the sailor accepted. He was immortal and all-mighty. He sprung from the depths of the ocean to the same ship that he fell to his death from. He slaughtered the men on board and took command of the entire thing. Every man's task was simple work for him alone, and he patrolled the sea looking for only the most capable and loyal sailors to join his crew. The riches they hoarded could be seen from miles beyond the horizon, a speck o'gold sailing across it. The number of hands grew, and as such so did the need for room. The men added to the sides and decks and transformed the ship into a floating fortress. It was the strongest and most formidable in the Atlantic, nothing could stop it, and nothing ever will." He slowly sat back, appraising the boys reaction.
"Is it real?" the boy asked excitedly.
"Course not!" Another one of the men spat. "The only real part of the story was how much work we got to do. An' now," he snatched the bottle of rum with only a few remaining sips in it from the storyteller, "I have night watch. You wasted my damn time, y'old cod."
The men slowly stood, leaving the boy alone. They stretched their backs with each step. The men headed to bed, waking some sailors for night duty and then getting in the hammocks they had left behind.
The boy begrudgingly followed to sleep, wanting to spend more time with the leisuring men but no one was left awake that he could sit with. He found rest in a cot by the stairs. The men avoided it because the bright moonlight would keep them awake, but the soft light blanketed him, making him feel safe as the story played on repeat in his mind.
So, I know this doesn't give much insight onto the actual story. I swear this actually is an SYOC about a Selection! I had a wild idea, and basically I'm holding a Selection at sea with the only governing power pirates listen to: voodoo, old magic, and money. I don't want to spoil anything fun that I have planned, but basically this floating fortress of a ship is the setting. I need 15-18 girls, all ranging in different backgrounds that would've been common in the 1700's, such as servants, entrepreneurs, nobility, slaves, etc. The story starts on a charter ship crossing the Atlantic from England. The form is on my profile, I accept PM's only because I need to be able to talk with you all submitting the characters! I will have a little blurb of information of the type of selected competition this is on my profile. Head over!
Thanks for the interest! I really appreciate it, and I look forward to reading your submissions!