This was a school project. We were told to write an autobiography for ourselves in the shoes of a pirate on the Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean. Needless to say I had a lot of fun with this! :D Enjoy everyone!
Pirates of the Caribbean belongs to Disney...everything else is mine! (the Kraken especially!
Living in this flea infested, moldy cell on a leaky barge on the Thames River as an honored guest of his highness, the King of England, has given me a lot of time to reflect upon the sequence of events that conspired to put me here. First of all let me get the following out of the way… I am guilty. I did it, everything they said I did and more and… I enjoyed every second. I'd do it again if I could. I lived fast, saw the world and made my mark. What more can I ask for?
Now that the series of statements makes me rather unique amongst the other miserable dregs if humanity I share this little yacht with. All of whom, it seems, were framed and are innocent and as lambs. They were simply victims of an oppressive regime bent on subjugating and mistreating those who sail upon the high seas. Oh sure, they'll say, maybe a throat was cut here and there, maybe a ship or two was plundered and sunk, maybe a few towns were destroyed in drunken rampages but all of these things were done in self-defense…and also by someone else who looked just like them. What a bunch of hogwash. It really doesn't matter to the hangman so why not just come clean and admit to being what you are, I say, a buccaneer, a gentleman of fortune, a privateer …a pirate.
First off, my name is Ayla Marie Porter, and I began my career in the port of Bristol. Being the fourth child of a tavern owner my prospects were not promising but I enjoyed tending bar and listening to the stories told by sailors who frequented the place. I would have been content to stay there working for my father had fate not intervened. In the summer of 1656 plague arrived on a ship bound from the Far East. At first it was only a few old sailors who were carried off, but before long death swept across the docks and entered homes, inns, and taverns on the docks. The government set up soldiers at every entrance to the docks in an effort to prevent the spread of the disease. We were left on our own to die.
Naturally, business at the tavern was almost nil, but my father insisted on remaining open. This error in judgment was to cost my family their lives. One of the few customers who entered during that dark time brought the plague with him. In the space of a fortnight, my family was gone and I was alone. I couldn't operate the tavern on my own so I shut it down, packed up a few belongings, and made my way to the docks. It was there that my life changed. It was there that I met Captain Jack and was welcomed aboard his ship as a deck hand.
At first I didn't know what to expect. I had heard hundreds of different stories about pirates in the tavern, and different variations of what a pirate was. At first I thought that they were malicious, heartless souls who kill for the pleasure of it, yet when I met Captain Jack that day, I was shocked to see how wrong I was… at least in his case. He didn't as much as ask my name, then ordered one of his crew members, Mr. Gibbs, to lead me under the deck to the sleeping quarters. I know that the crew, especially Gibbs, were skeptical with having a female on board, yet they all respected Captain Jack's wishes and kept their mouths shut.
We set sailed the following day. I didn't ask too many questions, in fear that I would become an annoyance to the crew and the Captain would decide to maroon me on an island, or simply throw me overboard. I began my work aboard the Black Pearl as a deck hand along with a few other ill-fated children my age who were in the same predicament as I. Diana, the daughter of a blacksmith in Wales, lost her father during a raid and had been working aboard the Black Pearl for a little over a year. There was also a boy, Eric, who had run away from his home, also in Wales, after his parents were hung for being associated with a pirate and had joined Captain Jacks crew a few days after Diana had. The last two girls were siblings, Ixta and Madison, from Ireland, whom I understand had a luxurious lifestyle, yet they had always dreamed of living a more exciting and adventurous life and had joined the crew on the Black Pearl only a few months before I had come along.
With my new found comrades, we worked vigorously as we completed tasks on a daily basis such as mopping the deck, securing the cargo and guarding the rum supply… mostly from the crew itself. I found it amusing that, although it had been weeks since I had arrived and obviously almost a year since the others had come, Gibbs was still anxious about the reality of having four women aboard. I often questioned why Captain Jack had seemed to take no notice of this predicament. We stayed silent as we worked around the Captain, yet when he was no where in sight, we would be the children we were and play games and, occasionally, pranks on some of the crew members. I remember one day, about a month after I had begun my new life, Eric and I had found a terrified, grimy rat hidden beneath some of the extra section of the sail, obviously there incase repairs were pertinent, down in the hold. We hid the rat, which we soon dubbed Jerome, in our sleeping quarters and, with the girls, we conspired the perfect hoax to pull on the one person whom was the most gullible crew member; Mr. Gibbs.
It was in the dead of night as I recall, and most of the crew had already spread out on their backs in large piles on the deck, as dimwitted as always singing merrily in their drunken state and, sometimes, dancing with one another. The Captain, who had now given me permission to simply call him Jack, was playing some strange sort of game with dice with a few other crew members, including Gibbs, up on the higher sections of the deck, isolated from all others and obviously gambling off all that they had, garments, trophies, anything they had on them. As we each sat upon the barrels on the opposite side of the ship, each taking quick swigs of rum from a bottle we all shared, we watched the game from afar and waited. There was an immense amount of suspense every time the dice were rolled, and the toll this was taking on the players could be seen by the sharp intakes of air and the content look on their faces that melted their gloomy expressions every time they had been victorious. Soon, many of the crew members left the game in despair having lost almost everything that they had ever owned, and few stayed behind to play on until the night's end. Before long, only Jack and Gibbs were left, but they decided to end it with a little contest, to see who could drink their bottle of rum the fastest. Naturally, Jack won with Gibbs not to far behind him. Drunken and gleeful, the two of them began to sing and riffle through their newly won treasures. This was our chance.
Diana and I crept over towards our victim, cautiously stepping over bottles and men, until we were in position. We waited patiently until the others where in their positions and gave the signal to begin. When at last we heard the signal; a silent caw like a crow's, we looked at each other, smirking. Since Gibbs was paranoid about having females on board, we'd just have to do a little haunting. Armed with Jerome, hidden beneath Diana's shirt, we watched as Jack left Gibbs up on the deck to join the other intoxicated souls below and the oblivious figure of Gibbs slump down as he fell asleep. The time had finally come. We signaled the others then dashed up beside the sleeping man and abruptly plopped Jerome right on top of him before dashing off to watch from a distance. Considering his state of mind, Gibbs only realized the rat's presence when it began walking over his face. Gibbs awoke with terror and looked about the deck, seeing no one and he drew his dagger. The rest of the crew was too busy to notice anything happening around them, including when a white, dusty gown began to descend from the sails and float effortlessly beside Gibbs. With a cry of terror, he backed up against the railing of the ship and, loosing his balance, tumbled over into the sea. Being the only people who weren't intoxicated, the five of us had to haul the poor frightened Gibbs back on deck and I believe to this day he thinks he's cursed.
We sailed along the British shores and, as the months passed by, I began to feel more and more like the pirate I was. I had never imagined that I would have ever found myself in this situation. In the tavern I had always dreamed of living amongst my people, working in the family business and having a quiet life with a family. Back then that had seemed to be what I would consider a 'normal and orderly' life. But as I grew older, and I gained more and more experience as a pirate on the Black Pearl, I began to realize that this was the life for me. To be free to roam the seas, to not be afraid of silly government laws and taxes and such, it was just you and the sea and wherever your heart leads you. This was true freedom, and I absolutely loved it.
There were a few things however that took me a while to get used to. About a few months after I had joined the crew, we dropped anchor just off the shore near Port Royal so we were sure not to be spotted. To my eternal bewilderment, the five of us were summoned to the Captain's quarters where he explained that it was time that we became involved in true piracy and ordered us to join them on their raiding of Port Royal. I remember how anxious I was as the plans of escape were laid out and, how my heart seemed to stop in realization when I received my own sword. This was it. It would be after this day that I would officially become a pirate. I would no longer be an innocent citizen under the King's watchful eye, but I would be a criminal and, if caught, would receive the ultimate punishment in the gallows. I only thought about this momentarily until I realized that this was what I was meant to be, a pirate.
We raided Port Royal later that day and oh, how the utter chaos and confusion seemed so incredibly satisfying. Mind you, I went into Port Royal with no intention to kill anyone, and luckily I didn't end up doing anything as much as bruise some frightened soul with the bottom of my shoe. We ran wild through the streets, spreading terror and treachery throughout the town and stealing supplies for our ship until the military came. I don't exactly recall how we managed to escape from the military that day, but it was a miracle that we didn't loose any crew members. With our escape routs memorized, we all split up into five groups and, by weaving through the crowded streets, we managed to all get back to the ship just in time to set sail and sail out of sight before the military ships left harbor. We had been victorious and had left our mark in the sad town of Port Royal, and we were still free. I felt daring, cunning, and above all else, alive. I was now a true pirate.
After the events that occurred in Port Royal, Jack and the rest of the crew decided that the five of us were now ready to be involved in bigger affairs, such a plundering ships. The thought of a battle on the sea was slightly alarming to me, I mean, so many things could go wrong and our ship may be destroyed, dragging us down with it as it sinks to the depths of Davy Jones Locker. My troubling thoughts began to swell as the day of attack became nearer, but I kept my wits about myself and before I knew it, my first plundering was upon me.
To my relief, the ship we encountered was a privateer's ship, and not a military one. Going by all that I had been taught, I prepared for battle with the rest of the crew, preparing cannons and sharpening swords and such. To our advantage, the privateers were caught off guard by our opening attack, leaving their sails open for damage. The sound of bellowing voices, the explosion of the cannons and the clinking of metal meeting metal were the sweet sounds of battle. The exhilarating thrill of swinging across the tiny gap onto the enemy vessel was almost too much to bear. As I landed on the other ship, a few foes charged at me and, with my quick thinking and being light on my toes, I defeated them with ease, therefore killing my first opponents as a pirate. I recall feeling a little woozy as I was cleaning off my bloodstained sword later that night after we had triumphed over the privateers, but I knew that I would soon get used to it, like the rest of the crew before me.
The years seemed to fly by as we sailed the open seas. We had raided a few small towns, plundered over a dozen enemy ships and, miraculously, only lost two crew members in the process (one was killed in battle, the other one was marooned) and life seemed like it couldn't get any better. Our loot had grown, and so had we. The five of us had grown tremendously over those few years, and before we knew it, the title 'deck hand' didn't seem to apply anymore. We began doing countless tasks, most of which were other crew member's jobs, but we didn't mind. We were always looking for a challenging new job and our knowledge of the ship's positions grew.
I remember on one exciting day I began to consider the dangers in the dark depths of the sea. It was dawn, and the sun was just rising and I had been sifting the gunpowder for Regatti, the Gunner Master, when all of a sudden something moving out on the glass like water caught my eye. I quickly turned around to see something long and black, something that looked like a tentacle disappear below the surface. My stomach sank at the sight and at the same time a wave of excitement spread through my body. Could that have been the very thing sailors have feared for years, the mythical guardian of the endless sea, the creature described in countless stories I had overheard years ago in the tavern, the Kraken? I dashed over to the railings and leaned over as far as I could without loosing my balance and squinted down at the clear water, only to be disappointed to find nothing. I told Ixta, Madison, Eric and Diana about my experience later that night and, after much debate, decided to keep it a secret amongst ourselves. Who knows, maybe we could get another good laugh out of Gibbs?
Weeks passed since my sighting of what I believed to be the Kraken and before I knew it, I had been a crew member aboard the Black Pearl for over four years. In that time the Captain had decided that it was time that my comrades and I were to move up to more powerful and promising positions on the ship. To my surprise, I was assigned the position of the Quartermaster, basically the right hand man (woman in this case) of the Captain. I knew what I duties were already because, since most of the crew consisted of lazy incompetent hooligans, I had often completed our former Quartermaster's tasks in the past. In my new and powerful position, I was more involved in the decisions made by the Captain than ever before. I was stunned about how much Jack seemed to value my opinion, but I never really thought much about it.
We set our course to Tortuga where we would load up on supplies when, to our delight, we met up with another privateer's vessel. We greedily confronted them and soon engaged in a hard, long violent battle to the death. Due to our lack of supplies, we ran out of cannon balls quickly and soon we had to rely on our overpowering numbers. We fought long and hard, and I nearly lost my life on numerous occasions, yet still I fought hard and strong in hopes that this new ship, Lady Eleanor, would soon my mine. Finally, their men were overpowered and we were, once again victorious. It seemed that lady luck was on our side, and guiding us through the treacherous path of life we had chosen for ourselves.
As Quartermaster, I had in my power the ability to become the Captain of any ship that our crew was able to overtake, and so, with Jack's authorization, the Lady Eleanor was mine for the keeping. I was ecstatic to be Captain, to be the head honcho of the ship. Jack also allowed me to have Eric, Diana, Ixta and Madison to be part of my crew, seeing as I would be unable to sail the ship to Tortuga on my own. We rejoiced when we watched the Black Pearl sail off into the distance. We had been a part of Captain Jack's loyal crew for years, and that was where we began our new, daring lives as the pirates we were. Wow, that was deep…though I have to say, I felt a little guilty just leaving like that, though it was about time we moved on to greater things. We renamed our vessel The Awakened, referring to the Kraken whom I still believed was living right under our noses, no matter how much the crew of the Black Pearl would jeer and laugh. They'll see.
Before the week's end, we arrived in Tortuga only to be welcomed by the warming sight of bar fights and just drunken pirates armed with weapons. In no time, we were able to gather up a small crew of gentleman whom believed that their lives were already pretty miserable, so any bad luck that would be brought upon them in the presence of women aboard the ship would be nothing compared to what they've already experienced. We stayed there in Tortuga for a few days, getting involved in great brawls, drinking, partying and stalking up on supplies, but before we knew it, we were off.
We weren't exactly sure where we were headed. For the first few weeks we just sailed on, encountering a few enemy ships along the way and engaging in battle. My newest crew members were very reliable, and they did they're jobs perfectly so I didn't have to concern myself with foolish little things. They also proved to be very dependable in battle as we, in the weeks to come, plundered ships and raided towns. We were on a winning streak, and I had never lost a battle in my life…that was until the battle against the Valiant.
My crew and I had been celebrating our good fortune with a little rum…just a little. We were filthy rich, had never lost a fight, were drinking lots of rum, and we were still free. The happy atmosphere was soon sucked out of the air when a small black figure was spotted on the horizon. As it became larger and larger, we discovered, to my dismay, that it was a navel ship, coming straight for us. We rushed to our battle stations, knowing that we wouldn't be able to outrun them, and loaded the cannons. I have to admit I had a bad feeling about this battle, I know that something horrible was going to occur, and I must say, that was the only time in my whole life that I wished I was wrong.
They came at us with powerful forces. We fought to the best of our abilities, slaying a few of the British soldiers, but we knew that it was a losing battle. Thinking quickly, I took aim and shot at the remaining gunpowder on the deck of The Awakened, and within moments, my pride and joy burst into flames. In all of the chaos and confusion, I signaled my trusted mates to escape, and with them out of sight, I was captured in minutes. My heart was sinking in sorrow. I had been caught, caught like a poor scared little mouse stuck between a corner and a hungry cat. I knew that my fate had been sealed and I would be hung in the time of at least a week. I understand that most people, well, most pirates actually, would never give themselves up for their crew, for they are only interested in looking out for themselves. Yet I feel differently, perhaps it's because of my female instincts or perhaps I was a different and more honorable pirate then those before me. Either way, I was going to die.
As prisoner on the Valiant, I spent most of my time sitting in dark solitude down bellow the deck during the journey to the Thames River, where I would spend the rest of my life in one of the leaky, barges with all of the other unfortunate souls who had been captured as well. The days snailed by and I was twitchy, irritable and ready for action. I wanted to smell the fresh, salty sea air instead of the repulsive smell of decay that seemed to hover in my tiny cell. Finally, we reached Thames and I face my trial, was charged on numerous counts of piracy and…
Here I am, spilling my guts out so that people will know, even long after I am dead and my body has degraded to nothing but dirt, how much I have no regret for being who I am and living my life. I am proud of my kind, proud of all the pirates whom still live their dreams and sail the seas freely. As my final days turn into hours, I pray that the legacy that we, now speaking for all of those I've had the pleasure of sailing with, created in our journeys are remembered and hopefully will not be lost in the unsteady tides of history. I hope that, in the very distant future, people will remember the name Ayla Marie Porter…
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of clinking metal and the cringing sound of the cell door creaking open. There in the doorway stood my escort; a British soldier in full uniform with a rifle resting on his shoulder. "Today's your lucky day, you get to visit the gallows, Deary." He said with a smug look on his face. I sighed softly and placed my writing on the floor of the mucky cell, then stood up to see the soldier eye to eye. Frowning, he grabbed hold of the chain connecting my shackled wrists and lead my down the isle way, ignoring the moans and pleas from my fellow inmates.
When I emerged from the darkness of the ship, I was suddenly basking in light, blinking madly as my eyes struggled to adjust to the light. When at last I could see, I saw that there was a large crowd of British citizens huddling around a large wooden platform and, on that there was a noose, swinging effortlessly from the plank in the slight wind. 'It's mocking me, cursed rope…' I thought to myself as I walked up the steps up to the top of the platform. The executioner, standing beside the noose, motioned for me to stand in front of him. I walked over with a stern look on my face, my mouth had been pressed into a straight line and as the evil rope was placed around my neck and the accusations were starting to be called out, I suddenly felt very strange.
I knew death was coming in a matter of minutes, so why was I so calm? I couldn't quite understand it. Suddenly, a thought came into my mind that made me chuckle. This was just like the story that Jack had always told us years ago, back when I was more innocent than now. He used to always tell us about when he was about to be hung in Port Royal and, miraculously, he noticed a young man, Will I believe he said his name was, come over to his aid and, by throwing his blade for Jack to stand on while he freed himself. Together they escaped and, to this day, Jack is still a free, careless man. I suppressed a small laugh then sighed and closed my eyes. The convenient luck that seemed to follow that pirate sometimes made you wonder if he were real or just some character from a children's story.
As the long list of charges was coming to an end, I opened my eyes and what I saw shocked me immensely. Standing only a few feet from the edge of the platform, in a long, elegant looking dress was Ixta, looking relieved that I had finally noticed her. With a few quick jerks of her head, she showed me the other three, scattered amongst the crowd in clean innocent looking clothes. Suddenly, I started to question my miraculous luck as well. Finally, the list had been read and, as the anxious crowd drew their breaths, the executioner pulled the leaver, releasing the ground below me.
It all happened so fast. As the noose began to tighten slightly around my neck, I held onto the rope, trying to buy myself some time, but before I knew it, I saw a shiny, silver streak speed right passed my head and cut the noose clean. Gasping, I fell to the ground, ripped the rope from my neck, and whipped it at a single soldier who seemed to be just as confused and flustered as the screaming crowd around him. The force I put into that throw knocked him out, causing him to crumple to the ground and leave his sword lying in the dirt. I dashed over and scooped it up, then turned to assist my comrades in our escape.
We climbed up the forgotten sails on the barge, swinging ourselves from mast to mast. When we at last made it to the crow's nest, Diana smiled menacingly as she pulled out a pistol and, like on The Awakened, shot a few barrels that had been 'conveniently' placed not to far from the platform bellow. The explosion was massive and satisfying, and with my crew, I swung down the ropes after them and followed them as they ran towards the docks. Battling with all we had, we reached the docks to see my crew with a ready getaway vessel. We dove into the water, dodging the bullets that began flying past us, and before we knew it, the gunshots had come to an end and the five of us were being hauled up aboard the ship.
That night was full of celebration and, when we celebrate, we celebrate. Rum bottles were distributed everywhere, and the night was full of song and dance. I was free. It was true, I had lost hope there, and I regret myself for it. I had escaped death, escaped the gallows and we had just escaped from right under the King's nose. I was feeling joyful and gitty, and I'm quite positive it wasn't just the rum talking. I sighed and took in the fresh salty air…satisfying. Gazing out onto the horizon, I thought about the events that had just occurred and I couldn't believe it at all. Suddenly, I saw something long and dark emerge from the water, wave about and then plunge right back into the sea. The Kraken, I guessed, smiling. Today wasn't destined to be the end, but it was to be the beginning.