Chapter One
"To the everlasting life of the pirate trade!" proclaimed Ricky, the wildest and most jovial of all of Cel's friends. They had docked in Tortuga to celebrate the end of the crew of the Black Pearl whose hanging would be the next morn.
"Aye, to the life of a pirate!" Cel replied. She had been a pirate since she left England two years before. Her father had decided to retire, after being thrown overboard tied to a cannon. He had arrived in England the morning after Cel's birth and the death of her mother. As for Cel's brother, he had run away after hearing of his mother's death. Cel often wondered why he had left her alone in England when he left for the Caribbean, but had always told herself that Wil had assumed that she had died as well.
"Cel, what are you thinking of?" asked Ricky, "You have a far away look on your face." This statement broke into Cel's thoughts.
"Oh, just my brother and my mother. I wish that I could have met them," she replied, "I don't even know if Wil would have liked me."
"How could someone not like the best woman pirate in the Caribbean?" The look that Cel gave him in reply was not very hopeful. "Now listen, Celeste," Ricky told her. Cel knew that Ricky would not use her full name unless he was serious. "We've looked everywhere for your brother. No pirate has heard of him."
"What if he didn't become a pirate? What if he took up another trade?"
"How could the son of Bootstrap Bill be anything but a pirate?" Ricky said, trying to reassure her, "Or any daughter for that matter?"
"Now, Richard Bly, are you saying that I couldn't be just anything that I wanted to be?" Cel asked, jokingly.
"No, I'm just saying that piracy is in your heart and in your blood. It's instinctive," he replied, "Now have a drink. Remember what happened last time when you didn't have a drink?" Celeste remembered. There had been a series of humorous happenings that involved a multitude of people made at her for shooting all of the rum barrels after the bar tender refused to give her any. Indeed, he had looked so funny with a rum barrel over his head as he waundered all over Toruga. Cel smiled and lifted her glass. She turned to see who that she knew was in the alehouse. She gazed around. There was Gilly Gun, Four-fingered Freddy, Almost-hanged Harry, and several others that she had met before. As Cel turned to take it all in, she sighted someone who looked somewhat familiar. She couldn't put her finger on who the young man reminded her of and took a swig to help clear her mind. Mid-gulp it hit her. The rum flew from her mouth and Cel stood there staring. Ricky turned to see what was wrong with Cel. It just happened that he turned right into the path between Cel and who she had seen. When Cel had finally convinced Ricky that she was fine and got him to move, the man was gone. Cel looked, but could not find him anywhere. She was convinced, however, that what she had seen was not a figment of her imagination for an ale still sat where the man had been sitting and his drinking partner was still there, glass in hand with a thoughtful look.
"To the everlasting life of the pirate trade!" proclaimed Ricky, the wildest and most jovial of all of Cel's friends. They had docked in Tortuga to celebrate the end of the crew of the Black Pearl whose hanging would be the next morn.
"Aye, to the life of a pirate!" Cel replied. She had been a pirate since she left England two years before. Her father had decided to retire, after being thrown overboard tied to a cannon. He had arrived in England the morning after Cel's birth and the death of her mother. As for Cel's brother, he had run away after hearing of his mother's death. Cel often wondered why he had left her alone in England when he left for the Caribbean, but had always told herself that Wil had assumed that she had died as well.
"Cel, what are you thinking of?" asked Ricky, "You have a far away look on your face." This statement broke into Cel's thoughts.
"Oh, just my brother and my mother. I wish that I could have met them," she replied, "I don't even know if Wil would have liked me."
"How could someone not like the best woman pirate in the Caribbean?" The look that Cel gave him in reply was not very hopeful. "Now listen, Celeste," Ricky told her. Cel knew that Ricky would not use her full name unless he was serious. "We've looked everywhere for your brother. No pirate has heard of him."
"What if he didn't become a pirate? What if he took up another trade?"
"How could the son of Bootstrap Bill be anything but a pirate?" Ricky said, trying to reassure her, "Or any daughter for that matter?"
"Now, Richard Bly, are you saying that I couldn't be just anything that I wanted to be?" Cel asked, jokingly.
"No, I'm just saying that piracy is in your heart and in your blood. It's instinctive," he replied, "Now have a drink. Remember what happened last time when you didn't have a drink?" Celeste remembered. There had been a series of humorous happenings that involved a multitude of people made at her for shooting all of the rum barrels after the bar tender refused to give her any. Indeed, he had looked so funny with a rum barrel over his head as he waundered all over Toruga. Cel smiled and lifted her glass. She turned to see who that she knew was in the alehouse. She gazed around. There was Gilly Gun, Four-fingered Freddy, Almost-hanged Harry, and several others that she had met before. As Cel turned to take it all in, she sighted someone who looked somewhat familiar. She couldn't put her finger on who the young man reminded her of and took a swig to help clear her mind. Mid-gulp it hit her. The rum flew from her mouth and Cel stood there staring. Ricky turned to see what was wrong with Cel. It just happened that he turned right into the path between Cel and who she had seen. When Cel had finally convinced Ricky that she was fine and got him to move, the man was gone. Cel looked, but could not find him anywhere. She was convinced, however, that what she had seen was not a figment of her imagination for an ale still sat where the man had been sitting and his drinking partner was still there, glass in hand with a thoughtful look.