Pirates of the Carribean
The busy streets of England didn't help me reach my destination to the docks; my small feet moved as fast as I could let them. I had no where to go and no money; my mother had died three years ago leaving me all alone. I remembered her telling me that my father was still alive and was a sailor. So after living on the streets fending for myself for three years and now at the rambunctious age of six, I was determined to find my father and live on the high seas with him and hopefully live a better, happier life. Once I got to the docks, I spotted the ship that was taking on passengers to go to the 'New World'; and so I snuck through a group of men and women. I looked up at the guards and noticed that they didn't bother pulling me aside or ask anyone, they probably thought I was a daughter to the one mother who was dealing with two children that were misbehaving. Finally on board of the huge passenger ship, I was herded down to the lower layers where people had to stay for the while until the ship would be on its way out to sea. I was pushed about the hustle and bustle, I decided since I had no real possessions, I curled up in a ball in the corner and gripped the silver coin on a chain that my mother gave me which was from my father; I turned the coin over and over allowing the silver chain around my neck to twist, to me the coin appeared to be some form of currency that was rare. Slowly after letting the chain go and watching the coin spin round and round until it stopped, I slowly fell fast asleep.
I woke to the tantalizing scent of roast pork, potatoes, beets and bread. My mouth began to salivate profusely as I spotted the long wooden table not but 20 feet away from where I lay, full of people and FOOD! My eyes opened more and my stomach growled as I licked my lips. I looked around in hopes to sneak at least a piece of bread to eat. But to my disappointment, there were a lot of people buzzing around and no room to even think about reaching an arm onto the table. So I just stayed still in my lonely corner and watched the food disappear before my eyes. I held my empty stomach and closed my eyes in order to try and hold back the small, faint hint of tears from the pain. After a huge wave of pain shot through my stomach, I glanced back at the table thinking that maybe, just maybe someone would hopefully feel bad for a starving six year old girl and give me some scraps if I begged on the floor like a mongrel pup. But then someone caught my eye as I stayed huddled in my corner thinking of ways to get food; it was a young boy about eight years old staring at me with a mouth full of food. He had a head full of brown hair and from what I thought were brown eyes. I looked away and tried to get back to sleep; but was interrupted when the same boy walked away from the table with his plate full of food and slowly headed toward me. I pretended not to notice and hoped that he would go away. Instead of going to a different room in the ship, he sat down on the floor next to me and set the plate on the floor in front of me. I looked from the plate to him with a questioning look; he seemed okay with the fact of handing over his rations to me and nodded toward the plate. I looked back at the plate and then quickly grabbed at what my hands first landed in. I ate the food without even a second thought and tried to fill my stomach up as much as I could without dry-heaving from over stuffing my belly. When I had stopped eating, the boy handed me a mug full of water which I gratefully took and slowly sipped on the cold liquid to help settle my churning, over full stomach.
"My names Will. Will Turner." The boy said as we walked around the deck of the huge passenger ship. He smiled at me as I looked over the side to the ship to see the ocean waves crash against the side of the ship making me nervous. Will grabbed my arm gently, pulled me back a couple paces and guided me to the front of the ship to watch the ocean ahead of us pass by. I slightly gaped at the wondrous sight of the sun of the verge of setting on the horizon we were headed to.
"My names Bethany Sparrow." I smiled as I looked back over my shoulder to see him giving me the same smile I now had on my face. Then without another word, we watched the sun set together. By the time the sun was almost gone from sight Will took my hand in his and stepped back a pace. I turned around and then he took my other hand in his other free hand; then we silently danced on the bow of the ship while the sun slowly slipped out of sight and allow the night to reign the sky for the time being. Throughout our dance, we weren't disturbed by a soul. Will spun me around several times, which caused me to get slightly dizzy and fall into his arms. We both giggled and decided that watching the stars would be safer for the moment. The both of us suddenly spotted a shooting star fly across the blackened night sky and looked at each other. "Make a wish." we both chimed to each other and laughed out of speaking the same thought. We both closed our eyes and bowed our heads to make a wish. We were in the middle of making our wishes when I felt Will's hand take mine.
"What did you wish for?" Will asked me as we walked back to the lower decks to get ready for bed. I didn't look forward to sleeping in my corner tonight because of the sheer chill of the night. It was early spring and the night air still held winter's chill and still would for another week or so. I looked over at Will as we descended the wooden stairs to our level. I smiled and thought it would be safe to tell; what could happen?
"I wished that we could be together forever." I tried not to blush at my sheepish wish. I was sure that he had wished for something better than mine. But I was shocked that he didn't laugh at my wish; but he did smile at the thought.
"That's funny. I wished for the same thing." Will smirked as he saw me blush even more. "But I will make you this promise if you will have me be there throughout our travels. You also must promise on your side of this as well." He reached over and held my hand as we stood still on the center stair half way down the staircase. I looked down at our entwined hands and smiled as my deep, ocean blue eyes met his brown ones.
"Okay. Will. What do I have to promise?" I asked with nothing more than a slight whisper.
"That you won't leave me. Because I promise that I will do the same as well as protect you with my life." He pulled me into his arms and hugged me as my eyes began to gloss over with tears.
"I promise." I whispered against his shoulder. "I won't EVER leave you. I promise." I cried as I held onto him. I felt him smile against my blonde hair that I couldn't care for well since my mother's death.
That night, he let me sleep with him on his hammock in the sleeping quarters. It was the safest I have ever felt in my life. But of course nothing ever lasted forever; especially when it is dealing with my happiness. What none of the crew members of the ship knew was that they were being followed by the fastest pirate ship in the Carribean, The Black Pearl.
"Ooooo! Ooooo! Grandpa! Lookie! A ship! Can we blow it to smithereens?" A young girl with brown hair bounced as she ran around her Grandfather who was the Captain of the pirate ship. "Please Grandpa Barbossa?" She began to tug at his long coat sleeves hoping that he would grant her wish.
"Okay. Okay Gem. Grandpa Barbossa will make his special granddaughter happy." He smiled down at the now giggling girl as he ruffled her brown hair. Then he looked up at the passenger ship and then began to bark out orders to his crew. "LOAD THE CANNONS! LOAD ON THE STARBOARD SIDE! CATCH 'EM WITH SURPRISE YA MANGY SCURVY MONGRELS!" The crew worked fast with going to the cannons and loading them for the planed attack. "FIRE!" The cannons were lit and exploded as they shot out their ammunition. Captain Barbossa laughed along with his Granddaughter as they watched the ship acquire holes.
Will and I woke up as the ship rocked from the cannon balls hitting it broad side. Wood splintered as it broke from another shot. I fell off of the hammock and hit the wood floor hard. Will jumped down from the hammock and helped me up onto my feet; by then people were wide awake screaming and running about looking for an escape.
"C'mon! We have to get on the top deck!" Will yelled as he pulled me toward the stairs to try and escape by jumping overboard. All I could hear were the cannons roaring from now both ships, women and other children screaming, and the cracking and splintering of wood as a cannon ball struck on impact.
"PREPARE TO BOARD! BRING ME ANYTHING WORTH SOMETHING AND FIND ME A MEDALLION!" Barbossa yelled. Some crew members grabbed ropes and began to swing to the other ship to do as their Captain ordered.
Once on the upper deck, Will and I looked around to find crew members fighting with pirates that had started the invasion. Just as the Captain of our ship was killed by a pirate that was Jamaican, the same pirate spotted us and saw my necklace that held one of the nine pieces of eight. The ragged pirate smiled evilly and headed toward me and Will. Will saw this and began to usher me toward the side of the boat. We both ran as fast as our legs could without getting in the way of a fight or getting caught. We were almost to the side of the ship when I was yanked out of Will's grip.
"Will!" I screamed and tried to pull away from the Jamaican pirate. Will turned around and began to run back to try and rescue me. When he was about five feet away from me, he was grabbed by a scraggly pirate that had a wooden eye. He tried to pull away, but was as unsuccessful as I was.
"Let me go!" Will grunted as he pulled his arm, attempting to release it. The pirate thought that the boy wasn't worth anything of any value as I was and threw will overboard. And with that I was taken captive along with other goods and belongings of the passengers; before the pirates blew the passenger ship to pieces.
"What have we here?" Captain Barbossa asked as he approached me standing in the middle of the ring of pirates that had gotten on board from their plundering. "I thought I told you no prisoners." But before anyone could answer, he saw a quick glimpse of my necklace that held the silver piece of eight. In that instant he knew what my value was and would be put to good use when the time came right. "I see. But where to put you." Barbossa whispered to himself as he bent down to inspect me some more. He grabbed my right hand and lifted my sleeve to expose a scar from a branding iron that was shaped as the letter 'P'. I remembered getting the scar when I was only four, I had tried to steal an apple from a cart but was caught in the act and was branded by a young man named Beckett. He said he knew my father and wouldn't tell me more than that as the searing hot branding iron touched my skin, as my skin began to sizzle and smoke, my screams could be heard as the burn worked its way deeper in my flesh, making the scar it had made permanent.
"Hey Grandpa! Can we keep her! PLEEAASSEEE! I can help her! I wanna have her as a friend. If you have her killed, I'll NEVER forgive you!" a girl about my age but possibly a year younger had popped out from behind the Captain and hugged me around the neck as tight as she possibly could. I looked at the Captain with a questioning glance and saw that he smiled down at the girl. He ruffled her hair making it poof up in spots and allowed me to be kept with her in her quarters.
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Over the span of ten years did I stay with the pirates that had now become my family. I had learned how to shoot a gun so well that I could kill someone without even looking at my target, knot ropes, collect treasure and many other things that a pirate should know. But soon both me and the girl named Gem that was now a very close friend had to leave the Black Pearl and make a life of our own. So we were left in a place called Tortuga. Where the Black Dragon was born.
