'Take care of mum for me. Don't worry about me, no matter what happens
I'll always be there for you. I love you.'
That, was the last thing Amber heard from her father's lips. Even as the
rowboat drifted away from the wrecked ship. Even when they all watched in
horror as the ship sunk to the dark depths of the sea. Those words clung
to her heart so tightly that she forgot there was a storm. She remembered
nothing, how could she? One of the most important people in her life had
given their life away just so she got to safety. She would never see him
again. Never. She heard a murmur from behind her, it was her mother waking
up.
'Oh my head' she moaned, then she saw Amber, 'oh Amber your okay! What
happened? Where's Ren?' she asked almost to quickly.
Amber looked at her mother for a minute. She couldn't hold it in
anymore, her eyes started to sting from holding back tears. Eventually she
just gave in.
'I-I didn't mean t-to he told to cut the rope I-I didn't want to but I
did and now he's gone! Oh mum!' she cried choking back tears.
Ruby didn't say anything, she didn't have to, Amber already knew. She
held Amber in her arms and tried to calm her down, even though tears were
starting to stream down her eyes as well.
'I'm sorry' Amber mumbled between sobs
'Shhhh, it's not your fault' whispered Ruby 'h-he would have wanted it
this way'
They stayed like that for some time, not caring about the storm that was
at last starting to calm down as they headed towards the horizon.
So that was it. That was the tale of her father's death into a watery
grave. It happened ten years ago but still whenever Amber thinks of it
tears still come to her eyes, and she just keeps thinking to herself, why
oh why did I cut the rope? Everyone always told her it was a brave thing
to do, but no one ever told her if it was the right thing to do and that
didn't make her feel any better. It still astonished Amber of how two
people can lose someone they care about deeply in one night, but it's like
her mother always told her, 'his spirit still lives on, and nothing, and I
mean nothing will take that away with us, not even the murderous waters of
the sea'.
Amber tore her eyes away from the sea and sighed. Amber was now
nineteen, she had black hair, that came from her mother's side, and amber
eyes that gave her a name. She was quite beautiful and always had the one
or two eyes of men, but as charmed as she was, she wasn't exactly looking
for a relationship with anyone. It's not that she was shy, it was just
that none of the men were what she was looking for, in fact, Amber didn't
know what she was looking for. She just wanted something a little
different that's all. Although, she knew she had to marry soon sometime,
her mother wanted to see her grow up with a family, into a respectable
lady. As much as she didn't want to, she had to respect her mother's
wishes, but she still didn't see how she, Amber Robin, could ever be a
lady.
Her thoughts were interrupted by her mother calling her.
'Amber!'
Uh oh thought Amber
From the distance she could see her mum marching up towards her, her
facing fuming with rage.
This can't be good, she shuddered
' What are you doing here! How many times have I told you not to go near
the coast this late! It's dangerous!' Ruby yelled.
' Oh come on mum, what's the worst that could happen?'
' Pirates could happen that's what! Bunch o' filthy, disgusting, vile
cannibals the lot of em'!'
Amber hated it when her mum talked about pirates like this, how did she
know they were all cannibals? Some of the crew that were on the Red Robin
were ex-pirates and they were some of the jolliest people you could meet,
that is asides from the constant drinking of rum, the occasional punch up
fights and the vomiting. They used to have a game of 'Who could throw up
all the colours of the rainbow first', someone actually managed to throw up
something blue. She giggled at the memory.
'Don't you snigger at me young lady!' yelled Ruby, startling Amber back
to reality
'What? I wasn't sniggering, I was gig-, oh never mind' sighed Amber
Before she knew, her mum had grabbed her by the arm and was dragging her
back to the house, muttering under her breath as she went.
'I don't know what i'm going to do with you, if you father was here-'
'Yeah well he's not is he!' Amber cried, she pulled her mother's arm off
her. Now she was angry. The thing she hated above all things was talking
about her dad in a negative way.
' He's not here, and he never will be! Everyday you tell me he's here,
so where is he!?' Amber screamed, 'and besides! Dad was a Captain, how
do you know he wasn't a pirate!?'
Then without warning, Ruby smacked her across the face with such a force
Amber almost fell to the ground. Now Ruby was angry. Even her eyes were
watering from trying not to cry. If anyone knew Ruby well, they'd know
that she was not a person to cry in front of anyone.
'Don't you dare talk about your father like that!' she said, she was
pointing a finger at Amber with a look of pure anger, 'he was a good man,
he would never sink to the level of a pirate! Never! If your father was
here he'd tell ye the same thing! But he isn't because you cut the bloody
rope and left him to die on that god forsaken boat!!'
At that moment Ruby knew she hit a nerve. Suddely that pain in her heart
came back and hurt more than ever. Amber couldn't stand it anymore, she
couldn't stand running away from something that was her fault, she was sick
of her life and she was sick of this stupid island. She stomped up to the
house and slammed the door without a word before her mum could even
apoligise. She didn't need to say anything. It was all clear to her now.
Her father was dead, he wasn't coming back and it was all her fault.
The day past until the sun went to sleep and the moon awoke to reveal
night. In the village torches were lit and the streets lit up with a soft
orange glow. Everyone was falling into a peaceful slumber. All except for
Amber, who sat by her window, she was on her bed and was hugging her knees.
She'd been like that for some time now, her throat hurt from choking back
tears and her eyes were stinging and red. She had already shed her tears
for her dad and she promised she wouldn't do it again.
Then a soft sound was heard, it was a soothing sound. Amber recognised
it at once as the sound of a panflute. It was coming from the forest in
the distance, but that was impossible, no one ever went there, it was full
of snakes, crocodiles and other dangerous things.
'I've got to find that music' she whispered
Amber crept through the house and outside. She grabbed a torch and made
her way towards the forest when she got past the outskirts of the village
she looked back. The village looked so peaceful, so inviting. But that
music was so mysterious, it was as though it had casted a spell on her,
like it was calling her. With one glance back she made her way into the
dark forest, never looking back again.
I'll always be there for you. I love you.'
That, was the last thing Amber heard from her father's lips. Even as the
rowboat drifted away from the wrecked ship. Even when they all watched in
horror as the ship sunk to the dark depths of the sea. Those words clung
to her heart so tightly that she forgot there was a storm. She remembered
nothing, how could she? One of the most important people in her life had
given their life away just so she got to safety. She would never see him
again. Never. She heard a murmur from behind her, it was her mother waking
up.
'Oh my head' she moaned, then she saw Amber, 'oh Amber your okay! What
happened? Where's Ren?' she asked almost to quickly.
Amber looked at her mother for a minute. She couldn't hold it in
anymore, her eyes started to sting from holding back tears. Eventually she
just gave in.
'I-I didn't mean t-to he told to cut the rope I-I didn't want to but I
did and now he's gone! Oh mum!' she cried choking back tears.
Ruby didn't say anything, she didn't have to, Amber already knew. She
held Amber in her arms and tried to calm her down, even though tears were
starting to stream down her eyes as well.
'I'm sorry' Amber mumbled between sobs
'Shhhh, it's not your fault' whispered Ruby 'h-he would have wanted it
this way'
They stayed like that for some time, not caring about the storm that was
at last starting to calm down as they headed towards the horizon.
So that was it. That was the tale of her father's death into a watery
grave. It happened ten years ago but still whenever Amber thinks of it
tears still come to her eyes, and she just keeps thinking to herself, why
oh why did I cut the rope? Everyone always told her it was a brave thing
to do, but no one ever told her if it was the right thing to do and that
didn't make her feel any better. It still astonished Amber of how two
people can lose someone they care about deeply in one night, but it's like
her mother always told her, 'his spirit still lives on, and nothing, and I
mean nothing will take that away with us, not even the murderous waters of
the sea'.
Amber tore her eyes away from the sea and sighed. Amber was now
nineteen, she had black hair, that came from her mother's side, and amber
eyes that gave her a name. She was quite beautiful and always had the one
or two eyes of men, but as charmed as she was, she wasn't exactly looking
for a relationship with anyone. It's not that she was shy, it was just
that none of the men were what she was looking for, in fact, Amber didn't
know what she was looking for. She just wanted something a little
different that's all. Although, she knew she had to marry soon sometime,
her mother wanted to see her grow up with a family, into a respectable
lady. As much as she didn't want to, she had to respect her mother's
wishes, but she still didn't see how she, Amber Robin, could ever be a
lady.
Her thoughts were interrupted by her mother calling her.
'Amber!'
Uh oh thought Amber
From the distance she could see her mum marching up towards her, her
facing fuming with rage.
This can't be good, she shuddered
' What are you doing here! How many times have I told you not to go near
the coast this late! It's dangerous!' Ruby yelled.
' Oh come on mum, what's the worst that could happen?'
' Pirates could happen that's what! Bunch o' filthy, disgusting, vile
cannibals the lot of em'!'
Amber hated it when her mum talked about pirates like this, how did she
know they were all cannibals? Some of the crew that were on the Red Robin
were ex-pirates and they were some of the jolliest people you could meet,
that is asides from the constant drinking of rum, the occasional punch up
fights and the vomiting. They used to have a game of 'Who could throw up
all the colours of the rainbow first', someone actually managed to throw up
something blue. She giggled at the memory.
'Don't you snigger at me young lady!' yelled Ruby, startling Amber back
to reality
'What? I wasn't sniggering, I was gig-, oh never mind' sighed Amber
Before she knew, her mum had grabbed her by the arm and was dragging her
back to the house, muttering under her breath as she went.
'I don't know what i'm going to do with you, if you father was here-'
'Yeah well he's not is he!' Amber cried, she pulled her mother's arm off
her. Now she was angry. The thing she hated above all things was talking
about her dad in a negative way.
' He's not here, and he never will be! Everyday you tell me he's here,
so where is he!?' Amber screamed, 'and besides! Dad was a Captain, how
do you know he wasn't a pirate!?'
Then without warning, Ruby smacked her across the face with such a force
Amber almost fell to the ground. Now Ruby was angry. Even her eyes were
watering from trying not to cry. If anyone knew Ruby well, they'd know
that she was not a person to cry in front of anyone.
'Don't you dare talk about your father like that!' she said, she was
pointing a finger at Amber with a look of pure anger, 'he was a good man,
he would never sink to the level of a pirate! Never! If your father was
here he'd tell ye the same thing! But he isn't because you cut the bloody
rope and left him to die on that god forsaken boat!!'
At that moment Ruby knew she hit a nerve. Suddely that pain in her heart
came back and hurt more than ever. Amber couldn't stand it anymore, she
couldn't stand running away from something that was her fault, she was sick
of her life and she was sick of this stupid island. She stomped up to the
house and slammed the door without a word before her mum could even
apoligise. She didn't need to say anything. It was all clear to her now.
Her father was dead, he wasn't coming back and it was all her fault.
The day past until the sun went to sleep and the moon awoke to reveal
night. In the village torches were lit and the streets lit up with a soft
orange glow. Everyone was falling into a peaceful slumber. All except for
Amber, who sat by her window, she was on her bed and was hugging her knees.
She'd been like that for some time now, her throat hurt from choking back
tears and her eyes were stinging and red. She had already shed her tears
for her dad and she promised she wouldn't do it again.
Then a soft sound was heard, it was a soothing sound. Amber recognised
it at once as the sound of a panflute. It was coming from the forest in
the distance, but that was impossible, no one ever went there, it was full
of snakes, crocodiles and other dangerous things.
'I've got to find that music' she whispered
Amber crept through the house and outside. She grabbed a torch and made
her way towards the forest when she got past the outskirts of the village
she looked back. The village looked so peaceful, so inviting. But that
music was so mysterious, it was as though it had casted a spell on her,
like it was calling her. With one glance back she made her way into the
dark forest, never looking back again.