The day dawned earlier than usual in the morning but already I was hard at
work. Due to the mess of sand and wet footprints that I had trampled into
the tavern the previous night I had my work cut out for myself. I scrubbed
the floors and I scrubbed the tables, then I scrubbed the bar, then I
scrubbed the mugs. I was still scrubbing when he came down in one of his
filthy moods.
"Work harder" he yelled.
He could see how hard I was working already but he always had to tell me off for something to prove that it was he and not I that were in charge. However I did not take it to heart and I smiled to myself inside about this man who takes pride in such a small and pitiful tavern such as this was.
In the beginning I had resented him for his commands and yells because before then I had had no one who would tell me what to do. I was free to do as I will, or up to a point anyway. In those bitter days I had often thought of unsheathing my sword and showing him who was boss, but that would have gone against all that my mother had taught me. To kill an innocent man. Instead I buried my anger and eventually it turned into pity.
The morning chores finally ended at two in the afternoon and as soon as I had given the boss his lunch I set out for my free time. I was not needed again until three which gave me time to spend an hour on the beach.
When I reached the beach I took in a deep breath of the sea air. It wasn't as good as being out at sea but for the time being this was the best I could get. I unsheathed my sword and began to act out all of my favourite moves. Most pirates become a little rusty at their sword work if they hadn't put it into practice for a few months but it was like a second nature to me. It was as though every time I picked up a sword my whole life would go on hold as I felt the power of the cold steel run through my body.
I began getting a little carried away failing my sword around wildly going through thrash after thrash of movements getting quicker and quicker. I didn't realise that the shadowy man who had been watching me the night before was starting to approach me. I yearned for an opponent, longed to feel the thrill of another battle. I was running through a twirl slash when I suddenly felt the chink of another sword against mine.
Immediately, before even turning around, I curved my sword under the challenger's blade flipped it up into the air and caught it with my free hand. I swung around to see the round face of a slightly scared pirate with his hands in the air.
"Sorry to startle you young missy" he said nervously glancing at the sharp sword tip that had been thrust near his face.
I squinted at this man and cocked my head slightly. Did I know this man? He looked familiar.
"Bella? You don't remember me do you" he said in answer to my looks.
"Hang on.no don't tell me" I said when he opened his mouth to tell his name.
I cast my mind back; back to my life on the ship, back to Tortuga. Tortuga! That is where I had met this man!
"Mr Gibbs!" I said finally.
He sighed, relieved. I sheathed my sword and flung his sword into the air catching it with my left hand. I passed it back to him and smiled at his look of astonishment.
"How did you." he trailed off
"Thick skin" I replied showing him the thick strip of skin that had protected my hand from getting cut from the swords sharp blade. I had accumulated over the years by practicing it and, of course, putting it into practice.
I sat down and motioned for him to do the same.
"What on earth brings you here?" I questioned him amazed that someone from my past had caught up with me.
"I was going to ask you the same thing. But we will talk about that later, where is Anamaria?"
I looked at the ground. He didn't know. The memory of it all came flooding back through my mind, the pain, and the loss. I hadn't talked about it with anyone, not even the lady who rescued me it was too hard. I fell silent.
"Eh?" he asked again, "where's your mom?"
I had to tell him. There was no easy way out.
"She's.dead," I whispered. I shut my eyes waiting for his reply.
But it didn't come. I felt his arm around my shoulder and I looked up into his face. He was staring out to sea, the afternoon sunlight reflected in his round face.
"When your as old as I am" he said at long last, "you see a great number of people around you die. And when you're a pirate you see a great number of people die. When I was your age my mother died and I thought that I'd never get over her death. The fact is you have to learn about death. Now your mother she taught you good. Fightin', stealin'and livin'. But the one thing she couldn't teach you was how to deal with death. Everyone has to sort that out for themselves, have their own way of dealing with it you know? When your fighting a battle and someone you love dies you cant just stop fighting and go over to them because you've gotta fight to keep yourself alive. Do you understand what im tellen' yea?"
I nodded, letting it all sink in. It was painful but he was right, when a persons dead their dead.
"When you're a pirate you have to expect those you love to die every now and then. It's the life that we have all chosen and your mother would have wanted to die in battle instead of rotting away into an old and helpless woman."
I took in a deep breath and wiped my tears away. I was a pirate. I could deal with death. Even though I didn't realise it then those words from Mr Gibbs would often comfort me in the years to come.
Suddenly I looked into the sky and saw the sun beginning to set. I was late for work!
"Mr Gibbs! Oh I'm so sorry I have to go, I'm late for work!" I gabbled trying desperately to tie up my shoes and comb my wild hair back.
"Work?" he enquired while I rushed about getting ready, "so that's where I saw you go last night?"
"Yes, I'll tell you about it tomorrow but I really must go now," I said quickly as I stood up.
"I'll meet you here at the same time tomorrow then ok?" he shouted after me as I began to run towards the bar.
"Sure ok"
Then he shouted something else after me but I didn't let it sink in properly as I was in such a rush.
I reached the bar just in time. Met by evil glowers from the boss I ran behind the bar and began serving rum for all the rowdy pirates.
Then I froze. I had just realised what Mr Gibbs had yelled at me. The glass tankard I was holding slid out of my hand and smashed with and ear- splitting crash. I stood there my face in disbelief at what he had said:
"I'll help you find your father"
"Work harder" he yelled.
He could see how hard I was working already but he always had to tell me off for something to prove that it was he and not I that were in charge. However I did not take it to heart and I smiled to myself inside about this man who takes pride in such a small and pitiful tavern such as this was.
In the beginning I had resented him for his commands and yells because before then I had had no one who would tell me what to do. I was free to do as I will, or up to a point anyway. In those bitter days I had often thought of unsheathing my sword and showing him who was boss, but that would have gone against all that my mother had taught me. To kill an innocent man. Instead I buried my anger and eventually it turned into pity.
The morning chores finally ended at two in the afternoon and as soon as I had given the boss his lunch I set out for my free time. I was not needed again until three which gave me time to spend an hour on the beach.
When I reached the beach I took in a deep breath of the sea air. It wasn't as good as being out at sea but for the time being this was the best I could get. I unsheathed my sword and began to act out all of my favourite moves. Most pirates become a little rusty at their sword work if they hadn't put it into practice for a few months but it was like a second nature to me. It was as though every time I picked up a sword my whole life would go on hold as I felt the power of the cold steel run through my body.
I began getting a little carried away failing my sword around wildly going through thrash after thrash of movements getting quicker and quicker. I didn't realise that the shadowy man who had been watching me the night before was starting to approach me. I yearned for an opponent, longed to feel the thrill of another battle. I was running through a twirl slash when I suddenly felt the chink of another sword against mine.
Immediately, before even turning around, I curved my sword under the challenger's blade flipped it up into the air and caught it with my free hand. I swung around to see the round face of a slightly scared pirate with his hands in the air.
"Sorry to startle you young missy" he said nervously glancing at the sharp sword tip that had been thrust near his face.
I squinted at this man and cocked my head slightly. Did I know this man? He looked familiar.
"Bella? You don't remember me do you" he said in answer to my looks.
"Hang on.no don't tell me" I said when he opened his mouth to tell his name.
I cast my mind back; back to my life on the ship, back to Tortuga. Tortuga! That is where I had met this man!
"Mr Gibbs!" I said finally.
He sighed, relieved. I sheathed my sword and flung his sword into the air catching it with my left hand. I passed it back to him and smiled at his look of astonishment.
"How did you." he trailed off
"Thick skin" I replied showing him the thick strip of skin that had protected my hand from getting cut from the swords sharp blade. I had accumulated over the years by practicing it and, of course, putting it into practice.
I sat down and motioned for him to do the same.
"What on earth brings you here?" I questioned him amazed that someone from my past had caught up with me.
"I was going to ask you the same thing. But we will talk about that later, where is Anamaria?"
I looked at the ground. He didn't know. The memory of it all came flooding back through my mind, the pain, and the loss. I hadn't talked about it with anyone, not even the lady who rescued me it was too hard. I fell silent.
"Eh?" he asked again, "where's your mom?"
I had to tell him. There was no easy way out.
"She's.dead," I whispered. I shut my eyes waiting for his reply.
But it didn't come. I felt his arm around my shoulder and I looked up into his face. He was staring out to sea, the afternoon sunlight reflected in his round face.
"When your as old as I am" he said at long last, "you see a great number of people around you die. And when you're a pirate you see a great number of people die. When I was your age my mother died and I thought that I'd never get over her death. The fact is you have to learn about death. Now your mother she taught you good. Fightin', stealin'and livin'. But the one thing she couldn't teach you was how to deal with death. Everyone has to sort that out for themselves, have their own way of dealing with it you know? When your fighting a battle and someone you love dies you cant just stop fighting and go over to them because you've gotta fight to keep yourself alive. Do you understand what im tellen' yea?"
I nodded, letting it all sink in. It was painful but he was right, when a persons dead their dead.
"When you're a pirate you have to expect those you love to die every now and then. It's the life that we have all chosen and your mother would have wanted to die in battle instead of rotting away into an old and helpless woman."
I took in a deep breath and wiped my tears away. I was a pirate. I could deal with death. Even though I didn't realise it then those words from Mr Gibbs would often comfort me in the years to come.
Suddenly I looked into the sky and saw the sun beginning to set. I was late for work!
"Mr Gibbs! Oh I'm so sorry I have to go, I'm late for work!" I gabbled trying desperately to tie up my shoes and comb my wild hair back.
"Work?" he enquired while I rushed about getting ready, "so that's where I saw you go last night?"
"Yes, I'll tell you about it tomorrow but I really must go now," I said quickly as I stood up.
"I'll meet you here at the same time tomorrow then ok?" he shouted after me as I began to run towards the bar.
"Sure ok"
Then he shouted something else after me but I didn't let it sink in properly as I was in such a rush.
I reached the bar just in time. Met by evil glowers from the boss I ran behind the bar and began serving rum for all the rowdy pirates.
Then I froze. I had just realised what Mr Gibbs had yelled at me. The glass tankard I was holding slid out of my hand and smashed with and ear- splitting crash. I stood there my face in disbelief at what he had said:
"I'll help you find your father"