Chapter Two--Pirate Story Theme

                                                   Destiny

                                         By: Maddy L. Lien 

       Esmeralda took a step back as if she had been struck. Suddenly she felt dizzy and the floor seemed to rise to meet her. As she fainted, three words crossed her mind, Caspian is gone! 

When Esmeralda awoke, she realized she was in her bed. The sun was rising, a beautiful contrast to the blue sky. But Esmeralda could not enjoy the sunrise as she usually would. As everything flooded back to her, she began to weep. Deep sobs that came from the center of her being and spilled out, drenching the pillows in her grief. She sobbed until she could weep no more. And then she lay there. She felt no desire to rise. To face a world without her best friend. But deep inside Esmeralda knew he was more than that. But she would not admit it to even herself. For several hours she remained in that position. Esmeralda had just determined to get up when she heard a light knock on her door. She lifted her head as her mother walked in. 

"You're up!" she said, softly. "What happened? Some men brought you to the door last night. They said you fainted!" 

      Fresh grief washed over Esmeralda as she said, "Caspian's ship..." she paused as she tried to keep her composure. "Maelstrom..." Was all she could get out before she began crying again. Her mother wrapped her arms around Esmeralda and rocked back and forth on the bed as Esmeralda cried herself out again. When her weeping was reduced to soft sobs, her mother said, "I'm so sorry, dear." Inside Esmeralda something had disappeared when she found out Caspian was gone. It was the thing that kept her hoping he would visit. The thing that caused her to want to make him smile. It was replaced by anger. She was angry at him for leaving. She was angry with the captain for taking him away, though she knew it was silly. But most of all, she was angry at the pirates on the Maelstrom. 

For two weeks Esmeralda went about her normal life as if nothing had happened. Nobody but her mother could tell that anything was wrong. But her mother knew, as mother's are wont. She knew that her daughter had not healed from the hurt and that she probably never would. But Esmeralda would conceal it if it drove her mad!

 

      Three weeks after Caspian disappeared, the sun set red as blood. At midnight, a figure could be seen climbing down from the top floor of the inn. But no one noticed. As Esmeralda dropped from the last foothold, she slung her bag over her back. She was wearing baggy pants and a loose shirt. A boys outfit. Her long beautiful hair was cut short like a boy. She headed out to the road and began walking down it. Esmeralda was going to hunt down the Maelstrom and kill every pirate on it. Or so she hoped.

       She reached the docks and kept to the shadows. There were few people out at this hour and those who were were mostly drunken sailors. Esmeralda shuddered as she heard a sailor yell foul words at another. The two were soon on the ground rolling and landing clumsily and badly placed blows. For a moment they were right in front of her but they soon rolled out of view. She heard a sickening thud, then a crack and then she could hear no more of the fight. She watched as the first sailor emerged from the alley in which he had fought and crack his knuckles. He glanced around victoriously and their eyes met. He was heading for her. She realized her danger and began running down the street. The sailor began to chase her. She dodged past the few people who were on the streets until she ran smack into a tall man. He held her so she could not flee and said to the sailor who was only seconds behind her, "Jackson, what are you doing?"

        The sailor called Jackson shrugged. The man continued to hold her firmly as he asked gruffly, 

"And what is a young lad such as yourself doing at so late an hour on so dangerous a street?"

"I was looking for a ship to find work on," Esmeralda blurted out. 

"Is that so?" said the man, rubbing his chin. "I just happen to be the captain of a ship myself and we just lost our cabin boy. Would you care to join my crew? You don't look very sturdy but a couple weeks of hard work and sun and sea air should fatten you up, eh?" he chuckled slightly to himself. 

"If you'll have me, sir, I would love to sail with you." Esmeralda groaned silently. She sounded so foolish!

"What is your name, lad?" 

"Caspian." Esmeralda surprised herself, but as soon as she said the name a jab of pain coursed through her. It hurt so much she almost could have sworn someone stuck a knife through her ribs. But the pain was gone as suddenly as it had come. The anger had returned. 

The captain looked more closely at her. 

"Ok, then, Caspian. Be at my ship an hour before dawn to help load the cargo. We leave at dawn precisely." 

"Which ship is yours?"

"That beauty over there called the Destiny." The captain turned then and began walking away. Jackson glared at her and then followed. Esmeralda had found a ship to work on! Now she just had to make sure no one found her out...

     

  

(Hope, you may start Chapter Three when ready!)