Tales of The Blackbird

"HOOOLLLDD THE RODDERRR!” I screamed, being the captain of the sparrow, the fastest ship on the entire eastern sea, I had to be stern with my crew lest they step outta line, especially now of all times with the roaring storm calling our souls to ol’ Davy Jones. Fear ripped through the hearts of my entire crew as they hear a cracking sound coming from the main mastas it shattered and fell tearing down one of the sails and obliterating half my cabin. This one event brought misfortune, nearly turning the ship on its back and exposing the barnacles that lay under it. Alas, it was my job to save them all. I ordered the anchor to be dropped as I ran past the mizzen and headed to the lower deck. I had always kept the cannons loaded incase of an ambush and now that one insignificant rule was about to be put to good use. “Fire!” I shouted nearly tearing my own eardrums. But why? Some may ask. It was to push the ship backward and slow it down, and it worked. We took down the sails and some of my men decided to camp in the lower deck for the night leaving the ship at the mercy of the storm. I on the other hand stood at the nose of my ship. As fearless and as brave as ever, and that’s when I felt it, a sharp pain in my lower back. It was a blade. Lodged into my spine by one of my own. I started to feel dizzy so I could not place the face of my killer. Losing the feeling in my legs. I saw myself falling like a maple tree struck down by a bearded Scottish man. I was now off the ship and about to dive headfirst into the same ocean I found solace in for so long, but just before striking the sea…

*GAASSSP*

I awake. It was all a dream. Jamie, the little boy standing over me, was the one who woke me. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He said, as he giggled and ran off. It was morning and I was to get to work scrubbing the deck. The captain truly hates a dirty deck. I pick up the rags and the bucket and head out to the main deck. “Hey, watch where you’re going M’s” William said along with a hearty laugh as he walked past me holding his twin brother Bart, as we called him, in a choke hold. They had the most wholesome brotherly bond I had ever laid eyes on. Bartholomew being the smartest man in the world, or so the captain says, and William not the brightest fish in the sea but bearing a heart of gold and being the strongest man on the deck. I, on the other hand, am Emmanuel Mathias McCauley was known as “M’s”, as Emmanuel was my father’s name. Some would think I would be pushed around due to my skin being a little darker than the rest. Alas, with the captain’s “EQUALITY” rule in place, everyone was treated like family. Almost made the Black Bird feel like home. ”Oh and M’s, the captain’s called a meeting, and I have a good feeling it” William added completely interrupting my thought process. The captain usually doesn’t call meetings, he would rather echo it from the front of his cabin in a loud voice or tell Jamie to pass the word. Either way important information was never really hard to come by, so this was rather new. I headed for the quarter deck as it seemed like there was a crowd brewing in that axis. Just then, the little boy runs past me once more. “they always have so much energy” Pop said, as he leaned over my shoulder and grinned. “being nearly eighty years old yourself Pop, you’re one to talk” I said in reply as we both laughed before being called to attention by the little one banging a barnacle on one of the ships few metal parts. “I have been captain of this benevolent beast for the past thirty years, and I feel my time draws near” the captain spouted “and today I stand before you to confirm the rumors which have bled across this ship” he added. What rumors I thought to myself, I hadn’t heard anything and apparently I wasn’t the only one as the entire ship was doused in confusion. “From this day hence fort, I dub this man ’vice captain of the Black bird’, let all that hear this obey him. For when I am gone he will take up my quill and continue to draw the line of guidance for you lot” he announced holding up Will’s left hand. “Hurray” the crew echoed as they threw their hands in the air

**NIGHTFALL**

There is a party being thrown in the lower deck in celebration of will’s inauguration. I arrive late, as usual, and Will signals me to take the seat next to him, which he had just made free by slapping the original occupant off it. “I wonder why they celebrate.” He says in his deep British voice as he leans over me with one hand around my shoulder. “I’d only be captain when the old man is gone, and that’s really not looking like it’s soon enough,” he added with a slight grin across his now pale face. It was obvious he had had way too much to drink as he wreaked of booze. I myself really was not the drinking type and neither was Bartholomew, who is was seated at William’s right hand. Bart had a book in his hand, well then again he always did, but this book seemed to be about flowers and had a beautiful back cover. I would have asked to take a look if only I knew how to read, but I didn’t, and although Bart had promised me a million times to teach me, there was never enough time. “Then why don’t you kill him” one of the men shouted in response to Will’s earlier comment. “No mere man can take down the great Bardwell Thompson ” another shouted as he stood up in defense, ”You dare to call William Blackwell a mere man?” Jamie said from above hanging from a beam. The entire lower deck became rowdy as everyone wanted their opinions heard. Although, since they were all in their highest spirits, all except the little boy, it didn’t last very long. The celebration was over and I was left to do clean up duty. I was happy to do it as cleaning was a hobby I used to keep my sanity. I slept late but happy that night and I still have no idea why.

A few weeks pass and nothing interesting happened onboard, it was all the normal routine until one day, the captain steps out from his cabin and calls me into it. ”There has been an attempt on my life McCauley,” he said shakily as he poured out a glass. “That’s terrible captain, but by whom?, and why tell me?” I questioned him, as I had never really been a significant character on the black bird. “I do not know yet, but I do have my suspicions. Wait, Why you?..... WHY YOU?... well it’s because unlike the other forty-three men on this ship I raised you from scratch. Ever since I found you lost at sea in that little boat, I have nurtured you to being the man you are today. Therefore, you are the only one I can be certain is not involved in this” he replied. “What would you have me do captain?” I asked, already too flattered to keep a straight face. Then he said, “I want you to be my spy McCauley, to help me keep an eye on our beloved Vice Captain”, “William?” I exclaimed in utter disbelief as I prevented myself from being heard by holding on to my mouth firmly. I continued “But captain you can’t possibly think tha…” ”Boy I was nearly murdered today” he exclaimed sounding slightly provoked, looking upward as though seeing flashes of these past events he continued, “ I walked into my cabin and was about to take a seat, just then I looked above my seat and met my eyes with an oddly positioned axe peering down, and this is not the first time. It started with the electric eels in my tub, then the arrowhead beneath my pillows. I am sure that will…” “There you are” William says as he literally barges into the captain’s cabin, “I’ve been looking for you, there is a crack in the ship and it’s letting a lot of water in” he continued. “Take a few men and solve the problem then” the captain replied. “See that’s the thing captain until I bear your title I am but another crew mate. ‘Vice’ doesn’t mean anything to your crew, except a reason to drink and feast” William said, with none of the usual joy he had in his voice when he spoke. Letting out a sigh the captain stood up to follow. “you sure you’re not going to drink that” William says pointing at the glass the captain had poured earlier on, seeing as he hadn’t touched it. “nahh I’m not feeling it” the captain replies pouring the entire thing into the potted plant by the door. They both leave and I am left alone in the cabin. Upon leaving I see that the once healthy plant had withered in such short time. The rum was poisoned. I walk back to toward the table, pick up the bottle and fling it into the sea. The captain really is in danger.

The captain and the rest end up fixing the ship to be “as good as new”, according to the big man’s words, but not long after pop screams, “Brace for impact boys, storm cloud approaches”. He was not wrong the coming storm looked like it was going to sink the ship. The skies darken, as thunder sounds rage from every axis. The rains begin to pour down on us, like sardines on sale being sprinkled to keep fresh. The crew sets into panic as the ship begins to rock along with the waves. Commotion, confusion and fear as everyone tries to do their part to keep their lives. The captain was nowhere to be found and it seemed like William had noticed. Looking around he began to walk away as though in search of something, or someone. I let go of the sail and walk quietly behind him. Drenched in the rain and with the water getting into my eyes, I try to wipe it off with my hands and when I decide to continue on my pursuit, he is no longer in my sights. I turn around frantically, but I do not see him. Just then, the cabin door flies open as someone flies out of it and lands on the hard wood floor. Has he been caught? I ask myself. Thompson walks out slowly toward the man on the floor as the man looks up toward him. Lightning strikes and for a brief second everyone sees his face. Bartholomew? The questions flood my mind but it all makes sense, he is the only one smart enough to set such elaborate traps. I much later found that the book he was reading was on poisonous plants, but the question remained, why? What would he gain? “Why the attempts on my life Blackwell?” the captain asked as he pushed Bartholomew to the edge of the ship with a gun in hand. “You fat pig, you have lived a lavish life on this ship while we feed from the scraps you leave” he shouted angrily “it is high time my brother took over and we return to England, to our home from where you kidnapped us all those years ago. You murdered our household, and for what? Because we didn’t have any money to offer, and then you took me and my brother and made us pirates….. PIRATES. The scum of the earth” he continued as he sobbed. Everyone was in disbelief, especially William who seemed to have just come out from the toilet. “I saved you from that burning town and gave you life. I gave you adventure, and food and this is how you repay me?” the captain said. Then the captain gave a punch to the gut, which made Bartholomew fall to the floor and nearly slide off the ship. Holding on for dear life Bartholomew spat on the captain and then tried to wipe his bleeding face. Provoked, the captain fired his gun at Bart forcing him to let go of the ship, but just before falling Bartholomew holds on to the captain's left foot and drags him overboard and throws him into the sea. Bartholomew is able to grab hold of the ship’s beak and climb back onto the ship, but he is met by every crewmember, armed to the teeth, pointing weapons at him, including his beloved twin brother who was now holding a musket right up to his face

** GUNSHOT **

They both lost their lives that day, the captain and Bart that is. And the next day, William set out for England to find any remaining family he may have, he blamed himself for what had happened and did not want to cause any more trouble. When we asked who was to be captain without him there he said that Thompson’s crew did not need a captain to thrive and he was right. The next few years were great, we got occasional letters from William. He said he had encountered a beauty named Annabel and they had married and bore two kids. He hoped to hear from us soon and we hoped to see him too. We had already traveled half the world and were aiming on completing the quest. Jamie was turning twenty today and was still the most playful on the ship. Pop got sick but was still staying strong and hanging on, and me, well, I was living my best life as a regular crew member and taking notes of these adventures and how they reside in my memory as the ‘ Tales of the BlackBird ’.