studying the silent sloop for several hours. Once again, he lifted the spyglass and ran the length of the deck. Johnny leaned close and asked, “Do you think she’s abandoned, Captain?”
* * *
“Possibly. There has been no movement topside, though she could be a decoy.” Deegan’s dark eyes were lit with anticipation at the forthcoming conquest. They were six days into their one allotted week at sea, before the ship would return to their island of exile.
It had been fifty years since the small crew woke to find their boat waiting patiently in the cove with the gangplank lowered in the shallow water and inviting them to board. It was not their first indication that the sailing time was once again at hand. The women they captured never aged on the island, but on the day the boat reappeared, they turned to chalky dust. The first few times it was quite disarming, but now the men accepted it as another twist to Clarette’s curse.
Deegan ordered the schooner to silently approach from the back, and Felix suggested, “Maybe there is an illness on board, keeping them confined below?”
“There should still be a crew member keeping watch topside, and if that were the case lamps would be lit so they could take care of themselves,” Deegan replied.
The mystery ship was a sleek vessel, one of the many they had captured and been forced to release because an attempt to sail on any vessel but the schooner left the pirates waking up on the beach of the island without the benefit of their boat or any women or treasures they had obtained, and a half century wait for another opportunity. Their one attempt had cured them of any ideas of making it to Tortuga aboard any other vessel.
Twice they had tried to make their way back to the stronghold when their ship was returned to them. As soon as they neared Tortuga, a thick fog settled over their ship, and when it cleared they found themselves on their boat in the island cove with at least a full day’s sail to locate new quarry. They finally agreed to stop wasting valuable time, and to take full advantage of the seven days on the sea they were given. This was the first ship they had seen on this trip, and the crew was becoming restless at the thought of years without the comfort of women.
Their last conquest had been a mother and her two older daughters. It was inconvenient having to share, and more than once the pirates let their lust get out of hand, causing the women to expire… at least, temporarily. The men discovered Clarette’s curse would not allow the pirates to escape their endless existence by mere death, as Felix had inadvertently discovered when he slipped off the reef into the turbulent waters of the ocean side of the island. The crew watched in horror as tiger sharks ripped him to shreds, yet he woke up the next morning on the beach with no memory of the incident. The same thing happened to the women they brought back with them, but after the few times the sadistic men had aroused themselves by letting their tortures get out of hand, they discovered that although the women awoke on the beach their minds were gone, leaving the pirates no enjoyment of the wailing, whimpering and tears that so aroused them.
“Quartermaster, bring us alongside the stern,” Deegan ordered. He checked his weapons with nervousness edged into his anticipation. Their quarry was an enigma, rocking silent and dark with no sign of crew. When the schooner was tethered to the back of the sloop, Deegan separated his men to run the length of the vessel, and told them to be alert for an ambush. With hands on cutlasses and dirks… their pistols were rendered useless a century ago with no ammunition… the men quickly fulfilled his order and returned with the report of no crew.
“Peter and I will explore below. Listen for a call if we need assistance and keep watch on the
* * *
“Possibly. There has been no movement topside, though she could be a decoy.” Deegan’s dark eyes were lit with anticipation at the forthcoming conquest. They were six days into their one allotted week at sea, before the ship would return to their island of exile.
It had been fifty years since the small crew woke to find their boat waiting patiently in the cove with the gangplank lowered in the shallow water and inviting them to board. It was not their first indication that the sailing time was once again at hand. The women they captured never aged on the island, but on the day the boat reappeared, they turned to chalky dust. The first few times it was quite disarming, but now the men accepted it as another twist to Clarette’s curse.
Deegan ordered the schooner to silently approach from the back, and Felix suggested, “Maybe there is an illness on board, keeping them confined below?”
“There should still be a crew member keeping watch topside, and if that were the case lamps would be lit so they could take care of themselves,” Deegan replied.
The mystery ship was a sleek vessel, one of the many they had captured and been forced to release because an attempt to sail on any vessel but the schooner left the pirates waking up on the beach of the island without the benefit of their boat or any women or treasures they had obtained, and a half century wait for another opportunity. Their one attempt had cured them of any ideas of making it to Tortuga aboard any other vessel.
Twice they had tried to make their way back to the stronghold when their ship was returned to them. As soon as they neared Tortuga, a thick fog settled over their ship, and when it cleared they found themselves on their boat in the island cove with at least a full day’s sail to locate new quarry. They finally agreed to stop wasting valuable time, and to take full advantage of the seven days on the sea they were given. This was the first ship they had seen on this trip, and the crew was becoming restless at the thought of years without the comfort of women.
Their last conquest had been a mother and her two older daughters. It was inconvenient having to share, and more than once the pirates let their lust get out of hand, causing the women to expire… at least, temporarily. The men discovered Clarette’s curse would not allow the pirates to escape their endless existence by mere death, as Felix had inadvertently discovered when he slipped off the reef into the turbulent waters of the ocean side of the island. The crew watched in horror as tiger sharks ripped him to shreds, yet he woke up the next morning on the beach with no memory of the incident. The same thing happened to the women they brought back with them, but after the few times the sadistic men had aroused themselves by letting their tortures get out of hand, they discovered that although the women awoke on the beach their minds were gone, leaving the pirates no enjoyment of the wailing, whimpering and tears that so aroused them.
“Quartermaster, bring us alongside the stern,” Deegan ordered. He checked his weapons with nervousness edged into his anticipation. Their quarry was an enigma, rocking silent and dark with no sign of crew. When the schooner was tethered to the back of the sloop, Deegan separated his men to run the length of the vessel, and told them to be alert for an ambush. With hands on cutlasses and dirks… their pistols were rendered useless a century ago with no ammunition… the men quickly fulfilled his order and returned with the report of no crew.
“Peter and I will explore below. Listen for a call if we need assistance and keep watch on the
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