Hi Everyone!
Welcome to Freshie Friday! This week is the 3rd and final part of Booty, Bosoms and Blood, the story of Josef's time with Lola with a little Blackbeard thrown in! Come along and enjoy the end to this fun tale.
I am reposting a part of last week's story that got left out, just in case you missed it and then we will start the last chapter. If you enjoy it please don't hesitate to let Julia know that you liked her part of the story!
From Booty, Bosoms and Blood, Part 2...
It was early morning and he could feel the pull of his bunk calling to him as the sun rose over the swell of the waves. Josef walked the deck of Lola’s new ship inspecting the day crew before slipping into the welcoming darkness of the passageway below. He found himself drawn to the lower bowels of the ship where the prisoners were housed. For some reason he was curious about the mysterious blonde that Lola had taken prisoner rather than killing. From her state of dress she was most likely of the servant class with no one to pay a hefty ransom. He descended the stairs to the brig holding his nose from the stench of rotting food and human waste. The nobleman was lying in the corner of the cell curled into the fetal position snoring loudly as the blonde woman paced like a caged tiger.
“Hello,” he said tipping his leather tricorn hat attempting to be polite. She folded her arms only causing her breasts to nearly burst from her bodice as she stared him down with her icy blue eyes. She didn’t answer him and instead turned away, facing the wall.
“I’m sorry about your accommodations,” he said trying to be civil.
“The governor will ensure that you hang,” she said defiantly.
“Possibly, if we were in Virginia, but governor Eden is offering a pardon and amnesty,” he said smirking by lifting the corner of his mouth. He knew that if the girl wasn’t anyone of notoriety that Lola would use her for blood and then toss her body over the side. Something about her spirit made him ache to help her. “What’s your name lass?”
“Why?” she said balling her fists and turning to face him in a huff as the blood rushed to her face causing another reaction in him that was more base in nature. “So that ye can use me for ransom?”
“I think we both know from your attire my lady, that ransom would be a fruitless effort.” His words caused her to lose what little spirit was left as she sunk to the floor and started to weep.
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said wanting to retreat to the far end of the ship. He hated when women cried, especially if he were the cause of it. “I’m sure there’s someone that would wish for your safe return.”
“There’s no one,” she said almost barely audible. “I was the wife of a lowly silversmith.”
“Was?” said Josef as he leaned forward and gripped the bars.
“Me husband died on the crossing from the pox,” she said staring blankly past him at some point on the wall behind him. “He had family in the Carolinas.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said honestly as he felt compassion for another human for the first time in decades. Perhaps Blackbeard was right that he was burdened with the curse of a conscience. “What is your name, lass?”
“Marie Elizabeth Turner.”
“Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me…….”
“Josef are you coming?” said Beth as she held Mick’s hand and almost ran like a kid towards the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. He sped up behind them offering his arm to Simone as they stepped up to the back of the line. Fortunately it was a short line and a cloudy day as they waited.
“I’ll bet this brings back a lot of memories,” said Mick referring to Josef’s past as a pirate with the infamous Delores Maxford Whitaker.
“You have no idea,” said Josef leaning against the railing separating the line of tourists as the memories washed over him like the waves of the sea.
Booty, Bosoms and Blood, Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A19q7rysLs
Disney Land, Present Day...
Josef studied the robotic like movement of the figures as the ride progressed, hearing the familiar tune he had composed centuries before. He was still waiting for his royalty check from Walt, he thought smirking.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.
We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, and loot,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot,
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.
“Look at the dog,” said Beth excitedly as she pointed to the scruffy canine holding a set of keys just out of reach of the pirates inside the cell.
“He reminds me of Rags,” said Josef mysteriously. “We named him that because he was the color of the ones we used to swab the deck and smelled just as bad.”
“I didn’t know you were a dog person,” said Beth playfully as she spun around in her seat in front of him and smiled causing more of his memories to bubble to the surface.
“I’m not,” he said lying as he stared into her light blue eyes seeing another woman from a different time and life.
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May 1718 aboard Lola’s new ship….
“What is your name, lass?” said Josef leaning against the iron bars of the ship’s brig seeing the young woman now shivering from either the cold or knowing her fate was sealed.
“Marie Elizabeth Turner,” she said staring at the floor.
“I’m pleased to make your acquaintance Mrs. Turner. My name is Josef, the ship’s first mate,” he said respectfully this time as he tried to coax the young woman up from the floor. She had pulled her legs up to her chest and was wiping the tears away from her eyes with the dirty hem of her skirt.
“Lizzie,” she said softly.
“What?”
“Everyone in my family called me Lizzie,” she said resting her forehead against her knees. He wanted to comfort her with his touch or maybe use a dose of allure to help her relax. She seemed exhausted as if she hadn’t slept, unlike her companion, the cowardly nobleman that was curled up in the corner snoring loudly. He reached for the keys to the cell in his pocket realizing they must have fallen out during his earlier encounter with Lola.
“You’re not human are you?” she said taking him off guard as she lifted her head to stare at him with reddened eyes. He slowly sat down on the floor and leaned against the bars deciding it might be better for her to know her fate.
“What makes you say that?” he said smirking.
“My great grandmother used to tell me stories of the Red Wench, the bride of Satan himself who sails the seas in search of men’s souls.”
“Pretty good assessment,” said Josef almost chuckling as he closed his eyes leaning the back of his head against the bars and twirling the gold ring on his finger. It was the only thing he possessed from his former human life, the signet ring of his family. Lola had warned him to sever the ties he held to the mortal coil but he had never had the courage to toss it into the sea.
“She stole your soul?” said Lizzie inching closer to him seeming more curious than frightened now.
“She didn’t steal anything, I gave it away freely,” he said softly and then startled as he realized she had placed a delicate hand on his shoulder.
“No you didn’t,” she said shaking her head as he turned to face her. “It’s hard to be a minion of the devil when ye still have the soul of an angel.” If the girl wasn’t human he would swear she was a vampire as well as he felt himself drawn to her trembling bottom lip wanting to kiss it. He leaned forward just barely brushing his lips with hers when the sound of four padded feet and nails on the stairs caught his attention. He snapped his head in the direction of the light from above deck where a mangy long black haired dog descended the stairs holding a large key ring tightly between his teeth.
“Hey boyo,” he said patting his leg as he stood causing the animal to come to his side and relinquish the jingling keys. He rubbed the filthy dog underneath his chin eliciting a satisfied grunt. “That’s a good doggie. Daddy loves you, yes he does.”
“He’s not afraid of you,” said Lizzie astonished as she watched the shaggy mutt lick the side of Josef’s face.
“Most animals are afraid of us but I guess he’s appreciative of me for saving his sorry arse from the sea after a wreck. Some pirates got to his ship before we did.” He pushed the dog off him and brushed the fur from his shirt. “I have someone I want you to meet. Rags this is Lizzie.” The dog lifted a paw to shake hands eliciting a smile from the girl.
“He’s very polite,” she said grasping his paw. The dog leaned forward licking her hand before she could react.
“Alright, that’s enough you mangy mutt,” he said patting Rags and then removing a piece of salt pork from his pocket and throwing it across the room. The dog trotted happily away to retrieve his snack leaving them alone.
“You have a good heart, Josef.”
“Aye, so everyone keeps telling me,” he said holding the keys in his hands debating his next move.
“I know what happens to women on pirate ships,” she said with a dark cloud
descending over her face and hiding her smile. “I don’t want to die that way, used and then thrown over the side to be eaten by the sharks.” Josef knew she wasn’t far from the truth in her assessment of what would transpire over the next few days. Lola might keep her around for a while as a source of blood or to satisfy her other desires, but eventually she would grow tired of her and turn her over to the crew for their amusement. He had seen it hundreds of times over the last century and had barely flinched knowing they were merely human but maybe it was the talk he had with Blackbeard earlier and now the conversation with Lizzie that had sparked his conscience.
“I want my death to be quick and as painless as possible,” she said straightening her shoulders with a look of newfound courage and resolve similar to what he had seen on deck the night before when she took on two pirates by herself. He nodded his understanding and slipped the key into the lock opening the cell and entering, smiling as she fell into his arms. He grasped her gently by the cheeks kissing her softly but urgently this time tasting the salt from the tears on her delicate skin. Last night wasn’t the first one she had spent mourning the loss of her husband and now her life, he thought. He deepened the kiss, probing her sweet mouth with his tongue leaving her nearly breathless before he pulled back reading her increasing heartbeat. It was more from excitement than fear and he knew he was doing the right thing. Her eyes bore the mark of pain in her young life making her seem older and wiser than her outward appearance.
“Don’t be afraid, Lizzie,” he said using his powers of persuasion to make things easier on the both of them. Lola would be livid that he had relieved her of her current toy but he wouldn’t subject this young woman to such a cruel end. She leaned her head back and to the side, bearing her neck to him in a show of submission and he swallowed hard almost wavering for a moment before regaining his resolve. He laid a trail of feathery kisses from her earlobe to the juncture of her neck and shoulder finding the spot he wished to feed from and ultimately drain her life. Her pulse quickened with the feel of his fangs pricking the surface delicately. He didn’t want to cause her any pain and was as gentle with the bite as he could be, using his tongue to massage the wounds and bring the blood flowing to the surface. She relaxed into his arms as he swallowed the first mouthful tasting her essence and everything she was wrapped in this simple body fluid that gave life to the living and the undead. It was sweeter and unique, different, and then the taste of something odd hit his tongue. He paused and sealed the wound with his tongue as he held her, realizing another life was growing quietly inside her.
“Lizzie,” he said shaking her awake from her euphoric state. “Lizzie, you said you have family in the Carolinas?”
“What?” She opened her eyes slightly trying to shake off the effects of his allure and the feeding.
“Lizzie, your family, where do they live?”
“Beaufort.” She had slumped over in his arms once more as Josef pulled her close listening for the smaller heartbeat he had missed before and breathing a sigh of relief that it was still strong and healthy.
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Lola had risen early from her slumber with the afternoon sun still high over the horizon. A brisk breeze was blowing in from the south as her cape billowed in the wind along with the sails of her new ship. Something wasn’t right in her world and she could sense it as she sniffed the air knowing Josef had been awake earlier. It was a sixth sense that all pirate captains developed over time that mutiny was afoot and needed to be squashed.
You there,” she said pointing to the first sailor she came across who jumped to his feet at the sight of her. He adjusted the patch over his eye staring wide-eyed with his remaining good one.
“Yes captain,” he said dropping the rope he had been tying and quivering in her presence as she stepped towards him.
“Where is the first mate?”
“He took the dinghy to the Queen Anne’s Revenge an hour ago along with the blonde lass,” he said taking a step back afraid she might snap his neck as she had done the day before with his friend. Lola pushed him roughly to the side as she grasped the railing and scanned the horizon seeing the profile of Blackbeard’s ship. It was almost too far for her to make out with her vampire vision, especially in the daylight. It was far more superior at night and she removed her brass spyglass from underneath her dress to get a better view. She held it up to her right eye and turned the lens until the view of the deck came into focus. A low growl escaped her chest as she saw Josef shaking hands with the long bearded pirate and then turning to hug the blonde haired woman they had taken prisoner. They exchanged a kiss that seemed more than just a friendly goodbye and Lola found herself denting the metal on the spyglass leaving indentions where her fingers had held it. She snapped it shut angrily and twirled around heading for the brig below deck. The crew gave her a wide berth as she passed them and leapt to the bottom of the hold without using the stairs.
“Wake up,” she screamed and banging the metal bars with the hilt of her sword. The nobleman farted and then snorted before coming to with a start. He adjusted his powdered wig that had fallen off his balding head and sat upright against the hull of the ship still trying to come fully awake. It finally dawned on him that he was staring at the demon from the night before and a look of panic crossed his face as he began to plead for his life.
“Spare me,” he screamed reaching inside his shirt for a cross pendant he wore that had to be worth a fortune. “The governor will pay whatever you require for my safe return.” She reached through the bars and grasped him by his shirt front pulling him to his feet.
“Are you really the aid to Governor Spotswood of Virginia?” said Lola, ignoring the pungent scent that signaled the man had lost control of his bowels from fear. Her question caused him to regain a little of his composure as he took a deep breath.
“Yes,” he said tentatively and adjusting his small spectacles.
“I have a proposition for you,” she said releasing him and swinging her sword breaking the lock on the cell.
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“You’ll see her safely to Beaufort?” said Josef as he watched the crew escort Lizzie to Blackbeard’s cabin. “She has family there that should help her raise the baby.”
“Aye, I’ll watch her as if she be me own sister,” said Edward nodding and tipping his hat to the lass as she waved to Josef once more in a new dress the captain had procured for her from his private collection.
“This should pay for her passage and maybe some funds to help with the child,” he said slipping off his father’s ring and one time symbol of his station in life. He dropped it into the pirate’s waiting hand. It was the only thing of value he still owned that Lola had not touched or been solely responsible for his acquiring. Now he was truly a kept man knowing the money from its sale could have bought his freedom to a new life free of the Red Wench but perhaps it would be best served in giving Mrs. Turner’s child a start in the new world.
“Ye be a good man, Josef, never forget that,” said Edward as he scratched the side of his bearded chin.
“Lola will be angry that you’ve decided to sail north,” said Josef leaning over the railing thinking he could see a flash of light from a reflection of the sunlight off a glass lens.
“The Royal Navy will be all over these waters thicker than maggots on a bloated corpse in less than a fortnight. Tis best to part ways now. Besides, our relationship has always been one of convenience for her. She has her ship now and a fine crew.”
“I better get back,” said Josef watching the sun drift lower on the horizon. “She’ll be awake soon.”
“Ye could come with me lad,” said Blackbeard offering his hand. “I’d give ye equal shares in what we take, perhaps a ship and a crew of yer own.”
“I appreciate it Edward,” said Josef truly grateful for his offer as he took his hand, “But I need to work things out with my sire first.”
"Vampires,” said the pirate rolling his eyes. “Take care, lad.”
“I will,” he said feeling a sudden loss with their parting ways as he climbed back into the dinghy. Edward was an honorable man even for a pirate and he realized that he would actually miss him. Maybe they could have been friends if they had met under different circumstances in another life he thought as he rowed himself back to Lola’s boat. It took less than an hour with his stamina and he boarded the vessel to find that Lola didn’t even seem bothered by the fact that he had been gone and was not the least bit curious about his visit to the other ship. She had ordered the crew to sail towards Virginia, and he assumed it only meant they were looking for newer waters to plunder.
A few weeks later they had met another merchant ship and made an exchange for the governor’s aid in return for medical supplies and rum. It was a standard ransom as the crew was prone to pick up various diseases from the women they spent time with on shore but Josef couldn’t shake the feeling that Lola was still hiding something from him. True she had her ship back and they were well on their way to regaining their lost fortunes, but what had she wanted from Blackbeard and why was their parting so amicable?
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November 1718…six months later…. News that Governor Alexander Spotswood of Virginia successfully dispatched a fleet of ships to kill the infamous pirate Blackbeard on Okracoke island reaches Lola’s ship.
“I can’t believe he’s gone,” said Josef reading the paper that told of Teach’s gruesome death. He had been shot over five times before finally succumbing to death with his head being severed and hung from the bow of the ship as a trophy of war. The other sailors were taken to Williamsburg for trial. Pirates all over the colonies were surrendering to accept the king’s pardon if they reveled themselves and swore allegiance to the Crown.
“Land ho,” screamed the crewman in the crow’s nest.
“It was inevitable,” said Lola slapping her spyglass closed as she prepared to guide the ship through the narrow waters of Okracoke inlet. “We’re in a dangerous business. He knew the risks when he accepted the Royal pardon and then turned to piracy again in a matter of months.” She spun the wheel feeling the vibrations through the wood being able to judge the depth of the water below, careful not to run up on a sandbar.
Josef moved around in a state of shock knowing they were in the same location that the noble pirate had breathed his last breath. “Bring a shovel,” said Lola snapping him back to reality as she boarded the dinghy. She was treating him like a servant, as always, he thought. The crew knew he ranked just above favored dog, which incidentally had disappeared the day he took Lizzie to Blackbeard’s ship. He wondered if Lola had perhaps thrown him overboard in a fit of rage over his defiance but she denied it vehemently.
The crewman rowed them towards shore as they stared at one another in silence. When they pulled the boat up onto the sand she snapped her fingers expecting him to follow. He reluctantly acquiesced as they tromped over the sand dunes and through the forest of pine trees coming up on a clearing where a church had once stood but now only the stone foundation remained having obviously been taken out by a hurricane many decades before.
“What are we doing?” he said in frustration as he watched Lola stare at the north facing column and count her paces. She stopped almost dead center and shoved the blade of her shovel into the sandy dirt.
“Securing our financial futures, now dig,” she ordered.
“Just what do you expect to find buried underneath an old church?” he said stepping forward and leaning against the handle of his shovel. The stench of blood still wafted heavy in the air around the island where the final battle had taken place. The ground cried out for the massacre of innocent pirates and reeked of betrayal.
“Edward told me where he buried his treasure before he abandoned me for North Carolina,” she said hissing her words.
“Governor Spotswood’s aid?” said Josef suddenly seeing the pieces fall into place. “You betrayed Blackbeard and told them where his hideout was, why?” Edward had used Okracoke inlet dozens of times to elude capture knowing the waters better than any sailor of the Royal navy but it had proved to be of little use in the final battle from what Josef had read.
“He was always a means to an end,” said Lola throwing a large shovelful of dirt over her shoulder. “Can I help it if he talks in his sleep? Sooner or later he would have come after us for taking the treasure. I was merely tying up loose ends.”
“You told that fat nobleman where they could find him and he betrayed him too after Edward spared his life?” said Josef falling back against the remainder of a stone wall and shaking his head in disbelief. He could feel the bile building up in the back of his throat threatening to make him spill his liquid meal from earlier. “You ended a friend’s life for money? How could you do that?”
“Oh don’t get all sanctimonious on me now,” she said continuing to dig as he felt unsteady on his feet. If she would do this to Edward then what else was she capable of, he thought. Her shovel hit something solid and hollow and she exclaimed with delight. “Here, help me.” He was merely going through the motions as he stepped forward and grasped the other handle to the large treasure chest lifting it out of the massive hole she had dug. She used the blade of her shovel to break the iron lock and then tossed it to the side.
“Ye can judge me all ye want, but ye know I’m right that Edward had accumulated more wealth than he could ever possibly spend in one lifetime. He was a fool for telling me where I could find it. I’m doing this for us Josef.”
“You only care about yourself,” he said finally seeing the real Lola and the vampire she wanted him to become, a facsimile of herself, cold and indifferent, and eventually alone.
“You’ll understand when you’re older,” she said lifting the lid and peering inside only to have the self-satisfied smile drop from her face as she stared at the contents. It was empty except for a well penned note at the bottom. Josef reached in and removed it, smiling as he recognized Edward Teach’s handwriting.
My Dearest Lola,
Sorry that I had to deceive you my dear. After all I am a pirate and not to be trusted, just like yourself. Our relationship was fun while it lasted but you were a means to an end my beautiful Red Wench. Only the devil and myself know where the treasure lies and I’ll take it to my grave.
Yours Truly,
Edward Teach
Or fondly known as
Blackbeard
She had been reading it as well and wrenched it from his hands tearing the paper into a dozen pieces. “Bloody hell. Damn pirate.” Josef couldn’t hide the smile that flashed across his face as he watched her bang the wooden chest with the metal blade of her shovel out of frustration and continued to curse. Edward had known her plan all along and had never intended on telling Lola the real location of the treasure, a true pirate to the end.
“You killed a man for nothing,” he said turning his back to her.
“It has to be here somewhere,” she said panicking and jumping into the hole to dig further.
“We’re done,” said Josef removing the feather from his cap and throwing it into the hole.
“What do you mean done?” she demanded as she drove the blade of the shovel into the sand. “Get down here and help me. That’s an order.”
“No,” he said holding up a finger as his fangs calmly descended. “Edward was nothing but kind to anyone that wasn’t his enemy. He treated his friends like family and lived an honorable life and you took it from him without a second thought. Who’s to say you won’t do the same to me when it suits your purposes?”
“You know it’s not like that between us,” she said turning on the charm as she climbed out of the hole and stalked towards him using the same sultry look that had captured an innocent lord’s son nearly a century before. He knew they would always have the sire/fledgling bond but something was different now between them. She no longer held the same sway to his will. He needed to be his own person as Blackbeard had said months before and now he had the resolve to break away from her.
“This is where we part ways,” he said tipping the front of his tricorn hat and turning on his heels, never looking back as he trudged through the sandy dirt and towards an unknown future. For a moment he thought he heard Lola take a breath to beg him to stay but it was only the sound of a sea gull cawing overhead.
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Two weeks later in a tavern in Wilmington, North Carolina….
Josef had drank his way through the remainder of his money as he nursed his grief over the loss of a great man and the uncertainly of his future now separated from his sire. For the first day he fought the urge to go running back to her and would find a pint of ale or whiskey to drown his worry. The working girls on the street corner undercutting one another were more than willing to provide him with liquid refreshment but at a price. Their handlers were not appreciative to find they had spent time with a client only to come back empty-handed when he had used allure to procure their services for free. Eventually he would need to find a line of work or be forced to live on the fringes of society as some of the lost souls Lola had shown him over the years. The vampires would sleep in tombs during the day and emerge at night to feed, sometimes wearing the same clothing they had died in until it molded and fell off from wear. They resembled the walking corpses they were thought to be and he had no desire to lose touch with what had made life worth living for a shell of an existence.
It was obvious that his sire felt she was above some standard of morality. Did he want to have an existence like that with no friends or family, without love? He had thought about Lizzie and her unborn child during his lucid sober moments of the past few days. It had been six months since they parted ways on the Queen Anne’s Revenge. Had she given birth to the child, was her family well in Beaufort? He pushed the thought aside once more taking another swig and slamming his empty cup on the bar.
“Another one of these my good man,” he said motioning to the innkeeper behind the bar. He wiped a glass clean with his dirty apron and shook his head.
“Not until I see something to pay for it other than yer good name, Mr. Smith,” he said sarcastically. Josef reached into his empty pockets realizing he was truly destitute now with nothing to settle his tab.
“Here’s to you Edward,” he said lifting the empty glass and draining the last bit of ale residue. “Rest in peace.”
“Don’t go counting me among the dearly departed just yet,” said a familiar booming voice as he slapped him hard on the back and sat down beside him dropping a gold coin on the bar. “A pint for meself and the fine young lad.” The bartender scurried to pour them two drinks as Josef tried to focus through the ale induced haze.
“Sober up lad. I know yer not that drunk,” said a man that resembled a clean shaven Edward Teach dressed in gentleman’s clothing with a white powdered wig and who smelled as if he had actually bathed in the last six months. He almost looked naked without his beard and long black mangy hair.
“Your head was hung from the bow of Maynard’s ship,” said Josef grabbing his new pint and downing it as he studied the man’s facial features. They had never been visible from underneath his long locks but the bone structure was familiar. “You were shot multiple times. Even your crew vouched that it was you before they all hanged.”
“I didn’t survive this long without having a few tricks up me sleeve, boyo,” he said smacking him across the back once more and laughing. “I see you be without yer mistress.”
“We terminated our arrangement,” said Josef still confused at the sight of the infamous pirate very much alive and sitting next to him. He was dressed in a fine blue silk jacket with clean white knee length stockings and buckled shoes.
“I’ve know her a long time, boyo,” said Edward. “Ye made the right decision to strike out on yer own before ye became like the others.”
“We just met you a year ago?” said Josef confused. The pirate avoided his question and instead reached into his breast pocket removing the signet ring that he had given for Lizzie’s safe passage months before.
“She knew ye gave up something dear to ye for her and the wee bairn,” said Edward as he handed it to him. “She’d have none of. That Mrs. Turner is a proud woman, indeed.”
“Is she safe?”
"Aye and living with some fine folk working as a seamstress in Beaufort,” said Edward as he removed his pipe and packed it with tobacco before lighting it. “I’ve made sure to keep her well stocked in fabric so she can open a shop but I’ll need a liaison here in the colonies when I move back to the Old World.”
“You’re giving up on piracy?” said Josef.
“I’ve made more money than I could spend in a dozen lifetimes,” he said chuckling and exhaling a smoke ring. “I think it’s high time I made meself into a proper gentleman and businessman. I could use a Lord’s son such as yerself to help me learn the ways of court.”
“Thank you Edward,” said Josef slipping the ring on his finger. The former pirate reached inside his coat handing him a sheet of parchment with what resembled a roughly drawn map.
“What’s this?” said Josef unrolling it realizing it was a map of Beaufort, North Carolina and the inlet around.
“A treasure map,” said Edward. “It leads to young Mrs. Turner’s home.” He knew it was a metaphor that the pirate was playing matchmaker and rolled the map back.
“She doesn’t need me in her life,” said Josef sadly, knowing that the universe had an entirely different plan for him and it didn’t involve a family and a home. Lizzie needed to find a strong sober man that would provide for her and the child.
"Suit yerself,” said Edward as he stood up to leave, “But incidentally there’s more than just a woman and a good home marked on that map. She helped me bury 10,000 gold coins in her root cellar before I sailed for Okracoke to meet me untimely and convenient death.”
Josef nearly choked on his ale as he glanced at the map again but only saw Lizzie’s warm caring face staring back at him. “Tell me one thing, Edward. How did ye really escape Governor Spotswood’s men?”
“I was shot, that I assure ye,” he said leaning in close and whispering to him, “But vampires are not the only thing that goes bump in the night, boyo.” He smiled wickedly at him and then planted his hat on his head spinning around and leaving the tavern whistling the tune Josef had invented as a large ring of keys jingled in his hand.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.
Present day Disneyland….
The ride ended as they stepped off the boat with Josef right behind Mick and Beth. “Wow, you hear that song enough times it becomes annoying,” said Beth stating the obvious as she slipped her arm through Mick’s.
“You think that ride is bad we should go on “It’s a Small World” next,” said Mick laughing and being lighthearted for a change. “Just ask Josef about the last time we went on it…”
“Yeah it’s definitely a small world,” he said chuckling to himself as Beth smiled back at him with a shadow of Lizzie’s grin.
“So Lola was a pirate?” said Beth curiously as they made their way towards Space Mountain. Josef cleared his throat still feeling as if he were caught between two worlds, the past and present trying to make sense of it all.
“When I met her she was building a pirate army…..”
The End
Historical Note:
Edward Teach or more commonly known as Blackbeard was a real pirate that terrorized the Caribbean and eastern seaboard of the United States in the early 1700s. His ship the Queen Anne’s Revenge was a former slave ship that he captured and turned into a floating fortress boasting over 40 guns. He used his ruthless reputation to strike fear in the hearts of the sailors of other vessels by lighting the ends of his beard locks with cannon fuses before going into battle. Although he was known as a blood thirsty pirate, there is no actual record of Edward Teach ever killing innocent women or children and it is said he only killed those who resisted him or attempted to capture or assassinate him.
In May of 1718 he blockaded Charles Towne harbor, known as Charleston, South Carolina today with a fleet of several ships under his command and referring to himself as Commodore. They took several prominent citizens of the town as hostages demanding medical supplies for his crew. The Crown as well as the governors of various colonies in the New World were offering pardons to pirates in those days including governor Eden of North Carolina. Teach eventually ran the Queen Anne’s Revenge aground in Beaufort Inlet and a large portion of his crew were captured. Many historians think he did this to thin out the ranks so that there were less pirates to share in the booty he had collected (corporate downsizing at its finest). Eventually he accepted a pardon and moved to Bath, North Carolina but in a few months Teach was once again marauding the coast with a new crew and ship.
In November of 1718, Governor Spotswood of Virginia illegally sent several ships into North Carolina waters to capture Teach on the island of Okracoke, in the Outer Banks (a strip of islands that ring the coast of North Carolina and make it difficult for large ships to maneuver but a breeding ground for pirates in small fast vessels). After a bloody battle and the pirate being shot over 5 times he finally succumbed and his head was hung from the bow of the ship. It is rumored that Blackbeard had a treasure he buried on Okracoke Island but it has never been found. When asked once about his treasure he replied, “Only the devil and I know the whereabouts of my treasure and the one of us who lives the longest should take it all.”
Over the years Blackbeard has become more of a folk hero in the Carolinas to where East Carolina University’s mascot is the Pirate. A picture of Blackbeard is painted on the water tower of Beaufort, North Carolina where the North Carolina Maritime Museum is housed along with artifacts from the shipwreck of Queen Anne’s Revenge that lies just 20 feet below water in the inlet. The legend of Blackbeard has been retold in countless films and books and more recently will be featured in the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie where Captain Jack Sparrow will board the Queen Anne’s Revenge in search of the Fountain of Youth.
