Scurvy Stories: The Emerald Barnacled Owl
The Green Waters Roar as the Crew Journey Along through the Twisted Tides of Woe.
“Here in the ship where things are so fine
Things get better when you drink new wine
Drunken is our state and our regal hue
Nothing is better when you drink it anew!”
Captain George “Terror” Tumber sailed across the seas standing at the mast of his ship waving his contorted sword and raging, “Have at it, boys!”
The two other ships split off and raced down across the twisted tides toward Black Beard’s ship, the Lady Kraken.
“Go! Get on, mateys! Attack!” George screamed.
George Tumber with a bloody gash across his left eye glared at Black and howled in the day as his maddened men steered on both sides and prepared to infiltrate.
The two ships came soaring through the sea waves churning and crashing as they positioned themselves parallel to the Lady Kraken.
The green barnacled ships struck the sides that rumbled and swayed. Scudder fell and water splashed on the sides dumping on top of his small body soaking him completely.
He saw the terrible pirates come crashing on the ship. The wooden planks roared slamming down hard on the ship as booted feet stomped wickedly on the deck.
Men came and seized Black Beard’s awful crew clambering at them. Swords were unsheathed and impaled in stomachs, daggers pulled and threatened to cut necks as the men wobbled away and threw them all on the top deck.
Black stayed and hid in his Captain’s quarters waiting for George Tumber to call him forth.
George Tumber, Scudder’s uncle, didn’t see his nephew as he waved his shiny sword bejeweled on its golden handle gleaming.
Clouds moved in and covered the bright yellow sun as a green hue encased the four battleships all clumped together.
George standing erect on the Green Owl ship stepped to the front and called forth as the men assembled all together throwing the crew to the tip of the poop deck. Shoving the crew violently, they cursed and screamed taunts rising in rhythmic mayhem.
“Bind ’em and shoot ‘em,” Tumber shouted in a furious rage.
“Tie ’em up and kill ‘em!” the first mate Hugo, an ugly green imp shouted horribly.
The pirates stood terrified of their unexpected fate as some were stark naked or had no weapon exposed for all to see and waiting for someone to save them.
“How ‘bout your Captain, eh,” Tumber roared. “Captain Black Beard, come out, come out!”
Black, slowly with a creak of his door, came out on the deck and strutted calmly forth approaching near.
Quickly, two men grabbed him. But he shoved him off and glared at them sternly. Seizing his revolver and sword, they took them before he could react.
“It’s OK, let Captain Black come here,” George Tumber the pirate demanded.
George smiled wickedly and soothingly beckoned from his ship out among the roaring Seven Seas all guided together and feeding into the other in a harmonious pattern of fresh salt water.
“So, this is how the life of ol’ Black Beard comes to an end, ain’t it?” Tumber guffawed triumphantly. “Pity. Men, round ’em up and prepare to set fire to the ship!”
“Oh, You’re forgetting one thing, Mister Tumber,” Black said quietly.
“And what’s that, Captain?”
“That gash, that wicked bloody gash wasn’t intended for you — ”
“Wasn’t intended for me?” George laughed loudly. “You came on my ship makin’ a deal as you always do then pulled your slimy weapon on me kidnapping some of my men. Stealin’ my gold, setting fire to MY ship!
“This here is my new ship, the Green Owl, this, is the finest sailing ship across the many moving oceans. And I tell you never, never again will you and your kin be ever seen across these green waters! I won’t have it!”
But just as Tumber was about to give the signal to his men, Scudder shouted,
“Uncle George! Don’t do this! It’s me, Scudder! Your nephew!”
Black with eyes wide with confused fury backed up and let the lad take the reins.
George’s cut left eye oozed slightly out as the white goo lowered a bit. Taking a second glance at the little blond boy, he squinted from afar and then looked to his first mate who shrugged flabbergasted.
“How do I know that’s my nephew, Scudder? Ain’t you be back home on the mariner freight, laddy?”
“My mother’s name is Olivia,” Scudder assured. “I have cousins Frank and Cleda! You know them.”
“Aye, I do, but-” Just before Tumber could continue, on the Green Owl underneath the wooden trap where bait was kept climbed out Frank and Cleda, the cousins of Scudder. They burst the hatch door wide open.
“Ah ha! We found ya!” Frank shouted like a dolphin.
“Mama’s gonna be so relieved,” Cleda screamed joyfully skipping up to their cousin.
Uncle George cleared his throat embarrassed. “Don’t you come out! I said stay in there!”
“But Uncle George how are we ever gonna learn to fight,” Cleda asked.
“Don’t you go on about that!” Uncle George spat. “You two were stowaways on my ship by your own doings. You weren’t supposed to be on here and now, your mother’s gonna kill me!”
“But come on Uncle George,” Frank said quickly. “It’s Scudder, your nephew. We found ’em. They thought he was dead!”
George Tumber’s face became relaxed and he hung his head defeated, knowing his sister’s kids were right.
“Fine… if it will calm ya down.”
Black smiled at Scudder, who shrugged, “He really is my uncle.”
“If so then,” Black whispered. “All of it makes a good deal of sense, me boy. If ye can talk with him, make a deal…”
“I shall surely try, Black.”
Black beamed warmly at Scudder, “You’re a good lad, Scudder. Don’t you forget that.”
Scudder nodded.
George called, “Alright, ya ol’ huge walruses, untie the crew, while me and Captain Black Beard have a word. Captain, welcome aboard, the Green Owl!”
After everything was handled and the men released and freed the ugly-visaged pirates, the crew of the Lady Kraken went down to their cabins and changed grabbing their wicked weapons in case they had to retaliate if any war broke out again.
Tumber the Pirate called out, “Bring my nephew Scudder while you’re at it, Black.”
Black pointed with his serpentine finger calling Scudder to his side as he willingly ran to him.
Walking the plank across the foaming violent ocean into Tumber’s domain, Black remarked, “Let me do, the talkin’, lad. You just keep that trap shut,” he whispered to Scudder who gulped, madly confused, about the crazy life he now led.
Black was led by Tumber’s cruel crew. All of his men were huge tanks built for battle with black steel armor ready for destruction spitting and standing erect silently. They glared down at Black towering over the already tall pirate with green muddied faces like trolls.
Frank and Cleda were a stark difference in appearance and tone next to the ugly crew as they hospitably hugged and kissed their cousin with celebratory rejoicing.
“We’re gonna tell, Mama and Papa,” Cleda declared as she danced around hand in hand with her brother Frank in a circle around Scudder, laughing and smiling brightly.
“Yeah, I can’t believe we’re both on pirate ships in the middle of the sea,” Frank yelled. “The dangerous Seven Seas, it is!”
Tumber’s first mate, Hugo, had a long black ponytail tied with an eagle’s wings clip. He motioned Black to the Captain’s quarters.
“If ya try anythin’,” Hugo sneered. “I’ll make sure to save you for last while I rip apart yer crew limb from limb, ya hear?”
“Aye, little imp,” Black said grinning at the small goblin man opening the door to George Tumber’s cell.
Scudder, horrified, entered and didn’t know what to expect from their tenacious meeting.
George Tumber decked with green and gray robes and a huge Captain pirate hat took it off placing it on his coat rack.
Gesturing like a gentleman to a seat, Black and Scudder sat in their chairs lower than Tumber’s green ivory bronzed throne as an owl with wings spread open wide at the head of the chair.
An open window blew its gentle breeze against his long graying beard that hung low over his crest, an owl with yellow evil-looking eyes.
Over his desk were journals, a quill, and ink bowl attached to the carved desk. Pirate tales etched into the entire surface was painted with different reds and blues, greens and yellows.
Folding his hands carefully, Tumber asked, “Well, what are we to do, ol’ Black Beard?”
“George, I — ”
“Not from you. Come on, lad. Spit it out. What’s he up to?”
“Now, Tumber I came to talk to — ” Black scowled.
“I came to talk to my nephew, Captain. And I will have it or else, I’ll take your entire crew… dead, if you don’t comply.
“Now, come on, Scudder tell me,” George said. “He been treatin’ you, OK?”
Scudder looked to Black who gazed off to the distance.
“Don’t you go worryin’ about Black, now. Did he hurt ya?”
Scudder shook his head, “No, sir.”
“Well, he kidnapped ya, didn’t he?”
“His men did, sir,” Scudder continued. “Captain Black Beard has treated me well, Uncle.”
“George, I can explain if you be — ” Black began but was cut off again.
“Quiet,” Tumber said quickly, leaning back in his green throne. “What is he up to?”
“He’s… He’s lookin’ for his wife, Pearl,” Scudder blurted out.
George perked up, wondering at Scudder. “What? Why?”
“Well, he’s been looking in this map.”
Black, stunned, looked angrily at Scudder wondering how the lad knew.
“I think he’s trying to find where mermaids live,” Scudder finished.
“Aye? Why?” Tumber asked.
“Well, he can’t enter Denneson’s domain,” Scudder went on. “He was forced out, I think. The Sea Serpent kidnapped Pearl and holds her there. But the ghost of Roberts the Drefuse appeared to him and demanded his soul if he doesn’t pay Denneson in three days. So he needs a wish to enter and rescue her.”
George Tumber leaned forward at Black, “You train him well, Captain, but nice try. I know a liar when I see one.”
He drew out his golden handled knife with an owl’s eyes in the middle staring down at Black’s emerald sea peepers.
“No, no! Uncle George please, I tell the truth!” Scudder demanded him to stand down.
Tumber then understood and looked into his nephew’s blue eyes seeing the honesty in them and dropped his jewelry dagger.
“Then it’s true. Aye, well, that’s why you — ”
“Stole your map,” Black finished his sentence.
“That day, did you come to stab me in the eye on purpose?” Tumber asked curiously.
“I needed the mysterious map, I knew you had it,” Black went on. “The writings of the Pirate Cynthia Deepwaters spoke of it. But I thought you’d surrender without a fight.”
“Well, you’re wrong, Ol’ Captain Black Beard,” Tumber said. “Aye, if it be true, you’re searchin’ for the miserable mermaids?”
Black shifted awkwardly looking at the tiny room.
Binders of photographs and journals and black diaries all nestled into shelves. The place was orderly and a single picture hung on the wall of boy George Tumber with his father, Timothy Tumber, arms around his shoulder. His father held a fishing hook impaled with a giant squid that they had caught in a grainy black and white.
“Aye, I have to find them,” Black said reflecting. “What can ya tell me? I’ve been searching in this here map,”
Black slammed it on his desk, a blank weathered old torn parchment with only a black border but then it started to unravel itself.
“And nothin’ so far. I need…” Black broke off and stared at the magical map.
The map began to come alive and ink blotches appeared and a map of the Seven Seas was present.
Swirling ships sailed all around and moved on the map. Little swift portraits of icons floated and descended along the old parchment page. The icons were marked with the name on the bottom as they moved slowly:
Pirate ships sailed slowly on the waters, British merchant ships and military fleets cruising along the seas but then it changed suddenly again…
“Help,” Black said through his yellow twisted teeth. “I need help. That’s why I came and took the map. I needed it. I didn’t…”
“I now know why you came then,” Tumber said. “But after this is all over I’ll return and we’ll pay the debt. You understand I can’t let ya come and steal things on my ship and give me an ugly eye to then just prance back away unharmed, do ya?”
“I don’t, Tumber. Then after my ordeal come find me in three days and we’ll settle, but time is a-wastin’.”
Then they stared long at the map that changed on a whim without warning. After a long time, the map showed where the mermaid’s lair was hidden.
“Off the coast of Foundersville,” George said quietly.
“Between the rocky drops and jagged edges of the Cliffs of Addenton. A treacherous place indeed,” George said ominously.
“Foundersville, it is,” Black said dryly. “That be a day away. Not enough time.”
“Either you go there or never try. What do you wanna do? It’s your choice.”
Then Frank and Cleda burst forth into the quarters.
“Uncle George, can we go with Scudder?” Cleda asked excitedly. They listened intently at the door and heard everything.
“We wanna go!” Frank said shouting.
“No, you two, stay put,” Captain George yelled wagging his thick finger. “Again your mother will have my neck when we return as it is.”
“Come on, we wanna go with Scudder,” Frank urged.
“Scudder is gonna join us here, I bet,” George said hoping his nephew would. “Wontcha now, Scudder?”
But Scudder stood victoriously with clenched fists. He wanted to go back home, he missed his family, but he was becoming fond of the crew, he had his mission to stop Shifty from stealing his gold and taking over the ship, to protect Captain Black at all costs.
He had a mission and he wouldn’t back down even if Black was a maniacal murderous pirate with a cold and black heart, he still felt an urge, an innocent mercy that flung to his soul.
“No,” Scudder said sternly. “I want to help, Captain Black find these mermaids, beat the Sea Serpent Denneson, rescue Pearl, and pay the debt in full! Come on, Cleda and Frank, let’s join ‘em!”
“Hooray!” Frank waved his arms.
“Hazah!” Cleda shouted with joy.
Black whose heart was full of muck and darkness started to trust, started to give way to an innocence of joy that Scudder produced and radiated to him.
His darkened soul was becoming undone as Scudder and his cousins joined together in a song from back home. The beautiful tune as they sang in his lonely cabin started to give off an air of warmth and homeliness for the first time in his miserable pirate scurvy-filled life.
To Be Continued…
