Under Murky Waters

“LOOKIE HERE, CREW,” one of the pirates said, a menacing grin curving his crooked lips. “What a pretty lass we got ’ere.”

As expected, the Cordelia was unable to out-sail the pirate ship. The latter easily caught up with the former, its sinful crew climbing aboard within an hour’s worth of chase. Now, with her arms bound together behind her back and thrown in with the rest of the men, Cordelia was sat on the wooden deck, a metal hook to her chin.

The cold of the steel made her shiver just as much as fright did. Their people stood no chance against the pirates that came after them in numbers twice as large. Now at their mercy, all of them were a trembling, quaking mess. Their fates were now uncertain.

“A pretty flower indeed.” The others chimed in immediately, taking a step closer to examine Cordelia’s youthful features.

Her blood ran cold when the hooked hand pulled her up to her feet, sending her soaring upwards before stumbling into their grimy arms due to the loss of balance. Cordelia’s steps faltered, her feet crossing messily like a fawn trying out its first steps.

The men grabbed at her shoulders, chipped and yellowing fingernails clawing at the porcelain skin of her neck and shoulders. Her dress had never felt thinner, never felt more scandalous than it did now. She felt exposed, as if the world was now viewing her in the nude even though in truth she was fully clothed.

“What’d’ya say we have her to ourselves for fun, boys?” The captain asked, his single gold tooth reflecting the light of the full moon and stars.

His men erupted into cheers, the chorus of joy and excitement defeating. It overpowered the panicked cries of Cordelia’s father. However, on the other hand, the maiden herself remained silent. Her lips were pursed, eyes were filled with ferocity and a cold-cut snobbery that was chillier than winter.

Slowly, in a low, threatening voice, she said, “get your hands off of me.”

As though a bucket of freezing cold water had been poured over the men, silence enveloped them. In the background, Cordelia could hear the gentle sloshing of the waves. It grew louder, more violent, more chaotic as the seconds ticked by without words.

Winds were blowing harshly around, the sails flapping maniacally into the night. The stars were starting to blur, its light ruined by the storm clouds that gathered in the heavens. Tragedy was brewing, the beginning of its tale set in stone the minute those words had left Cordelia’s lips. At that point, her future was set and promised.

She was to have none.

“The lass has got a feisty tongue to her, boys!” The pirate captain laughed, an evil and sinister smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. He looked up at the sky, examining it for just a split second second before he grinned at Cordelia, his plan in mind. “The water be cold tonight. Perfect for a swim, don’t’ya think?”

“No!”

In the midst of the struggle, Cordelia heard her father scream. His voice was strained, hoarse, and desperate as he leaned forward to his daughter. Since his arms and legs were bound, he was unable to move much but the brimming tears in his eyes and the red that rimmed the sockets were enough for the rest of the humans onboard to know the raw distress that tainted the poor man’s soul.

“Papa!” She called back, panic slowly crumbling the tough facade that she thought would be enough to drive the crude pirates back to whatever filthy hole they crawled out of.

Alas, the wooden plank beneath her feet creaked with her weight. They had pushed her off the main ship, her entire body supported only by a single plank of wood that looked as though it was ready to break at any moment.

“Time for a dip, girlie,” the pirate sneered. With a sword pointed at Cordelia’s chest, the metal catching the light harshly. “Off the plank ya go.”

Her natural instincts told her to move back, edging as far away from the sword as she could. However, with each step she took away, she was also a step closer to the edge of the wooden plank. When her heels touched nothing but air, Cordelia gasped, quickly attempting to step back to the original footing but was stopped by the tip of the sword to her collarbone.

“Cordelia!” The maiden’s father yelled, garnering her attention immediately. The pirate must have noticed her reaction because his grin only widened.

“Don’t worry lass. He will be joining you soon,” he promised.

The seconds flew by agonizingly slow but the pirates’ have a patience that ran as thin as a hair’s breadth. The captain moved closer to Cordelia, sword still poised in hand, forcing her to move backwards. When she finally stood to the edge and refused to move any further, he simply shrugged.

“Send my greetings to Davy Jones for me.” Those were his final parting words before he pierced the sword through Cordelia’s chest, right into her skin and out the other side.

The screams of horror and nefarious laughter were blurred and distorted. She barely even felt her body sliding off of the metal of the sword before plummeting down into the cold of the water. It enveloped her, bubbles forming right beside her face as her eyes fluttered close. She need not take a breath for she already breathed her last on that plank.

As she slowly descended into the dark abyss, all she could hear was the resonating voice of her father, screaming her name into the night.

Alas, the gods were deaf to his pleas.