The Young Man And The Sea

On that fateful twenty-fifth day of July 1798, my excellent wife Mary and I left our comfortable home in Surrey to visit my wife's estates on the Caribbean island of Andros. I had never thought much about such distant places before we had agreed to this visit, but the money that came from across the Atlantic where her brother Ernest managed the property was regular, not insignificant and contributed to maintaining the Surrey estate and our house in London. Thus I never concerned myself with the details of the operations on that island as they were efficiently were overseen by my brother-in-law. I had briefly met him on the occasion of my wedding to his sister some fourteen years gone when he had seemed a perfectly decent chap.

After our brief intercourse he returned permanently to the running of the plantation and now he had invited us to visit him for a month with encouragement that we could be with him on this exotic island, away from our estate during the time when the summer in the south of England becomes unbearable. So on the determined date my good wife and I bade our farewells to our household and our two children.

Our daughter Gwendoline fixed me with her serious eyes. "Daddy, you will be careful of the evil wraiths and spirits that live over there, won't you?"

I laughed at her childish fears. "There are no evil spirits over there. Your mother and I will be safe," I assured her.

"There are spirits and they live in the ocean," our young son Jacob insisted. "I wish I was coming with you to find them!"

I gave him my smile. "There is nothing there to find," I promised him. If our ship is sturdy we will be there and back before you know it." I took my Mary's hand in mine to prove to our children that we were both solid on that.

And so we set sail for the location of the family's wealth, a journey that was fortunately uneventful. The sea was benign. The first weeks of our holiday on the plantation were relaxing for us with all possible luxuries laid on for our pleasure. My wife's brother could not have been more agreeable.

To my surprise, the warm, tropical air had awakened my dormant libido and apparently also wakened the carnal urges of my Mary who, after the first few days of sleeping in separate rooms came to me every night. And not only were we vigorously engaging during the night, but she was also insatiable when we awoke, entangled together in the mornings. It was almost too much for me initially although I soon found I was well and truly up to the job. On that fateful morning two weeks after our arrival, I woke erect and ready to engage with my wife. In the warm humidity of the morning, she was equally ready to accept my advances. We engaged in a rigorous rogering to the satisfaction of us both. It was as if we were both twenty-one again and freshly married, eager to enjoy the sensuality of our fucking as we learned about each other's bodies and desires. Yes, back then we were adventurous and reckless. That morning I left my Mary's embraces, etc., not for a moment wondering when I might see her again. She promised me more of the same that night.

After my wife and I finished our morning meal, a servant tapped me on the shoulder to inform me that as I had been promised the evening prior, the preparations at the dock were done and my brother-in-law was awaiting my company so we could push off for a day of fishing on his boat.

As I parted from my wife, she smiled strongly as she wished me an enjoyable day. "You're a good man, Henry," she bade me and I was gone, soon to see her again.

I arrived at the dock to find Ernest waiting with an older man beside a boat that did not seem all that large, with a single mast. He advised me it was a skiff. Behind him, the ocean seemed smooth and quiet. However, the wind was already filling the boat's sail. Conditions seemed perfect as I stepped into the boat. Old Billy Bones grumbled as he loaded in our fishing gear and a basket which I assumed contained some refreshments.

We sailed out on a placid sea with the port fast receding behind us. With the land starting to become obscured by the gentle swell, Old Billy Bones started to become restive, held it inside himself for a while but then gave in to his concerns and finally spoke up.

"Mr Ernest," he asked with a tremor in his voice, "ye are not planning to go past the horizon are ye?"

My brother in law grinned at him. "Now why would you be concerned if I did anything like that?" The older man did not answer but I could see he was troubled by my brother-in-law's nonchalant reply.

Ernest was convinced we had found the spot, so we lolled in the swell with our lines out, Andros still visible in the distance. Despite Ernest's enthusiasm, I felt we were in the doldrums of fishing, not a bite and nothing apparently happening in the water that surrounded us. Billy settled his concerns enough to find us some refreshments from his basket.

Ernest smiled at me, squinting in the sunlight. "So all is good?" my brother-in-law asked, in a light, playful tone. "I am of course concerned about the well-being of my sister. Although it seems to me, based on the sounds resonating through my house that there are no problems in that department!"

I looked aghast at the thought that everyone in the household was aware of our improved love-making. I looked over to Old Billy, but he had made himself comfortable near the bow of the boat and seemed serene in his own thoughts, as if he had not noticed Ernest's outburst.

Ernest noticed my discomfort and smiled. "Come on man, this is not stuffy old England. We are somewhat more accepting of folk's natural urges in these parts. Something to do with needing to wear less of that infernal clothing that your climate requires I strongly suspect."

I nodded reluctantly at that. I also noticed that the swell had picked to a moderate extent. "And you have no one?" I enquired.

Ernest shook his head casually. "I have my dalliances. I am not going to marry. So one day this will all belong to Mary. And of course the children." He looked at me hard. "You will of course have to decide at that time whether you will be an absentee landlord or whether..." He trailed off for a moment. "And of course," he added, "some day Jacob and Gwendoline..." I thought of my two youngsters who we had of course left in the hands of their nanny at the estate.

"They are too young at present..."

"But they will grow up."

This conversation may have continued towards some difficult places since I had plans for my offspring to develop their opportunities in society at home, a plan which seemed at odds with what Ernest was suggesting, and after all he had some hands on our purse strings... Anyway that was all interrupted by a firm tug on Ernest's fishing line.

"I think I have got something!" he exclaimed. "And it's big," he added as he took stock of the effort his catch was making to be free of the line.

Old Billy suddenly roused from his reverie and anxiously looked to Ernest and then to the distant shore. "Be careful," he warned.

Ernest had no care for that already sensing the power of the fish he had. "Man, this could be the biggest fish I'll ever catch," he shouted back to Billy as he played out his line and moved carefully to the front of the boat to secure his rod there as he continued to play the line. A sudden jerk from the our captive made us realise that the prey had control of our route. Old Billy went pale, as he realised we were being towed by the beast. He checked the horizon to confirm that we were indeed being taking away from land.

"Cut the line," Billy cried but Ernest turned on him.

"I'm going all the way with this one," he threatened. And as if to underline his determination, the fish flew out of the sea momentarily shading us on the boat. It was a monster. It seemed to have a sail and was almost certainly longer than the vessel we were in.

Ernest's eyes shone with determination. "You see!" he cried. "Marlin! I won't let this one get away!"

Ernest fought the beast for another half an hour by my reckoning before both combatants relaxed, seeming trying to regather their strength to continue the fight. We were now well out of the sight of any land.

"Cut the line," Billy pleaded, far more feebly than before, spent as if it was him fighting the beast, not my brother-in-law.

But this roused Ernest from his recovery. "Dammit, why are you whining like this man?" he demanded of the older sailor.

Billy looked truly traumatised at having to express his fears. "We are in the triangle," he stammered.

"So what of it man?" Ernest demanded roughly.

"They say there are ghosts. Ships that plough these waters guided by unearthly hands..."

"You're babbling," I cut in. "There are no such things on these waters or any." I was confident in my observations, but before we could debate further amongst ourselves the fish, as if it too were part of the conversation, jerked the line and the battle recommenced.

Ernest burst back into action and the fish as if possessed towed us fast further away from land with Ernest gripping his rod, gritting his teeth in mortal combat with his hidden enemy.

Old Billy turned on the both of us with a surprising vehemence. "You are ignorant of the depths of this part of the world," he scolded me, "but you have no excuse to put us in peril here," he then berated Ernest who appeared not to notice his complaint. With only me attending to his ravings, Billy again focussed his force on me as if he could sway any of my thinking. "The Triangle is real," he insisted, "as real as I stand here with you." His eyes widened. "And there's every chance that the monster below there knows it as well as we do!"

Indeed over the next while, the fish dragged us a distance further from land. A cross swell picked up and began to rock the skiff quite violently. Ernest held his struggle. And then after one particularly sharp jolt by a wave, he turned to Old Billy and me forlorn. "He's got away," Ernest announced as he slowly wound the line back to find that it had been severed. We tossed on the seas for a moment while Billy tried to adjust the sail to at least set us back towards the island.

We started to make our way back, now deflated and in silence. I turned and glanced behind, maybe hoping to see the marlin again come back for more. But it was not a marlin I spotted. "A boat," I called out to the other two.

Billy's face whitened even more. "Ghost pirates," he insisted.

There is that dread when you realise that there is nothing that you can do about your fate. The ship that approached us was larger and faster than we were. It seemed to me to be clearly substantial, not a ghost at all. And all we could do was gently sail in the direction of the home that we could not see over the horizon and hope that our pursuer had benign aims. This hope was dashed when the vessel came close enough for us three to clearly see three figures near the prow waving cutlasses in our direction, their shiny metal reflecting the late afternoon sun at us.

I also noticed a black flag fluttering from the ship's mizzen mast. "The jolly roger!" I exclaimed, "they have to be kidding!"

My brother-in-law was watching with avid curiosity. "Maybe they are, maybe they are not," he shrugged. "I guess we are about to find out."

Old Billy Bones furled our sail and muttered what I assumed was a prayer under his breath.

As they pulled up aside one of the sword wavers at the prow called over to us. "Step over here and keep your heads lowered, and no harm will come to ye," a clear and commanding voice rang out.

With no obvious safe alternative, we obeyed and stepped over onto the pirate vessel, our heads bowed, awaiting our fate. I heard strong steps of someone in authority approaching. Somehow I was the first to be examined by the leader of this crew. They stepped up close to me and I could see polished black boots that extended up to the captain's thighs.

"So what do we have here?" an undoubted female voice asked. "Of what value to me could you be?"

"We have money," I stammered. "If you want my wealth take us back to Andros, and I will see that you get whatever I can give you."

"And what makes you think that I want your money," the captain taunted.

"What do you want then?" Ernest exploded.

"Now, now," the baleful captain calmed him, "let's not get excited about this."

"Ghost pirates," muttered Old Billy Bones audible enough for all to hear, "they want our souls."

The captain let out a loud laugh. "Is that what you really think, old man?" She laughed again. "All will be revealed soon enough. But for the moment, we need you in the hold."

We all put up a limited resistance as our hands were tied behind our backs and we were manhandled by a pair of female pirates who forced us down into the belly of the ship. I felt a numb helplessness as if my fate had already been sealed. Soon we were locked into a sort of cage there, a set-up that seemed to have been constructed for the precise purpose of incarcerating a group such as ours. Once we were secured, the crew permitted us to reach our hands through the bars so that they could untie us before leaving us alone to speculate over our immediate future.

I watched closely as the two pirates left us. They strode away to ascend the ladder back to the deck. I noticed that they were dressed similarly. As well as the polished black boots that protected them to above their knees they wore little other than a short white lacy dress with loose sleeves that only went down as far as the top of their thighs. Over their short dresses they both wore loosely tied corsets, one of black leather, one of red. As they climbed out of the hold I could only but enjoy the view right up past their shapely muscular legs since they wore nothing under their uniforms. Not only did they not seem to care about their display but they both held their position when they neared the top of the rungs, a position where their behinds and nether regions were the most exposed to us. I could only wonder why.

Once we were alone I looked to the other two who both showed that they had seen what I had seen, and were reacting in their own ways. Old Billy had a look of terror on his face. "Can you agree that they mean us no good?" he urged me. "Ghost pirates whose only aim is for us to join them in their unholy Hell!"

"They're not ghosts," I responded, having felt their hands on mine as they undid my ropes.

I looked to Ernest for support in this claim. He smiled broadly. "I certainly hope they're not ghosts," he chortled. "That was an invitation if ever I've been offered one. And if they are ghosts, well, what a way to go."

I could forgive that outburst as my brother in law had no dependents to worry about if indeed we were about to suffer the sort of fate that Old Billy had warned. My rationalism came back to the fore. "I suggest that we find out what they want and see how easy it is to satisfy them," I urged the other two. "I am sure that this can all be resolved soon."

If only I knew how prophetic my words would be, in a way that I would not realise until too late.

After we had lolled in the hold for some time, Old Billy Bones sat on his haunches and started to rock himself. "Ghost pirates," he muttered.

I looked in vain for help from my brother-in-law and then caught Old Billy Bones' attention. "So what can you tell us about these ghost pirates?" I asked him carefully. "To me they seem pretty real?" I still felt the impression of my captor's hand from when she had untied my bonds.

Old Billy gave me his darkest look. "No one knows what the ghost pirates are because no one has ever survived being captured by them." His eyes widened. "But there are tales of terrible doings by them, unspeakable things, to the men that they have captured."

"So they are both known and unknown," Ernest sniggered.

Billy was not fazed by his attitude. "Of course they want us to know that they exist. We are here of our own volition. Because we chose to stray into the triangle." He glared back at Ernest making it clear who he blamed for our predicament.

Since Ernest chose not to fly back at the older man, I tried to put a seal on it. "I am sure that there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this and it can be sorted out with any involvement by ghosts."

A laugh behind me stopped that line of reasoning. One of our captors stood outside our cage with an evil smile on her face. "You," she announced pointing at me, "come with me."

I looked to my fellow captives, but they seemed languid and uninterested, perhaps happy that I would be the first to suffer whatever fate awaited me on the deck. I followed the pirate up on deck, squinting as the morning sun blasted right into my eyes. Had we been in that hold for an entire night? I took a moment to realise that all of the five pirates I could see were women, all dressed similarly in their short smocks and loose corsets. One was evidently the captain. She stood out, emanating her leadership. And she also wore a tricorne with crossed bones while the others had fashioned kerchiefs to confine their locks and tresses. My escort stood alert but silent by my side. And three others sat on low barrels facing me, watching me.

The captain gestured at those three grinning renegades. "You must select one of them," she instructed. "Choose carefully as your fate may depend on it."

I looked more closely at the three. One was a tall thin girl of, I would say, 18 or 19. She spread her enticingly long legs and swayed them at me, a lascivious smile on her fresh, pale face. In the middle sat a shapely and busty woman who had certainly a few more years of ship life under her corset. Her face showed the effects of a life under the sun although her legs were as becoming as the younger lass. And third was a woman of even further years who had tried to disguise the worst of her ravages behind a heavily made up face. One could tell though that she had once been a beauty. She slowly swayed her surprisingly enticing legs.

I looked back to the captain who furnished an explanation. "You are to satisfy one of these three beauties. You will be judged." And to underscore that threat each of the women raised the front of their dress to reveal, as I had already suspected, that they wore nothing but the smock and the corset. The youngest one showed a modest growth of hair around a thin slit. The middle one was bare, her nether lips prominent yet in their own way strangely modest. The older candidate had a luxurious bush that obscured her prize yet exposed her as a woman of virility despite her age.

I thought of my Mary and looked to the captain with hope that I would somehow be excused from this ordeal. But no luck. "Choose!" she ordered.

"I'm sorry" I moaned as I started to unbutton my trousers and having made my unfair choice, I moved towards the pirate in the middle.

"They stay on!" the pirate queen snapped at me. "Your task is to pleasure your chosen candidate without ploughing her and without spending your staff. That stays tucked safely away."

I knew then that I would have to perform this task on the one pirate I chose while being evaluated by the other four. Approaching the woman in the middle, I could only wonder whether I had chosen right. At least the other two candidates did not show any disappointment in not having been chosen by me. Having exposed themselves in this infernal beauty parade, they kept their nether regions on show and indeed proceeded to play them with their fingers.

But I had to get to work. And kneeling down in front of this outlaw wench I prepared myself. I leant forward to smell her sex. And fortunately, she emitted a sweet odour. Whatever else these seafaring marauders may have done or not, they kept their cunnies clean. I smiled and looked up at her. "What is your name?" I asked, as friendly as I could be to this stranger with whom I was about to become intimate in the strangest of circumstances.