[ WP ] Tell a surreal pirate story , full of myth and splendor .

There comes a time in any young child's life when they look through a window out at the sea and decide the life out there is worth seeing. They get it in their skull that it is worth risking it all. They may not understand it, but they knew that the bed they grew up with would be gone. They knew the food they grew up with would be at a far shore. Friends, family and the dog she befriended in the market would no longer be there for her. 
 
 She heard commotion down by the dock. A crowd had been walking by her house on the main road. They were surely headed to the gallows on the far side of the pier. She had promised to watch. She grabbed her bag, her packed lunch, a hat and ran for it. Sandals smacked the hard wood with each wide step. Her breath struggled to keep pace. The salty air slowly changed to the smell of a crowd. She was thankful it was n't blood. 
 
 She stopped by a large wooden pole and started to climb it. It had the best view, but she knew someone would yell at her in short order. She pulled binoculars out of her bag and adjusted the focus. She could see the pirates in all of their glory. They wore ragged clothing; a few of them were shirtless. She noticed a woman among their numbers. That woman had spat and fought against the restraints. There was no turning back. The navy had landed here before dawn and heavily guarded the area. They were sure not to let anyone free them. 
 
 She had to smile for their sake as she was told to. She waved the binoculars and stopped when the female pirate raised her head. 
 
 A man shouted, `` You will tell us where the rest of your crew is!'' He brought a sword to the neck of the woman. No response came. She only held her head up high and smiled. 
 
 `` All this time you held your head down in defeat. Why only now do you look so confident? Do you really think your crew will come save you?'' he asked. 
 
 She did not respond. She had no words for someone so petty. 
 
 `` I'm not against torturing your shipmates to get information, you know. The crowd here demands a show. Surely, they have all heard of your pursuits.'' 
 
 None of the prisoners spoke. They had long decided their fate and were proud to the end. 
 
 Hours passed by in silence. The crowds have long gone. They decided to starve the pirates on their ropes. Bribing them with food was one of Navy Captain's favorite techniques. He left a few men to watch over the gallows. 
 
 `` Ann, you should n't be'ere,'' She spoke softly. 
 
 She hid behind some boxes nearby, `` Marigold, I'm going to sneak aboard a ship tonight. I'm going out to sea. I wanted to say good bye.'' 
 
 `` I said good bye the last couple'o nights,'' She almost laughed. 
 
 `` I know,'' Ann looked at the guards in the distance. They seemed bored. `` I want to do something for you.'' 
 
 `` I know, but I already gave you something,'' She grinned. 
 
 Ann looked at the tattoo around her right shoulder. She slid her dress sleeve back over it. `` I do n't want you betraying your crew. I know what they do to pirates here. I've watched some die before.'' 
 
 `` And I thought you a cute kid,'' She smiled. `` That mark will lead ye to greatness.'' 
 
 `` If it recognizes me,'' She stated. `` How?'' 
 
 Marigold laughed, `` I could n't even explain. It's ways are its own.'' She was silent for awhile. The guards had noticed she was talking. They could n't hear her, but it was enough. They had called for their captain as they were instructed. 
 
 `` Go.'' 
 
 Ann held a hand to the mark, `` I feel strange.'' 
 
 Marigold raised an eyebrow, `` Are you two...?'' A long pause ate at them. A rapturous moment that simmered with pain and anguish. `` Do not fight it. You are its master, now.'' 
 
 `` It's hungry.'' 
 
 Marigold swallowed the thought, `` Aye.'' 
 
 `` It... moved!'' Ann shouted, but her voice was weak. 
 
 `` HEY IDIOT!'' Marigold yelled at a guard, `` I WAS PROMISED A 5 COURSE MEAL!'' 
 
 `` Shut your mouth, woman!'' The guard shouted back. Captain Willows ran up to him. `` She started yelling nonsense.'' 
 
 `` I heard, go inform the chef,'' He instructed. 
 
 `` Aye, aye, Sir!'' 
 
 Marigold smiled. She could feel a familiar sickness. A dark, strange breeze billowed in the air. She could almost hear the hiss. Her skin goose bumped and her men had turned to her. They knew what it could mean. The only thing that scared their captain was that mark. 
 
 `` I had a thought,'' Captain Willows remarked. He had approached them with his arms behind his back. He had not sensed the ill air around them. He had not sensed the clouds well over head. The sun was bright in the noon sky, but now it had grown darker. The air had grown colder. `` You were always known for your grand tattoos. A great snake was wrapped around your right arm, but now as I look at your lovely bare skin... It is gone. How could this be?'' 
 
 `` Rumors,'' She spat. 
 
 `` So good to hear your voice again.'' He heard his men approach from behind. He noticed her eyes look them over. They were strong and defiant despite the strain and discomfort she undoubtedly felt. They had n't eaten in days. `` Will you tell me what I need to know? You were calling out for food, or were my ears deceived?'' 
 
 She smiled a wicked grin and laughed as loud as she could. Her men joined her in a great chorus that could be only understood as madness. He took a step back and did not hear the hiss amidst the noise. He did not hear the panicked footsteps as a child ran by him. The men behind him saw the child, but did not think to acknowledge her. The dock rocked a moment later. Its supports shook and some cracked. The laughter grew louder and more forceful. The captain flinched and realized that the sound was a distraction. They were under attack somehow, but he could not explain it. 
 
 He slowly turned and looked at his men. They laid upon the ground, stunned, and fear stricken. Some foamed at the mouth. He heard the great hiss over the laughter, finally. He understood what their madness had brought forth. He looked up into the air as a man was swallowed whole. The snake had arisen from where it coiled. Its form gained detail as the darkness rolled in. 
 
 It was too late, the eyes transfixed him, but they were not staring at him. He could not respond to the fast movement. The strike was almost in an instant. The dock broke in half. The snake had its meal. 
 
 That night, the folks from the city spread rumors of what happened. They described a dragon, a serpent and a snake had eaten twenty men. In fact, most of the men had died and the captain was in bed being treated, but his mind was gone. The doctors had no idea if he could recover. Fear was a truly sharp weapon that renders a mind inside out. The pirate prisoners were also gone. 
 
 A boat arrived that afternoon. It had unloaded its cargo and hoped to leave that night. Ann made sure to meet its captain at the bar. She was too young to go inside, but she knew who worked there and doubted she'd get anything more than a scolding. 
 
 `` Mister!'' She pleaded, `` I got the feeling you a captain.'' 
 
 `` Aye, what is a child want of me in a tavern?'' He looked her over and saw a dark bit of the tattoo under the sleeve of her dress. 
 
 `` Trouble.'' 
 
 `` Aye, trouble. Let's walk,'' He nodded to the right. 
 
 She ducked under the table. He folded his fingers together and looked at the empty seat before him. 
 
 `` You a pirate, right?'' 
 
 `` I can not say, are ye the new girl? I heard what'appened a short while ago.'' 
 
 `` Yes.'' 
 
 `` Then you aim to hide aboard me ship?'' 
 
 `` Yes.'' 
 
 `` Then, why bother me? Go, hide aboard, I'll treat ye with no less respect.'' 
 
 `` I think you a man of preparedness.'' 
 
 `` I see you are getting used to the mark. Aye. Additional items for the journey will be acquired. Know this, I will work ye hard.'' 
 
 `` Thank you.''
