I'll post it in chapters

CHAPTER ONE

 

 

 

 

I have stopped worrying in about
Father’s well being. There is no need anymore, it does not good to worry.
Worrying will not help him, nor save him if he is ever in danger, which bless
the seas he will not be in. So I have decided to stop.

My name is Piper McTavash Jones,
Piper for short. My father named me. He was the only one who could since I was
shipped to him along with a letter that said my mother had died and that she
wished for my father to have me. For eighteen hard years, I have lived with
anyone but my father. My father is a pirate, but a good one. Not those blood
thirsty money stealing ones, as far as I know. According to what I have heard,
my father is a rather well known as a good guy type pirate. Everyone likes him,
but me.

After countless times asking just
to let him take me for a short trip on his ship, I started to believe he
disliked me and wished I was not sent to him. Of course, this all happened as a
child. And to this moment, I still believe that. I have my reasons though, I do
not go around disliking people without a reason, I think you should know. He
avoided me and left me with his drunken friends who all insisted I take a drink
with them. I swear, and I will not lie to you, since I was six months and was
first left with those drunk idiots while my father went on thrilling
adventures, there was alcohol in my bottle.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t
‘not love’ my father, but how could I love him? I never get to spend time with
him!

But all those years alone have not
gone to waste! I have become quite the Gear head over the years. The old cabin
I stayed in had quite a lot of gears and what not laying around so after a
while I began to start experimenting and fiddling with them. Soon I wound up
with a bunch of… thingy-mo-bobs. I don’t have a name for what I created, but
after studying birds, I think I have put together mechanical wings. I’m not
sure if they work or not.

My mind was jumbled with much more
than those things as I marched to the top of the nearest cliff. My mechanical
wings slung under my left arm left my right arm free. I looked out over the sea
and saw the rich blue waters surrounding every island and every inch I could
see. I saw tiny pirate ships in the distance and giant sail fluttering above
them. My hat was tight on my head. I wore a pirate hat, even though I am not a
pirate, yet. It had the logo of Port Beer stamped on it. I know, it’s lame,
your fathers a pirate and you have to settle for a fake hat. But it was all
going to change today. My mechanical wings would work –I hope- and I would be
off to find my father by noon.

My foot stopped at the top of the
hill. I took my mechanical wings into both hands and positioned the straps.
Then I slipped them on my shoulder and closed the snap. Next, I pulled the
white string and started the gears turning. I could hear the turning sound they
made as their teeth ran into one another. Finally, the wings started to buzz.
My next job was to jump and hope the air would catch the buzzing wings and lift
me up.

“Piper! Piper!” I heard voices
calling my name. “We will not allow you to jump off that cliff!” Then I knew.
My father’s friends Budd and Poe had realized what I was going to do and now
attempt to stop me.

“Whoa! Your not –err- going to, um,
jump, are you?” Budd asked only receiving a smack in the fat stomach from his
friend. Both men were fat, and I mean fat. They wear dirty clothes (don’t we
all) and have rotten teeth.

“Of course she is, you dumbo! You
think she is up here with wings to look at the ships?” Poe cried. Budd looked
at Poe.

“Of course not! Why would you think
such a thing? She going to jump, you dumb plank of wood!” Budd cried. I have to
say, when these two get drunk, it could be funny to watch them bicker.

“Um,” Poe smiled. “Poe… Yeah, I
said that,” he stressed the I. “You’re the one who thought she was not going to
jump!” He smacked Budd in the chin.

Budd looked at Poe as if he was
mentally ill, which I believe both of them are. “Your going crazy, I’ll go get
Piper, she’ll put some sense in your head,” he began to walk toward the old
deserted boat we lived in on the shore of the Port beach.

“She is right over there!” Poe
cried.

“I’m not listening to your nonsense
anymore, Poe, I know what I’m doing!”

“Suit yourself, Budd!”

Sometimes, I think, correction I
KNOW, Budd has a mental illness. Maybe short term memory loss or something like
that. Poe on the other hand, he can be sharp, but Poe can easily be talked out
of things, he will believe any lie you tell him. Budd is stubborn, and crazy in
the head. I turned to Poe.

“You get down here young lady!” he
cried. “Or I Will tell your father!”

“Tell him what? That I was…
looking… I was looking for… his ship! Yes! I was looking for his ship on the
sea!! I wanted to give him… these mechanical wings!” I lied. I was not planning
on looking for any ship, or giving my father anything.

“Oh, well in that case-“ he got cut
off.

“Where’s Piper? I can’t find her!”
Budd poked his head out of the ship’s door.

“I’m right here, Budd!” I cried. I
knew I should not have said that.

“Oh Piper! PIPER! Are you going to
jump?” Budd looked me in the eyes.

“No!” I lied.

“Then what?”

I panicked, I forgot my lie. I knew
it had to do with my father and the wings, but my mind went blank.

“Looking at the view!” I said
hoping Poe would not pick up on my lie.

“I thought-“ Poe stammered. “You
said…”

“The girl said she was looking at
the view!” Budd said. Then to me “Gee, I think this man has brain damage!”

“Yeah!” I fake smiled, trying to
give myself away. I held up a thumbs up to him.

“Piper…” Poe said suspiciously.
“You told me you were looking for your father… But yet you just said to Poe
that you were looking at the view?! What is the truth?” Poe looked me in the
eye.

“Yeah, Piper! What’s the truth?”
Budd chimed in. Why did her choose now to finally catch on?

I was going to come clean, but then
I’ll get locked back in the ship. But if I lied, I would… well I don’t know. It
depends on the lie. Hopefully, I come up with a good one.

I decided to lie. “You got me,” but
I was cut off.

“I told you, she was going to
jump!” Budd slapped Poe in the shoulder.

“Let her finish you overgrown
mushroom!” Poe said back. “And I knew she was going to jump,”

“Blala! I’m not listening to you!”
Budd plugged his ears.

“Don’t! I don’t care, your dumb
anyway,” Poe turned back to me. “Continue, dea…” Budd cut him off.

“Don’t you call me dumb!” Budd
complained.

“Humph. I thought you were not
listening to me,” Poe stated. Budd looked fumbled. “You said, I’m not listening
to you, but it’s not true, you just listened to what I said about you!”

“Don’t push me, poop bag! No-one
calls me dumb!” he made a head movement and clapped in Poe’s face, making him
jump.

“Just pointing out facts, no need
to get pushy!” Poe smiled at him.

“I’m getting pushing? Me?” he said
in a matter of fact kind of voice. “You called Buddy Bob, THE Buddy Bob, dumb.
And your calling me pushy?”

Poe giggled. “I’m sorry!” he said
in between laughs. “But whenever I hear your full name, Budd, I crack up!”

“Buddy Bob, Buddy Bob, Buddy Bob,
Buddy Bob, Buddy Bob,” Budd repeated five times fast.

“You’re going to make me fall!” Poe
said. He was laughing so hard he was slapping his leg.

“You think I’m amusing!” Budd said
as Poe fell to the ground, still laughing. “You! You… You disgust me!”

Poe could not stop smiling and
chuckling. I figured at this time was the best time to test my mechanical
wings. I watched for a minute more as Budd trash talked Poe, who was a giggling
monkey on the wet grass. Then I slinked toward the top of the mountain and just
jumped.

A moment later I took in a gulp of
air and well started to choke. I tumbled, head over feet, down the hill. My
orange curly hair in my face. 
Alas, I felt myself slowing down.

The winds combined made it hard to
look up. But I overcame the force. Eyes half shut, I peered at the ocean around
me, and the giant rocks I was hurdling toward.

“Come one wings! Work! You stupid
piece of junk!” I shouted. I rolled onto my back and peered at the top of the
cliff. I could hear the faint cries of Poe and Budd. Then I heard my name being
called. Urgently.

“Piper?” it was a question at
first. Then it turned into a cry. “PIIPPPEEERRR”

Then after a moment, two faces
peered down at me. I recognized them as Poe and Budd. Budd always makes the
stupid comments, I knew this was him. “You come up here right this moment!”

Obviously, Poe had something to
counter it. “She’s falling, doe doe bird, This is why I called you dumb!”

“Oh, then lets go get her!” Budd’s
face disappeared.

“Piper, we will come!” and that was
the last of them. They probably never found me, because they never came. Well
really, who was I to say? My wings kicked in. Seconds before I became ocean
soup, I felt my wings start to catch the wind.

And off I went. I was souring
through the sky. It was any pirate to be’s dream, except for the fact, that I
was rapidly getting lower which meant soon I would be ocean soup once again. I
struggled to turn around. Then I reached for the rope which started up the
wings. I grabbed it and pulled it multiple times. Nothing happened. I was still
hurdling toward the ocean, at a reduced speed of course. That helped for sure.

But that was not even the worst
part, a gear popped out of my left wing and I began to sway. And not the
romantic swaying either, I was being jolted from side to side, my legs flaling.
Still about 50 or so feet above the water with who knows what below it, I was
terrified. I was on rickety old poorly made wings 50 feet above sea level,
rapidly falling while heading deeper and deeper into the sea. When I tried to
look back, I saw a mini beach.

I was pretty amazed. That the wings
lasted so long, that is. But they did not last much longer. With a quick jolt,
I made a 90˚ angle and was suddenly flying downward into the ocean. In a
second, I was under. I opened my eyes. I could see surprisingly well under
water. All the angelfish and and schools or tetra, all floated in front of my
face. It was quite a sight. The heavy water trapped between my wings began to
pull me downward. I sunk deeper and deeper.

At first, so amazed of the sight I
was unable to comprehend the fact I was going under. The fish were dancing for
me. I must have been 30 feet under by the time I realized I had no air left. I
swung my arms and kicked my feet to the point where my shoes fell off. I knew
quite well, I would have to take my wings off to save myself and let them
drown, but the thought of loosing these wings that just need a few tweeks
before I could fly hoursat one time, dwelled my mind. My mouth was clamped
shut, running out of air.

Now I was frantic. I shoved the
wings off my body and threw my shoes off. My mouth could no longer stay closed
so I hung open. My nose was huffing and puffing. Trying to pump any left air
out. All my work was forgotten when I found out I was going further down under.

I cannot remember the rest, how
much longer I was under or how I got out, but the next thing I knew was I was
in a boat, with Budd and Poe. They were bickering about, I think, seaweed. My
eyes had flickered open, but in order to avoid the long talk Poe would give me,
I kept them shut and listened to the argument.

“Why do you have to be so hard, you
can’t stand being nice! Huh?” Poe bickered.

“I just think that you having a
seaweed catcher award is quite well… I don’t know! STUPID!” Budd cried. The
next thing I knew was that Budd’s elbow had punched me in the stomach. I
jolted, my eyes wide open.

“Oww!” I yelped. “Be more careful
Budd, you bozo!”

“I’m sorry, Piper! I had no idea
you were awake!” Budd held his arms up.

“Piper, you know that was a silly
thing you did, jumping off that cliff! Aye?” Poe told me. I nodded.

Then Poe just started to laugh.
“Heh Heh Heh”

Budd joined in. “Hohoho”

I just watched. “Laughing? What
for?”

“I knew it all along, Piper. Your
special!” Poe eyed me. In one hand he held a beer bottle.

“Not every pirate jumps off a cliff
for experiments!” Budd added.

“So?” I asked.

“You Piper, have a great destiny to
fufill,” Poe commented.

“Your drunk, I’m not special, you
do not know what you’re talking about!” I protested. No way could I have a
‘special destiny’ waiting for me. I’m just Piper McTavash Jones, a girl without
a loving father and a mother.

“Your old man did not tell you?”
Budd said. “Your family secret?”

“I do not HAVE a family!”

“Sure yah do!” Poe sloshed his
beer. “Yah got us! And your father.”

“Your not technically my family,
and my father does not care a tidbit about me,” I cried. “Now just get me back
to shore!”

“Well, lets tell her, Poe!” Budd
exclaimed.

“Ok, ok. Piper, your great
grandfather, Mike McTavash, was a wicked man. The meanest of the pirate, the
deadliest and the scariest. He died when he was only fifteen,” he paused.

“Then he could never be a full
pledged pirate! This is nonsense! If he died, then how could,” I stopped.

“Wait, Piper,” Budd calmed me.

“He died because he broke the
pirate oath and stole a very important item. The item that kept the living and
the dead separate. Once he escaped, on the full moon, he raised the item and
out came all the dead pirates to his command. In doing this, he had his soul
taken too. With his new power, he formed his army and set sail in his ship,
Phantom. The ship on appears on a full moon and only appears if you are alone,
one ship. And if you have any items of their liking. Since everyone there is
already dead, they can’t be stopped. Mike McTavash was a disgrace to the
McTavash family line, such one that they changed their name. That’s why you and
your father have Jones,” Poe exlained.

“Is that why my father is always
away? He is trying to put an end to the silliness of his grandfather?” I asked.
Poe looked at Budd.

“Should we tell her?” Poe asked.
Budd nodded.

“Piper, your father, is one of the
dead pirates on Mike’s ship. He has taken the whole McTavash and Jones family
into his command, and now he is looking for you.

“Oh my,” my heart almost skipped a
beat. “How-how long has my father been like this? Dead, I mean!”

“Six years, My lady,” Budd hugged
me. I could not speak, my father, was… dead.

“How long until Captain Mike finds
me?” I worridly asked.

“There is no telling,” Poe
whispered. “He could come now if he wanted!”

In a couple days, I started
training with Budd. I walked out into the meadow and saw Budd and Poe sword
fighting. Budd held a long skinny sharp sword, while Poe’s was thicker and look
double as deadly.

“Piper!” Budd cried. “Take this
sword and fight Poe!” he cried. I walked over, shaking with fear, and took the
sword. Next I turned and faced Poe. He had a serious smirk I had never seen
before. He stood his sword jabbed out at me as if he was waiting for me to
begin. I found this whole thing outrageous.

“Your going to teach me right, not
just let my head get cut off?!” I asked.

“Well, who do you think we are?
Some master sword teachers? We don’t know a damn thing bout’ teaching!” Poe
cried. “Move the sword!”

“Fine!” I held my free hand up and
the lowered. With both hands on the sword, I started trying to poke Poe. Poe
started waving his around, hitting my sword over and over again. I panicked. I
did, I just froze in my mind, but my arms just moved the sword.

“Go Piper!” Budd cheered. Poe
glared, eyes fixed on Budd but he was still jabbing that sword.

“Did I say Piper?” Budd asked
matter of factly. “I meant Poe!”

Poe smiled. “Not that’s more like
it, aye mate!”

My hands crashed the sword into
Poe’s. Stronger each time. Poe smiled at me.

“You’re a natural Pipey!” he cried.
I could do nothing but smile. After that my hands just… lets see how to put
this… stopped. They lost the feeling of the crashing swords and Poe began to
dominate.

“Piper! What happened, you were
doing so well!” Budd cried.

“I, I don’t know!” I called just as
the sword in my hands, the silver blade that could kill, fell to the ground
with Poe’s fierce swing.

“I win!” he cried.

“Looks like I’m a failure, ok, too
bad, maybe in… never… I’ll learn how to sword fight and beat Poe!” I walked off
with a big shot smiled on.

“Oh Piper! But what if Captain Mike
McTavash comes tomorrow? What will yah do then?” Budd cried.

“Kick him in the you know where and
run off!” I stopped, hands on hips and glared. I knew what I was doing. I’m not
a helpless baby who needs her own beer to be poured into her bottle anymore. I
do not even like beer.

“But Captain Dead Man McTavah is a
DEAD MAN!” Poe clanked his head. I waited for a hollow noise, since it is
obvious they have no brains.

“I forgot,” I smiled. “I’ll call
the town police!” I cried. “Tell them that my dead great grandfather is trying
to kill me!” I knew that was a silly remark. The towns police have a thing
about pirates. English men, and women, believe us to be dirty nasty rug-rats!

“Seriously!” Budd said between
chuckles. “If your going that out of this world, might as well call the Ghost
Ridders!”

Poe was talking about a group of
teen English men who once and a while come up here and tease us, pretending we
are ghosts and that they will rid them of us. They come up the mountain
whispering to one another and when they see us they cry, ‘We are here to help
you to the next life God has for you!’ They are quite dumb.

“I’m not a ghost, you bozos!” I
cried.

“She’s not aware of her un-natural
presence!” the once boy said to the other.

“Uhm Hum…” the other mumbled.

“Girl… Pirate Girl… God is calling
for you up in hell where all you pirates belong!” the first boy cried. Now that
was stupid. His fear must have been getting to him, because even pirates who
were brought up not caring about god and everything know that god is in heaven
and devils go to hell.

Those silly little boys, or big
boys, they were about seven-teen years old, would come up about twice a week
and we would go through the same conversation.

Then they mysteriously stopped. I
guess when Budd punched them in the stomach it warned them well enough. I’m
glad they never came back. If they did, Budd would probably attempt to slice
their hands off. I guess this is what you get for being the unwanted freak of
the 1800’s. The pirate.

“If you want me to be serious,” I
snapped back into reality. “Then I would, I would… I don’t know! Happy!” I
screamed.

“That’s my point, young lady! You
have to know how to handle Captain Mike McTavash when he comes!” Poe cried.

“Since when do you care about me?”
my anger and deep inner thoughts were starting to peak out.

“Since the day you became out
responsiblity!” Poe shouted.

“You certainly did not care enough
to put anything but your stupid old beer in my baby bottle!” I exclaimed.

“Piper… we did not,” Budd cut him
off.

“We did but beer in your bottle!
Will you please stop arguing with us!”

“Might I add we are all you have?
If you leave us, or start to form a bad relationship with us, you have noone
left to go to! So P-l-e-a-s-e don’t do this!” Poe nudged his way into the
argument.

“Uhh! Fine!” I clenched my fists
together. “But try to teach me, not just well you know make me teach myself”

“Deal!” Poe agreed. I watched as
Budd’s jaw quivered.

“You, you expect us to TEACH her!”
he cried at Poe. Poe nodded.

“Fine! But tomorrow, and Poe, your
teaching!” Budd walked down to the old pirate ship we lived in, grumbling.

“I’m gunna go for a walk!” I
chanted. I usally go for a walk whenever I cannot stand Poe and Budd’s
bickering, annoying prompts or any of their blah blah blah.

Walking down the half gravel, half
dirt path, I looked out on the village. It was filled with English woman
wearing hoopskirts and men it a suit. They all looked happy and orderly. Their
lives were great! They were rich, most of them, had a good life, again most of
them, and best of all did not have to drink beer when they were 6 months old.
They have a mother who gives them milk in a bottle. That’s what I get for being
born world’s lamest pirate daughter.

I gazed out among them until
suddenly I heard the loud sound of a woman’s cry and suddenly everyone was
crying “Pirate! Load the fire! Abate her!” I watched as red coats pilled into
the town area. I froze. But soon after, when the first musket fired, I ran down
the road, made a left ran through the village and made my way to the dock.

“Back down now pirate, you can’t
run!” the army leader spoke.

“You fools, I’m no pirate! I have
never, been on a ship, you dumbbells! But do not underestimate what I can do!
You fools can’t kill me!” I cried standing on the balcony. Behind me the cool
ocean water dwelled in peace.

“You, You get out of here!” I heard
a villager scream. On the road behind the village, Poe’s face peered out. He
was making diving motions and mouthing what seemed to be the word, “Dive!”, I
smiled and nodded.

“What so funny?” a village cried,
seeing me smile.

“I’ll say one thing, if you don’t
shoot me by then,” I was cut off by a sound of a woman’s voice.

“Shoot!” she cried.

“I’m not going to harm you, me and
my friends live up hill, we rarely come down here!” I was cut off again.

“There are more pirates? Oh my! We
are being invaded!” the voice creid.

“Get her and force her to show us
where she hides her treasure!” a man in the front cheered. A couple others
chanted, yeah, then stopped. A few more fists waved until I found time to
speak.

“If you come up to our home, the
pirate curse will be set on you!” I lied. The crowd gasped. “If you kill me,
you ALL will have it!” A military member looked at me, his face looked
drentched in disbelief.

“She tells lies! I’ll kill her in
one shot!” he cried. Then he fired at me. I tumbled back into the water. Cheers
went off when they looked down and saw that I was gone. I guess Poe was right.
I am special. The bullet was way off. Went right through my legs. I was only
stunned. What really made my act believable was how I just fell. I found the
perfect timing.

Now I slither under the dock, my
head half under the water. I don’t know why the English loathe us so much.
There has only been five recorded English deaths caused by pirates!

I hung to the boards of the dock,
my ear moving along it. I heard the bickers of some woman.

“You cursed us, you big dope” the
woman cried. I presumed it was to the man who attempted to kill me.

“Your not cursed, none of us are,
it was lies that pirate girl spoke!”

“And you know, how?”

“I-I could tell, by the way… by the
way she spoke and looked!”

“Well if I wake up and I’m harmed,
I’m telling the military!”

“I’m a member of the military!”

“Well if I’m harmed, you will not
be for much longer!”

“Madame I assure you,”

“Don’t touch me!”

“Ah, you hit me!” I heard the man
cry.

“Humph!” Then I hard the sound of
heals walking off the boardwalk meaning that she must have walked away.

I climbed out of the water, soaked.
My curly orange hair clung to my face and neck. My baggy clothing was clinging
to me too. Not the best feeling, I would say.

Poe came running out of the pirate
ship we lived in.

“Piper!” he cried.

“Listen, Poe, I found this in the
water,” I reached into my pocket and took out the soaking wet envelope. All the
colors had spread making it harder to see.

“Hmm…” Poe looked at it. “Where did
you find this, where in the water?”

“Right off the dock of the
village!” I answered.

“Any idea where it came from?” he
asked me.

“Nope!” it was the truth. I had no
clue where the letter was from. But wherever it was, pirates must dwell there.