Once Prospect Island had become nothing more than a green speck dotting a sea of blue, Captain Archibell leaned on the mast. “Well kiddo, if we run out of rations, you can always eat your words. The Lyre has once again pulled us out of a tight spot.”

Elise gave an affirmative nod as she rubbed away a splinter in her arm. “I must admit,” she said, “That was fun, I’ve never run away from angry sailors before”—but curiosity brimmed in the young girl’s eyes—"but why’d you steal their wallets? That’s not nice.”

“Little girl,” Archibell lectured as he removed a piece of cowhide from his pocket. “Niceties are for the land lubbers. If we are to keep the title of “scourge of the seas” we pirates, have a nasty reputation to uphold. Plus, I’m broke.”

Archibell removed a piece of parchment from cowhide. “Some of our most nefarious crimes include pick-pocketing and a newfangled crime—Identity Theft”—Archibell reversed the parchment to reveal a picture of one of the heavily bearded sailors. “Ol’ Archie can grow a beard like this, doncha think?”

Elise took one look at his slightly stubbled face and gave a giggle. “Maybe in a hundred years.”

Archibell handed another piece of paper to Elise. “It’ll be even harder for you,” he said, chuckling. “This guys got serious scurvy. Do you have any dental and gum diseases?”

“Er…” Elise said, scratching her head. “I uh…lost one of my baby teeth last week” she said and pulled her cheek open to reveal the missing tooth.

Archibell sighed. “That’ll do.”

“Why do we need to pretend to be other people anyway?” Elise asked, giving Archibell the picture back.

Archibell slid the cowhide back into his front pocket. “It’s so they and more importantly HE cannot find me…I mean, us.”

“Umm…” Elise said, gazing at Archibell with confusion. “Who are you talking about?”

Archibell thought for a second before immediately launching into a completely unrelated spiel. “Anywho”—he said, adopting a sea farers drawl, “Welcome aboard your first voyage, young pirate. What be yee name?”

“Elise…McGill ” Elise said with a happy bob of her bushy hair.

Archibell shook his head. “That’ll never do,” and he began tsk tsking. “Elise is a name befitting of a fair maiden. What we need is a scoundrel name that will strike fear into the hearts of all the sea dogs. Perhaps it’ll be your scariest pirate trait.”

Elise thought of her face. What was the scariest feature of it? “Freckles” she shouted and tried to rasp her voice. “I be called Freckles Mcgillicuddy, arrrrr.”

Archibell’s arms nearly dropped off his shoulders. “Freckles? Really?” he muttered. “That’s your scariest feature?”

“Well,” Elise said, looking upwards towards the sails. “They do look a lot like highly contagious liccan pox.”

“Ah, brilliant,” Archibell exclaimed and laughed to himself. ‘I really like the cut of your jib, kid. Freckles it is. Now how would you like”—Archibell said with a hardy smile spreading across his face—“to be my first mate?”

“Really?” Elise said, her wide eyes magnified further by her glasses. “She sells seashells. I’d love to”—but suddenly the truth hit her—“Are you sure I’m qualified?”

Archibell chuckled. “Well, I don’t have any other mates aboard so that automatically makes you my first mate.”

Elise grinned from ear to ear. “Yay. Now where are we heading?”

Archibell jogged up the steps to a creaky wooden wheel. “Sit tight, kiddo,” he said to her. “I’ve got the perfect place in mind. You simply relax and get your sea legs.”

I will,” she said, nervously crawling to her feet. “But gimme a moment.”

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She walked over to the edge of the ship, sitting on its bow.

She looked out on the deep blue horizon. Seagulls circled the lapping waves, reflecting in the great mirror of water. “I can’t believe I’m finally doing it,” the young girl murmured to herself. “I’m a pirate.

The waves pushed up against the boat, turning her stomach. She wasn’t quite used to that kind of roll and pull, but as she reclined on the wooden boards of the ship, she concentrated more on simply breathing the sea air.

“Arrr…” she sad to herself meekly. This would be her life for the foreseeable future.

Hours past as the noon day sun slowly slid down the sky. They had passed no islands or boats, no whirlpools or giant squids either, only water everywhere with the occasional friendly fish swimming alongside the boat. A cluster of clouds gathered in the far off distance. They were white and fluffy on the top, but an ominous shade of dark gray on the bottom Elise’s eyes were drawn to them, but her trance was interrupted by the squawking caw of Archibell’s voice. “Have you found your sea legs, First Mate Freckles?”

Elise’s wobbly knees slowly raised like she was learning to walk for the first time. “I am.”

“Then you’re quicker at it than my first, first mate,” the captain chuckled. “First time she got on a boat, she turned greener than a kelpie’s tongue.”

Archibell burst into another round of squawking laughs. Elise giggled too. With Archibell’s voice, they hardly needed a parrot on this ship.

“Now,” the captain said. “How bout you help yourself to some rations I mooched off that tavern lady?”

Elise’s eyes widened larger than her stomach. “My first sea meal will be scrumptious,” she sighed. “I love Molly’s cooking.”

“Hey now,” Archibell cackled. “You ain’t tasted true seafood til you tried my stew. I may not look like it, but I’m a five starfish sea cook.”

“Is that your rating on Kelp?” Elise said, referring to the Island Restaurant rating guide.

“Nah, kid,” Archibell said, putting his hand forward. “I simply use five starfish in every dish.”

Elise giggled as Archibell sent her off into the Lyre’s cabin. “You relax in the La Cabana de Archie,” he said, pointing towards the captain quarters. “I’ll keep working on getting us to where we need to go,” Elise happily skipped to the wooden doors and went inside.

Elise’s heart bounded excitedly in her chest. She had never seen a real captain’s quarter’s before, let alone someone as nefarious as Captain Jonas Archibell.

When she reached his inner sanctum, she wasn’t disappointed.

The desk where Archibell charted his course was an enormous gray-metallic chest covered in skulls, banners, gems and even ripe bananas. The chair behind it was composed of pale bones with a whole rib cage forming the back end.

The walls were adorned with a diving suit, a grappling hook, ship wheels and fish skeletons. Behind the desk, a painting hung in vibrant watercolors. Elise immediately recognized the captain but there were seven other people accompanying him.

The painting highlighted the colorful contrast between them. Some were tall, some were small, some were dressed in brightly colored shirts and bandanas while others wore a stern gray and black.

"What the shell?!" Elise said, walking over to it. Was this his original pirate crew.

Of all the people, Elise was most drawn to a woman standing close to the captain. Her hair was short and dark, curving in a neat bob. A dark green dress drapes over her tall thin frame. Her almond eyes turned fondly toward the captain as he placed his arm around her waist.

As they looked at each other, Elise's mind was captivated by the blossoming romance between the two. She went to touch it, but as she did, a loud gruff voice reprimanded her, "Hey! Hands off da merchandise!"

Elise leaped in the air. "Who's there?" She asked nervously.

"Moi!" the gravelly voice called out again. Elise thought the voice made her town's bricklayer seem dainty.

"Who's moi?"

Elise nearly screamed when she saw a seemingly stuffed fish that was bolted to the wall extend his face and wave his fins. He sported a small black pompadour. "Hey I'm floppin' here!"

"Eek!" Elise said, coming to the realization the stuffed fish was talking to her.

"What are you?"

"Toots," the fish responded. "The proper question is 'who am I?" And da answer is Tony da Troutface, the third most fearsome pirate in Archibell's crew."

Elise raised an eyebrow. "A talking fishy is the third most fearsome pirate in the crew? What are the rest of them? A bunch of sea snails?"

"Your words sting, toots," Tony sighed. "I wasn't always a knick knack at a garage salel. You see, I had a bit of o' high seas romance with Sincirce the Sea Witch and quite frankly, I wasn't sincere with my love to her."

Tony the Troutface made a gurgling sobbing sound from his maw. "And now I really live up to my name."

"Don't worry, Tony," Elise said with a gentle bob of her head. "I'm the new first mate and I'll help you find that witch; and you can apologize to her."

"You got mighty big shoes ta fill," Tony said. "But that's this trout's greatest fish...I mean wish. Oh and yer crab cakes are in the table."

"Thanksee! Elise said rubbing her belly. "I could eat a whole fish..."

Tony raised his fishy forehead but Elise grinned nervously. "Uh, I'll rethink my diet once I'm finished adventuring!"

Elise was about to open the slightly greasy bag and enjoy her food when Archibell burst through the doorway with a grave expression. "First mate needed on the port bow!" he said sternly.

"Okay," Elise said, hustling outside with her captain. But once she saw what was outside, she wished she was back in the nice warm cabin.

The stormy sky was black as night and it was only quarter to four.