(11:27 am Nov 02, 2008)
Fulcrum knew that he shouldn't. Knew it was dangerous. In more ways than one. But Fulcrum couldn't help himself. He went up to the window and knocked lightly on the shutter.
The singing faltered.
He knocked again, a tiny bit louder this time.
The singing stopped.
He waited.
But heard nothing from within. No further singing, no movement. And despite listening as hard as he could, not even any breathing.
He knocked again, "Hello, I just want to speak with you," he said quietly, his face pressed against the rough wood and peeling paint of the shutter. He heard the person inside catch their breath and imagined a hand going to a bosom.
He heard the faintest movement from within and then a faint sweet voice, "Who is there?"
'It's Fulcrum Hornigold, dashing pirate extraordinaire, soon to be the most famous man alive!' thought Fulcrum just before he froze. He stood on the porch for what seemed an eternity before a hidden view port opened in the shutter and pale green eyes stared out into the night and pierced his heart.
"Who are you sir? And what are you doing on my porch in the middle of the night. Speak quickly or I shall raise the alarm."
(11:47 am Nov 02, 2008)
"I am from the camp on the other side of the island. I came to town on an errand and I heard you singing."
"Are you a pirate then sir?"
"I mean you no harm."
"Yes, but are you or are you not a pirate sir."
"That I am. May I speak with you further?"
"I should say no," she said, "all the women have been warned to have not dealings with the men of your camp."
Fulcrum smiled and inside his heart rejoiced. Something about the way she said that filled him with hope.
"I have to go now to finish my errand, but if I can, I will come back on the morrow and knock at your shutter again if I may."
"I should say no," she said and closed the view port.
Fulcrum walked to the road his heart full within his breast.
(11:56 am Nov 02, 2008)
(12:23 pm Nov 02, 2008)
I hear that sucking sound gentle reader. Time being pulled somewhere out of this dimension.
Fulcrum made his way back to the other house and around to the door by the oven and knocked. The door opened almost before his hand hit for his second knock. She was waiting for his return then.
"Here, take this back quickly, don't open it and whatever you do, don't let anyone take it from you!"
"I know, I know, it is my very life."
She looked at him with an odd expression and he turned without further comment and headed back to the path to the north shore encampment.
(12:28 pm Nov 02, 2008)
Walking the dark sand path, Fulcrum sang his song again.
It's a pirate that I be
And I sail upon the sea
And the fathers and the mothers
And the brothers of the damsels
They are all afeared of me
Cause when the damsels I do see
And when the damsels they see me
There is no hope left
Their hearts are for my chest
A treasure fair reserved for me
Green eyes lingered in his memory.
He heard something on the trail behind him that made the hairs on his neck tickle but when he turned he saw nothing. He spoke the words soldier crabs and lizards to himself again but he knew he was fooling himself this time. Whatever it was that he had heard had been bigger than that.
(1:13 pm Nov 02, 2008)
He picked up his pace but now he heard noises on both sides of the path behind him and closing. Then he sensed that there must be something or someone ahead as well and so he made a split second decision and plunged off the path into the undergrowth to the left and did his best to increase his pace even more.
He heard some low laughter behind him and tried to break into a semblance of a run in the darkness and the bushes.
Think, think, how could he evade this group? Should he call out? Was he close enough to camp to be heard? Even if they heard, could they get to him in time to help? Were his pursuers from the camp or were they from some other group. Surely they would not be from the settlement?
He didn't like any of his options but he decided to go on the hunt himself instead of remaining the hunted. He drew his cutlass and a dagger and then did something that he knew might mean his life but also might save it.
He put the package he carried in the crook of a high branch and then stooped down to mark the base of the trunk with his dagger and then moved off at right angles to his former direction.
He struck the fronds of a palm tree with his cutlass to make some noise and then moved off quickly about ten yards and crouched down in the shadows near a bush.
Soon, three men he had never seen before showed up at the palm tree that he had struck.
"Anyone hear anything?" one whispered.
The other two shook their heads. "Spread out and lets finish this quickly. We can't let him get back to the camp with that package."
Fulcrum's heart sank. How did they know he had a package. It seemed they must know more than he did about the contents of the package as well.
(1:35 pm Nov 02, 2008)
(2:17 pm Nov 02, 2008)
Ah gentle reader, the joys and the agony of the practicing procrastinator. Shall I blame it on the temporal black hole once again?
Two of the three headed off away from Fulcrum in a vee while the other came almost towards him.
He waited patiently as the man passed within two yards of him and continued on. Fulcrum waited until he was just past him and then rose from his position and clamped his hand over the man's mouth to keep him from crying out as he pulled the blade of his knife across the man's throat. That was the plan at least but just as his knife began its arc, he was struck on the head from behind and lost consciousness.
"Pssssss," a shadowy figure made a noise and then faded into the shadows. It was enough to get the attention of the two who had headed off looking for Fulcrum. They soon appeared on the scene to see Fulcrum on the ground bleeding from his head and their companion on the ground next to him bleeding from a gash in the neck.
(2:28 pm Nov 02, 2008)
"Quick see if either of them are dead and then let's search him for the package."
The other bent down to examine the two men on the ground. "They both seem to be alive but I think Jake may not be long for this world, help me try and stop this bleeding."
"Leave off, we don't have time for that, someone may show up." They searched Fulcrum but found no package.
"Its not here! Wake him up and let's find out where it is!"
They tried but could not revive Fulcrum. They talked things over trying to decide what to do and decided to move their companion away and come back and watch Fulcrum when he awoke to see if they could jump him when he went back to wherever he had left the package.
When the sun began to rise in the morning and Fulcrum still had not come to, they began to regret their decision but decision but they decided to wait things out just a bit longer.
Just a while later, Fulcrum began to come around. He swam up from the darkness and the depths slowly and opened his eyes to a pounding in his head and a wad of cotton and sand in his mouth.
He groaned and rolled on to his stomach and puked on the ground and then was overcome by a wave of dizziness and had to lay his head down on the ground. Lay his face into the pool of hot, acidic puke that had not yet soaked into the sandy ground.
(2:45 pm Nov 02, 2008)
Soon, his head cleared a little and he got unsteadily to his feet. He was disoriented and he looked around trying to figure out where he was. He couldn't get his bearings for a while until he thought to look for the sun and realised that he heard waves on the beach off to his left. He turned and stumbled off in the direction of the beach.
He never thought to check if he was being followed. Luckily, he never thought to search for the package either.
Soon he began climbing the back side of the dune and then he was at the top of the dune looking down on what seemed to be a deserted beach. He was momentarily disoriented again but looking further down the beach, he saw the pirate encampment. He must have gone further off course than he remembered last night while being pursued.
He started down the face of the dune but stumbled and rolled the rest of the way down. At the bottom, he got slowly to his feet and set off in the direction of the camp.
(8:35 pm Nov 02, 2008)
Good evening gentle reader, well, we went out to dinner tonight and since I have been back, I have been deep into the procrastination zone. Time greased up and slipping away into the night.
When Fulcrum reached the camp, the captain was fuming. He glared at Fulcrum and his scowl was fearsome. Fulcrum felt his knees go weak. He was more scared now than he had been the night before in the bushes.
"Fulcrum! Come with me you dog!" The captain turned on his heels and headed down the beach to his tent. Fulcrum followed behind. Was this to be his last day on earth then? He vowed silently to himself that this would not be. He saw again those green, captivating eyes and set his mind to finding salvation for his hide.
The captain lifted the tent flap and stormed inside without looking back. Fulcrum entered behind with some trepidation, "Captain, I.."
"Not a word you dog! Give me my package now or prepare to meet your maker." The captain walked over to his desk and picked up a pistol.
Fulcrum held up his hands, "Captain, I was set upon on the trail back from town with you package. I think I killed one of them before they hit me over the head but I think your package is still safe."
"Well, then, good. Enough delay, give it to me and you may just live to see your next cruise."
"The thing is captain, I don't have it."
"Now lad, don't be playing any games with your captain, give me my package now," growled the captain pointing the pistol towards Fulcrum.
(9:05 pm Nov 02, 2008)
Fulcrum looked around, fear rising quickly in his breast. His eyes searched for some way of escape, "Captain I.."
The captain cocked the trigger on the pistol.
"No, no! Captain! We can get you package! I hid it before I was jumped! We can get it I tell you!"
The captain lowered the pistol and growled. "You hid it you say? Didn't I tell you to protect it with your life? Why would you leave it unprotected?"
"I was being followed by a group of men in the woods. I hid it to protect it from falling into their hands should they prevail against me and then I began hunting them. I saw three of them, I think it was all of them. I didn't recognise any of them from the town."
"OK, then lad, go and get it and bring it to me. Take some extra pistols to be safe."
"Captain, I am not sure I know exactly where I hid it. It was dark and I was confused, shouldn't we send a search party to find it? We could lead an armed party and find it easily."
"No lad, that would not do, to many people for a simple secret to survive. No, you must go and get it yourself."
"Captain, at least you should come with me, surely we would have a better chance of success with more searchers."
"No lad, I am needed here right now, you must go alone and take care. But you must return with my package as it is still your life you protect."
"Yes captain, right away!" said Fulcrum, relief flooding within.
"See the first mare for some extra pistols and shot sir. And Godspeed."
"Yes captain."
Fulcrum turned and went through the flap to the fresh air outside. He hadn't realised how stuff and hot the air in the tent had grown.
(9:25 pm Nov 02, 2008)
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