Where The Stories Come From

Part 19

The rest of the day passes with hardly any talking between any of us. As I watch the sun say it's final goodbye of the day,I sit down next to the almost sleeping Elias and gently stroke his dark, mangled hair. I look at his back. The bandages are completely blood soaked. I wish I could have done more to help him. I know he is trying to be strong, but I know it not only hurt his body but also his pride. He must have been humiliated. I see James fast asleep on the window seat. I seem to be the only one awake. I let out a heavy sigh. "What's the matter?" Elias asks in a half whisper.

"Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" I refute as I dodge the simple question.

"I was, but I'm pretty sure that sigh you let out shook the entire ship." We both let out a quick laugh and go back to silence. "Christine," he takes a moment to ensure he has my attention. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," is all I can think of to say. "For starters I'm very worried about you and your health. But what happens if and when you get better? I barely got off this ship once and I'm not sure it'll happen again. It would be a miracle if I did. I don't want to die here, Elias." I take a second to gather my thoughts. "I want us to get off this ship. I want us to get married. I want us to have a life together where we are happy and not in constant fear of whether this is going to be the day we die."

"It sounds very nice, I won't lie," he responds. "Christine, I promise I'm going to get that life for us. I don't care what it takes."

"I love you very much," I say as I lean down to kiss him on his red lips.

"I know we will be happy together because we love each other," he says with so much optimism. I think I got his hope up way too far.

"Elias, love isn't the only thing that we need to be together, but it is terribly important." I can tel he doesn't know how to respond, so I continue. "We'll make it work."

The next thing we all know, the captain has kicked open the door.  Elias hops up, the damp rags tumbling off his bare back has he stands in front of me with his arms slightly out from his hips in an effort to shield me. James has woken up too, but has barely gotten up from the seat where he was sleeping. Two men draw their swords and stay standing next to the captain.  Two more come in and toward us. They go around the bed to where Elias and I are standing. He turns so he is always squarely in front of them, but he realizes he is out matched. He may be just as strong as one of the men, but against two he doesn't stand a chance. One of the men reaches for Elias , but Elias clenches his fist and throws it at his face. He falls instantly to the ground as I back up away from the scene. He lunges for the other man, when the one already on the ground kicks the back of his knees sending Elias straight to the ground. The man already standing grabs his right arm and twists it uncomfortably behind him. He moves it so fast and hard that I hear Elias' elbow pop. The other man grabs his other arm to immobilize it. They force him to stand up and lead him away and out the door. One of the men with a sword drawn heads straight for James and pulls out a dagger to accompany his cutlass. He pins James to the wall but thrusting his dagger through James' collar of his shirt.  I can hear James choking a little bit. He then is handed a pair of irons by another sailor and James is cuffed to two wooden posts, one wrist to each post so he cannot move.

The other man with his sword drawn comes right toward me as everything with James is happening and pulls out a small piece of fabric. He turns me around and ties it around my mouth, just like these pirates did the night they took advantage of me. I begin to have a flashback of that night. I can see all the men gathered around laughing, taunting me. I let out a cry of pain and my knees give out. The sailor catches me and holds me up as he finishes tying the knot in the back of my head. I begin to sob as I remember that horrific night. The same sailor grabs my wrists violently and forces them behind my back. I'm too disoriented and afraid to try and stop him. He ties them together so tightly with a piece of rope that I can feel it burn my skin as he ties the final knot. I continue to audibly wail as I am forced out of the room with a sword across my throat.

The sailor leads me out into the deck. I stumble as my legs are too weak to keep up with his. I focus my eyes enough to make out another ship directly across from us, English colors flying in the rear of the ship. My anguish is interrupted by a small ounce of joy that introduces it self, but then quickly flutters away as I remember my life is very much at stake right now. I glance back at the other ship. Men in dark blue and red costs stand at attention with their guns drawn. There is a distinct pathway between two separate groups of pirates. Elias is face down on the deck with his hands tied behind him. He doesn't even try to move.

Captain McFadden walks up to him menacingly. "Now good sirs," The Irishman bellows, "Ya wouldn't want to see anyone get hurt would ya? In that case, you wouldn't be in the place of making demands. We're capable of doing something like this." He steps right on Elias's back with his dirty boos and digs it deep into his wounds. Elias cries out in pain. I want nothing more than to tackle the Captain and get Elias over to the Royal Navy's ship, but unfortunately I can't. I have to sit here and watch.