Drabble: Captain, My Captain
Prompt: Discontent
Foam sprays up the belly of the ship as angry clouds move inward. This voyage was full of bad omens; Joe nearly fell from the crow's nest, a barrel of grain was full of maggots, and then there's the Captain to consider. With her fiery hair and great red coat, she could outmatch anyone on the ship with her blade.
She thinks we'll find the Darkness Dweller within those clouds, that shadow creature that lurks into our homes and saps our kinsmen dry. She says it's responsible for the storm that's sent our way, for the tumultuous waves, and starless skies each night. I say she's bit with madness; though we all know the best Captains are.
The rains come in heavy and within minutes I'm soaked through to my bones. My hands are raw as I double and triple check the knots on deck; the water in my eyes makes it hard to see.
"It's here!" She calls out like a shrieking banshee. Her red hair is bright against the dark clouds above and she's smiling. Madness indeed.
She's barely said the words when I see the shadows slink their way across the deck, like the feelers of an octopus, but harder to see. I call out to Old Finny, but he can't hear me over the heavy rain. Then the shadow touches his boot and shoots up his good leg. He grabs at his thigh with a shriek, but the shadow has him. Before it can reach his head, the Captain is upon him. She thrusts her blade through Finny's boot, and somehow the shadow too. Blood pours out and Finny screams, but the shadow retreats.
"Get him below," she says and I obey. She may be a mad banshee, but she's also one hell of a Captain.
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Originally posted on Typetrigger. Fiction in 300 words or less. Please pardon typos or grammatical errors. See sidebar for copyright information.