The door to the dark cargo hold opened. The little girl blinked in the sudden light, trying to make out the details of the figure blocking the door. The figure wore a curving hat and was walking towards her. She shuffles backwards, trying to stay out of reach.
“Hey, kid,” came a man’s voice from the dimness.
“Go away,” she said, lifting her hands to shield herself from him.
He heard the clink of chains and took a step towards her. Now his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and he saw a small, grubby kid in a tattered dress, her wrists chained, dirty blonde hair falling over her face. She saw him too, a tall red-haired man draped in a black coat with red trim and upturned cuffs. His hat bore the emblem of a bearded skull over two swords.
He crouched in front of her. “Don’t worry, kid, I won’t hurt you.”
She looked him up and down, her gray eyes studying him with a suspicious glare. “Are you a pirate?”
He laughed. “How’d you guess?” he teased. “Can I ask you a question now?” When the child was silent, he decided to ask. “Are you a slave?”
She nodded, biting her lip.
“So who-“
The girl raised one finger at him. “Now I get a question. What are you going to do with me?”
“I’m not going to sell you, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m against this kind of thing.”
“But you’re a pirate.”
“A pirate with morals. Here’s my question; do you have any parents I can take you to?”
She looked at the floor. “The pirates killed them. They said my daddy did something bad to them.” She looked up at him, feeling his hand on hers.
“I’m sorry, kid.”
The girl shook her head. “It’s not your fault. So, what’s your name, mister?”
He smiled. “Reuben Crow. Most people call me Redbeard, though.”
She cocked her head, staring at him. “But you don’t have a beard.”
“It’s just a nickname,” said Reuben Crow with a shrug. “How about you, kid? What’s your name?”
“Ally.”
“That’s a pretty name. So Ally,” he began, getting to his feet, “How’d you like to sail with me for a a bit?”
“Is that a question?”
“No, it’s an offer.” He stretched out his hand.
She hesitated for a moment, the chains on her wrists jangling as her hand shook in the air. Then she grabbed his hand and let him help her up.
A little while later, she sat on a wooden crate, swinging her bare feet as one of the pirates picked the lock on her shackles. They cracked open and fell with a clatter onto the deck of the ship.
“Man, the kid’s a mess,” someone said.
Reuben looked at her for a moment, then he pulled his handkerchief from his pocket, folded the corners together, and used the makeshift red kerchief to tie back her hair.
She adjusted it, looking up at him with wide eyes.
“Better?” he asked, smiling.
Ally nodded.
“So, you’ll need clothes and shoes, and we need to find you a safe place to live. . . .” He trailed off, stroking his chin as he thought.
“Captain, we’re pirates, not babysitters,” someone protested. Ally squeezed the edges of the crate.
“You are what I say you are. If you don’t like it, then get off my ship.” He ended his speech directly in front of the offending pirate, their eyes level.
The pirate turned white, unable to speak. Unable to speak, he simply nodded rapidly.
“Excellent,” said Reuben. “Let’s get moving.”
A few months after that day, the pirate ship docked in the harbour of a peaceful fishing village, throwing its inhabitants into a panic.
The village chief, a tall, muscular man, blocked the gangplank with his huge arms crossed over his chest. “What do you want with us, Redbeard?” he called up at the ship.
Reuben appeared at the top of the gangplank. “I’d like to ask a favour, sir.”
“I don’t grant favours to criminals.”
“I’m not asking anything for myself, sir. I’d like you to take care of a little girl for me. Is that too much to ask?”
By now a crowd had formed around the chief. “You think we’ll look after your brat for you, pirate?” someone jeered, prompting laughter from the other villagers.
“She isn’t mine. We found her about to be sold into slavery.”
There was a lot of muttering from the crowd.
“I’ll pay her keep,” Reuben offered. He was getting desperate. His request had already been denied by three different villages.
Suddenly, a woman stepped forward. “I’ll take her,” she said.
Satisfied the pirates would leave, the rest of the crowd left, including the chief, leaving the woman alone on the dock. She was dressed in a short-sleeved blue blouse and loose trousers gathered around he ankles.
“Ally?” Reuben called back into the ship.
The little girl appeared from behind him, dressed in a clean sundress and new shoes, a sagging knapsack draped over one shoulder.
“Sorry excuse for a kid,” the woman commented.
Ally scowled. “Do I have to leave?” she asked Reuben.
“I can’t put you in danger like this. The life of a pirate isn’t for kids.” He bent down and looked her in the eye, brushing a stray bit of hair away from her face. “I’ll come visit you, okay?”
“Okay.” Ally turned and started to walk down the gangplank, then she ran back to hug him, before walking slowly away. Reuben turned around and shouted for the crew to prepare to leave. Neither of them looked back.
“Ally, was it? I’m Gaia. Nice to meet you.” Gaia put a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go.”
“Do you think he’ll come back?” Ally asked the ground quietly.
“Don’t bet on it. He is a pirate, after all.”
Ally allowed herself to be led up to Gaia’s house, perched on the edge of the cliffs overlooking the harbour. Before she closed the door, Ally looked back at the pirate ship sailing out of the bay.
Reuben never returned to the village.
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