PART THREE -The End Of The Earth- By: K.S.S.

Kaity woke up with a start. There was someone in her room. Instead of the usual creak of the ship and the splash of the sea on the windows, she heard someone sigh. Kaity clutched her pistol and pulled back the blanket. Getting down from the top bunk quietly with a sore side was a bit of a challenge,but she did it. She saw the outline of the person in the moonlight. Kaity cocked the pistol and raised it,about to fire it... "No! Don't shoot! Please!" said a frightened voice. "Oh! It's you Alaina! I'm sorry! I thought you were someone else...." "That's okay. I shouldn't have even gotten up." "Don't worry about it! I'm just not used to sharing my room." "I see......Well,I geuss I'll go back to bed now. Goodnight." "Goodnight." Alaina climbed back into the bunk and fell asleep,leaving Kaity alone. Kaity gazed out of the porthole at the moonlit water of the Pacfic Ocean. A small tear rolled down her cheek. But it wasn't just for her father,oh no. She missed all of her family. Her Grandfather Sparrow,her Grandmother,her uncle Robbie. "Well,it's no use to dwell on what cannot be helped." She sighed,pulled on her boots and quietly slipped out the door. She climbed the creaking wood steps to above deck. Nobody was there,save for a small seagull perched on the helm. Kaity climbed up to the crow's nest and scanned the horizon. It was nearing daylight. Kaity decided to wait there until breakfast,it was quiet,and nobody would bother her if she was up there. She settled down on a pile of rope in one corner and fell asleep. When she woke, the sun was blaring in her face,and Marty was standing over her with a tin pot. "I know you are tired Kaity,but we need food!" He banged the pot with his hand for emphasis. Kaity stood up,and being three feet taller than him dwarfed him considerably. "Fine! I'll cook! But only if you help me repair the nets today." "Okay,okay, but the food first!" "Yes,the food,the food....." Kaity tied one end of the rope to the mast and threw it over the edge and scurried down. Honestly,sometimes she just wanted to be alone! She headed down to the galley,only to find Alaina already there. She was cooking a large steaming kettle of....well,something. "Oh Alaina you are a lifesaver! I thought Marty was going to string me up with the Jib......." Kaity sat down and looked at Alaina. "He told me that he was hated to wake up to no food and said when he found you he wouldn't be to nice about it,so I figured I would buy you a few extra days of life." Alaina said, making a face. "Thanks a lot! I don't have time to cook,let alone bother with a recipe." "Same here. I've made this so many times I could do it in my sleep. Why,I remember one time pirates invaded me and father's ship,and they stole everything. Including the food I made! I wasn't to happy about it,and I thought every single pirate was like that....But now I know that they're not." Said Alaina with a wink. "Well,we're not all cutthroat's,murderer's,plunderer's,and-" "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Pintel stumbled into the room with a knife in his leg. Israel Hands was following him,brandishing another one. "If you don't leave me treasure maps alone,you'll get this one someplace where it'll really hurt!!" Pintell yanked the knife out of his leg. "Well,that was me wooden 'un, so it didn't 'urt a bit,and you know you wouldn't stick me with that other 'un while these young ladies' are are watching,now would yeh?" "I reckon not! Miss Sparrow,Miss Norrington,would ya mind please turnin' yer heads ter starboard so I can finish this lying serpent off?" He said with a sneer. "I would advise you to not do that, Hands." Kaity said with the utmost calmness. "And why not?" He took a threating step forward. "Because. I would stretch you flatter than a flat-fish and nail you to the stern. Got it?" "Y-y-yes,uh.....goodbye." Israel turned and left the room,watching over his shoulder,clutching his two knives,Pintell followed him just as quickly. "Oh Kaity,that was....Brilliant!" "Thank you. You've got to talk tough with these guys or they won't respect you. Hands is crazy. Alway's has been. But don't worry,(she crossed her finger's behind her back) he would never harm a fly. He still thinks Captain Flint is going to come find him and take him back to Treasure Island for his reward. But Flint's been dead a long time,and he would never share anything with Hands." "He would to!" They heard him yell from the stairs. "Yeah right." Kaity whispered. They both laughed. "Um,Alaina can you feed the men by yourself? I have to help let the sail's out to dry while the weather's calm. I'll eat later." "Oh sure." "Good. Just don't get to close to the food or they'll want to protect it. Could get very ugly." "All right. I'll remember that." Kaity felt a little nervous leaving Alaina alone to feed the crew,but she had work to do. "Kaity! There you are!" Will came walking up to her. "Ready to help me with the sails?" "Yep." Kaity smiled. "You get up there and untie them,I'll pull them down." Kaity nodded and started to climb. When she got to the top,she stopped and looked at the ocean. She felt the wind in her face and the sun on her back. She was in her element: Working hard on a ship with people she loved. Sighing she untied the ropes holding the sails. She went from mast to mast. By the time she was done,there wasn't much sun left,and the sky was slowly turning dark. She went down to the galley to eat with everyone else. They washed the dishes carefully and put them away. Then they went to their room. "Kaity,can I ask you some qeustions?" "Oh sure! Is this for your story?" "Yes." Alaina sat down very lady-like on one of the two chairs and opened her journal. Kaity,being the way she was,leaned back in her chair and propped her feet on the desk. Alaina smoothed the paper and dated it. "I'm ready. You?" "Go right ahead." "Great. First thing.....what is the thing with rum?" "Rum. Well...." Kaity thought long and hard about it. "I honestly don't know. Everyone asks me that. But if I ever find out you'll be the first to know." "Okay." Alaina smiled. "Anything else?" "Oh yes. Tell me,is being a Pirate hard?" Kaity sat up straighter. "If being a Pirate was easy,everyone would be one. I wanted to be one because I knew I wanted to follow in my father's footsteps. But,I don't drink rum,take baths,and I also repair my clothes. So I'm not the usual Pirate. But I am one." "I see." Alaina scratched furiously on the paper. "Next one." Kaity nodded. "What made you decide to be a pirate?" Kaity leaned back farther and put her hands behind her head. "I was living with Dad,I was about 7. Mum had been gone almost 3 years. Dad asked me if I wanted to go on a spice trade to Syngapore with him. I said yes. He gave me my first sword and taught me how to use it. Everyone found out that I wasn't your average girl and could be as tough as a boy." "I see...." Alaina said,and wrote more. "I had met everyone I know now when I was much younger,but didn't start going places with Dad until that age." "Were they wary of the fact that women are bad luck on board ship?" "At first. But,I made them respect me by working hard and fighting tough." "Interesting." "I did have a few fights at first,but I was able to hold my own with them." "Aah..... So,they didn't care for you at first?" "No....Especially Gibbs. He had that silly superstition about women on board being bad luck. He still is the same way to any girl but me." "Got that.....All right,one more." "Okay." "What was the name of the first ship you sailed on?" Kaity thought. "It was called......The Amaretta. Yes,that's it. It was a beautiful ship." "Wonderful. Thank you Kaity." "You're welcome. I liked doing it." Kaity grinned. She stood up and stretched. "Well,I have some work to do. See you later." "Okay. Goodbye." Kaity left the room,leaving Alaina to sort through the notes and work on her story and went up to the deck. It was full of crewman,all doing their jobs. Kaity loved to watch them. But she also loved to work. "Kaity! Over here!" Marty was calling,it was time to repair the nets. Kaity sat down and grabbed up the twine. "Marty,I hear that we're getting close to...Well, Captain Teauge's Island. " "Are we?" "That's what Barbossa told me." "Why would we be goin' there?" "I wouldn't know. You know that Grandfather's never been one to like visitors. And I'm sure he wouldn't know where Dad is." "Yeah. Maybe Barbossa 'as got sometin' planned." "I don't know.But,he did say something about a ship. Maybe....Oh I don't know. I just don't know." Kaity said nothing more. They repaired 5 nets and said nothing. After that as done,it was time to pull anchor and start sailing again. "Almost sunset!" Barbossa started screaming. "Come on or I'll make ye walk the plank!" Now was no time to be idle. Kaity never helped with the anchor. It was to much to handle. They pulled the anchor up and put it in place. "Southeast!! Southeast!! Get goin' yeh scurvy dogs!" Kaity watched Barbossa. He had never acted quite like this before. Something was up. She walked to the helm to confront him,only to be hastened back by Ragetti. "Miss Sparrow,I'd advise you not to get near him. He's acting like a caged lion. And I wouldn't want you to get hurt." "All right." Kaity stared after him. He was acting odd to. "Strange....." She muttered. A nice breeze played in the sails for a few moments then a strong wind caught them and pulled them along. "Now you can all go back to below deck." Barbossa mumbled,barely audible enough for a few people to hear. Everyone looked at him and then slowly migrated down the stairs,Kaity dragging up the rear. She watched him closely. He was standing with his back to her,and staring out at the sea. Then he put his face in his hand and sighed. Kaity didn't quite know what to think,but she decided to watch him closely. Nobody ate supper. They were all so tense they just sat around,playing cards,drinking rum and talking. She sat alone in the farthest corner from the rest of the crew,curled up with the ship's key dog,Mulgy, in her lap. She absent mindedly played with her sharks tooth,thinking hard. "Penny for your thoughts?" She heard a voice say. She looked up. It was Ragetti. "Oh. Hello." He sat down beside her. "Are you allright?" Kaity sighed and Mulgy twitched,letting his keys drop from his mouth,Kaity put them back in. "No.No I'm not." "What's the matter?" "I-I-I miss my Father. I know I didn't at first,but I do now. Dreadfully." That was hard for her to say,especially to someone who probably wouldn't understand. He placed his hand on her shoulder,very gently. Kaity usually didn't like to be touched,but she let it stay there. "I understand." Kaity looked up. "You do?" "Yes. It wasn't but a few years ago that I lost my own father. I was your age." Kaity was even more surprised at that. He wasn't much older than her! "I'm terribly sorry." Ragetti shrugged. "I was expecting it. He's on Davey Jone's ship right now." Kaity said nothing. That was to terrible a fate to even mention. "But I still miss him even though he was pretty much good-for-nothing." A single tear slid down her cheek. With a fluid motion she wiped it off and looked away. "It just pains me to think about him.....Lost and cold down there in the locker." "We'll get him back Miss Sparrow,we'll get him back." He stood up,smiled and left her alone. Kaity felt rather stupid. "Mulgy," Kaity whispered to the dog. "What'll I do?" She buried her face in his fur and cried. After a few minutes passed she stopped and looked up. Nobody saw her.....That was good. She pushed Mulgy off her lap and went into the room she and Alaina shared. Alaina was asleep. Kaity locked the door and climbed into her bunk without bothering to change clothes. Barbossa came down and screamed for everyone to go to bed. Kaity had it timed just right. She fell asleep immediantly. After she slept soundly for about 5 hours she woke up. She heard the wind blowing and the water slapping against the sides of the ship. She climbed off the bunk and looked around. Alaina was gone. Kaity ran over and tried the door,it was still locked. "What is....?" She opened the door and ran down to the cargo hold where the men slept. Nobody was there either. "Gibbs? Will? Oh,where are you?" She ran up to the deck. It was empty. The ship had been deserted. The sky was a dark gray now-almost black. The wind was picking up. The water was getting choppy and white-caps were forming in the swells. Rain started poaring down in sheets,hammering the deck and sails. Kaity didn't know what to do. "I'm....alone." She whispered. "Oh really Miss Sparrow?" An ice-cold voice said. She turned around. There,standing at the helm was....Davey Jones! "I wondered when I would see you again Miss Sparrow,I really must say,you've turned into quite the young lady." Kaity didn't say anything. "Not talkin' eh? Well......Get her boys!!" He shouted. Suddenly,out of nowhere,all of his evil henchman burst from their hiding places. "Tie her up." He said. One of them grabbed Kaity's arms and twisted them painfully behind her back. Another tied her legs. "Don't gag her." They dropped Kaity and backed away. She struggled hard,but relized it would be useless to fight. She layed there,motionless. Jone's clunked down the stairs towards her. "What have you done with the crew?" Kaity asked. "That's for me to know and you to find out." He lit his pipe and leaned in towards her. "I suppose you're going to want to know what I'm going to do to you." She said nothing. "Well," He said,blowing out his pipe and tucking it into his vest. "Maybe I can show you." He pulled an iron whip from behind his back. This scared Kaity. He was now standing directly above her. She looked up into his pale fleshy face,the rain almost blinding her. "Say goodbye Miss Sparrow." He brought the whip down. Kaity screamed. Everything went black.

Hope you all enjoyed it! Part Four will be here soon....I've almost got it done. -K.S.S.

Capn' Barbossa's bio!

   Captain (of course, he wasn’t a captain yet) Gregory Barbossa, was born in London, England in 1712 to Abraham and Jenny Barbossa.

   After a brief life in the family business, ship making, Young 17 year old Barbossa decided to become a sailor. It wasn’t an easy life. He caught a terrible case of Scurvy and almost died from it, when he finally recovered, it left him slightly crazy. The other sailor’s called him, "Scatter brains" all of the time. It made him bitter, and angry towards most people.

   He married Maria Del-a-Tren, and had one child, a boy named Phillippe. But Maria decided he was far too angry for a husband; so she took her son and their belongings, left him and never returned.

   He tried to love, but no one would love him back.

   Barbossa lost most memory of a clean, healthy life and became a drunken, disheveled Pirate.

   After sailing independently for 6 years, he met my father: Jack.

   My father was captain of Black Pearl. Barbossa decided to sail with him.

   After 2 ½ years of sailing with my father, Barbossa had turned all of his crew against him. Mutiny in sued and before long Barbossa stranded Jack on an island and captained the Pearl himself.

   When Jack got off the island, the crew had already done too much damage. They now had a curse. An evil curse. Jack had not wanted this to happen. He knew how to save their lives. But he didn’t find them in time. Most of them died.

   Barbossa saved Jack’s life and turned into a good Pirate. But he still steals a little bit of treasure now and then, just to keep sharp.

    I love him like an uncle and hope he never turns evil again.

With all due respect,

    Kaity Scarlett

For my next "series" of posts, I'll be talking about the different stations in a pirate crew: Captain, Quartermaster, Boatswain, (or bo'sun), Cook and Crewman.

   As I have said before, there is a great wealth of myths concerning pirates out there.

  They were dashing gentlemen, they loved to fight, etc. But perhaps the biggest myth concerns the Captain of a pirate ship.

  Most believe that the captains were tyrants who ruled the crew with an iron fist. Most did not fit this description!

  Think about it: What's the opposite of a strict, harsh, oppressive 17th -18th century naval crew? A pirate crew! So naturally the Captain would not be a domineering, bossy "ruler".

  The only time a Captain a great amount of authority was in a battle.

  Yes, he had a greater share of treasure. But he was responsible for finding a good place to get that treasure! Yes, he got his own cabin, But the other crew members could enter it at any given time!

  The pirates governed themselves democratically, with a "one man, one vote" rule. The majority wins. Even if the Captain was not in the majority.

  They were quick to protest any infringement on their rights, and to look at the mutiny of Jack Sparrow in The Curse of the Black Pearl.

  Mutiny was a real aspect of a Captain's life. Because of this, the "power" given to a Captain or Officer was limited.

  When I learned these things, I was surprised and a little depressed!

  After all, who hasn't dreamt of a Hollywood style pirate ship and crew?

I hope you read these and get both knowledge and enjoyment!

Sincerely,

   Alaina Ruby