The ship rocked back and forth, its thick birch planks creaking with the lap of every salty wave against the sea-washed hull. Its once-elaborate carvings now beaten, chipped and hacked, a testament to its years of service traversing uncharted waters and escaping doom on more than one occasion. The rising sun shone through the tattered sails, which were still leaking rain water and blood. The upper deck reeked of death, bodies strewn everywhere, being tossed overboard by the surviving crew. The taste of victorious rum was still on their lips, and the sweat of a hard night of pillaging still on their brow. The calm waters beneath them broke with every body thrown over, leaving small pools of blood in their wake – a treat for the aquatic predators that surely waited nearby for their portion of the spoils. Land was nothing but a mere speck in the vast distance behind the vessel’s barnacled rudder.
A large, dark figure in a black overcoat and black trousers emerged onto the deck from the cabin below. The figure’s heavy boots echoed with every step, carrying an ominous presence that caused the crew working on deck to stop their work, waiting. Black tresses of hair, pulled back in a red bandana, flowed passed the shoulders, resting along her slim back. She wiped her sooty cheek with her forearm, smearing the open scar that was still weeping blood mixed with dirt, sweat and sea water. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“I love the smell of sea and blood in the morning,” she said, her voice deep and raspy.
In her hand, she held a half-empty bottle of rum.
“Back to work, men! We reach our new port of call at sundown!”
As if broken from their trance, the crew continued on with their duties as she took to the helm, guiding her vessel, The Scarlet Revenge, along its charted course. The sun was warm on her back, the breeze cool on her face, and there was a cargo bay full of precious loot resting beneath her feet. She smiled. Oh yes, it was going to be a good day – a good day indeed.
———-
I came across this old snippet of mine. I enjoyed it so much, I thought I’d post it here 
