Prologue
The dragon-headed ship sliced her way through the choppy waters. Her head was held high and a strong wind filled her sails. One gleaming emerald eye sparkled while the other eye was covered by a patch. A proud and noble ship, she was as much a pirate as those who worked her decks.
A tall skinny sailor, with a nose almost as red as his thin hair, scurried busily around the deck but seemed to be getting nothing done. He weaved in and out of the other working crew members. “Oi, get off, Red Joe!” a fat-bellied man shouted. He pushed Red Joe. Red Joe stumbled across the deck, bumping the side railings before falling flat on his face. A hulk of a pirate hoisted Red Joe up roughly. He was just about to make Red Joe’s nose even redder with his massive fist when he suddenly let him drop face-down. The captain stepped up onto the deck.
All the sailors turned their attention back to their tasks. Then one after the other they lifted their eyes and glanced up at the captain. He was walking like an old man, his head bowed as he made his way slowly to the helm.
“Watch whatcha doing, Big Betty!” a squatty chap shouted. Big Betty dropped the heavy ropes right on the man’s feet and sniggered. Then she pointed at the captain with her chubby index finger and asked, “Whatcha think is wrong with the Old Man?”
“Aye, keep ya voice down, girl. He’ll hear ya.”
The captain never looked up. His head dropped down further and his hands gripped the helm tightly. The sailors grew louder and sillier. If their captain was not going to get after them, they would do as they pleased.
The captain put a hand on his breast-pocket. A tear rolled down his face. It was gone; of course he already knew it. He felt the helm tugging at his other hand. The crew were running amuck and now even the Sea Dragon herself did not want to obey his command. But why should she? Why should they? He had betrayed them all. Before long the crew would do more than play-up. When the crew found out what he had done they would become downright dangerous.
And it was all for nothing in the end. He had accomplished nothing.
The captain let go of the helm and put his hands on his face. The Sea Dragon violently rocked about. Rippin Ricky had just been dragging Red Joe up for the second time when the lurch of the ship caused him to fling the old man. Red Joe, arms, legs and stringy red-hair all flaying about, went flying over the deck, and up over the side of the ship. Big Betty lunged for him and managed to get hold of an ankle just as he went over the side. But the part of Big Betty that made her big was now hanging over the rails. Red Joe screamed as Big Betty’s long-nails dug into his skin. Rippin Ricky and two others leapt forward, grabbing at Big Betty’s feet, but she, being a lady, was wearing rather large stilettos. The shoes came off. Big Betty and Red Joe hit the water below with an enormous splash. Young Jim bellowed “Man overboard, and Woman too!” Every man and woman on deck went running to help their fellow crew-members. Eveyone but one.
The captain only watched the chaotic scene for a brief moment. This was his chance, probably his only one. He knew what he had to do.
The captain went as far away as he could from the others and lowered a lifeboat into the water below. He climbed down the side of the ship and into the little boat. He could hear the shouts of “hurray” as the crew pulled Big Betty and Red Joe to safety. Then with a roar and snap, the Sea Dragon’s sails caught the wind once again. The ship sped forward away from the lifeboat. There seemed little doubt about it; the Sea Dragon wanted to get away from her captain as fast as she could go.
Captain Jackson sat in the little lifeboat watching his ship and his crew disappear. The crew hadn’t even noticed he was gone.
The wind swirled around him and the ocean spray mixed with his tears. “What am I to do?” he cried in anguish, “there is no hope.”
The sounds of the ocean filled the silence. Suddenly the captain remembered. He stood up and yelled across the waves. “Jack, Jack, help me please.”