xxxxxxxpieces of eight
xxxxxxxxxxxxticking clock // chapter one
xxxxxxxxxxxxlisten while you read
xxxxxxxxxxxxinfluences :: monkey island and adventure
It had been dark for several hours now and midnight was finally approaching. Setting down a mug and a handful of coins, a band of men left the tavern and headed for the outskirts of town. They'd been in town only a few days and the locals weren't sure what to make of them, nor what they wanted. But they paid their dues and hadn't made trouble yet and so the townspeople let them wander for now.
The trail out of town was unpaved and unlit. As they made their way out of town into the wilderness, one of the men paused to murmur to the others.
“Forgot a shovel.”
“We’ll nick one from the graveyard.”
They pressed on, leaving the twinkling lights of the town behind as they went further into the dark wilderness. It had been a hard week getting there and they’d taken a few days to relax. But it was time for a good round of work and they made their way through the thick green underbrush. The shortest member of the group kept cranking his head to glance backwards to check if they were being followed. So far, all clear.
A cool tropical breeze blew through the forest and they clutched to keep the tattered paper they were referencing from flying away. Coming to a fork in the road, they turned right and soon came to a shabby metallic gate with a gleam from the moonlight falling down on them. A redhead stepped forward to wrestle with the lock on it.
“Stupid thing- it shouldn’t be this-” He grunted and kicked at the door, a loud ringing sounding from the action. The others glared angrily at him and he nodded sheepishly and pressed his hand against the vibrating bars to silence them. Fumbling through his pockets, he pulled out a small knife and attempted to use the point of it to pick the lock on the chain holding the bars tightly shut. A few minutes later, an audible click was heard and the gates opened.
The sky was a rich deep blue and pale clusters of stars twinkled from their backdrop. But the clear weather and lack of clouds did little to make the graveyard any less spooky. With so much light, every gravestone and crypt was visible. Briefly, they hesitated before entering, pondering the existence of evil spirits, but their need pressured them to enter.
“I found one, let’s go!” A hushed whisper and the sound of something yanked from the dirt broke the silence of the graveyard. The figures retreated and hastened down the path they’d came, blatantly ignoring the courtesy to lock up the gate again. Who knew, they might have to come back down this way again.
A dense forest loomed before them and they deviated from the trail to scamper up a slight hill. The forest was much darker than the trail had been with tall trees reaching high above them and obscuring some of the natural light. But enough was visible to bypass the fallen logs and vines in their way. Ferns and bushes had taken over much of the area and the men had to force their way through, pushing and shoving the greenery aside. Eventually, a brunette pulled a sword from its place on his side and began to hack a path for them.
“That looks like the star shrub. We’re getting close.”
“We still have to find the boulder that looks like a bottle.”
“I know, Quin. Just boosting morale.”
“Guys, keep your voices down, you’ll attract animals.” It was just in their reach, just a little further. Whatever the men were searching for, the sinister glint of greed flickered in their eyes and their fingers itched to dig into their prize. It was a long walk and they consulted their scrap of parchment obsessively as if following a recipe.
At last, they reached a small clearing and an old rundown fountain. It had been years since the contraption had worked from the looks of it and a stone moss covered duck sat contently at the top of it. The shortest boy climbed in and put his foot on part of the basin to push himself higher up. Reaching up, his hand grasped the bill of the bird firmly and he yanked it down like a lever. Stepping back and out, he muttered a few accented curses as water began to rush out and splashed over some of his front.
“Ugh, it smells like a bog.” The water gushed from the fountain and began to fill it up. The others just grinned at him, feeling bad but glad it hadn’t been them. He still hadn’t figured out that trick with the game of drawing straws they played. Until he did, he’d continue to get stuck with the short one.
Curled billowy clouds began to form above the island and carried with them an ominous feeling. But their presence did little to frighten the men at this point. They’d lived through all the other bad omens so far, a few gray puffs meant nothing.
“There it is! Get it!”
A worn looking glimpse of bronze shot through the mouth of the duck and out into the pool of murky water filling the fountain. Four sets of eyes glanced at each other uneasily, none of them wanting to let their prize disappear but simultaneously not wanting to reach into the muddy water from hell.
“Okay, fine, I’ll do it.” Taking one for the team, the brunette squatted down miserably and glanced into the pool. Rolling up his sleeve, he reached in and felt like throwing up from whatever he was sticking his arm in and fished around beneath the surface for the trinket. The others whispered words of encouragement.
“Got it!”
“Nice work! Let’s see it-”
“No, we should get out of here first-”
Something prowling through the forest silenced the men and they nodded to each other with adrenaline coursing through their veins. They’d return and then investigate the spoils of their new toy. Quietly, they creeped away from the stone sculpture and out of sight from the clearing before breaking into a wordless run through the trees. Voices yelled out after them but they were far away enough that they didn’t make out what had been said and continued on with the immature satisfaction that they’d been their first and already made off with the treasure.
They were pirates after all.
Yamashii Community Member 
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