Drawing the Map

The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room. Well, it’s more of a captain's quarters than a room and more of a port hole than a window. Through that port hole window was a constant view of the ocean. Every once in a while, the view would change to the landscape of one of the many islands where the ship has docked. One island was all rock and desert, while another had cliffs so high that they swallowed the sun, but most had white sands and thick forests of palm. She never walked on these islands because she stayed in the captain's quarters below the deck. She had the company of a desk, a four-poster bed, and an overflowing bookshelf.

The ship rocked, and her quill missed the ink. The quill stabbed into the desk that was warped, chipped, and stained with spills of dark ink. In front of her was the five-hundred-and-fifty-fifth map she had created for Captain Blackbeard. She was gifted with the ability of sight. She could see the most desirable and sought-after treasure in the world. She discovered the Holy Grail, the Arch of the Covenant, the Amber Room, King John's lost treasure, the Florentine diamond, and many more. She alone created the feared pirate known to the world as Captain Blackbeard, and no one knows that she is behind the maps he follows. She is the one that finds the treasure and marks the X.

Blackbeard discovered her ability at the young age of six. He found her in a tavern on one of the northern islands drawing up maps to places unknown to her. He ripped one of the maps out of her hand and followed it to the spot marked X. There; he found the stolen treasure of the crown. He returned to the bar and questioned her about the knowledge of the treasure. “How did you know this treasure was hidden there?” He demanded.

She looked up from her drawings to the man with a dark beard. She never feared Blackbeard, just those that surrounded him. She answered his question. “I see it in my mind and sketch the way to find it.” He sat down in front of her. Her face was covered in soot, and her belly was empty. “Would you like to come with me? You draw the maps to the treasure, and I feed you.” She did not hesitate when she answered yes. Anything was better than sleeping in the dish room and only eating what fell on the floor. She followed him to his ship and had been his secret ever since then. Locked in a room below deck sketching out the maps to the great treasures around the world. He kept his promise and fed and clothed her. At first, she didn’t mind the small round window with the ever-changing view of the sea. It was a lot better than the tavern she was born in. Her mother was always drunk, and her father was an unknown traveler that paid for her mom. She didn’t feel dirty here on the ship and was constantly fed food before it became table scraps. She also didn’t mind his company. He taught her how to read, write, and fight. Strangely he became a sort of father figure. He wasn’t the best father, but he never hit her, so I guess that is a plus.

But after fifteen years of the same routine, her mind started wandering. Her spirit became restless. She started mapping places that led the ship farther and farther away. She marks the X on her five hundred and fifty-fifth map; she knows it won't lead to the treasure Blackbeard craves. This treasure leads to her most sought out treasure. This is where her story begins.