The Flying Dutchman

Four of the five ships Captains sat back around the map table in the Captain’s mess as a tear shaped bottle of rum made it’s way back and forth exploring the tables boundaries. Who be manning the wheel on this here excursion asked Captain Hook as he reached a skinless arm capped with a hook for the wayward bottle. It be Long John Silver and he’s about to take’er in to the nether regions. Just yee be rememberin them ghosties ain’t real and can do yee no harm. You yourself be remembering my dear fellow, said the skeleton of Bluebeard as he ran his skinless fingers down his long blue tinted beard. The skeleton of Captain Jack Sparrow seat back and put his skinless feet up on the table as he raised a golden goblet high in the air as to toast and said, Here’s to Moby Dick, long may he soar, horror of the nether regions. Right then the sound of clockwork began to make it’s way into the room. They all looked at each other and rose to their skeletal feet. Each of them armed with a distinct sword and each of them wearing their fancy pirate’s hat that distinguished them from the riff raff of the crew. One by one they emerged from the galley to the main deck of the Flying Dutchman. Airborne ghostship of legend. They were just in time to see the great clockwork mechanism raise from the main hatch exposing lower decks. It sparkled and glowed with pixie dust and the whale oil lamps that frightened the small metallic butterfly like being that powered it. As it spun, it’s glow increased and before the ship, the clouds begun to form a funnel to the nether region. The captain and crew tightened their grips on their swords, in spite of their knowledge that the phantoms they where about to encounter were as harmless a gusts of air. Knowing that fact would be lost in the nether region, only returning upon exit into the new time zone that lay on it’s other side.

The night sky over world war one England. Lights shine through the clouds as they begin to move and swirl until they form a funnel from which a flying pirate ship emerges. The Flying Dutchman. Below Buckingham Palace. Guards on the roof turn a gas lit searchlight in it’s direction and look at each other is disbelief. A sparkling canon ball flies directly towards them. They hurl themselves in opposite directions and it explodes the searchlight sending a mushroom shaped fireball in the air. The ship descends and rope ladders drop. Systematically skeletons descend the ladders. They are armed with swords and shields. More guards arrive on the roof and form a line of defense. They fire at the approaching skeleton army. Their bullets bounce off of the pixie dust enhanced shields. Some throw down their long guns in fright and run away. The army presses on.

“Avast ye naves we’ve not all night.” One of the only skeletons wearing a fancy pirate’s hat shouts at the rest as they begin to climb up the rope ladders with bags full of plundered gold, jewels and jewelry. As palace guards begin to charge at them, he pours pixie dust from a small funneled bag into the top of his musket handgun. He points it at the oncoming band of palace guards and fires. It seems to shoot at them a small ball of lightning that explodes and sends them all flying in different directions.

“Aye, that’ll show yee, not to cross swords with Captain Kidd. Come on matties The night is young and more spoils await yee.”