The Odetta-Maris

I have sailed in treacherous, uncharted waters, fought off scavengers, managed to win a great number of battles against pirates, so it's not hard to assume that I live for the adventures. It's all in a day's work as one of the very few - if only - female pirate captains.

I can outdrink any man, and have not lost a single battle on land or sea. I handpicked the finest crew and have the most beautiful vessel called: Odetta-Maris (wealth of the sea), plus, earned a striking reputation that has me wanted dead by many.

But even with all this going for me, I cannot seem to shake the sense of dread as I stare into the great blue abyss ahead of me.

"What was I thinking" I mumble to myself as I look back at the little black notebook that rests in my hand.

"You were thinking of the adventure and the great many riches that await us when we get there" a gruff voice behind me says.

I laugh and turn to meet the eye of my quartermaster, and close friend Stafford. He taps on the coordinates written in the book, drawing my attention to it once more. I sigh as the doubt starts to creep up further. "Adventurous it sure has been, but riches beyond our imagination? That’s sounding more and more unbelievable. I could just be leading us all into a trap" I say.

"Could be." Stafford says, still smiling.

I give him a light punch on the shoulder "Gee thanks. I feel so comforted."

"Ha! That's not my job. But I will say this. You've not let us down yet, so if this is a trap, we'll all fight with you. But, I choose to believe that it’s treasure, and until proven otherwise, I and the rest of the crew will continue to do so.”

I push the doubt and panic out of my mind and give Stafford a curt nod. Now was not the time to doubt myself. Then, raising my voice, I turn and begin to bark orders at my crew, sending them to their stations. My crew knows what they need to do, so I don't need to say much.

The little black notebook had turned up randomly a few months ago. I had come back from the tavern, when I noticed the little black book on my desk in my quarters. The book had all of its pages ripped out, except for one. That page had a set of coordinates and the words "riches beyond imagination" scribbled on it in jet black ink. After ensuring we had enough for what would be a tumultuous journey, we had set off the very next morning. Now I know what you are thinking. A little black book appears out of nowhere luring you to a set of random coordinates, and you, the most wanted pirate ever, decide to just sail there? Are you crazy?

Well, the honest answer is maybe I am, I just figured that I had nowhere else to be at this particular moment ... and you have to admit that the words "riches beyond imagination" do sound awfully appealing, don’t they?

I grabbed onto the rope that Stafford handed to me, climbed onto the railing, shot up one last prayer, and jumped. It always takes me a moment to adjust to the water temperature. I grew up sailing on my fathers ship, and he expected me to be as good in the sea itself, as I was on any vessel. He would always say: "You have to master the sea without a ship, before you can master it with one."

I allow my eyes to adjust to the salty sting and the dim light in the water before swimming down until I finally reach the sea bed. I clutch the rope in my hand, it was my lifeline. It helped me orientate myself in the water, and would come in handy if there was anything that was too heavy for me to lift by myself.

I scan the sea bed, momentarily mesmerised by the sheer beauty of the coral reefs. I swim along the bottom of the ocean, surprised as the unusually strong current, but force my muscles to power through. I was looking out for a piece of wood from a shipwreck or a shimmer of metal, anything really. Anything that would give me an indication that this whole trip had not been for nothing.

After 5 minutes I swim up to the surface for air, before diving back down to the ocean floor. I repeat this system for about 30 minutes, until my limbs grow fatigued from fighting against the current, and the cold water is finally starting to get to me. I break through to the surface, trying not to gasp for air as my lungs burn with effort. "Pull me up" I shout, and seconds later I hear Stafford barking orders at the rest of the crew. As soon as my feet hit the deck, I make my way into my quarters, closing the door behind me. I dry myself off as best as I can, ignoring the ache in my muscles. I proceed to recheck the coordinates of the notebook alongside my map. "We are in the right place," I murmur. "So where would it be?" I lean back in my chair and look out of the window behind me. It was strange to me that all of the pages had been ripped out, bar one, but then again this whole notebook situation was strange. I closed my eyes, willing myself to figure out where and what could be hidden at these coordinates, but my mind turns up a blank. If this has all been for nothing, my flawless reputation would be slightly tarnished. There was nothing worse than damaging the reputation I had worked so hard to achieve.

My crew, bless their ruthless hearts, would no doubt try their best to keep this slip up quiet. They may not look like much, but they were fiercely loyal and were honoured to have me as their captain. It was of course an honour to be serving under me, but I tried to humble myself as much as possible.

I refused to let my reputation turn me into one of those worthless captains, who lived off of their reputation, but couldn't tell North from South. In my conquest to be the best, I had faced off with many pirates, all with fierce reputations. I quickly came to realise that these pirates were cowards. Most of them had earned their reputation through their forefathers, and before the battle had gotten good, they surrendered. Those that had earned their own reputation were somewhat better, but they were all too arrogant for their own good.

No. I will not be like them. I will not allow my reputation to be tarnished. I must find something. My mind wanders to my achy muscles. What would my father say if he knew that I had grown so tired after just 30 minutes. Normally, I can easily hold out for at least an hour before I start to feel fatigued, but just 30 minutes? That's downright shameful.

As if a switch went on in my head it finally clicks. "The current.” Of course! I should have realised sooner. I grab the notebook and my map and race outside and onto the main deck, and towards the stairs that lead up to the quarterdeck.

"Bartley!" I yell, while taking the stairs to the wheel of the ship two at a time.

"Aye Captain?"

"We have been at the coordinates location for just over an hour have we not?"

"Aye, Captain”

"Is she holding steady?”

"Aye, Captain, as steady as can be. We've had to keep the sails up, cus of the strong current. It's tryna pull her back you see?”

"Aye, Bartley I do see" I feel a grin spreading across my face.

"Captain? What’s happening?" Stafford says, seemingly appearing out of thin air. I lay the map down on the ground and point to where we are.

"If my theory is correct, then the current that is directly underneath us is the ridgeback current. It's one of the smaller, and less well known currents, but it's still relatively strong. Therefore we can assume that even if whatever is down there fell down at these coordinates, it can actually be all along this stretch. We've been looking in the wrong place.”

I look up to see Stafford's face fall slightly, he sighs before saying "But that could mean that what we are looking for can be miles and miles away. This current leads on for at least 15 miles, if not more."

"I don't think it would be. I managed to get to the bottom, so it all depends on how heavy it is. At best its a few miles away from these coordinates”

"That's if those coordinates are where that person last saw it go under, and not where they know it actually is" Bartley chips in

I look up at the men. They are both sceptical, and they have every reason to be. But I need to convince them to give it one last shot. "I am asking you both to trust me. Can you do that?”

There’s a moment of silence, before they both give a resounding "Aye Captain".

"Good. Here is the plan."

The plan is simple. Well, as simple as any of my plans have ever been. As soon as I reach the sea bed, the crew will lower the sails. This should mean that the ship is pushed backwards, along with the current. It shouldn't go too fast as the ship, albeit small, is still heavy, but I will be dragged along the bottom of the sea bed scanning for any signs of treasure. Simple right?

There wasn't much time to contemplate just how stupid this idea actually was, because before I can register what is happening, I have jumped off of the railing of my ship for the second time and into the cold water below.

I felt myself being pulled along by the rope which was connected to the ship. I scanned the sea bed as quickly as I could. As I was mostly stationary, I could hold my breath for longer, and 10 minutes flew by quickly. I was starting to give up hope when I saw a rustic glimmer in the coral reef. On instinct I swam down to the glimmer, releasing the rope I had been clutching onto. Up close, I realised that the glimmer was actually the handle of a chest, so without hesitation I grabbed it and pulled with all my strength. With the excursion of movement I needed to go up to the surface for air fast. So, with the last ounce of energy, I grabbed the chest and swam to the surface.

By the time the ship had sailed to where I was and I was back on deck, I was beyond exhausted. The crew and myself stood around the chest. I nodded to Stafford to open it, and he reached forward, broke the lock and swung the top of the chest open. My crew roared with joy at the sight of the coins that laid inside. Kinsley stepped forward and studied the coins. Kinsely had a brilliant mind. He could tell you the amount something was just by a glance. The crew grew silent and waited for his verdict. "$20,000." Again my crew shouted and yelled in delight. But my eyes weren't focused on the coins. No. My eyes had drifted to the paper resting on the top. I walked forward and picked it up. My eyes landed on the scribbled writing.

Stafford walked over "Something more interesting than coins on that piece of paper your holding?"

"Yes'' I said before grinning widely. "Much more interesting. It's the next set of coordinates.”

Riches beyond imagination indeed.