[pirate witch]: 524.Contest Entries.Five Words 1

“I have a gift for you.” This new boy placed a velvet box into my hands. I sighed. When would these suitors ever learn? The only way for them to bribe me into marriage would be to present me with a ship. Some ship fast and strong enough to help me avenge my father’s execution. I would be a better pirate than the likes of these pompous windbags could ever imagine.

I opened the box. A necklace. An especially gaudy one at that. Fuchia jewels clung to a cold chain. Luckily for my honor and dignity, the tight corset of my courting dress stifled the groan threatening to escape.

“That cost me a fortune.” The boy pointed out. He probably meant this to sound endearing. It just sounded whiney to me. For all I knew, this necklace could have been sloppily put together in some mill in America. My father had been to America once with his crew...

I stepped into the yard after my courting hour was blessedly over and done. The tangy summer air coursed through my lungs, reminding me of the salt air that I would soon taste. Very soon, if I were to have my way. As the wind rustled a flag near town hall, I thought I could see a Jolly Roger smiling at me.