I feel the darkness rather than seeing it; closing in on me like a blanket as I get dragged down deck by the one with the wooden leg. I am thrust to the left after hearing the clank of a lock, and I fall down to the dusty, wooden floor, a splinter digging into my palm.

I lay there listening to the pirates talk to one another, hearing snippets of different conversations. “ Oi ! Throw me that rope over yonder ! “. “ How is the wife ? “ What are you going to do once we’re on the island ? “ “ I hate these darn birds !! “ “ We’re headed to the South ? “ “ Aye ! “ I sat up to hear the voices above the noise of the crashing waves, and eventually fall asleep.

I sit with my back agains the cool wall, smelling the salty air and breathing rhythmically with the rocking of the ship, praying intently; I woke up on the hard floor, my back aching and it was still pitch black. After a while I hear shouting, and a man comes down the steps letting the sweet sunlight stream into the dark, damp lower deck.

Next thing I know, my cell is unlocked and I am forced up the steep steps onto the upper deck towards a man bending down with his back towards me. “ Oi ! “ the man who brought me shouts to him, “ the boss wants us to take this one too ! “ The other man looks up. “ This skinny one ? Who’s going to want her ? Well, orders are orders. “. The man who I came with, who I’ve now identified as Jack holds me firmly by the wrist while I look around me; that’s when I see a small group of bedraggled people roped together. The grip on my wrist tightens and I am dragged in their direction…