22 Davy Jones’ Locker and Hungry Ghosts

There truly wasn't anything more scary to a Pirate than honest working, hence why they were honestly working on building a new ship so that they could get the fuck off of the lowly island and continue their lives of pillage and plunder. However, ghosts possibly could come as second best. The First Mate's younger brother had been lost at sea with many other pirates and captives when their original ship went down. There had been no possible way for him to survive so he had to be dead. If he was dead, then the pale youth that Cutlass had witnessed on the beach had to have been a ghost.

His voice of panicked reason summoned all of the other pirates with the exception of the Captain, First Mate and one non-pirate and they all drew their swords, knives and axes and headed to the beach to 'ensure the ghost of little Oscar was put to rest'. Or rather, deal with the damned ghost before it could deal with them.

The boy happily chatting to Russell knew this, so there was no surprise upon his small face when the crowd of rowdy pirates appeared on the beach, roaring and yelling so much that if the boy hadn't been alive, but a sleeping corpse, he would surely have been woken up by the noise. With a wide grin on his face, he balanced upon one arm as he used the other to wave cheerfully at them. They stopped a ten metre distance away, holding their weapons in front of their bodies. Russell noticed a certain tremor rippling down the metal blades and suddenly felt amused.

A silence fell over the pirates before a jostling ensued and one was pushed unwittingly to the front. "First Mate's b-b-brother," that pirate stuttered. "Don't blame us for this, we're just sending you back to Davy Jones' locker… alright?"

"You know, that would have sounded more threatening if you didn't ask for his permission," Russell muttered causing Oscar to giggle. Russell had been a trembling coward in front of these burly men, who were now shivering on a hot day due to 'ghost' sightings, it wouldn't sit well if he didn't make a few jabs in retaliation.

"What if I don't want to go back?" Oscar also began to amuse himself by teasing the pirates. So what if they pushed him back into the ocean waters, those were his natural habitat now. Of course the pointy blades would be a problem if they used them against his flesh, but if he agreed to go back on his own, he doubted they'd bother. He just didn't want to agree too easily, he hadn't seen his brother yet. "Davy Jones' locker smells like Mad Peck's foot once he takes his socks off!"

The pirates shuddered as one. Mad Peck only took his socks off to wash them around once a month. The result was too disgusting to describe. Russell, though, had yet to experience it so couldn't help but be intrigued.

"Still… Davy Jones'... we can't piss him off see," the pirate representative explained. The other pirates all nodded with grunts of agreement.

"He'll come after anyone harbouring his possessions!" A voice called out from the back.

"He'll kill us all!" Cried out another.

"Well…" Oscar's voice stretched out the word and he and Russell watched as the expressions of the pirates became hopeful. "I could be persuaded… but it's been ages since I ate. How about you collect lots of clams, crabs and oysters for me to take back there?"

"You are still hungry?' Russell blurted in exclamation, before realising his mistake.

"Aren't ghosts hungry for the souls and flesh of the living?" Oscar retorted. "I'm just substituting shellfish for men."

"We'll get right on it!" The pirates unanimously agreed, earning a brilliant and rather bewitching smile from the youth. After a moment of entrancement, they came to their senses and scattered like the wind.

Russell had to hand it to the mer-person youth, he really knew how to deal with those pirates. "Master, teach me!" He bowed from the waist.

"Ugh, don't be so creepy," Oscar rubbed at his pale arms. "Look, you're making my scales stand up on end! Those bastards bullied me back on the ship when my big brother wasn't looking, I just wanted to get back at them some. The most I could do before was spit in their tankards of ale or switch out the rum for Mad Peck's sock water. This is much more satisfying!" Russell realised that this kid was like one of those sharks that could be purchased as part of a tropical fish collection, small and unassuming, but nonetheless, it was still a shark. Well, actually, technically it wasn't, but it could still be aggressive when provoked, just it didn't always have teeth in which to bite.

Russell could only shrug and bask in this moment, watching beside Oscar as the pirates ran around the edges of the water like ants that had had their nest disturbed. Pity it didn't last that long.

"What the hell is going on here?"