Pirate Training

As soon as Giovanni had left, Declan sprinted upstairs to the side of his mother’s bed, where Anne was sitting up after awaking from her sleep. 

“Thank you for looking after the shop for me,” she said with a tired-looking smile on her stressed face. “I’ll suppose you’ll want some money for it.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Declan muttered, moving towards the window. Anne was surprised. 

“Declan Murphy turning down money?” she exclaimed. “Are you ill?”

Declan flinched. Anne had described him as someone who was nothing without money. A everlasting thirst for the stuff. A greedy so-and-so. A pirate. 

“Declan?” Anne said, sounding worried. “Are you alright?”

Declan tried to give her a simply reply but the word got caught in his throat. He coughed and looked at Anne with a serious look on his face.

“I know about my father,” he said boldly. Anne looked confused.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I know about him! I know he’s a pirate!” Declan was exasperated, tired and frustrated. He had so many questions to ask. “Why did you never tell me?”

Anne looked shocked. She started to breath heavily for a moment and then looked up. “Who told you?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Declan waved his hands. “What happens is that you didn’t tell me!”

“Who told you?” Anne demanded. Declan sighed. 

“A man called Giovanni,” he replied, not knowing how it mattered. “He told me everything. My father’s early life, how he met you, Richard Jones, how he abandoned us …”

“I’ve never met a Giovanni,” Anne said quietly. “What did he look like?”

Declan shrugged. “Long, messy white hair. Big white beard. You can’t miss him.” Declan quickly regained his anger. “Anyway, we’re missing the point. You lied to me! My father was a pirate and I didn’t even know!”

Anne placed her head in her hands. “I didn’t want you to know, Declan. It wouldn’t be good for you. I thought you might idolise him and try to be the same.”

Declan didn’t reply. His brain was buzzing with thoughts. His whole life had been turned upside down in a matter of a few hours. He felt Anne’s arms around him but he shrugged her off. She was a stranger to him now. 

“I’m sorry, Declan!” Anne cried. “Do you think I’m proud, to have been married to a common pirate? He hid it up for so long. I couldn’t bear it if you followed the same route.”

Declan’s mind was suddenly filled with the vision of a galleon with the traditional pirate flag on it. Declan was at the helm, wearing his captain hat, barking out orders to the crew. He had floods of gold flung around him. Declan’s eyes lit up. 

He suddenly snapped out of it and stared at a frantic Anne. He stepped backwards from her. Everything what had happened was crazy. Twenty minutes earlier, he had thought Giovanni was a crazy man who was making up everything about his father. Giovanni was still crazy, but he hadn’t been lying. It was true. Anne had confirmed it. He was the son of a pirate.

And it didn’t feel so bad. 

“Pirate,” Declan mumbled. 

“They’re common criminals, Declan!” Anne cried, tears in her eyes. “They’re disgusting, they steal, they kill! I thought your father was different, but he’s just the same as the rest of them.”

“My father isn’t dead,” Declan announced suddenly. “Did you know that too?”

Anne looked shocked once more. “No, of course I didn’t. How do you know?”

“Giovanni told me.”

“Declan, I think you should stay away from this Giovanni character,” Anne said, looking worried. “I’ve never met him in my life and somehow he knows all about us.”

“He knows Father,” Declan told her. “He knew about his whole life. He knows he’s alive. They must be friends.”

“Which makes it more important that you stay away from him!” Anne said in a high-pitched voice. “If he’s friends with your father, it most likely means that he’s a pirate too!”

Declan sat down on Anne’s bed, trying to calm down. He found it impossible. Anne sat next to him and put her arm around him. 

“What else did he say to you?” she asked. 

Declan shrugged. Then he remembered what Giovanni had said about training him. It was an interesting proposal, with the chance to meet his father for the first time. He had just met Giovanni and he certainly didn’t trust him. But everything he had told Declan so far had been true. He hadn’t lied. Maybe he hadn’t been lying about helping Declan to find his father. 

Then Declan remembered one more thing.

“I never knew the name ‘Murphy’ meant ‘sea-battler’,” he said to Anne.

There was a moment’s pause whilst Anne took her arm off from around Declan’s shoulders. She then stared at him with a sad, realising look. 

“You want to go, don’t you?” she said, looking at him sadly. “You want to become a pirate and find your father.”

“I don’t know what I want,” Declan admitted. “But I know something. I have to leave here. Whatever way, be it becoming a pirate or simply sailing the seas, I have to go.”

“Don’t lie to me,” Anne said sternly. “I know what you want to do. I’ve seen the flash in your eyes every time you see gold.”

“That’s probably because it reflects off my eyes.”

“It’s in the inside, Declan,” Anne continued. “You have a thirst for gold. You long it. You can’t live without it.”

“That’s not true,” Declan retorted quietly. 

“It is. You know it is.” Anne looked at him with a sad, almost pitiful expression. You truly are William’s son.”

She rose from the bed and walked over to the window, just as Declan had done a few minutes ago. 

“He always had a greed for gold,” she continued, referring of course, to William. “Always thinking of new ideas to get money. I thought he was thinking for the three of us.” Anne turned round. “You’re the same as he was when he was younger.”

She sniffed and wiped away a tear. Declan immediately felt guilty. 

“Mother, I’ll stay here if you need me,” he informed her. “I’m not cut out to be a pirate. Like you said, they’re common criminals.”

Anne shook her head. “No,” she said. “If I keep you here, on land, you’ll go mad. Not at me, but inside. You’re not a land person, Declan Murphy. You’re a pirate.”

And with that, she opened the door and Declan heard the noise of her footsteps and she walked down the stairs. Declan was left pondering every word she had said. 

He made a choice. 

Exactly one hour later, Declan crept out of the shop. He turned left and walked towards the harbour, where his old boat, The Irish Rose, was tied up. Standing next to it was Giovanni. Declan had known he would be there. He didn’t know why, but something inside him told him it was certain. 

When Declan reached him, the old man looked down at him, although Declan was only a couple of inches shorter. Their eyes met and there was an instant understanding. Declan could see that Giovanni hadn’t been lying about the training. He had been as serious as he could be.

“I’ll do it,” Declan told him firmly. “I’ll do the training. I want to be a pirate.”

*

The training commenced the very next morning. Declan had snuck out of the shop before Anne had even woke up. He suspected she had had trouble sleeping and he didn’t want to wake her. 

When he had reached the deserted harbour, where they were to do the training, he saw that sun had risen, but only just. It was still low down in the sky. Declan was a little annoyed that Giovanni was making them start so early. And he was late.

After about thirty minutes, an irritated Declan finally spotted Giovanni strolling over to him. Declan stomped over to him, deeply annoyed.

“You’re late,” he said coldly. “You were the one who suggested coming early.”

“I know, I apologise,” Giovanni replied, although he looked completely unbothered. “I have never been a morning person. I hate the morning. The bright sunlight, the -”

“Let’s just get on with this, shall we?” Declan interrupted. He knew it was rude, but he didn’t care. This wasn’t a game. 

“Excuse me.” Giovanni suddenly really did look apologetic. “You are right. We must begin.”

Giovanni pointed to Declan’s boat, The Irish Rose. “We must use your boat to do this training. I daresay you can sail it.”

Declan nodded and the two walked over to The Irish Rose. Declan quickly untied it and soon they were sailing over to the big rock where Declan took his customers every day. 

“Might there be pirates behind this rock?” Declan asked, remembering what Big Mike had said to him, in what seemed like years ago. Giovanni laughed throatily. 

“Dear boy, a pirate captain cannot be afraid of other pirates!” he exclaimed. “But I very much doubt a pirate ship would stumble upon us today.”

Declan immediately felt at ease on the sea. He had being sailing this boat for as long as he could remember, and he had pretended that it was a ship on more than one time in the past. 

After a while, Declan saw that Giovanni had brought two swords, each rapiers. His eyes glowed at them. Giovanni realised what Declan was thinking.

“Not yet,” he said sternly. “First, you need to learn about the stuff that makes you into a fearsome captain.”

“What’s that?”

Giovanni smiled. “Get ready for some hard work.”

It was certainly that. Giovanni made Declan tie knots and hoist the sails. When the wind picked up and the waves began to get choppier, Giovanni then ordered Declan to try and sail through it. Declan was confident in his own abilities, but was surprised to find how hard it was, the waves forcing The Irish Rose up and down.

“Don’t act any different,” commanded Giovanni, standing next to Declan at the wheel as Declan gritted his teeth, his hands clenching the wheel tightly. “Let your natural instincts shine through.”

Declan tried to do as told. He heard a ripple of thunder in the distance and it began to rain heavily, as it often did here. The waves began to get high and Declan was now more than nervous. He saw a flash of lightning run across the sky. 

“We should get back to land!” he shouted to Giovanni, over the thundering noise. He was already soaked.

“No,” Giovanni called back, looking untroubled. “Sail on. You’ll see worst seas than this as a pirate!”

Declan frowned and battled on as the waves became higher and rougher. He turned the wheel in the direction of the harbour, ignoring Giovanni’s instructions, and The Irish Rose began to move in the direction of it. Giovanni ran over to him, grabbing the wheel off him.

“No!” Giovanni yelled, looking furious. “You sail on until the storm ends!”

Declan grabbed back the wheel, battling with Giovanni for it. Eventually he snapped and pulled a sword from Giovanni’s scabbard and pointed it at the old man. Giovanni stepped away from the wheel, looking at the sword with not a fearful look, but an impressed one.

“Don’t think I won’t do it!” Declan shouted. “Pirates have got to be ruthless, haven’t they? Well I’m as ruthless as they get!”

Giovanni stared at him and then a slight smile crept onto his face. He moved away from the wheel and Declan placed the sword in his own scabbard, which he had worn for a while just for effect.

Giovanni looked on as Declan gripped the wheel tightly and The Irish Rose was flung by the waves towards the harbour. Another flash of lightning came by but Declan no longer felt scared. He felt like he was in charge for the first time and he sensed that the storm was blowing over. 

Eventually the raining stopped and the waves began to settle down. Declan found it easier to control The Irish Rose and they sailed in silence to the harbour, when they got out and Declan tied The Irish Rose up. By now Declan was feeling guilty on the way he had threatened Giovanni on the boat.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” he said sincerely. “I lost my temper.” Declan took the sword out of his scabbard and offered it back to Giovanni who smiled. 

“You keep it,” Giovanni said. “Consider it as your practice sword. I’ll want it back eventually.”

Declan smiled and placed the sword back in the scabbard. “So are we going to start the sword fighting now?”

“No, not today.” Giovanni saw Declan’s disappointed face and smiled. “We will start on that tomorrow morning, same time. But you must get home now. I daresay your mother will be worried about you.”

Declan nodded, still disappointed. He looked at Giovanni. “I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he said and he turned round and began to walk down the cobbled road. 

Declan then stopped and turned round. Giovanni was gone. Declan frowned, confused, but then continued to walk. 

When he arrived back at the corner shop, Anne was waiting for him at the counter, looking worried. She stormed over to him and hugged him, looking both relieved and furious.

“Where have you been?” she demanded angrily. “I’ve been worried sick!”

“I was training,” Declan replied simply with a shrug. He walked past her and sat down on a chair. Anne turned to face him.

“What do you mean, ‘you were training’?” Anne cried, looking confused. “Training to be a pirate? Are you intent on hurting me?”

“No, of course not,” Declan muttered, not looking at Anne.

“Then what? Because that’s what you’re doing!” Anne shouted. “You’re just going to sail off and leave me on my own, just like your father! He was selfish, cold and a loner and you’re just the same!”

Tears began to run down Anne’s face. Declan immediately felt a pang of guilt run through him, but he wasn’t going to let Anne change his mind about going.

“Listen,” he said, standing up and looking at her in the eyes. “Giovanni says if I become a pirate captain, I’ll be able to find my father.”

Anne looked shocked at this news. 

“Your father? You, a pirate captain?” She was obviously stunned. “Declan, pirates last just a few years. Pirate captains last even less. Before long the whole of the West Indies will be searching for you!”

Declan shrugged. “‘Sea-battler.’ That’s what Murphy means. That’s what I’m going to become. No one’s going to catch me because I’m going to become the greatest pirate captain of all time.”

Anne stared at him, gaping at him. Declan wondered whether she was disappointed in him or just overwhelmed. “You’re deluded,” she said quietly. “You must be. I don’t know what’s gone wrong in your head but something has.”

Declan felt slightly hurt at his mother’s harsh words but he tried to ignore them. “I’ll come back. I just want to meet my father. What’s so wrong with that?”

Anne shook her head. “You make your own decisions. You’re never going to listen to me.” She moved back to the counter, not looking at Declan. “Pirate.”