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It had been a freak storm, one that had blown in from seemingly nowhere. One minute the skies were clear, the sun was beaming down and kissing the sea and land with it’s golden touch and the next, dark clouds were casting a shadow across the land, lightning streaked through the skies, the wind howled, and rain poured from above in blinding sheets.
Dream remembers his mother holding him close in their little shack as it rocked too and fro. Dream remembers her tears, her soothing whispers, and his own growing fear as he realized his father had not yet returned to port.
His father was a fisherman, one of the few in the village that made their trade by selling fresh fish to the merchant ships that would regularly pass by. Dream would normally go out with his father to help cast the nets but today he hadn’t gone. His mother had gotten word that he’d been skipping school with George, Sapnap, and Bad to play in the swampy marshland on the northern end of the island. He’d gotten a good scolding and as punishment would be barred from going out to sea until further notice.
The storm disperses just as fast as it arrives, leaving the sea murky and debris scattered all across the island. Calm once again returns to their island.
His mother immediately goes to the men of the island, telling them that his father had been out in the storm. The men go out immediately but the only thing they bring back was his father’s hat.
Dream stared at it, grief enveloping him. His mother’s sobs ringing in his ears.
The realization sunk in slowly, painfully. Tears ran down his face.
He was ten years old.
His father was dead.
There was a ceremony. The whole village grieved.
George, Sapnap, and Bad sat with him for many days later, offering their support. He greatly accepted it.
-
They moved not too long after that. Dream threw a fit when his mother informed him.
“Honey,” She soothed, her voice soft but firm. She knelt in front of him and gripped his shoulders gently. She met his tearful gaze with a sympathetic look and reached up to wipe the tears from his cheek. “I know you don’t want to but we don’t have a choice. We have no boat and there is no work on this island. We’ll starve. We have to move. We have to go somewhere larger so I can get a job and provide for us. Please understand sweetheart.”
Dream nodded, he understood. He just didn’t think it was fair.
His mother allowed him to spend one more night with his friends, who were all as equally upset to see him leave, and the next day they boarded a merchant ship bound for the Port of Havana.
-
They lived in a little apartment. His mom got a job at the local general store as a cashier. They made just enough money to survive.
Dream got enrolled in the school in Havana and while he missed his friends terribly, he started making new ones. He met a boy who introduced himself as Quackity and they would play together.
It wasn’t long after that his mom met someone. A Spanish Naval officer.
She brought him to their home and introduced him. The man was regal and formal and gripped Dream’s hand just a hair too tightly when they shook hands. Dream felt betrayed. His father hadn’t even been dead for a year and his mother was already moving on.
That night, after the Naval man left, his mom sat him down.
“Sweetheart,” She started, a knowing look in her eye as Dream turned his head away from her. “Sweetheart I know you’re upset but I need to do what’s best for us. We need someone in our lives that will provide for us. Mr. Lopez is nice, he’s going to do right by us. I just need you to give him a chance. Can you do that for me?”
“Father’s not even been gone for a year,” Dream argued weakly, sniffling.
“Oh my sweet boy,” His mom muttered, pulling him close. He buried his back in her blouse and he cried. She stroked his hair and rocked him, whispering soothing words in his ear. When his tears stopped and his breath slowed, his mom pulled back. Her eyes were filled with her own tears as she used a cloth to wash his face.
“I know you’re still grieving. I am as well. But your father wouldn’t want us to live like this. He would want us to be happy.” His mother’s fingers lifted his chin up so she could look him in the eyes. “Mr. Lopez makes me happy sweetheart and he’s a good respectable man and will be a good role model for you as well. Will you please give him a chance?”
Dream was silent as he stared at his mother. He wanted his mom to be happy and he’d noticed that she’d been working really hard here lately just to get them enough coins to scrape by. He had noticed that she was so tired, her energy drained and her smile not quite reaching her eyes like it once did. If Mr. Lopez could help them and make his mom happy then Dream would tolerate him.
A small smile quirked the corner of Dream’s lips, “Alright mom, I’ll give Mr. Lopez a chance.”
-
Dream hated Mr. Lopez.
The Lieutenant - “You will address me as such, boy” - was not a good man, at least not to Dream. He treated his mom well, buying her new dresses and getting her a better job where the coin was much better. He even helped them move into a larger apartment, two bedrooms with running water and a small kitchen and living room. It’s a nice arrangement, Dream won’t lie, and his mom was really happy. She was glowing for the first time since his dad’s death.
Lopez didn’t treat Dream well though. His mom worked nights, often leaving him alone with Mr. Lopez. It was Dream’s new nightmare. The facade the man wore when his mom was present quickly melted when it was just the two of them. He would regard Dream with a look of disgust and would tell Dream that he was nothing but scum.
“I can tell, boy, you aren’t good for nothing,” Mr. Lopez’s voice boomed as he paced in front of Dream, who he’d always force to stand at attention for the verbal assault. “You’re just like those pirates, nothing but scum. Did you get that from your father? Surely you did. Am I right, boy?”
“Yes, sir” Dream would always grit out because if he tried to argue then he would find himself sprawled out on the floor, face stinging from the open handed slap that would always strike.
“Say it.”
Dream held back tears, his voice wavering slightly as he said, “I am nothing but scum, sir. I will never be anything more than scum, sir.”
Mr. Lopez would always grin and look so pleased at him, as he finally relaxed his stance and allowed Dream to scurry away. “Good boy. Don’t you forget it.”
Dream endured this for nearly seven years before he finally had enough. After one particularly bad evening where Mr. Lopez had been drinking and the open handed blow turned into a fist and his lip was left split and bleeding, Dream decided he could no longer stay. He waited until Mr. Lopez passed out and he left with nothing but a sack full of clothes.
He stowed away on a merchant ship and found himself in the city of Nassau.
-
He lived on the streets of Nassau for nearly a month before an old man - the owner of the local lumber mill as it turned out - took pity on him and offered him a job and a place to sleep. Half starved and nearing desperate, Dream accepted.
He got a cot in the corner of a shabby shack, he was getting fed, and he was getting paid. He stayed with the miller for many months, learning the trade and becoming a vastly well liked person in the streets of Nassau.
He also caught the eye of a pirate.
The man apparently liked him very much because he was approached one evening and asked if he would be interested in joining the pirate’s crew. There was a tale of a treasure and the pirate was aiming for it.
The miller must’ve known something that Dream himself hadn’t yet realized because before Dream even accepted the offer - asking if he could ponder it over for the night and give them the answer in the morning, which the pirate had accepted - because he was waiting with a knowing look when Dream came in.
“Sonny, come ‘ere and sit. I want to talk to ya.” the old miller patted the old wooden chair beside him, waiting until Dream took a seat. He started with a long sigh, “I’ve never asked about your past. I’ve never asked about ya folks, even though I could tell you was a runaway. I’ve also never made it my business to tend to anyone else’s business either but I want you to listen, yeah?”
Dream nodded and the miller continued.
“I could tell when I first laid eyes on ya that something was hanging over ya. I could tell with how ya put all ya effort into working at my mill that you were near desperately tryin’ ta forget something or perhaps not remember it,'' The miller explained, holding a hand up when Dream opened his mouth to speak and stopping him, “No sonny, you don’t have to explain anything to me. You don’t owe an explanation to no one, ever.”
Dream closed his mouth and remained silent. He waited patiently for the old man to continue.
The old miller looked at the burning fire in the pit, his eyes going distant. His hands folded together and when he spoke next his voice was knowing. “I know where ya’ve been. I know who ya’ve been speaking with. I know the offer that you’ve already accepted.”
“I haven’t-” Dream protested but his words died when the old miller chuckled.
“Yeah ya have,” He stated, eyes shining with amusement, “You just ain’t realised you have yet.” His look grew serious once more, “I won’t try to argue against your decision because as a man you have to make your own life choices. But I want you to know what you’re going to be getting involved in. A life of piracy is a tough life and only the hardiest of souls make it for any length of time. There may not be a happy ending in the end for you and you’re a good boy, you have potential to be anything and do anything if you set your mind to it. You’re a smart kid and you work hard and learn quickly. You’ve been a great help, a gift from the heavens even, to me for these past few months and I just want you to know that there will always be a place here for you should you decide that life is not one you want to live.”
Dream wiped away tears as he nodded. He surged forward, giving the old miller who’d practically adopted him, a hug. His voice was full of emotions, “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me. I will forever be in your debt and I will never forget what you’ve done for me, the kindness you’ve shown me. I’m glad you understand.”
-
Dream joined the pirate crew and left the city of Nassau behind. He took to piracy like a bird to air. The crew often joked that it must’ve been in his veins with how fast he caught on.
He grew older under the pirate captain’s rule and the crew became his new family. With them, Dream plundered ships, stole cargo, and acquired a vast quantity of riches. For the first time in a long time, Dream was happy.
It was several years before they returned to Nassau but eventually the city always called pirates back to her. At least, that’s what his Captain has said with merth. So they returned to the city of Nassau and Dream went in search of the old miller.
He found the remains of the old shack, half fallen in on itself. He also found a grave.
The mill was no longer running and the schooner that the miller had owned and moved the lumber with was partially beached and rotting away.
The old miller had apparently died of a sudden illness months after Dream left with the pirates and apparently he had been left the small plot of land, the shack, the mill, and the schooner. The shack was done for and a brief inspection of the mill revealed that it too was rotting away and would take too much to restore. The schooner was the only thing that was still in decent shape.
Dream traded the equipment in the mill and the land to the new miller who’d just gotten himself established in the city for enough lumber to get the schooner sea worthy again. He sailed the small ship to one of the pirates’ hidden coves and got her fixed up.
He added eight broadside cannons on each side of her hull. Two chaser cannons were installed in the bow. Two swivel guns were mounted on the stern along with a rack for gunpowder barrels to be stored. He purchased leather for her sails and dyed it a dark green so it would stand out. He hand carved a serpent to act as her figurehead and he modified the ship so it would prioritize speed and maneuverability. Fast and agile, yet sturdy and durable much like he himself was.
A Captain was only as good as his ship, after all.
Dream paused when that thought came to his mind. He blinked and sat back. He looked at his ship, almost ready to be introduced to the world.
“I’m a pirate” He whispered, holding his head up. His eyes fell to the folded skull and crossbones flag that he had yet to hoist. “No. I’m a Captain - the Captain of,” he paused, scrambling for a name. Eventually he had it and his voice was filled with pride as he spoke it, officially naming the schooner, “the Speedrunner.”
His reputation was already good among his fellow pirates so he had no problem assembling a crew. His former captain fully acknowledged him as an equal over drinks and Dream introduced his Speedrunner to the world, quickly proving to be a thorn in the sides of the British and Spanish merchants. He even gained the respect of the famed Bounty Hunter’s when he managed to evade their most skilled hunter, Punz.
His legend on the seas started to grow.
-
Months later, Dream returned back to his birth place. They’d been in the area, Dream recognizing the island on the horizon immediately. He plotted a course and they dropped anchor at the docks.
Dream organized for their supplies to be restocked before heading for the graveyard. He stood before his father’s gravemarker, his head bowed.
“....Dream?”
Dream lifted his head, eyes widening in recognition. Disbelief and excitement warring in his eyes.
“George?”
His friends still lived on the island. George worked in the general store. Sapnap owned the tavern. Bad had become a doctor.
They were all glad to see him and he them. They spent hours catching up, Dream listening attentively as his friends filled him in on what had happened while he was away. The island had apparently come under British control and now operated under their laws. The small fishing operation they used to have was all but gone now. Merchant ships were becoming even more of a rarity with the decline in the trade.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” George admitted, staring down into his tankard of ale, “Dad is thinking about closing up shop and moving to a large city. I don’t want to move. I like being where I can read the stars in the night sky.”
“Nerd,” Sapnap teased with a grin, perching himself behind the counter. Bad snickered as George glared with no heat. Dream tilted his head, confusion flashing in his eyes.
“Read the stars?” He asked, Bad and Sapnap bursting out laughing as George flushed.
“The official term is astronavigation.” George explained, his voice quiet in the way that it always got when he was embarrassed, “It’s being able to navigate using the stars. Especially while out at sea.”
“Nerd stuff basically,” Sapnap added.
“I think it’s cool,” Dream muttered at the same time, causing Bad to nearly choke on his ale and Sapnap to roll his eyes. George perched up, a hopeful look on his face.
“Really?”
Dream nodded, opening his mouth to explain when they were suddenly interrupted.
“Captain?” Dream’s attention snapped to the pirate as he approached. He could feel his friends’ eyes on him as he acknowledged his fellow crewman and raised a brow. “The men were wantin’ to know if we were gonna anchor here for the night? They were wantin’ to start drinkin’”
Dream blinked, realizing that it was nearing the late evening. He cleared his throat. “Yeah we’ll be staying here for the night,” He confirmed, voice hardening to an order as he continued, “The men are to keep to the deck of the Speedrunner. I don’t want them to cause trouble here if they get rowdy. Understood?”
“Aye Captain” the man gave a grin and a salute before he hurriedly scurried away. Dream suppressed a sigh, knowing that the morning would be slow going as he crew would be badly hung over but he couldn’t help but grin as he turned back to his friends, who were all looking at him with varying looks. The grin fell.
“You’re a pirate?” George’s voice was laced with disbelief. Dream felt himself bristling, growing defensive at his friend’s tone. He just barely managed to hold it back.
“I am.” He confirmed, holding his head up high, “Not only that but I’m also a captain.” He swept his hand toward the docks, where the Speedrunner was docked, “That ship is mine.”
“How did you end up with a ship? Did you steal it?” Sapnap sounded intrigued, leaning forward as if eager for a grand story.
Bad smacked him for it, “Dream you don’t have to answer that.” He said with a hard look at Sapnap. When he did look at Dream again, his eyes were filled with something close to pity and confusion, “Dream what brought all this on? When we were younger, you wanted to be a great fisherman. Did something change?”
Dream regarded his friends, watching as their faces grew worried and concerned. He looked down as his tankard of rum and heaved out a sigh. “Yeah…”
-
The Speedrunner stayed docked for two days before she set sail once more.
She left the island with three new additions to her crew.
A navigator, a first mate, and a surgeon.