London 1791

The stench is what hit me first; a putrid concoction of fish, sweat and booze causing me to gag as bile rose up in my throat. The air, thick and hot, clung to me, sweat soaking my shirt. I strained against the course rope wrapped tightly around my wrists and ankles but only succeeded in ripping my tender skin as the rope cut into it. A gasp of pain and panic forced its way from my lips as I continued to struggle. The futility of my efforts were not lost on me but I couldn't just do nothing. Any minute the pirates would come back to the hold and I couldn't think of any scenario in which they had good intentions.

Shuffling footsteps sounded through the dark, getting louder and louder. I pulled harder on the rope, my hands slick with what I knew was blood. With each frantic tug, pain stabbed through my wrists. The door to the hold began to open. Shafts of bright light blinding me. I squinted at the doorway trying to see the blurred figure approaching. A bedraggled man stood before me, his mouth twisted into a cruel smirk. Grey streaked through his black grizzly beard and through his matted long hair. Cold, beady eyes glared down at me from underneath a pair of large, bushy eyebrows. A weathered hand reached out and grabbed me roughly by my shirt collar. He dragged me unceremoniously from the hold and up onto the main deck.

For a few moments I just lay there blinded by the burning sunlight, my eyes slowly becoming accustomed to the new setting. When my eyes finally focused, I was not met with a pretty sight. Sneering pirates jeered at me from around the ship. An assortment of menacing weapons clutched in their gnarled fingers. But what was most terrifying of all was the tall man glaring down at me with cold, steel blue eyes from the forecastle deck. Out of all the pirates he was the most well groomed. He was decked out in a long red coat, a large tricorn hat perched on his dark, curly locks. When he reached up his hands to call for silence the sun glinted of a sharp hook attached where his left hand should be.

With the grace of shark circling its prey, the pirate Captain descended onto the main deck. His buckled boots coming to rest before my face.

"How foolish you must be girl to wander the streets of London alone," he sneered down at me, "looks like we'll be eating well tonight, hey men!"

Around me the other pirates whooped and cheered. I stared up into the face of my captor, refusing to seem weak.

"Though I admit it may have been foolish for me to wander alone, you will be the foolish one if you eat me", I spat back at him, holding his icy glare.

"And why is that little girl. All I see is a worthless street urchin. No one important would care if you just disappeared. You are a nothing!"

"Word on the street is you're looking for something."

The Captain face froze. His lunged at me, his hand grabbing my hair and wrenching my head back.

"Do you know where it is?"

His face was so close, I could feel the heat of his breath against my skin.

"You're looking for Titania's globe, am I right?"

He nodded, his cold, blue eyes never leaving my face.

"I know where it is and I can get it for you…" I hesitated, " for a price."

I watched as a mixture of emotions flickered across his face: anger, bitterness, contemplation and… amusement? To my surprise he began to laugh. His crew shuffled around uncomfortably, unsure of how to react.

"You're brave little girl, I'll give you that. Bring me the globe and you'll be rewarded," he produced a glittering red jewel from the pocket of his coat about the size of a large chicken egg, "fail and we will hunt you down and slit your throat. Do we have a deal?"

I stared at the jewel hungrily. A jewel like that could set me up. No more cold nights on the streets or scraps to eat.

"We have a deal."

The captain whipped out a dagger from his coat. I scrambled back. Suddenly fearful that I had greatly misjudged the situation. But the dagger sliced only through the ropes bounding my wrists and then through the rope around my ankles. I sighed with relief as I stretched out my aching limbs.

"Go now before I lose my patience."

Not needing to be told twice. I jumped to my feet and scampered to where a row boat was waiting. A bald, rotund pirate clambered in after me and we were lowered down into the water.