Bones and Thunder

A mad game of chance and a doomed ship's crew.

    Piper John opened his eyes again just as a fresh wave crashed over the gunwale and washed his prone body across the ship’s briny deck, slamming it into the starboard side sheer strake. He spat out green blue sea as he righted himself and caught his breath.

“Damnation!” he yelled into the tempest.

    The young seaman gained his feet just as another wave came across and hit him from behind. The force knocked him clear across the quarter deck and lodging his weary body in the ropes. Piper John shook his wet hair from his face and stared up from his snare at the sterncastle where a mad scene played out eternal. Captain Fokke was sitting at a heavy oak table cursing the Devil while drinking the liar’s own rum. Across the iron banded planks sat the red skinned b*****d himself, laughing and throwing dice. Every time his cup slammed the table the spotted bones bounced off each other and thunder shook the sky.

“Ye be a cheating dog!” the captain railed at the Devil after spying the outcome of the roll.

The red b*****d snatched the half empty bottle from the mad captain and smiled. He took the last half in a single swig. The bottle refilled instantly.

“That’s another year, Fokke!” the Devil yelled back over the howling wind and crashing waves.

Fokke pulled his pistol and tried to put a ball in the b*****d's face, but his powder had gotten wet.

“Captain, my captain.” the Devil said mockingly and then loudly belched.

“It’s your turn. Roll!” the Devil’s voice boomed and the old square rigged vessel shook down to her keel.

    Piper John had cut himself free of the rigging and looked on the Flying Dutchman’s captain for the last time, he hoped. The captain was wrestling the bottle of rum from the Devil’s hand as Piper John put his back to them and threw himself over board, back into the turbid sea.

The captain lost again.

    Piper John had just opened his eyes when a fresh wave crashed over the gunwale and washed his prone body across the ship’s briny deck. He spat out green blue sea again and tried to right himself. He glared at the man his fate was tied to and shook his fist in the stinging rain.

“Damnation! Damnation!” he yelled, this time at the fool captain and his drinking mate.

And the bones and the thunder rolled.