Seaside Buccaneers - 2. We’re here to help!

Leo’s clammy hand shook as it held mine. We both stood frozen, too afraid to speak up, just watching the ghostly pirate in front of us. Even if I knew what to say at that moment, my mouth was refusing to open. For what it was worth, it was a little comforting to know Leo was as frightened as I was.

“We… we were just looking around,” Leo finally spoke up, his voice weaker than I’d ever heard it.

I nodded, my eyes still on the ghost. I was all too aware of the map we had just been looking at, lying there on the table. Had we stumbled upon something the ghost didn’t want us to find? Whatever it was, I was more than happy to forget all about it and leave, but I had no expectations he would let us go that easily.

“Just looking around, eh?” the pirate repeated Leo’s words. “Whaddaya say, fellas? Do we believe them?”

I might have imagined it, but it felt like the temperature in the cabin dropped by a few degrees. And then, without a sound, three more ghosts appeared out of nowhere, surrounding us.

They couldn't have looked more different if they tried. The one near me seemed very old—though I guess age is a ridiculous thing to even talk about when it comes to ghosts. His long, white hair fell down his shoulders, framing his sunken face. The man next to him looked slightly younger, though considerably bigger, with a rounded face and a large belly. The last one looked the youngest of the group, quite slim and with a messy blond mop on his head.

All of them leered at us like we were a defenseless trade ship they were about to plunder. We must've looked terrified as the first ghost began laughing, his raspy voice sending chills down my spine.

“Look at ‘em, Riley. They look like they've never been on a ship before,” the youngest of them said mockingly, nodding at the big guy next to him.

“Then why’re they dressed like that?” the other pirate asked before shifting his gaze back to us. “Who sent you?”

“I don't trust ‘em,” the oldest of the ghosts hissed. His words sounded final, like a conclusion that was unchangeable.

Silence fell over the cabin as the ghosts eyed us, waiting. Was it our turn to speak? I wasn't sure, and it seemed Leo wasn't either. His hand in mine was the only thing keeping me sane at that moment, reminding me that I was still alive and that I hadn't died and gone to some ghost dimension.

“Well, speak! Who sent you?” The first of the apparitions, who I assumed was their captain, spoke again. My eyes darted between his bearded face and the sharp tip of his cutlass, still pointed at us. “I don't recognize those markings.”

“No- no one.” Leo shook his head, clutching at his shirt. “These are just… costumes.”

“Costumes?”

“Yes, we were…” I cut in, trying to help Leo. “We were at a… a fancy dress party?” I added, unsure. Did pirates even have the concept of a fancy dress party? I had no time to think it over as the four ghosts broke into laughter as if they had just heard the funniest joke of all time. I’m not sure how that was possible, but they seemed even creepier laughing than when they were threatening us with swords.

“So yer not pirates?” the captain asked.

Leo and I shook our heads in unison, trying to keep our cool as much as possible, which wasn’t easy when your heart’s about to jump out of your chest.

The ghosts shared a knowing look. Whatever they were thinking, it seemed they understood each other without words. Were ghosts telepathic? Maybe these ones were.

“I know what yer thinking, captain,” the oldest one said.

“Do ya, Torr?”

“We can’t trust ‘em.”

The other two said nothing, as if waiting for permission. Or perhaps because they knew better. The captain took a step toward Torr, grabbing the old man by the collar.

“I need… I need to go there! You know that!”

“I know. But…”

“I don’t wanna hear it!” the captain growled. “When am I ever gonna get this chance again?”

“And what if they betray us, huh? What then?”

“We- we won’t,” I offered. Even though I had no clue what they were talking about, appeasing them seemed like the safest bet.

“Out!” The captain’s roar made us jump. His face contorted in anger, the curved sword slicing through the air as he thrust his hand toward the door.

We did not need to be told twice. Hand in hand, Leo and I rushed out, not stopping until we were across the deck, all the way on the other end of the ship.

“You were right.” Leo panted when we finally stopped, trying to catch his breath. “We shouldn’t have come here.”

“Are you alright?” I asked, pulling him close to make sure he was still in one piece. He nodded, grabbing me with the same fierceness before wrapping his arms around me, squeezing me tight. The relief was almost unbearable.

“Yeah.” He nodded again, then leaned back, his wide eyes meeting mine. “Are you OK?”

“Scared shitless, but yeah.”

“Me too,” Leo said, biting his cheek. “We need to get out of here.”

“I know. Let’s go.”

It was only then that I noticed the fog had swallowed the ship entirely. Even the beach we were floating above was out of sight, let alone the town in the distance or anything further away. For all I knew, we could’ve been anywhere.

“I think the gangplank’s this way.” I waved Leo over, approaching the side of the ship where I had climbed aboard. But when we reached it, all we could see were railings. “It’s gone.”

“Wait. The rope ladder,” Leo said, then took off down the deck. I ran after him. I was not letting him out of my sight for a second.

“I swear, this is where I…” He looked around, leaning over the railings to get a better view, but it was all for nothing. There was no trace of the ladder.

“Careful, don’t fall over.” I grabbed him by the waist, keeping him steady. “What do we do now? Jump?”

“Going somewhere?”

There was a voice, followed by an unsettling chill in the air. Something more than just the October wind. We froze as the youngest of the ghosts appeared in front of us, sneering. “Not just yet,” he said. “First, yer gonna do somethin’ for us.”

“What do you want?” I asked, already knowing we probably wouldn’t have much say in the matter.

“The cap’n will tell you himself,” the ghost replied.

As if summoned, the rest of the ghostly crew appeared in front of us. The captain stepped toward us, holding a large scroll in his hand. I could tell by the way he was looking at us that he knew what we’d been trying to do, but he didn’t say anything. He probably knew very well we’d try to run, just as he knew we wouldn’t actually get anywhere.

“You know what this is,” he said, gesturing to whatever he was holding. It was not a question. “I know you’ve been looking at it.”

Leo nodded. There was no point pretending. “It’s… it’s a map of the area.”

“Right you are.” The captain gave a slight nod. “We made the map… How long’s it been? I forgot. Doesn’t matter. We used this place as a resting point. A hideout, before the colonists came and took over. You must’ve seen the marked spot.”

We both nodded this time, not interrupting him.

“We left something here. And yer gonna take us there.” As if knowing exactly what I was going to ask, he continued. “We can’t go there alone. Can’t leave this ship. So you need to take us.”

“How?” I asked, not even questioning what he was saying. I think at that point my brain was already used to the weird and the impossible.

“You need to take something from the ship with you. That’ll let us follow you,” the captain explained, offering us the rolled-up map.

Leo and I shared a confused look, but that was all it took for us to know we were on the same page. I stepped forward and reached out, carefully taking the map as if it was about to burst into flames. For a centuries-old piece of parchment, it felt surprisingly… normal. I couldn’t feel anything supernatural about it, but then again, it wasn’t like I had any experience with that sort of thing before.

“Come on, then. Let’s get movin’!” he barked an order, pointing to the side of the ship. I looked over and there it was again, a gangplank leading down to the beach below us.

“Right now?” Leo asked.

“Ya wanna stay here then?”

“N-no!”

Without another word, Leo and I walked down the wooden ramp, the map clutched in my left hand. If the ghosts were letting us off the ship, it was best to hurry up before they changed their minds.

Once I felt sand beneath my feet, it was like I could finally breathe again. I looked at Leo and smiled, feeling the fresh air filling my lungs and reaching every corner of my body.

The ghosts were nowhere to be seen.

“Hello?” Leo called out, turning his head, but the beach was empty save for the two of us. No sign of anyone else, living or dead.

“Did they not follow us? Did it not work?”

“Maybe they’re invisible? I mean, they’re ghosts.”

“I don’t know. Should we…” I leaned in closer to him, lowering my voice, “...try to run away?”

Leo hesitated, biting his lip. I could tell he was tempted, at least for a moment. “I don’t know… Do you really wanna risk it? I don’t want to be haunted for the rest of my life.”

“Ugh…” All I could do was let out a frustrated sigh. He was probably right. “Fine. They’re probably somewhere around anyway.”

“Come on, show me the map,” Leo said, turning on the light on his phone as I unrolled the map. He put his finger on the X, tracing a path along the coastline. “Hmm… This should be… somewhere over there, right?”

“Yeah, down by those hills,” I said, pointing north. “Let’s go, I guess.” What choice did we have?

We crossed the beach in silence, Leo’s phone lighting the way while I held the map, checking it from time to time as if it had a built-in GPS. My brain felt like it was about to burst trying to process all that new information. I stayed silent, afraid that if I started talking, I wouldn’t stop. I had so many questions—for Leo, for the ghosts, for the universe. In the end, it was Leo who broke the silence.

“What do you think they’re looking for? Buried treasure?”

“Probably,” I replied, trying to come up with an answer. “Could be anything. You’ve read all the books, what do you think it could be?”

“I don’t know. If it’s stopping them from moving on, maybe it’s not even anything valuable. Just something sentimental, something that means a lot to them.”

“Why tonight, though? We come here almost every night and we’ve never seen them.”

“Who knows? Maybe there’s something about Halloween. Makes you wonder, right? What else is there that we don’t know about?”

“I’m not sure I wanna know.” I shook my head. As fun as it is to watch fantasy movies, maybe it’s better if stuff like that stays just that—a fantasy. I wasn’t sure if Leo would agree.

The beach gave way to a dirt-covered slope, leading to a rocky climb. We pushed on, both of our phones now lighting the way. After partying all night, then getting trapped on a ghost ship, our brains may have been working overtime, but our bodies were just about ready to give up. Each step was more difficult than the last, and the terrain getting steeper did not help at all.

I followed Leo, watching his every step as he climbed ahead. It all happened so suddenly that I’m not even sure how, but my foot must have missed the rock I wanted to stand on. Or maybe the rock gave way under my weight. I shouted, scrambling for purchase as I felt myself about to fall. My phone slipped out of my hand, tumbling down the rocks below us, but somehow I did not.

“Noah!” Leo shouted, panicking, as he turned around, reaching for me.

But there was no need for it. I was floating in mid-air, feeling ghostly arms around me, lifting me up before setting me down on the ground right next to him.

“Oh my God!” Leo grabbed me tightly, wrapping his arms around me until I could barely breathe. “Don’t scare me like that!”

“You’re telling me!”My chest heaved, my heartbeat pounding in my ears as I held on tight to his body. “I… I must’ve slipped.”

“They… they saved you.”

“Yeah, they did. Thank you, wherever you are,” I said, finally catching my breath. “But my phone didn’t make it.”

“Who cares about that now, I’ll buy you a new one. I know which one you want.”

I gave him a kiss, and then another.

We stood expectantly for a couple of moments longer, but the ghosts did not appear. They must’ve been around, though. I could feel it. Only this time, it did not bother me.

“It must be here.”Leo pointed straight ahead, and as he shone his light at the rock formation, I could see an opening. It was a cave. “How have we never been here before?”

“It’s not like it’s easy to reach. Come on, let’s see what’s inside.” I grabbed his hand and together we made our way into the cave. Even though we had to duck when passing through the opening, the inside was larger than I expected. At first glance, it seemed like any other cave. Nothing but rocks and an unpleasant, damp smell. We could hear nothing other than our footsteps and the sound of our breathing. No movement either, which was a relief.

“No wild animals, it seems,” Leo whispered, moving his phone around. The cave led in several different directions, though there didn’t seem to be any man-made hallways. They were all natural passages, leading who knows where and for how long.

“We still have no idea what we’re looking for. They could’ve buried it anywhere,” I said, trying my best to scan every part of the cave, every crack in the walls and every stone in shadowy corners. “We could use some help here.”

“Are you… are you here?” Leo called out. “We’re pretty sure this is the right place.”

Like clockwork, the already chilly air grew even colder, and a slight breeze picked up out of nowhere. But when a ghost appeared in front of us, it was not one we recognized. Both Leo and I stepped back, our hands finding each other. The man in front of us was young, probably around the same age as the youngest of the pirates, only this one had long, black hair. His white shirt was tattered, his pants ripped in several places. He glared at us as he floated above the ground, blocking the way to one of the passages.

“Came to steal the treasure, did you?”

“No! We didn’t, I swear,” I rushed to explain as Leo and I retreated slowly toward the cave entrance. The ghost advanced toward us, his angry eyes not leaving our faces. He was not buying it.

“Liars! Why are you here then?”

“We… we came with someone. Ugh, come on, where are you?!” Leo shouted in frustration, looking up only to find nothing but the ceiling. I squeezed his hand, refusing to take my eyes off the ghost.

I knew the pirates had appeared before I even saw them. The young ghost in front of us stared right past us, his face shifting from anger into something else. Shock, mixed with recognition and disbelief.

“You…” The word sounded hollow as it came out of his mouth, even for a ghost.

Leo and I stepped aside, the chill in the cave now even stronger. We watched silently as the pirate captain stood wordlessly, the same kind of disbelief on his weathered face. His three men were right behind him, none of them daring to say a word.

“Jake,” the captain finally spoke, his voice weaker than I had ever heard it. I don’t know if ghosts can cry, but I swear when I looked at his face, I could see him blinking away the tears in his glassy, dark eyes. I gave Leo’s hand a squeeze, and I could feel his thumb gently moving across my fingers. We shared a look, and I think he understood as well as I did that whatever treasure was hidden there, it wasn’t what we came for.

We watched as the captain took a hesitant step toward the young ghost, as one would approach a frightened wild animal, careful not to scare it off.

“You came?!” Jake hissed, the hatred in his voice even more palpable than when he spoke to us. “Of course you did. Gotta make sure you get your gold back. What were those two then? A decoy?”

“No, that’s not… Dear God, it’s not possible.” The pirate shook his head, casting his eyes down. Moments passed before he finally raised his head to face the other man. “Son, you’re… you’re here. How…?”

“Of course I’m here! Right where you left me. Alone, all this time.”

“I didn’t! I didn’t know. I thought you… Jake, I’m so sorry.”

“You thought what? Come on, let’s hear it! You never thought I was good enough for anything.”

“That’s not true. I know you weren’t happy, so when you didn’t come back, I… I thought you had run off with the gold. I—”

“You thought I betrayed you!” Jake’s eyes flashed with fury, and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The cold air seemed to penetrate all the way to the bone, leaving me shivering. I put an arm around Leo’s waist, pulling him in. “You thought I would do that? Your own son?”

“I was wrong. Son…” The captain’s voice cracked as he choked back the tears. “Son, forgive me.”

“I came here just like you told me to, and I hid the chest in there,” Jake pointed to the passage behind him. He stared at the ground, clenching his jaw. His hands were shaking, fingers curled up into fists before they relaxed again. “I took it all the way down there… to make sure no one could find it. But… there was a hole. A chasm. I didn’t see it until it was too late.”

“Son…”

“I… I don’t even remember how it happened. Next thing I knew, I was sitting by the chest. Looking at my own body down in the hole, lying on the rocks.”

The captain took another step. This time, his son did not push him away.

“You never came for me. Not even for the gold,” Jake spoke, barely a whisper. The two men stood only a foot apart, but there was no contact.

“We… we didn’t think we’d find anything. And then… We caught a bad storm and… the Medora sank.”

“So why come now, after all this time?” the young man asked. He lifted his head, and then his accusing gaze fell on us. “You sensed these two coming to steal the gold, so you came to stop them, is that it?”

“No, we’re not here to steal anything! We’re here to help,” I spoke without thinking. “I swear.”

“It’s true,” the captain cut in, to my relief. I felt Leo tugging at my arm, pointing to the map clutched in my hand. Somehow, I had forgotten I was even holding it.

“Look, they gave us this so we could find you,” I unrolled the map, showing it to Jake. The flicker of recognition in his eyes was immediate.

“That’s… that’s ours.”

“You remember it,” the captain said. There was a warmth to his voice, the kind of warmth that was unnatural for him, like he wasn’t used to it. “We’ve been bound to the Medora. We could never leave it, sailing the seas all this time, year after year, decade after decade, searching for you. Somehow we’d always end up here, but we could never leave the ship.”

“Then… how?” his son asked. “How are you here?”

“I don’t know how, but these two…” The captain pointed at us. “They saw the ship, and they came aboard. No one else ever could. We had given up all hope long ago. But when they appeared, I knew I had to try. I had to look for you.”

It all happened slowly but also suddenly. Somehow, the two men went from standing in front of each other like two sad, ghostly statues, to being wrapped in each other’s arms, sharing a hug that never seemed to end. The kind of hug you only reserve for the people you cannot imagine losing, or the people you had once lost and never imagined you would get them back.

I took a glance at Leo next to me. His eyes welled up, and I knew he was struggling not to start sobbing along with the two ghosts.

We watched as the rest of the crew approached them, embracing each other for the first time in centuries.

“Thank you, whoever you are,” Jake said as the group came over to us. There was a warm smile on his face, calmness that seemed to affect everyone around him. “I… I never thought this day would come. You have saved me.”

“We were happy to help.” Leo nodded, wiping his face with his shirt sleeve. He was done trying to fight the tears that were now flowing down his face. I leaned in, planting a soft kiss on his cheek.

“You have my thanks as well,” the captain said, looking at us like a completely different person. His face looked the same, yet somehow brand new. “You’ve done something for me that I’ll never be able to repay.”

“Well, there’s the gold,” one of the pirates said. “Not like we have any use for it now, do we?”

“We’d rather not risk it.” I shook my head, sharing a chuckle with Leo. “We don’t need it anyway.”

“Smart fella.” Jake gave us a nod of approval. “Let it stay here. It never brought us anything good.”

“Well, I can’t give you anything else other than my eternal gratitude,” the captain added, his hand still on his son’s shoulder. “Like Jake said, I never thought this day would come. I had lost all hope, but… but you boys did somethin’ I thought was impossible. Thank you.”

Leo and I sat on the hill by the cave, our legs stretched out in the grass, his head on my shoulder. The sun was slowly beginning to lift itself above the horizon, its warm light painting the sky in soft shades of yellow and pink. And with the first rays, we watched as the ghost ship began to vanish, dissolving into mist—but now, with one more crew member. Just a few moments later there was no trace of the Medora left, as the waves lapping at the shore scattered the last of the mist. Once again, the beach looked ordinary, the same old scenery I was used to seeing every single day. It felt comforting, but also somehow strange.

“Should we tell Jay and Fabian what happened?” Leo asked on the way home.

“No way. You really think they’d believe us?”

“I guess you’re right,” he conceded quickly for a change. “Would you believe me if I told you all this?”

“If I hadn’t been there to see it for myself, probably not. Not without proof anyway.”

“But we have proof.” He grinned, pointing to the map I was still carrying.

“Oh, right. But they would just think we bought it online or something.”

“Probably. Oh well, maybe next time they’ll come with us.”

“What do you mean next time?” I laughed, bumping my shoulder into his. “You plan to make a habit of this? Become a ghostbuster?”

“I meant if!” Leo let out a shout, running away as I tried to grab him by the waist. “If something like this happens again!”

“I’d rather it didn’t.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m happy with my pirates staying inside the pages of books.” He finally slowed down the pace, letting me catch up. “Now come on, let’s get some sleep. I can barely walk. Then we’ll go to the mall and I’ll buy you a new phone.”

THE END