The Queen Clam

Colt wasn't actually drowning. It took a moment, but after the initial panic subsided he realized that the water had just naturally carried him up to the surface. It was painful, but with some effort Colt was able to rotate his body around and submerge his head from the water.

He gasped wildly for air, coughing some water out of his mouth. He paddled at the water desperately with his hands, and then slowly started to gain some more control. Then he was finally able to open his eyes and look around at his surroundings.

He was out treading on the open ocean, the sunlight beating down upon him. His only view was the Bloody Manta sailing off into the distance. With the ship went his only chance at a better life for himself, his only shot at finding the Lost Captain, and years of his life that he'd spent aboard it.

As he watched the ship sail away, Colt noticed something strange. The ship wasn't actually sailing away. It was coming right toward him. And it looked larger than he had remembered it. Colt looked up at the ship's sails and confirmed his thoughts. It was a different ship. Rather than black sails with a red manta ray, this ship had red sails with an orange crab on a yellow star embroidered upon it. With that, the difference in size, and the fact that the ship was sailing straight toward Colt, it was pretty obvious that this new ship was not the Bloody Manta.

"What the..." Colt muttered. He used all the strength he could muster to turn himself around and face the other direction. Sure enough, there the Bloody Manta was, sailing away.

What were the chances that there would be another ship nearby? Colt realized that it was just the miracle he needed. He could board the new ship coming toward him, and start a completely new life. He wouldn't drown in the sea, either, so that was another plus.

"Hey!" Colt shouted. He started moving his arms up and down and splashing the water, trying to catch the attention of the ship. "Over here!"

The ship continued toward him and Colt kept up the commotion. With his wounds, it hurt him to even move, but it wasn't like he had a choice. If he didn't board this ship, he'd be left out at sea. Even if he were completely healthy he probably wouldn't survive long. So the options were clear. Get on the new ship or die.

Colt preferred the former, so he didn't dare slow down. He yelled and yelled, and slapped and slapped at the water. The ship kept coming until it was right next to him. Colt desperately grabbed at the side ladder. He missed the first time, but caught it on his second attempt. Unfortunately, his hands were too slippery from the water and the ladder escaped his grasp. Soon the ship had passed him and was heading on without stopping.

Colt let out a deep breath. So was that it? Was that his final chance at survival? Was this how it all ended? All because he couldn't grab a ladder in time? What a stupid way to die, he thought.

Busy wallowing in self pity, Colt barely even noticed when the ship finally came to a stop. It was a delayed stop, but the ship was slowing down nonetheless. It wasn't until Colt saw the anchor chain hanging over the side of the vessel that he realized: they had actually stopped for him.

Colt paddled over to the ship as quickly as he could, and this time got a good grip on the ladder. Now that he was up beside it, the ship looked even larger. It had seemed bigger than the Bloody Manta from a distance, but now there was no question about it. This ship was at least twice the size of Captain Rave's.

Colt climbed the rather tall ladder, and once he reached the top rung he felt pain run through his hand. He looked up to see a large boot planted on top of his hand.

"Who are you?" demanded a voice that Colt guessed belonged to the boot-wearer.

Colt shifted his strength to his other hand to stay on the ladder, then responded. "Colt."

"And why should that name mean anything to me?"

Colt understood instantly. He didn't know who was talking, but it was pretty clear that this ship didn't offer a free ride. They wanted something in return. Colt had to think quickly, before the boot left his hand and struck at his face. If he wanted to get onto the ship and not die in the water, he needed to talk his way out of this predicament. Thankfully, that was one of his strong suits.

"It shouldn't," he replied. "My name is worthless to you, for now, anyway. It's my possessions that hold value."

"Is that so?" asked the voice.

"It is. I would like to talk to your captain. I have something that I think he'd like."

Colt, of course, had nothing. His goal at the moment was getting on the ship, and he'd have to deal with the rest later.

"And what is it you would like in return for this possession of yours?" asked the voice above him.

"Passage on your ship. I carry a map that leads to the lost Captain Finch, and with him all the gold and glory in the seas. Your captain can have it all, I just want to tag along."

Colt wondered what he would do if the man asked for the map. Perhaps he'd say that he wouldn't give it up yet, or claim that he memorized the map in his head. Something would come to him.

Suddenly the pain in his foot subsided. The boot had been lifted off of him. A hand descended and Colt grabbed on to it. The man pulled him up onto the ship, and Colt was finally able to get a good look around.

The ship was beautiful. The wood was colored orange with red highlights, and all around the deck there were people cleaning and working on it. There were lookouts in the crow's nest, a few men prepared on cannons, and a helmsman at the wheel. Colt could also hear the faint commotion of the rest of the crew down below deck. It was like the Bloody Manta, only more lively and less scary.

Colt also got a good look at the man he'd been talking to. He was skinny, with a short orange-dyed beard. He wore red clothes, with a red hat featuring a yellow star to match. The strange part is that there were shells and pieces of shells all over him. On his hat, on his clothes, and even stuck in his beard. He was a colorful man, and definitely didn't look like a regular crew member.

"You're the captain, aren't you?" Colt asked.

"Indeed I am!" declared the man with a grin.

Wow, Colt thought. He was nothing like Captain Rave, that was for sure. Maybe not all captains were as bad as Rave.

"Why are you here greeting me?" Colt asked. "Shouldn't your crew being doing your dirty work?"

The captain's eyes scrunched. "Why should they? They've got their own work to do. Besides, you sound like you're going to make it worth my while. But before we get into all of that, welcome aboard the Queen Clam. My name is Captain Lobstar!"

Colt nodded. "Ah. So that explains all the..."

"Shells everywhere and the star on the hat?" Lobstar finished. "It's a whole thing."

"I see that."

"So," said the captain. "Where is this map of yours? I should very much like to accept your offer and obtain it."

Captain Lobstar set out his hand, waiting for the map.

"Well about that..." Colt started.

The captain's eyes instantly narrowed. "You don't have the map do you?"

"No, I do!" Colt stuttered. "Just not physically. You see, it's all in my head, I've memorized it, and I can take you there if you just give me a chance."

Lobstar didn't look convinced. "I see what's going on here. You come onto my ship under false pretenses, hoping for food and transportation in exchange for lying to us?"

"No! It's not like that, it's just-"

"Crew!"

At once, everyone on the ship stood at attention. Crewmates began to swarm up from below deck and crowd around their captain. And they were all staring at Colt as if he was the scum of the seas, even though he was sure they couldn't have been brought up to speed on what happened so quickly.

Captain Lobstar stood tall and addressed the crowd. "Everyone, we have aboard a liar and a fake. Do you know what we do with those types of pirates?"

"We throw them overboard!" chorused the entire crew at once.

"Ay!" Captain Lobstar agreed.

A feeling of dread filled Colt. He was beginning to get a feeling of deja vu from what had happened mere minutes ago on the Bloody Manta.

"Wait a moment!" Colt pleaded desperately. "I'm injured, see?"

He pulled up his tunic and showed the giant gash that cut across his lower chest. It had been causing him tremendous amounts of pain ever since it had been inflicted, but he hadn't wanted to show it to the captain before, so he didn't appear weak. Now that was exactly how he wanted to appear.

"That doesn't look too good," Captain Lobstar said. "I feel bad for you, but not as bad as I do about getting lied to."

Colt knew that this was something he wasn't going to be able to talk his way out of after all. That meant he'd have to fight his way out of it, as painful as it would be. He could hardly move, but he'd just have to ignore all that, because he couldn't get thrown overboard again. This time, a new ship wouldn't appear to pick him up. It would be game over, and Colt refused to let that happen.

Colt ran at Captain Lobstar, and grabbed the cutlass from out of the sheath by his side. He then backed away and held the cutlass at the ready. He was armed now, which was better than nothing.

But Captain Lobstar just grinned. "You're a feisty one, but unfortunately for you that's not even the sword I use." The captain pulled out another cutlass from behind his back, brandishing it.

Colt looked down at the one he had stolen, and saw that it was the weirdest sword he had ever seen. Its hilt was an orange shell, and its blade was a sharp blue shell. It seemed sturdy enough, but wasn't made from the material that regular cutlasses were made out of. It was just a shell sword. It also wasn't as curved as most cutlasses were, and had more of a straight blade.

"I picked up that blade from an opponent I defeated several years back," Captain Lobstar explained. "I tried to use it, but it was the worst sword I ever used. I only kept it because it was made of shells, and goes with my outfit."

"It's only for show?" Colt asked, exasperated.

"That's the only thing it seems to be good for," the captain said.

That's just my luck, Colt thought.

"Well, I don't care," he said. "I'll fight you with it anyway. One on one!"

Captain Lobstar smiled sadly. "Sorry, kid, but I have nothing to prove to you in a one on one battle. So I'm going to let my crew take care of this one. I am sorry about the circumstances, but I can't have someone like you on my ship. I hope you understand."

"Wait, no!"

But it was too late. A group of crewmembers surged forward toward Colt. Colt ran away from them, but tripped on a board and knocked it out of place. He grabbed it and turned to face the pirates following him. He lifted it to strike one of them, but another one grabbed it and threw it into the ocean. The group of crewmembers grabbed Colt, lifting them above their heads. They then walked to the side of the ship and, with Colt struggling against them, threw him overboard.

Colt landed back in the sea with a giant splash. He rose to the surface of the water, laying on his back, just in time to see the Queen Clam fade into the distance. This time, there were no other ships around to save him. He was a goner.

Colt grabbed a hold of the board that one of the pirates had thrown over and hung tight to it as his vision swam before him and he eventually passed out completely.