The Proverbial War - Page 35/141

He pulled himself up slightly in the water at the sight of something white on the horizon. It was coming towards him. It was the sail of a ship!

Pulling himself up more with one arm he waved repeatedly back and forth with the other arm. Eventually they must've seen something, because the ship diverted from its course and headed towards him.

Koke stopped waving his arm as he was exhausted. As the ship grew closer his euphoria began to dim as reservations over his rescue began to form.

The ship was reminiscent of a bygone era of sailing. Like the ships that Great Britain and France had battled back and forth against each other with during the Napoleonic era.

This ship wasn't clean rigged like the relics he'd seen on display along a wharf in a historic harbor though. No, it was rougher and patched together looking and the crewmembers gathered at its railing bore a similar resemblance.

Koke swallowed reflexively in alarm. If his speculations were on target he'd say he was about to be rescued by pirates still stuck in the sixteenth century.

"God, surely there could've been somebody else available than this? How about a great fish like the one that swallowed Jonah. It's not too late yet Lord!" Koke said, as he tried to hold onto his courage as the ship heaved to nearby.

He heard the roar of the crew as the boat drew near. His sister had a protector, but where was his, Koke thought abstractly to himself in question of the Divine motives that had placed him in such a predicament.

*****

Koke lifted his head from the deck and slowly took in the assembled group. Never had he seen a more murderous band of cutthroats than stood before him now. Inner-city street gangs and hard-core bikers had nothing on these guys.

"Well. Well. Well. Look at what fell from the sky this time."

Koke's eyes slid away from the tattooed lot of grim and leering faced pirates to the speaker with the hard edged feminine voice. Skintight leather pants rose to a brightly sashed waist, which led up to an expansive chest that had a good bit of it exposed.

The ensemble of the female pirate was topped off with a plumed hat and a face that wasn't attractive in any sort of way. With an easier life perhaps she would've been more attractive looking, as it was though she just gave off an impression of wicked hardness.

Perhaps she was somebody's type, but she wasn't Koke's. He wasn't sure what his type was, but soft and feminine were two key characteristics that this female pirate lacked in spades.