Brave Pirate Nora

After a few weeks on the high seas, I was starting to get used to pirate life. The ship itself wasn't very impressive, but it had more than enough room for me. Not that I slept in it, of course. When we weren't on board, we spent our nights on a small island called "The Gates" by the crew. It was also where they were keeping their treasure: a chest filled with gold and jewels that was buried underneath a tree.

Still, even if the ship was rather pathetic, the crew was anything but. They'd been together for years and knew each other better than most families do. I'd already found out all about them over the past few weeks: Lorelei's funny sense of humor, which often annoyed the others as she tended to be loud at night; Algernon's gambling habits; Garrett's love for his parrot; and so many other things...

They had welcomed me with open arms - or rather, with swords - and now I considered them my friends. We fought together against pirates and monsters alike, we ate together and laughed together... And yes, sometimes we cried together too.

We had lost many good friends since we first set sail together, but somehow they always managed to find new ones to replace them. The big guy in the red shirt with the eye patch who seemed to be constantly drunk? That was Jimbeau "the one-eyed bastard". He had lost his eye during a fight with a rival pirate ship when he tried to save me from drowning in the water after my ship got wrecked by a storm. Don't let him get too close - he'll try and kiss you! Right after he pukes all over your shoes... Or something like that at least.

I looked up from my notepad when someone sat down next to me on deck. It was Garrett - he was usually the first one up in the morning and he would spend hours sitting on one of the benches near the mast just staring into space as if he were meditating or something like that.

"Morning Nora," he said cheerfully as he pulled out a piece of paper from under his coat and handed it to me. "Here's your latest painting."

"Thank you!" I smiled as I took it from him. It was pretty good actually - I could tell right away what it depicted: me standing in front of some palm trees while looking at Jimbeau, who was lying face down on some rocks next to me while vomiting into the ocean below him. A wave crashed onto his back while another wave licked my feet... "How did you manage to draw this so fast?"

"I've been practicing," said Garrett as he grinned proudly at his work of art. "Would you mind showing this picture to Lorelei? She says I need more practice."

"Sure thing," I nodded before folding it up again and putting it into my pocket. Garrett went back to his meditation session then, and soon Lorelei joined us too. She brought three mugs full of coffee with her that she placed next to mine before taking her own seat next to me on deck too.

"Morning Nora!" she said cheerfully as she handed me one of the mugs full of coffee before taking her own seat next to me on deck too. "How did you sleep last night?"