Bilge Rats

You washed up in Crook's Haven owing coin, same as every soul who comes through the tavern door. The creditor does not care how you got here. He cares when you pay. Hands on deckOne of you holds the wheel. One works the lines. One watches the water for the rock nobody drew on any map. Sail alone and it'll be the last we hear of you. Whatever pays... There is a board on the dock, and nothing pinned to it is good work.

Dig up what someone buried and meant to leave buried. Strip a wreck before the sea finishes it. Chart water that nobody came back from. The sea never lies in the same place twice. The ledgerThe debt belongs to the ship. There is no coin you can hold back and nowhere aboard to hide it. So when the hold is half full and the sky turns, all of you decide whether to push on. And all of you pay for it.

The sea decidesWhen the sun goes down and the swell hits be sure to keep an eye on the bilge, rat! The water comes in quiet in the chaos of the storm. Shout up the hatchYour voice carries as far as the wind allows and no further. Below deck you hear the groan of the hull. Under the water you hear nothing.…