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“Yes. We’ll have a rope ladder down the side of the ship, but remember – it’s not just jumping in and swimming. The ship is moving with the wind, so you’ll need to swim quickly to stay with us. I’m not sure I would advise it unless you are a really strong swimmer.”
“Do we have to do this?” Calista asked, hating the tremor in her voice.
“No, but it’s an excellent experience.”
“Maybe fodder for your next book?” Bo volunteered, sounding awfully hopeful. “You could do a pirate ghost ship full of spooky things…”
That’s true, Calista mused thoughtfully. Ghosts, poltergeists, and frightening apparitions were extremely hot in the market right now in suspense – and it would do well. She had a book she needed to write with looming deadlines… so what if she made it a spooky, ghost story?
“Nobody is going to make anyone jump in or swim,” Jared said once more, his eyes touching everyone as if to make his point. “This is an exercise in putting yourself mentally in a terrible situation from both sides. How would you feel watching someone who was tied walk the plank, knowing they would drown?” he paused for dramatic effect, causing Calista to swallow nervously.
“Would you cheer like a blood-thirsty swashbuckler? Would you be next if you protested? There are all sorts of angles to this… so let’s move to the deck and begin.”
Everyone stood and walked out into the bright sunshine. Will was right, it was a beautiful day. There was a light, easy breeze and the water was relatively calm with no crests on the waves at all. The ocean lapped at the side of the ship, carrying them along.
A board loomed near an opening along the railing that made her swallow, just as Shepherd came around with ropes as Jared spoke.
“Now, everyone imagine that you are dirty, hungry, sweaty, and just got out of the fight of your lives,” Jared began, his voice carrying. “There was a mutiny on board, or we just got taken over by blood-thirsty pirates… and you’ve just been told to ‘walk the plank’.”
“I really don’t want to be tied up,” she whispered to Shepherd.
“It’s just for effect, miss. I’ll make sure you can slip your hands out. Have a little faith in all of us, okay?”
Obediently, Calista held out her hands and Shepherd tied them loosely, moving down the row as Jared spoke. She was already feeling a tremor of fear creep into her, chilling her to the spine. Yes, this would indeed be good fodder for a suspenseful story.
“A rousing cry is heard from the people that took over the ship,” Jared called out, hefting up a cutlass. “They are screaming for blood, ensuring there isn’t another mutiny, and ready to take out their adrenaline on whatever victims they can find. Some tied cannonballs to ankles, others were trussed up and just tossed overboard – with no plank at all.”
“Oh heavens…” she breathed, shivering at the image he was painting in her mind. There would be angry men surrounding them, chanting and pressing for their quick deaths… but it wasn’t quick in the slightest. No, the victims would suffer mentally before walking the plank.
“Who’s first up?”
Purple raised her bound hands, waving and smiling.
Of course she was…
Calista glanced at Will, only to see him shake his head in silent agreement. The girl was deeplystrange. At first, she thought Yellow was off her rocker, but Purple was putting any of their quirks to shame.
“As you walked out on the plank, certain death was waiting below. People are yelling, crying out nasty things, and you are about to plunge to your watery death,” Jared began, hesitating. “It’s hard to think about, isn’t it?”
“This is boring,” Purple said, simply shrugging and walking back from the end of the plank to the ship like it was nothing.
“I’m next,” Blue volunteered, grinning. “Can I shuck these once I jump? He barely tied them and…”
“Sure,” Jared interrupted, obviously annoyed.
Without any hesitation, Blue hopped on the plank. He walked easily out there, spun around, yanked off his rope… and did a flip as he leapt off the end of the plank like it was some diving board.
Calista’s mouth dropped open as Will laughed in the distance – joined by Shepherd, Marie, and Bo. Jared just glared down into the water where the man made a splash.
“This is great!” he called out happily from just out of view from where Calista was standing. Jared rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, turning to them.
“Walking the plank was not ‘great’,” Jared muttered. “It was horrifying, knowing your death was coming because no one could – or would – save you without forfeiting their own lives. It was a terrible way to go. Even if you survived the initial plunge, they would leave you in the water. You’d get exhausted or…”
“Eaten by a shark?!” Purple interrupted, clasping her hands together in anticipation.
“… Or eaten by a shark,” he added in obvious frustration.
“That’s so cool,” Purple breathed in fascination asCalista stared at her in horror. “Are there a lot of sharks here? Is anyone else jumping in?”
