Thanks, ~Lady Cyann~
*-*-*
Spinning Yarns: The Tale of Tori Law
Chapter One - A Grandmother's Story
*-*-*
Victoria Law, called Tori by most, had lived with her grandmother for as long as she could remember. And also, every night, for as long as she could remember, her grandmother had regaled her with the stories of Nickson Johnson.
Adela Law, Tori's grandmother, was born in Poland many years before. When her father saw her kissing a neighboring boy, he had Adela sent off to boarding school in the states. On the trip across the Atlantic, Adela was mostly stuck below decks with the fever. So she passed the time by creating beautiful stories. And even after she arrived at boarding school, Adela was burdened with hours of seclusion, where she would silently conjure up her tales.
When she left school, she moved to Jamaica in hopes of starting a sugar plantation. She accomplished that wish and, in her spare time, began to write her stories down to share with future generations. But soon a terrible arthritis struck her hands and wrists, and she could right no more. Luckily, she was still as sharp as a tack and could tell you whichever of her stories you wanted to hear.
Her best character, and the one she began to favor the most, was Nickson Johnson. Nickson was a tall, proud, and handsome captain of the Polish navy, who was loved by all who knew him, and did many brave and valiant deeds. He was a man of eighteen years, with auburn hair tied back in a queue, and lovely, dark facial features. He rescued women in distress, saved hostages taken by other countries, and most wonderful of all, he captured pirates. In a way, he was Adela Law's perfect man. After all, she was a very righteous woman, and a fierce supporter of the armed forces and the law.
*-*-*
That particular night, Adela was telling Tori the story of Nickson Johnson and Calico Jack. Tori reclined on the bed in her warm nightgown, listening intently. This story was her favorite, after all.
"Captain Johnson was traveling to Nassau with his latest lover, Mary-Lou Garnet, to vacation there after six months of hard work. But his relaxation was short-lived. While asleep in his hotel room one night, Nickson awoke to the sound of cannons. He looked out the window to see the wooden hull of a pirate ship. He quickly secured Mary-Lou safely in a closet where she would not be found, and grabbed his sword and pistol. He ran from the hotel, intent on putting this horrible raid to an end. He took another look at the ship and he read the name Adventure. And that meant only one thing: Calico Jack. This renewed Nickson Johnson's vigor, because Calico Jack and his accomplices, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, were the most fearsome and ruthless pirates in the Caribbean. He heard a gut- wrenching female scream as Calico Jack himself dragged a young woman aboard his ship. The lady could not have been older than fifteen, and from what he had heard of Calico Jack's sexual exploits, he knew he must rescue her. Nickson Johnson dove into the harbor and silently swam alongside the Adventure. He slipped through the space between the gun port and the cannon, and he was in. He slunk stealthily to the captain's cabin where the girl sat weeping on the bed, awaiting her terrible fate. Upon seeing Nickson Johnson at her rescue, the girl smiled faintly and began to follow him. He scooped the small girl up in his arms and took her back safely to shore. As he left her, the girl began to cry. 'Do not cry for me, young one,' Nickson said softly, and kissed her lips gently before disappearing into the darkness."
Nana kissed Tori's head gently and left the room. As her grandmother closed the chamber door, Tori sighed openly. 'How romantic,' She thought, and silently envied the little girl. She wished with all her heart that Nickson Johnson was real, that he could be hers. Tori thought back at her previous suitors and shuddered. Michael, who tried too hard to be funny, and wasn't even worth it in the end. And then there was Daniel, don't even start on him. She sighed again. What was with this cursed bad luck? She was sixteen! Many of her friends were married already! Sondra, Michelle, and Cornelia all had husbands and children, and Kelly, Carolina, and Catherine had beaus. But Tori was relieved that her best friend, Jacquelyn, was single as well. They looked out for each other, and supported each one another when others "talked". She wished she could talk to her right then.
To get her mind on happier things, she thought about the story Nana had just told. It was her favorite by far, although she liked any story about Nickson Johnson. But there was a further reason she enjoyed this story so much. The pirates. Tori found pirates to be the most interesting subject in the world, something she would never tell her virtuous grandmother. Sometimes she would even wish she were one, just to have her own ship and go wherever she pleased, and be one with the ocean. She would never have to worry about etiquette, beaus, or marriage. Only about getting hanged. Tori winced and pulled the covers over her head.
*-*-*