Captain David

• Sierra O'meley, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2021

The story of David is not for the faint of heart. David spent his days escaping the iron grip of Satan or as you will come to know him, the omnipotent ruler of the world. The ancients whispered his name, it invoked fear, and mentions of him became linked with curses that no man could survive. These fragments of syllables ultimately resulted in the dreaded name; Carcella.
David was only second to the resented ruler. His name was known and carried much influence. He was the 3rd in a long line of pirates. Although his family name Garcia alone gave him the gravitas of a god, what guaranteed him a spot in history was his obsession with demons. His grand beard would be coated in a flame that would forever be glowing. His face was permanently covered with strange black symbols from a language no one could read. The people were terrified of him and wanted nothing more than freedom from his dark presence.
But that's not where his obsession ended. It got much worse. Once he was told of an old legend That would grant a person sight to see the dreaded ruler, one just needed to lose their sight. Others would have taken this with a grain of salt; the only salt he had was dissolved in water and wasn’t of much use. He may have been mad but even he knew to not take his sight lightly. So those who betrayed the rules aboard the ship Garra bore a new punishment. Their eyes would be seized from their skull. Some went mad, others died instantly. Few said they saw God.
Those who saw the ruler were the ones who were smart. They knew of the lore that surrounded the sea and the land. They were the ones most like Captain David. By this point, his mind was made up, by sunset he will be sightless.
He was. As the sun bombarded the crew a high pitch scream echoed on the ship. Blood would forever stain the wood and he would never see again, not God nor man.