Heroist
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—A ship? What ship? Ah... Well, listen to this. —settling down comfortably, Joe took out the cigars he had been given from his cloak and began to tell his story:
—We were sailing after a raid, and we got about a dozen gold teeth, but what a haul! They, you see, didn't believe in superstitions and prejudices and set off with their husbands to seek happiness on the waves. They said, who decided that women on a ship bring bad luck? Well, life in the form of us quickly taught them a lesson, ha-ha! They didn't suffer for long, though: we are a people who believe in proverbs! And it's not right to separate them from their husbands for long, and they met at the bottom of the sea. But that's not the point.
Waving away the invisible memories, the old pirate exhaled smoke and continued:
—Even the sea devil doesn't know, but we sailed into such a thick fog that you couldn't see your own hook. The sea was dead calm, and the silence was so profound that you could hear your own soul. Well, by that time, the guys were already quite tipsy, so they decided, with the captain's nod: what the hell, we're not doing anything anyway, let's have another drink! And we really got drunk then... Poor Miggy slipped on the deck and fell, may he rest in peace, he was a brave lad.
Realizing that he was getting carried away again, Joe thoughtfully scratched his hook behind his ear, gathering his thoughts:
—So, time knows how long we spent in this smoky stupor, but it brought us right to an abandoned ship in the middle of the ocean. And this wreck was floating on the water like a black swan: only light circles disturbed the smooth surface. At first, we didn't understand anything, but luckily, the captain quickly brought the guys back to their senses! It's a rich ship, he said, and we're just a bunch of vagrants, so let's board it, there must be something left to loot! We were, of course, already eager and cheerful by that time, but when the boss said so, there were no questions! But as soon as we stepped onto the deck, a chilling cold ran through all of us, and all the rum evaporated!
Mentioning this, the old pirate involuntarily shivered:
—You know me, for me, a drink is medicine and a help in battle, but then... For the first and last time in my life, I lost the desire to drink. Sobriety struck us so hard that only our hearts were pounding in our chests. Someone immediately wanted to get off the ship, but it was too late. What, are you scared? — someone from our crew sneered. Of course, he was just trying to give himself courage, but it worked. The guys shrugged and reluctantly went on. No one wants to be known as a coward, the captain sends such people straight to the sharks.
Finishing his cigar, Joe took a swig from the half-empty bottle of rum.
—We searched the entire deck: it was empty. It was as if the ship had just been launched: not a single stain or dent. And everywhere there was this chilling fog, it seemed to suck the cold out of your skin. We broke into the captain's cabin: it was empty. The safe was open, and instead of valuables, it was filled with papers. We didn't have anyone who could read that language, and who would care anyway! There were also some cool badges on each one, I remember them for the rest of my life: red triangles alternating with white ones, and they all converged at the center with sharp ends. Well, we wandered around for a bit and decided to go down below. As you can imagine, what happened to the crew? — someone from our crew asks, and his voice is trembling! And what happened was really unclear: we didn't find a single soul on the ship! And the deeper we went, the darker it became. Soon it was so dark that you couldn't see anything. Someone reached for a torch, but it was no use: the devilish fog devoured the flame, and it was even thicker inside.
Coughing, the old pirate took a large gulp of liquor and smiled:
—We started to think about whether it was worth going down to the last level. Half said that it was not worth it, let's tell the captain that it's empty and we're done! And someone was afraid, but also excited. What can I say, I was among the latter! So we decided to go on. We climbed into such darkness that you couldn't see or hear anything: even our steps were silent. And everyone was afraid to make a sound, so as not to disturb the dead silence. Then, ahead, we heard someone's breathing. It was muffled, with a hoarse sound like that of a heavy smoker. We, to be honest, were terrified and froze in place. Then, a black helmet appeared out of the darkness. Then I only remember a red flash and a soul-piercing scream: "I AM THE AVALANCHE MAN!".
After a long pause, Joe seemed to be lost in thought for a long time.
—I woke up on my own ship, missing an arm. Or a leg? I don't even remember. Half of the guys, like me, had no memory, and the other half died on that cursed ship. The captain, to his credit, cursed like the devil: you idiots, he said, got drunk and cut each other up. And that cursed ship has disappeared into the fog, and no one can find it now! And the other guys don't even remember it. But I know! And the conclusion from this is: you have to be careful with ghosts, just like with alcohol: if you don't have experience, then stay away, lad! Otherwise, they will suck out your soul, and you will be like old Joe: scarred on the outside and inside.
—We were sailing after a raid, and we got about a dozen gold teeth, but what a haul! They, you see, didn't believe in superstitions and prejudices and set off with their husbands to seek happiness on the waves. They said, who decided that women on a ship bring bad luck? Well, life in the form of us quickly taught them a lesson, ha-ha! They didn't suffer for long, though: we are a people who believe in proverbs! And it's not right to separate them from their husbands for long, and they met at the bottom of the sea. But that's not the point.
Waving away the invisible memories, the old pirate exhaled smoke and continued:
—Even the sea devil doesn't know, but we sailed into such a thick fog that you couldn't see your own hook. The sea was dead calm, and the silence was so profound that you could hear your own soul. Well, by that time, the guys were already quite tipsy, so they decided, with the captain's nod: what the hell, we're not doing anything anyway, let's have another drink! And we really got drunk then... Poor Miggy slipped on the deck and fell, may he rest in peace, he was a brave lad.
Realizing that he was getting carried away again, Joe thoughtfully scratched his hook behind his ear, gathering his thoughts:
—So, time knows how long we spent in this smoky stupor, but it brought us right to an abandoned ship in the middle of the ocean. And this wreck was floating on the water like a black swan: only light circles disturbed the smooth surface. At first, we didn't understand anything, but luckily, the captain quickly brought the guys back to their senses! It's a rich ship, he said, and we're just a bunch of vagrants, so let's board it, there must be something left to loot! We were, of course, already eager and cheerful by that time, but when the boss said so, there were no questions! But as soon as we stepped onto the deck, a chilling cold ran through all of us, and all the rum evaporated!
Mentioning this, the old pirate involuntarily shivered:
—You know me, for me, a drink is medicine and a help in battle, but then... For the first and last time in my life, I lost the desire to drink. Sobriety struck us so hard that only our hearts were pounding in our chests. Someone immediately wanted to get off the ship, but it was too late. What, are you scared? — someone from our crew sneered. Of course, he was just trying to give himself courage, but it worked. The guys shrugged and reluctantly went on. No one wants to be known as a coward, the captain sends such people straight to the sharks.
Finishing his cigar, Joe took a swig from the half-empty bottle of rum.
—We searched the entire deck: it was empty. It was as if the ship had just been launched: not a single stain or dent. And everywhere there was this chilling fog, it seemed to suck the cold out of your skin. We broke into the captain's cabin: it was empty. The safe was open, and instead of valuables, it was filled with papers. We didn't have anyone who could read that language, and who would care anyway! There were also some cool badges on each one, I remember them for the rest of my life: red triangles alternating with white ones, and they all converged at the center with sharp ends. Well, we wandered around for a bit and decided to go down below. As you can imagine, what happened to the crew? — someone from our crew asks, and his voice is trembling! And what happened was really unclear: we didn't find a single soul on the ship! And the deeper we went, the darker it became. Soon it was so dark that you couldn't see anything. Someone reached for a torch, but it was no use: the devilish fog devoured the flame, and it was even thicker inside.
Coughing, the old pirate took a large gulp of liquor and smiled:
—We started to think about whether it was worth going down to the last level. Half said that it was not worth it, let's tell the captain that it's empty and we're done! And someone was afraid, but also excited. What can I say, I was among the latter! So we decided to go on. We climbed into such darkness that you couldn't see or hear anything: even our steps were silent. And everyone was afraid to make a sound, so as not to disturb the dead silence. Then, ahead, we heard someone's breathing. It was muffled, with a hoarse sound like that of a heavy smoker. We, to be honest, were terrified and froze in place. Then, a black helmet appeared out of the darkness. Then I only remember a red flash and a soul-piercing scream: "I AM THE AVALANCHE MAN!".
After a long pause, Joe seemed to be lost in thought for a long time.
—I woke up on my own ship, missing an arm. Or a leg? I don't even remember. Half of the guys, like me, had no memory, and the other half died on that cursed ship. The captain, to his credit, cursed like the devil: you idiots, he said, got drunk and cut each other up. And that cursed ship has disappeared into the fog, and no one can find it now! And the other guys don't even remember it. But I know! And the conclusion from this is: you have to be careful with ghosts, just like with alcohol: if you don't have experience, then stay away, lad! Otherwise, they will suck out your soul, and you will be like old Joe: scarred on the outside and inside.
Whatever