I was glad to leave the port. It smelled of salt, but not the good kind. Not the briney scent that breezes past your nose on a sunny morning at sea. It was the kind that was mixed with the scents of sweat, urine, and the hobos and scoundrels who secreted it. It was overrun with vermin and there was no money or food to be gained. Besides that, I was young and eager to explore. I had been a dishwasher for much of my youth, and my mother washed dishes before me; it was to be my destiny. I had never left Port Fleming before, and I was quite apprehensive as I followed Sir Corbluff onto the mighty Blue Meander, his British trade ship. He seemed to command an awful lot of respect. Every swarthy deckhand as well as the captain himself bowed upon his arrival aboard the ship. His confident swagger intimidated even the burliest of men, but it empowered me. He introduced me as _Lady_ Gloria Bonham. Every man removed his hat and bowed to me; I had never felt so dignified in my life. 2008-06-26T21:39:14Z http://ficlets.com/feed/story/18927 <p>So his introduction will give her a new identity on the ship. If he&#8217;s not the captain, who exactly is he?</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/18927?basename=74159 2008-06-26T21:39:14Z thebetweenspace http://ficlets.com/authors/thebetweenspace <p>Fabulous first paragraph! I love this intro into her new life aboard the ship!</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/18927?basename=35632 2008-01-21T18:55:53Z Mistress Elsha Hawk http://ficlets.com/authors/mistress_elsha_hawk <p>Pirate Lore, i myself am terrible in this genre, the opening sentense yuck i could see and almost smell. Great writing. LoA</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/18927?basename=35618 2008-01-21T18:29:26Z SKermitgorf http://ficlets.com/authors/kermitgorf <p>Wow.<br /><em>Very</em> nice sequel! Surprised that Corbluff isn&#8217;t the Captain though. Lovely twist.</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/18927?basename=35615 2008-01-21T18:02:51Z Lone Writer http://ficlets.com/authors/solopen <p>Oh, and he&#8217;s not the captain? And a ruse? Well, this is getting interesting. At first I thought you were just clarifying the last bit, but you&#8217;ve pulled out some awesome additions to the story.<br />LoA</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/18927?basename=35599 2008-01-21T14:26:45Z THX 0477 http://ficlets.com/authors/thx_0477