May 19th, 1697.

The ship was worn down and rusty, but she still sailed as if she was built just the other day. The creaking wood and off color were the only notes that the ship was much older than any of the men.
But the Captain didn’t care. He bought the boat for good money and he would put it to use.
When he walked through the town, the others stared and whispered. That was the man. That man was mad but yet the luckiest of them all. For he rode the seas on the Pennt-Liver.
The Pennt-Liver was a very infamous ship. It gathered rumors and legends about it’s adventures from decades back. The massive boat was the ship of many great pirates and buccaneers, though none of them remained on it very long. It’s said, if you were able to sail across the sea on this certain boat, great fortune would come your way.
With this, the Captain was quickly able to build his crew. Some young men even came to him asking if they could be of service to him.
Captain Karlens didn’t need to sail so far to have good fortune. With the Pennt-Liver in his hands, he was the bravest and luckiest pirate in all of France, the Caribbean and then some. He already had a crew and enough supplies for two ships, and he didn’t even need to put up a sign.
Captain Karlens had twenty-six men on his crew. Including a man who claimed to be a chef. Karlens truly hoped the man was telling the truth. With that, he had enough to start sailing.
He gathered his men the next day to head out to sea. Everything was running smoothly besides one very minor detail.
One of his men, a younger boy, was rushing around speaking to the rest of the crew. His voice was a quieted whisper but his actions were strong. He was nervous and shaky, bouncing around on his feet like a scared rabbit.
It was about noon when they were completely ready to set sail. The Captain gathered his men and spoke loudly:
“Welcome aboard, men!” He called joyfully in a hearty french accent, “I am Captain Karlens, and I wish to thank you all for joining me on this venture.”
Suddenly, the anxious man spoke up, “Are we taking sail today?”
“Of course,” Karlens boomed, “Why else would I have gathered you smelly men?”
The man wanted to speak again, but he silenced himself as the Captain spoke again.
“I expect a nice, calm sail to Tortuga. Anyone with the opposite of that in mind can get their rear off my ship. Understood?”
A nod went about and Karlens grinned a shiny smile. “Comme il faut. Put up the sail, men! Let us go,”
Karlens went up to the deck. Some of the men went of to do their individual jobs but others stood warily.
“What is it?” Karlens asked.
The men looked around at each other until the nervous young man from before spoke up.
“Captain, the other men and I were wondering when we were gonna break the bottle. Before the ship set sail, I mean.” He said.
“We don’t have any time for that,” Karlens said. He walked down to the man, “What is your name, boy?”
“Alastor,” He replied.
“Well, Alastor, do you have a problem with the way I run my ship?”
It was indeed more of a threat than a question so Alastor just shook his head no and went off with the other men to work. Karlens huffed and went back to his seat on the quarterdeck.
Alastor spoke in a hushed tone with other crewmates, “He just skipped over the launch ceremony. That’s bad luck.”
An older man with a scruffy beard and golden hoop earring scoffs, “Should’ve known it’s no good to follow a clean-shaven french man into the sea. Darn man leaves on a friday of all days.”
“Too late to go back now,” Alastor said, “Just pray it won’t leave karma.”
“Karma doesn’t have much to do with it as the code does. Breaking rules leads to consequences.”
Alastor and the old man, soon learning his name was Levi, work on their own below deck. Some of the other nervous men come to them occasionally with news.
A tall, scrawny man has taken spot as their main messenger. He comes down very often to tell them bad omens. Such as:
“Someone was whistlin’ above deck! It t’was some Spanish sailor. I told him to knock it but I’m not sure if he speaks English…”
“There’s a shaky bell and it keeps going off. Hibbins got real paranoid ‘bout it and threw it off deck. Is that bad?”
Then when Alastor and Levi were just about shaking in their boots, the man came down, a very serious expression ridden on his face. No longer nervous or excited, but belly-aching terrified.
“What is it?” Levi asked.
The man said, “Captain changed the name of the boat.”
“What?” Alastor hissed.
“I...I don’t remember what he changed it to!”
Alastor didn’t bother to wait. He bounded up the stairs to the main deck.
Upstairs, he could smell the salty ocean air. They were pretty far out to sea, he could only make out the smallest bit of land that they came from.
Captain Karlens was still sitting in his chair on the quarterdeck, sipping out of a bottle.
Alastor had no hesitation, “What do you think you are doing?” He shouted.
The Captain looked up, “Excuse me?”
“You can’t change the name of the ship! Especially not when it’s in sail!”
Karlens huffed, “It’s my ship and I can do whatever I want to it. And the Pennt-Liver was a disgusting name. Carlotta is much stronger.”
“Carlotta?!” Alastor shouted in rage, “You can’t name a ship ending with a ‘a’!”
“Who says?” Karlens asked, “You and your old deranged superstitions?”
Alastor glared, “There are more to them than meets the eyes. They are not superstitions, they...they are traditions! And any man knows that you are no more captain of this ship than I am!” Alastor stuttered.
Captain Karlens stood up from his lazy position, “What did you say to me?”
Alastor wanted to take back his words, but his pure anger made him only spit out more. “The-the sea! The captains this ship more than you or I! And this ship will be dragged under by the time you are able to swallow your pride.”
Captain Karlens swaggered towards Alastor, “I imagine that you will do kindly to shut your mouth or I will have to toss you off this ship to see exactly how much you respect you have for this ocean.”
Alastor stepped back in fear. But not of the captain’s threat, of a sudden flock of birds that had found their way to the Pennt-Liver.
Of all the bad omens, the one of the seabirds was one everyone knew.
Each and every seagull was a soul of a pirate lost at sea. They flew around the places that they missed or that they died. Seeing a flock on sea was as bad as carrying a dead man on ship.
A very large flock of birds cawed and screeched as they grew closer to the ship. Until they touched down on the mast, resting on the boat, croaking in laughter.
“The ship is cursed!” Yelled the scrawny man, “Turn back! We have to turn back!”
“Ta gueule, men! You are all a bunch of crazy fools. This ship can not drown!” Karlens shouted.
The entire crew’s hearts stop. Saying the word ‘drown’ at sea was a death wish. A wish that would surely come true.
The seabirds began to cry louder and they fled. The traditional men on the ship began to panic more so than before.
This was the last omen.
“This is my ship and I will not be told how to lead it! If you have a problem with it or you’re crazy omens and witch superstitions!” He yelled loudly in front of Alastor.
But no member of the crew paid much attention to Karlens now. They all looked behind his head and pointed above with shaky hands.
“My god, Poseidon have mercy…” Muttered Levi.
“What is it NOW?” The Captain shouted.
He turned around and stumbled back, almost running into the younger mate.
The clouds before them were angry and loud. The swirling dark sky spoke with the rumbling, crashing ocean, reminding them of the broken traditions. It growled and yelled at the crew. Their punishment was near.
Some men began to prepare for the storm, getting ready to fight for their lives. Others fell on their knees in prayer.
The tall, scrawny man was yelling to the tops, “Yew killed us all! Oh, the bad luck will kill us all!”
“It’s just a storm, mates!” Karlens said, though he spoke through clattering teeth, “We will...we will…”
His thoughts grow darker as the boat is enveloped in a dark cloud. Lighting dances around them and thunder speaks in rage.
The Captain turned and yelled, “Alastor! How must I reverse the luck?”
Levi and Karlens looked about them, but the young man was gone. He had vanished.
“Where’d that boy go?” Levi asked of his friend.
But the questions were to be unanswered as the Pennt-Liver was taken in the massive hurricane, it’s last breath being in the name of it’s final, unfortunate captain, and a old buccaneer that tried to keep to old traditions.
And only one man lived to tell the tale.