vie tried not to fall as Captain Garson pulled her all the way to the doors that would lead to his cabin.  Along the way, she heard angry grumbles from the crew. They were furious he was taking her for  himself. She didn't know whether to be relieved at the suggestion she wouldn't be passed around or push back that small glimmer of hope because he could change his mind.

 She recalled that one of the pirates told Edgar she wouldn't make it through the day. That was when they believed they would have her. Would this captain treat her the same? 

 The short passageway was lit by old lanterns nailed to the wooden walls, and she looked past him to see where they were going. There were doors on either side, but she didn't have time to wonder about them as he dragged her up a short set of steps to his. 

 He pushed open the door and shoved her inside.

 "Don't leave this room or I'll let them play with you until there's nothing left," he warned.

 She jumped as he slammed the door shut. She stood still for several moments staring at it. She had no idea what was happening, if he would return, or what would happen when he did.

 She took a slow, long breath and shut her eyes. The day had not turned out the way her morning suggested.

 She had believed for the first time since moving in with her uncle and cousin that she was finally being accepted. Edgar knocked on her bedroom door without barging in, as was the norm. When she opened it, he had a bright smile on his even brighter face.

 He said his father left instructions to take her shopping for her own clothes rather than the hand-me-downs of her older and larger cousin, who had died the year prior to her arrival. She was told to dress in her finest so the shop owner would know he was serving a real lady.

 She had brushed her long hair back and set butterfly barrettes on the sides to keep it out of her face. She had polished her daintiest shoes and rushed out to meet Edgar with a bounce in her step.

 Along the way, they passed a beautiful garden alive with butterflies, birds, and summer flowers. She quickly picked one as Edgar instructed her to be on her best behavior, else she would be whipped when her uncle returned.

 As they neared the port, she wondered where they were going. The shops were in the opposite direction. Not that she knew where the dress maker was located since she was never allowed off of the manor grounds, but she was certainly intelligent enough to know it wouldn't be on a pier.

 She climbed aboard her uncle's ship and stared ahead as they made their way out to sea. Within the hour, they were moored beside a dangerous looking ship crewed by even more dangerous looking men. She'd stared up at the ominous black flag, the grinning white skull with horns the shade of blood, and began to tremble.

 In the middle of a cabin aboard that ship, she now stood as the captive of its captain. She clutched the flower as though it somehow held the key to her freedom.

 She cautiously looked around her prison, daring to take a few steps toward cabinets and tables. As she explored shelves and his desk, she discovered Captain Garson wasn't as uncultured as she had believed of pirates. There were exquisite treasures and artifacts from all over the world, as well as literature for learned men, sonnets, and even song books.

 Nothing was stacked haphazardly, as if they were simply things he stole or was given as payment from victims. Everything had its own proper place and was evidently dusted and polished enough to retain a like-new luster.

 As she reached the last bookshelf, she saw a crystal prism glistening in a ray of sunlight. She carefully set down the flower and picked it up to inspect it. It was clear and cylindrical and fit in her hand like a small brush. Each of its eight sides was polished to a shimmer, and she rolled it around to get a better look. She let out a loud gasp at the little rainbows hitting the shelf before her.

 "Wow," she breathed.

 When she held it out and turned it in her hand, the sunlight from the windows shined through and sent rainbows and dancing lights all over the cabin. She thought it was the most beautiful thing next to that garden. She couldn’t stop a giggle as she spun around to send the happy rays of color to every dark corner of her uninvited fate.