Island of Riches

By Sam Suder

Chapter 1

Boats filled the port as people stepped off to resupply their ships on the dock.

Hammers pounded on the decks of the ships with shouts of instruction by the shipwrights. A

woman stood on the dock checking off shipments being delivered today and a look of disgust

every few crates due to their poor condition. On land stood multiple 3 story brick structures, and

one could hear arguments between a wife and husband about why their savings were gone, and

defenses that the husband hadn’t gone gambling in at least a week.

Directly forward from the entrance to the dock, past the town square market, stood a

large wooden tavern, with a larger-than-life ships helm attached to the front. Inside is always a

ruckus, old songs and shanties being sang, clinking glasses, and yells of protest that the winner

of the last poker game must have been cheating. Outside of the tavern there are at least 3 men

either puking, passed out, or for whatever reason sobbing.

In the towns market stood stands of fruit, which smelled of fresh pineapple and coconut.

There are butcher shops that were poorly constructed, but the smell of smoked turkey and roasted

chicken leaked out into the street. Saltwater is always in the air; the Island of Riches is always

the place to be.

But one evening in specific, one could hear Wooden utensils scraping the bottoms of

bowls, clashing mugs full of grog, yelling, screaming, shouting, absolute chaos, and overall, a

night like no other in the Chipped Blade tavern. The tavern keeper stayed behind the bar as he

protected his barrels of rum and grog by distributing them himself. A few of the lanterns that

were hung up for light had already been destroyed, but even with the glass all over the floor, the
celebration must go on. To some it may have seemed like a huge boost for the tavern, but the

tavern keeper knew it would just be another mess to clean up, and a lot of pirates and thieves

who weren’t going to pay for their drinks. What could he do though? No one would dare go

against the crew of the Fighting Monkey, led by the feracious Captain Bernard. Well, no one

with a will to live would go against them.

Bosun Bill,

Was known throughout the port,

A truly dreadful pirate that was always getting caught!

Shanties and songs are ringing throughout the sandy streets of Isle of Riches. It’s safe to

say that not one person living within 10 miles will sleep a wink due to the ruckus in town

causing their windows to shake with each verse of a song. The crew of the Fighting Monkeys

was almost entirely drunk from their celebration of a successful plunder of British merchants,

with only three people in the Fighting Monkeys remaining sober: Captain Bernard, the

quartermaster Miles Alexander, and the master-at-arms Arthur Rowland. Captain Bernard is a

fearsome man, but only fearsome to those that know the legends about him. On the outside he is

a man of average height, with a slightly large build than most other pirates. His wavy brown hair

has bangs that always cover his eyes, and he has a cleanly shaven face with no sign of stubble to

ever appear on his face.

By looks alone, he is not intimidating at all, and is known as a “pretty boy” by townsfolk

that see him pass by. But when it came to brawls and sword fights, he is described as “a raging

gorilla.” He tore anyone who got in front of him apart, with inhuman strength, intuition, and

speed. Everyone who has seen Bernard’s eyes underneath his bangs, they describe them as the
eyes of an animal, a pure killing machine. All of this combined gave Captain Bernard the

nickname “The Silverback Captain.”

Despite being one of the three most powerful people in the Flying Monkeys, Miles

Alexander doesn’t have any extreme backstory such as the Captain and Arthur. Miles used to be

a fisherman in the port of the Island of Riches, just like his father, and his father before him.

Normally, Bernard would not have even given a fisherman a second look, except when he saw

Miles go out to fish during a storm so violent, that some of the crew wonder if the wrath of god

was crashing down in each wave. Bernard expected his ship to capsize immediately and witness

this poor fisherman die and fall down to the locker of Davy Jones.

About four hours after the could no longer see where Miles’ ship went, they started

seeing his ship come back, and it was sailing perfectly with no damage, and he was walking

about the deck with no problem. The small sloop bumped against the dock as he took out two

barrels of fish. Bernard stood on the dock astounded: not only did this man sail perfectly in one

of the worst storms he’s seen, but he was also able to catch two whole barrels of fish in a storm.

After seeing this, the Captain was dead set on getting Miles on his crew if it was the last thing he

did. After a few hours in the tavern with Miles, the Captain and Miles left the tavern as trusted

crewmates, as if they’ve known each other since they were boys.

Arthur Rowlands history is shrouded in mystery. He has a thick and heavy Irish accent,

and red hair that is said to represent the fire that burns within Arthur. He has muscles that tear

through every spare shirt on the ship, and ferocious fighting abilities that many debate are

stronger than the Captains. Arthur is known to be the most feared member of the Fighting

Monkeys that one can face in battle.

 There’s a legend passed around the ship’s barracks at night, rumors of how the Captain

discovered the redheaded monster they call Arthur. For obvious reasons, the most common story

starts in Ireland, with the Captain and the rest of the Fighting Monkeys making a stop at a local

pub late at night. As with any other town the crew stopped at, they got drunk and boisterous,

creating a somewhat “lively” atmosphere for the citizens there. This night in particular got out of

hand when a crewmate decided to get a little hands-on with the barmaid without her permission.

The scrawny man got to have one touch before his face got ingrained to the wooden bar he was

drinking at. Behind him was none other than Arthur himself. Some say it was a single flick to the

back of the head that caused the man’s head to get flung down, while others say Arthurs whole

hand wrapped around the head as he slammed it in.

With a display of strength like that, Bernard had to get Arthur to join him. So as any

sensible thing for a man to do, he challenged Arthur to an arm-wrestling competition. If Arthur

won, they’d leave immediately and give the barmaid 50 gold pieces. If Bernard won, Arthur

would have to join the crew of the Fighting Monkeys. In the end, the barmaid got 50 gold pieces,

and Arthur joined the Fighting Monkeys. Bernard forbids anyone who witnessed the match to

say anything, so the ending of the tale is ambiguous. All that’s known, is you should never mess

with Arthur Rowland.

The legendary trio were all still on the ship in the captains’ quarters planning whether

should sell at the next port they go to, or if they are plundering more ships. These three are the

closest group of people in the crew and have the most mysterious backstory according to crew

members. Not even those who were there when the Fighting Monkeys were created know the

complete history. And because of the lack of information, there is no story to tell about them.
 “Why the hell would anyone bury their treasure? That is quite possibly the dumbest thing

I have heard you say, and that’s saying a lot you jackanape!” Stephen bellowed at Carmine.

“Why the hell wouldn’t you bury your treasure? No one would expect it and it keeps it

hidden. That’s precisely why I think he did it. He’s smart and he’s careful.”

Stephen and Carmine were both about nine grogs in, far more drunk than any other

member of the crew. They were sitting in a very dark corner of the tavern, right in arms reach of

getting a refill. They each had their flintlock and cutlass on the table, right next to a four-hour

old, half eaten turkey leg. Stephen is above average height compared to those around him, with

dark black hair and a smaller build, while Carmine stands at an average height, stocky, with

reddish-brown hair.

Seven years prior to this night in Isle of Riches, childhood friends Stephen and Carmine

had decided at the young age of 15 that they were going to join the up-and-coming Captain

Bernard. They left their lives of comfort in London behind once they snuck on the ship of the

Flying Monkey (later changed to Fighting Monkey due to the provocation of another ship’s

captain that pissed off Bernard.) Ever since then, they had been plundering outposts together,

raiding English merchant ships, and drinking rum and grog every night.

“It’s his most prized possessions, the two great kraken chests. The chests he found inside

of the kraken he killed, that is supposedly so important to him that he won’t let Arthur or Miles

even see it. Why would he bury something that could easily be stolen, lost, or destroyed when

buried? Especially something that valuable? Is your head for decoration or do you actually use

it?” Stephen whisper-shouted, with a vein popping out of his neck and forehead.
 “Well, I’m not hearing any ideas on where it could be from you. In fact, all you’re doing

is putting down my ideas instead of coming up with your own, you bastard.” Carmine exclaimed,

slamming his tankard on the already full table.

“That’s because it’s pretty obvious that its either in the captain’s quarters, or it’s at one

the captains’ houses.”

Three hours prior, Stephen and Carmine had just recently sat down at a wobbly table and

ordered a few drinks. They were tired from overtaking the British merchants due to the Navy that

was hidden on the merchants’ ship. They were sore, had some blood on their shirt, and slightly

scarred by fact that the cargo on the ship were humans. Moments like those remind them why

they’re happy that they left England behind and joined Bernard.

“Stephen, do you ever just think about how amazing it is to be a pirate? The adventure,

the fun, the freedom-”

“I just got stabbed in the shoulder, have constant ringing in my left ear from canon shots,

half our crew has scurvy and I have you as my friend.”

“Aye, that sounds like the life to live, does it not?”

Stephen opened his mouth, ready to insult Carmine, when both of them heard a fellow

crewmate mention treasures and riches: two chests the captain keeps stashed away, hidden from

everyone. These chests were so valuable that not even his two closest companions were allowed

to know where they were. The sailor is an older pirate, probably around 45 and had scars on any

place one could expect from sword fights. He has hair that’s black with speckles of grey and

when he speaks you can see that one of his front teeth was considerably more yellow than the

rest. Stephen and Carmine concluded that he seems friendly enough, and began walking up to the
old sailor, asking for more information on the treasure he is describing. The pair are only 2 grogs

in and thinking in what one can assume to be their highest capacity at the time, Stephen and

Carmine began plotting as the old sailor began rambling.

The old sailor began telling his story, a legendary battle between man and myth, Captain

against cryptid. The sea turned inky black one day, back when Bernard was still just a solo pirate

on a sloop. 8 tentacles shot out from the water, one ensnaring the back of the ship, the other

facing him. It split open to reveal an eye, and then Bernard heard a roar from deep beneath the

ocean. Some say he used one canon, and nine canon balls to defeat the beast. Others say he dove

into the water with his sword, and emerged with 2 chests.

1 hour and 4 grogs later, they sapped the man dry of what they have deemed as valuable

information and now were drunkenly planning on taking the feared captain’s treasure all for

themselves, without ever considering truly how dangerous stealing from Captain Bernard could

be. Or that perhaps this treasure is just a drunken sailors bull-shittery. But these intoxicated

pirates were incapable of such critical thinking.

“I think that he would never hide it there, why would he put it in the most obvious spot?

Everyone thinks of that place first, Stephen, so surely you don’t actually believe it would be

there?” Carmine asked Stephen, reaching his tankard out for a refill over the counter.

Stephen looked up at the counter and noticed the tavern keeper had started filling their

cups up with water instead of grog. Frustrating, but understandable when you have to deal with

the aftermath and financial losses.

 “Burying your treasure, huh? That’s such a bizarre thing to do, and way too creative of an

idea for you to come up with it. But it’s also ridiculously stupid so I guess it’s not out of the

question for you to think of, eh?” Stephen stated, taking a drink of his virgin grog.

“I heard it from the group a few tables over, the ones who the old sailor was originally

telling the legend to.”

Stephen sighed at his friend’s incompetence and gullibility. If they were to do a heist on

their Captain, it would not be easy with him as a partner. Thinking about this, Stephen realized,

what reason did he have to be stealing from their Captain anyway? He had done no wrong to

them and had treated him and Carmine as brothers.

“Carmine, why are we trying to steal this treasure from the captain anyways?” Stephen asked as

he slightly leaned forward into his seat to gain Carmine’s small attention-span.

“Do you remember when we were kids Stephen? Our first goal wasn’t to be pirates, but to be

kings. We wanted to own our own country, rule our own land, the two of us. For me, I still

haven’t lost that dream, and now that I’m older I realize the only way to accomplish this, is with

money. You and me, we’re going to become pirate kings Stephen!” Carmine threw his tankard

up in an act of declaration, receiving dirty looks from his unnecessary energy.

Stephen began staring at Carmine in silence after this childhood proclamation. He

completely forgot this fantasy, but it is still an appealing dream to have. Stephen took a sip of the

water in his tankard and sighed, he could feel himself sobering up and didn’t like that he still

wanted to steal the treasure.

Carmine stood up, then fell back into his seat from smacking his knee against the table. A

pained look spread on his face, and then slammed his hands on the table and stood up
successfully this time. He gave Stephen a look and nodded as if Stephen knew what he was

thinking. Stephen, in fact, had no idea what he was thinking.

“Are you gonna follow me or not, Stephen? We’re pulling it off tonight. I’m feeling a little less

buzzed and believe we can pull it off.”

“Tonight? Are you out of your goddamn mind? Did a flintlock unload into your brain that we

didn’t notice or are you actually that idiotic? We’re drunk, can barely walk, can’t fight, and can’t

even think straight apparently. We can’t do it tonight Carmine, that’s just asking for trouble.

Plus, we don’t even know where the captain is!” Stephen now raising his voice, fully indulging

into his usual drunken rage.

Carmine opened his mouth to respond, and then shut it. He looked at his empty tankard,

disappointed that there isn’t even foam at the bottom, and begrudgingly gave it back to the tavern

keeper. He began walking out of the tavern, turned around and waved his hand at Stephen to

follow him. Stephen closed his eyes and while pinching the bridge of his always broken nose.

Despite his frustration and intuition that this would go horribly, he got up and followed Carmine,

knowing he couldn’t let him do this alone.

The moon was bright, illuminating the streets, revealing all of the pirates passed out face

first in the sand, and ones still mumbling songs on stools. To the left of the tavern was where the

Fighting Monkey is docked. The ship is larger than a man-of-war, and faster than any galleon on

the high seas. The hull is stained a dark black, with red triangles aligning the front, a skeleton

holding a lantern that was somehow always lit beneath the bow as the ship’s figurehead. There

are six masts with red and silver sails, each requiring four people to maneuver. One can hear the
waves smacking against the ship, but never once have Stephen or Carmine or anyone in the crew

had ever heard a creak on the ship despite its many battles.

As they approached the vessel, the duo noticed that the small windows in the rear of the

ship were lit up. The windows were that of the captains’ quarters, which is where the captain and

quarter master resided at the moment unbeknownst to Stephen and Carmine. The captains’

quarters is also the place Stephen had suggested they check for the captain’s treasure first.

“Well shit, what do we do now Stephen?” Carmine whispered in a harsh tone to Stephen.

“We could always try to do it some other time, you know. The captains treasure most likely isn’t

going anywhere.” Stephen said in a half-hearted tone.

“Well, there’s no time like the present, so why not tonight, ain’t that right lads?” An Irish man

the size and shape of a Greek god whispered in-between the duo.

I am satisfied with my revision. There was a lot of minor editing to be done, I had to

change everything to the present tense to the best of my ability, which was very hard. I am

extremely bad with tenses, so it took me multiple different sessions of revising, coming back the

next day, re-revising, and repeating this.

There were also simple spelling and other grammar mistakes that I had to finish which is

just the stereotypical revision expectations. There was a lot less than I had expected, but still a

decent amount considering I am an English major.

 The change in the story was that this first chapter changed from a build up to an event, to

more of an exposition to the story itself. I decided to flesh out the characters and the story more.

I gave the 3 most influential “side” characters an actual backstory as advised in workshop by

many. I also gave more of a story to the kraken chests, not as much as I had hoped but I was kind

of at a mind block for any more progress on that part. I’ll probably come back later to it at some

point or another to flesh it out more.

I’m very satisfied with the results of these revisions. I feel that the details I added and

changed, or even removed, were necessary to make the story better. I removed the ending

because it felt rushed and honestly out of place. I didn’t have the time and space to be able to

explain why Arthur was betraying Bernard in a way that satisfied me as the writer. I just couldn’t

do it, it would need a chapter of it’s own in order to do it justice.

The ending also was just unnatural due to it seeming like I was just trying to end the

story. I don’t want a piece to seem like I was just trying to get the story over with, which is

exactly what I did with the ending, and I also had sloppy details because at the time I didn’t even

want to give my characters a purpose or personality. Now that I have, I’m a lot happier with the

story, and think I can show it to some peers that aren’t into writing with some pride.

I wouldn’t have been able to write anything like this if it wasn’t for this class and

everything that was taught to me. I thank Professor Afsheen and my classmates for helping me

realize my strengths and weaknesses. Without you all, this story would just be a dream, and a

poorly done and thought-out dream. I had a lot of fun writing this, and a lot of fun reading

everyone’s stories. I hope this story sticks with me and everyone can see what it becomes in the

end. Thank you.