The Tales of Emil and Nahimana

[Summer Sparrow]

On board a slave trading ship, 20 years ago.....

"What is yer name girl! And speak loudly!" boomed the voice of the boatswain. The little girl looked up but her eyes hurt, her eyelids were bleeding from the continuous punches to her face.

"Nahimana!" she answered as loudly as she could but she felt as if her voice was stuck in her throat.

"How did you get here? Answer me ye snivelling rat!" The man raised his hand again, threatening to strike her when;

"That is enough Brooke!" said a voice from behind. Nahimana struggled to look up and she saw a huge bald man holding Brooke's hand.

Brooke snatched his hand back and snickered. "Just getting her into shape!" he said, and walked away. The huge man watched him go and turned towards the little girl sitting huddled among the stored powder magazine, and he held out his hand.

"Come on out, I won't hurt you!" said the man gingerly. Nahimana hesitated, but something in his voice made Nahimana feel safe, she stretched out her hand and the man pulled her up.

"Yer only a little girl! How old are ye? Seven I think!" said the huge man again.

"I am ten years old." answered the girl and absentmindedly wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

"Is it now, well you best be eating a lot to catch up with yer age young miss, and ye speak our tongue quite well don't you? What is yer name?" asked the huge man again.

"Nahimana"

"Nahimana, so your a sioux I reckon! Good name, mystic aye? Don't look surprised, I know a few Sioux words miss, and fortunately that's one of em, I am Emil, Emil Boudvere."

The man smiled and for a brief second Nahimana forgot the pain and torture she felt when she was separated from her father, or the utmost despair and devastation she suffered watching her mother slain right in front of her eyes.

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"What you got there Emil!" thundered another voice from above.

"Nothin Cap'n! Just a leak, I'm patching it up!" the man named Emil called back.

"Well ye best hurry, we need some more men up here!" the voice called again, but Nahimana couldn't see who it was.

Emil looked back at the little girl, "You be safe in t'galley, Momma would take care of you miss! I'll be sure of that!"

Emil carried the little girl on his back, and on their way down to the galley they passed rows and rows of cells; which were full to the brim with people; people who didn't look quite healthy, some were passed out, some were crying, and some were coughing and hacking, and most of them were men.

Nahimana was shocked when she came to realize that these skinny, sick people, were her people. Once so fair and proud were they, now they were only shadows of their former selves....

"Why are they in cell Emil!" she asked, her eyes suddenly filled with tears; searched among them for a glimpse of anyone that she might recognize. The men in the cells were too weak to move or even speak. Emil remained his silence, he could not answer, what could he answer? He was bound to the same fate as well.

At last they reached the galley, it was a hot place, a few huge broilers were there, which no doubt, was used to cook whatever that was needed by the crew; and a few men was busy preparing the meals.

"Where's momma?' asked Emil to one of them, they shrugged and continued they're business.

"Stay here, don't move!" said Emil to Nahimana, and the little girl nodded. Emil went to the back, and there was a small room, but the door was closed shut, so he knocked softly.

"Momma?" asked Emil.

"What do ye want? Can't ye leave an old woman in peace? To hell with the lot of you!" replied the voice from inside.

Nahimana heard this and wandered to Emil, Emil put a finger to his lips, signalling for her to keep quiet.

"Momma, it seems, we have a bit of a... situation!" he called. The door opened slightly and a pair of eyes peered out.

"Oh it's you, why didn't you say so? Come in!" the old woman answered and opened the door. Her voice was warm even though she was slightly shocked when she saw a little girl hiding behind her son.

"A stowaway?" asked Momma. Emil nodded.

"I see, well, come in girl, we don't have all day!" said the old woman. Nahimana slowly walked into the room, it was a small cabin with a small bed and little else.

"I have to go back above deck, Momma, take care of her? Her name is Nahimana."

Momma nodded and closed the door.

"Well, Nahimana, it's just you and ol Momma now, are you hungry? Thirsty?" she asked, the little girl shook her head at every question.

"Where my father!" asked Nahimana, those words has been on her mind ever since she sneaked up aboard the ship.

"Is your father on board this ship?" asked the old woman. Nahimana nodded.

"Well then, maybe tonight Emil can take you to him, sounds alright?" asked Momma. Nahimana nodded again. Momma pulled out an extra hammock and fastened it across two beams in the small room.

"You must be tired, come sleep." said Momma, and Nahimana went towards the hammock, with Momma's help she settled in quite comfortably, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

****************************************

Days dragged on to weeks, and yet still no sign of her father; at last Nahimana came to grips with the fact that her father might as well be dead, like the rest of her family.

She could shed no more tears, and her heart has turned into steel, but she lived her life, under the care of Momma, and Momma loved her. She taught her how to speak proper English, as well as to read a few words, not a whole lot, but Nahimana was ever grateful.

To be safe from prying eyes Momma decided to pass her off as a boy for as long as she could, so she dressed Nahimana in men's clothes, and cut off all of her long black hair. Nahimana understood this, and worked alongside Momma in the galley, preparing meals for the crew and the people in the cells. There were curious looks from the rest of the crew but Emil was always there to look after them, besides they never caused any trouble.

The ship sailed on from continent to continent, not that Nahimana particularly knew where, only she'd see strange looking people be transported from one place to another, only later did she learn that these people were sold as slaves to the New World.

[Summer Sparrow]

5 years passed....


"Captain Brooke! The Black Pearl! She's gaining on us!" shouted one of the crew from the crow's nest above.

"Blasted pirates!" Captain Brooke called back, he looked behind and sure enough, her black sails were noticeable even from the distance. The Captain knew he could never outrun her.

"Load the guns! Bring out the sweeps!" he called, it was their last resort. Emil was also forced to row alongside numerous other slaves which were on board.

Some of the crew scrambled downstairs to load the cannons. The Captain paced back and forth muttering to himself, "How in the blazes did they know we'd be here!" he asked no one in particular. Emil half smiled to himself.

It seemed only mere moments when suddenly the Pearl was already abreast with them.

"All hands astern! Lower the left anchor! Bring out the cat-o'nines!! Load em you fools!" shouted Captain Brooke, he was trying to block the Pearl by cutting it off, which of course, he would fail since the Pearl was already ahead of them, and then it happened! Blast after blast of cannon fire from the Pearl shattered them. Screams and cries of the crew were defeaning, and chaos erupted, each scrambling towards the boats.

Emil ducked and tumbled below deck, and the first thing he did was releasing all of the slaves which were in the cells, after that he went to find Momma and Nahimana below. The slaves rejoiced and scrambled above deck, immediately they headed for the boats to escape, the crew fought back for the boats but the slaves outnumbered them by many.

Captain Brooke was now overpowered, and in mere moments the ship was overrun with pirates, they took no interest with the slaves and they didn't stop them from trying to escape.

"Check every room, every brig, every stow, every galley, as usual." shouted a voice above the commotion. "Aye!!" called back the pirates. A young man was shouting those orders, he was unusually calm and collected, he stood there, beside the gang plank, observing the chaos.

Captain Brooke was outraged and approached the young man, whom he guessed to be the Captain. "Look what you did! You, YOU FOOL! You're stealing our supplies! Not to mention the damage! You shall be hanged once I report you to the officials!" he bellowed and drew out his sword.

The young man looked at him squarely in the eyes, and pointed a pistol at his face, "To be perfectly honest with you, and maybe to your own disadvantage; I never understood the law, stealing is considered an offense therefore I should be hanged, while participating in the trade of human beings is not? You are the lowest type of scum, even lower than us scalliwags, and may you always remember this day, as the day you met Captain Jack Sparrow."

He smiled and with one quick movement he shoved Captain Brooke overboard.

*****************************************
Emil scrambled downstairs to the galley, which was already filling up with water, he splashed his way to Momma's room and he found them huddled together on the bed.

"Come on! Let's go before we sink to the depths"! he shouted to them; everything was a blur to Nahimana as she ran out behind Emil who was carrying Momma in his arms, and as they reached above deck she saw the pirates transporting their supplies back into their own ship using large wooden planks; some even used ropes, and every boat was gone; taken by the freed slaves and crew.

She was devastated and was also scared of the possibility that these pirates might be dangerous. She hid behind Emil. "Don't be scared Nahimana, they be pirates, not slave traders!" whispered Emil to her.

A young man approached them, "Seems there is no boats left, but you are all free to go." he said, clearly he knew them to be slaves too. Emil looked down at the young man, he wore a coat and black boots, his eyes were as black as his hair; and when he spoke he made large extravagant hand movements; yet he looked wiser beyond his years.

"We have nowhere else to go, and our home is in Algiers, we couldn't possibly row ourselves there, and we might even starve ourselves first!" replied Emil to the young man. They were in the middle of the mediterranean ocean, although there were a few islands around them; it was still a long way to Algiers.

"Algiers eh? Fortunately for you, we might be making a quick stop there, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!" he introduced himself and held out his hand, and Emil shook it, "I am Emil Boudvere, this is my mother and that is my... my brother Nahimana!"

"Your brother eh? Hmmm... that's interesting; very well, I would like to think that I am a trustworthy man, and you all seem harmless enough, but if you try anything stupid, they would be the first ones to go. Savvy?" It was more like a threat than a question, Emil nodded and they boarded the Black Pearl.

[Athena]

Summer, are you going to continue this?