~Belle, a Sea Rat~

Days have gone by and I haven’t had a decent bite to eat. I hold a hand tight to my stomach to quell the growling. The port has been ever slow …

Dusk is setting in as the tide has changed for the day. I keep a wary eye on the one lonely ship. I’ve seen but only handful of crew and I wonder what lies aboard the ship. They left it unmanned. My father taught me better than that and I am but a simple girl full of bitter venom.

A few of the shopkeepers are closing their doors, but light from the bar burns bright. Someone stumbles out, barely able to keep his feet as he searches his pockets for a match. I lick my lips in anticipation from my place in the shadows. My fingers glide down the worn handle of my dagger.

I suddenly hesitate. Surely he missed my slight movements in this darkness…a drunken pirate…a wise or unwise prey...

”Avast there me lonely man…