Sea spray doused the crew as the captain shouted, “Ready men!” Metal whistles sang across the deck as swords unsheathed from the hardened men thirsty for violence. But the teens, Kristof and Malichai, weren’t among them. Clutching the rail, more to balance their nerves, the teens brandished mere kitchen weaponry; a 9” filet knife and a boning dagger. To Malichai this harbingered his coming death since the rapiers and longswords of his comrades would also be wielded by the enemy.

Kristof wrested Malichai’s eyes to meet his, discard his conceit and share the burden. It sparked Malichai’s memory and their run in with O’Dougherty the second week aboard. Kristof’s carelessness splashed whale-fat over the boys and across the lower deck. The head cook was furious but unable to grab the lithe, seal-slick children who slid back and forth with each wave. It bonded the new crewmen who were mere strangers days before.

“We can do thi-“ Kaboom! A 25-pound cannonball slammed into the foresail, cutting Kristoff’s affirmation short and sending a snapped rigging line inches from his head. It sheered away the teen’s former confidence. Ideations of escape quickly drew his gaze towards the water. Now united in cowardice, he looked to Malichai, and surprisingly met the expression he’d seen when the two had formed their pact.

At the lowest point, in the smallest hold, they’d huddled together over a minor flask of stolen rum. Their ill-gotten-prize between them, they swore with whispers in waning candlelight and with the ship bearing witness, “We will be pirates!”

But fear invoked Kristof’s inner child and he began to cry. He didn’t want to die today. Ashamed, he broke his friend’s gaze and drew himself closer to the rail and it’s comforting solution. Assessing the effort to make the leap, he beckoned Malichai to join. But Malichai stood firm, not in courage but in hope. A hope that he was who he thought he was…or at least who he thought he could be. Seeing him standing alone, Kristof’s resolve hardened. He might not be a pirate, but he was a loyal friend. He loosened his grip and returned to Malichai’s side.

They were decided.

“Jib ho!” Snarled the captain, nose diving the ship into a port side swell. It caught the bow and swung the galleon with jackknife speed. Their frigate foe, formerly behind them, was now broadside.

The teens and crew threw up their fists in defiance of the sparking cannons facing them just as their own commander yelled, “Fire!!”

A flurry of blasts from each ship sent shockwaves through wood beams and up the boy’s spines. Steel balls and wood shrapnel hurtled across the deck, decapitating and shattering whatever they found. Malichai and Kristof were horrified but inside still reached for their opportunity to hear courage’s call.

“To the main’s! For glory!!” The commander cried out.

Thick sail lines fell from the masts, hitting the deck and snaking amidst the chaos and debris. Bloodied men snatched them up and charged towards the rail just as the ship turned hard to starboard. The attacking side of the galleon dipped and gravity swung the heavy lines towards the rails. One after another, from the bow racing towards the midship, bloodied men sailed upward and over the water.

To the boys, the question of courage was arriving.

A thick rope line rapidly approached. Kristof gripped his dagger hard, clinging to his fortitude and shared a final exchange with his beloved friend. But this time with a glint of a smile. The two snatched the woven braid, almost too thick for their hands to clasp, and clenched with all their might.

In a moment, they were weightless.

Beneath them beckoned a turquoise sea offering a future with longevity and a lifetime of regret. In front of them was a deck of carnage and blood-soaked chaos. They held their grip. But believing their end may be nearing, they took comfort in the silence of the moment, only hearing the other’s scream. It was their harmony of self-determination. They’d become men on their own terms…at whatever the cost.

The deck of the wounded frigate arrived and Malichai and Kristof let go and fell towards the waiting beams of blood. What would be their destiny? Two young men of similar age charged and the teens didn’t hesitate and charged back. Today…they became pirates!