Arrgh. Strange seas and strange lands they were. We sailed long
and hard before we made landfall upon Levin's Island, a sad
faraway place that I sometimes see yet in me worst fevered dreams.
It looked to be a normal enough place upon droppin' anchor and sendin'
out the boats. We steps on the beach and head for the huts when we
gets our first notice of somethin' that's not right. Urchins always
come runnin' to see that what's new. When these ones got close it could
be seen plain that they was the ugliest little creatures what ever
pattered on two feet. Not just one or two, but every mothers baby
could have busted glass with a wink.
These little ones circled us and follered us up to the huts. Then them's
what came out froze us in our tracks. The natives, to a one, were
as hideous and disgustin' as any monster from a fairy tale book.
Their googled eyes, them warped mouths, the silent pain behind their
blank-like stares, everythin' about 'em made our knees weak and our
heads swim. My guts churned and a few of the men lost theirs right off.
We was herded to the feedin' hall and sat, tryin' to collect our wits.
Normally we would have been chewin' on anythin' that didn't move outa
the way fast enough, but what with this bunch bringin' the food there
weren't none of us what could manage even a bite. What's more than
that, after food and a good pull o' rum the men would have been seein' to the
wenches - after all, they's no choirboys there, at least not most, an' with them
we don't ask and they don't tell. Well, with this lot there be no chance of that
sort of recreation. Whichever ones were women would've made a blind man turn tail
and run, they would
Seems the story come out then. This island is home to an awful monster
gorgon, a sister of Medusa. She prowles it's shores and forests constantly,
and them natives what didn't turn to stone right off were horribly disfigured by
her gaze. All who live there have suffered this curse and come to accept it as normal,
more or less.
Normal they might be thinkin' it is, but me crew wasn't standin' it too
well. There they were, crouched on their benches, eyes clenched, hands tight between
their legs and stomaches growlin' so loud we all had to be raisin our voices
to be heard. Old Pegleg Pete was angriest of the lot and yelled out for
treasure or leavin'. I spoke to the headman about that and he come right
out and told that treasure was to be had up Agua Caliente way, 'bout a mile
in and a strong haul uphill.
This seems odd to me, it does. In usual pirate ways it takes a few
barbequed natives before they come around to tellin' about the places that
treasure is to be found, and here this one just pointed and as much as said
have at it. Oddness didn't matter much to the rest of 'em tho. As soon as
we all heard that the whole crew breaks for the door an' the trail up the hill,
and I had to stump lively to keep up.
When we hove into view of the treasure Old Pete was in the lead, and he opened the
chest as soon as he reached it. All at once he stiffened right up and fell
to the ground like a log. That done held the men up and I had a chance to
come alongside and see what was what.
The chest Old Pete done opened were filled with the most vile and disgustin'
shrunken heads, ones from the village far as could be be told. The awful curse
them natives carried in life boiled down and thickened along with their shrinkin'
noggins, and the full power of it had turned Old Pete into stone as solid as any
gatepost.
My eyes burned and my ears screamed, but bein' undead already the curse couldn't
fully work on me. Instead, I slammed the lid closed and hove the vile thing back
into it's hidin' place. I seen then why that headman were so easy with what he
called his treasure, knowin' what would happen to us when we reached it.
Old Pete's little brother, RePete were over aside, wailin' by Pete's stoney body. There were
no way nor account for haulin' that mass back to the ship, even as ballast, so RePete
done took Old Pete's Pirate Tags and threw them after the accursed treasure that had
killed his elder. Then, as one, we made for the ship and away from that doomed place.
Stay away, says we. There be no way ye can gaze upon them's chest and live, it's as
simple as that.