“SQUAAAWK!!”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: “SQUAAAAWK!!” — suggested by Lexi

“Get that bird out of here!” Viri screams, waving her sword at me.

I glance up at Ko, who’s perched on the top of my head.

“He’s not causing any trouble,” I protest. Still, I take a step away; while Viri’s excellent with a sword, she’s not always as in control of her rage.

“Get. It. Out. Of. Here,” she snarls, giving one last swing in my direction before turning on her heel and stalking away.

I hold a finger up and Ko steps on. “Sheesh, someone’s in a bad mood today,” I whisper to him as I watch Viri slam the door to the captain’s room behind her.

“SQUAAAWK!!” Ko says.

“Shh,” I reprimand him. I hurry back down to my quarters, trying to keep my balance on the rocking ship so that Ko doesn’t have to flap all over the place to stay upright. As soon as we’re safely below deck, I whisper, “Listen, you can stay down here if you don’t make a sound. But if Viri catches you, she’s going to make you walk the plank.”

“Squaaawk,” Ko says.

“Okay, that’s a good bird,” I say, patting him on the head. I let him step off my finger and onto one of the beams forming the side of the ship. “I’ll be back with some food for you after I finish my chores.”

“Squaaawk,” Ko says.

I give him one last pat before heading back abovedeck.

Seconds after I close the door, a loud SQUAAAWK!! echoes from below. I freeze in my tracks as Viri’s door bursts open.

Final Comments: I haven’t written a pirate story in a while, but this one was a lot of fun. The wording was a bit hard to find sometimes, but overall it was a pretty easy one to write.

Overall Rating: 😛