Book Pirates
opening excerpt
The gentle lapping of waves against the side of the large ship lulled me, and I inhaled deeply of the crisp night air that arrived as the leaves turned to flame in this part of the world.
The cold blue-white stars shining in the velvet night kept my mind both present and far away. Soon, I was in a familiar daydream, inspired by one of the books I so loved to read in the library below.
In that warm, comfortable dream, I was living in peaceful times. I imagined the country breeze gently brushing treetop leaves aside as if they were blades of grass, my long brown hair tickling my face. The soft low of a cow would come crooning across the meadow towards me, where I would be stargazing with a friend—or perhaps someone who was more than a friend. My heart quickened at that, and a blush of longing rose to my cheeks.
It was often lonely living on this old ship, and sailing the world in secret. I was the only one my age aboard, and only one of two “children”, though I didn’t care for that word, having just turned seventeen. The other child was my little sister, Emma. Mother was allowed certain privileges as the head of this floating library, and being with her family was one of them.
I was too young to remember much of the war that placed the “Beloved” Leader at the head of the known world, but old enough to know that those times were bad. Really bad. The fighting, murders of dissenters, and kidnappings were so barbaric that Mother had kept us aboard for the ten years since, even though we were in danger just by residing on the ship. But there was no one to care for us elsewhere, and we were from the Beloved Leader’s country of origin, which was the last place Mother would want us raised. Besides, the memory of my father fighting and dying in a battle to protect our old neighbourhood haunted us.
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