A FEARSOME VOYAGE

 

Photo Copyright: Al Forbes

NOTE: I’m returning to flash fiction after a short vacation I granted myself. I especially couldn’t resist Al’s prompt this week. It drew me back.

This story was written for Sunday Photo Fiction–January 15th, 2017. Each week the host, Al Forbes, provides a picture prompt. The challenge for each member of the group is to write an original story or poem with no more than 200 words, not including the title and inspired by the prompt.

To read the other stories written by group members, just click on the link below, then on the little blue frog in the blue box.

The link to the other stories this week is as follows:

https://sundayphotofictioner.wordpress.com/2017/01/15/sunday-photo-fiction-january-15th-2017/

Genre: Humor Fiction

Word Count: 200 Words

A FEARSOME VOYAGE by P.S. Joshi

The captain, once pirate, Bearded John of the vessel Woe-Begone was a mystery to his men. Most of the crew had never sailed with him before.

He had a favorite goblet he always showed his crew before they started out. It consisted of what seemed to be a small human skull upon which rested the bowl. The stem appeared to be a human spine. It always had a numbing effect on the crew.

“Men,” he thundered, stroking his black beard, “take a good look. This here goblet would be the result of a man treating natives with disrespect. The natives on the Isle of The Shrunken Servent are a mite sensitive. If offended, they first kills the culprit. They next shrinks him from head to toe and sells his bones for such as this.

In fact, they took a special liking to me and taught me the trade. This be my handiwork. I’m a mite sensitive too.”

When the voyage was over the men always scattered hoping never to sail with him again unless shanghaied.

In truth, he’d won the goblet in a game of cards by cheating a traveling drunken ivory merchant. It was the captain’s favorite possession.