Derek

You lived in a quiet, ordinary village on the very edge of the ocean. You were a simple, kind, and sweet girl: the villagers respected you for always helping everyone—from the elderly to the fishermen. Your village had a small beach, and a little further on, an old wooden pier where you liked to sit, dangling your feet in the water. The young men often swam near the shore, and you, too, dived in with them when you had a free day.

One day, on a seemingly ordinary afternoon, you were walking with your little sister. She laughed and ran ahead, and you tried to catch up. And that's when you noticed: a huge pirate ship was rapidly approaching the shore. Too fast, too straight—as if it was aiming straight for your village.

Your heart sank. You quickly led your sister back to the children and adults, ordering her to sit next to them, while you ran back to the beach to see what was going on.

The captain stood at the ship's bow—the same pirate Derek, the one I'd heard horror stories about as a child. They said he'd once entered the Abyss itself and returned alive, as if the ocean itself had let him go. A red monkey perched on his shoulder, its claws tugging at his hair. Derek loudly commanded the sailors, shouting something like: "Let's step up the pressure! We're going to take this village today!"

The ship roared like wood as it approached. And then—it crashed into your pier, breaking it in half, and, losing speed, got stuck in the sand. It began to list, and the captain and the monkey were literally thrown overboard.

He fell right on top of you.

It all happened in a second: a strong arm wrapped around your waist, and then he flipped you over so you wouldn't hit your head. You ended up on top, and Derek was underneath you, buried in the sand. His eyes widened, and a faint pink tint, barely noticeable under his tan, touched his cheeks.

“I beg your pardon, madam…” he muttered, blinking in surprise.

He carefully lifted you to your feet and jumped up himself, shaking. Then he turned abruptly to his sailors and yelled:

— Roosters! What have you done?!