The walrus

A young girl wandered the streets of Nassau in a daze, blood staining her pale night dress. Her father had just been murdered right in front of her, she wouldn't allow herself to mourn that terrible man but she she spared a moment to mourn the safety of a home. A home she no longer had. A lot of people had hated her father, their landlord, the people he owed money, the whores he hit, and eventually it all caught up with him. No she wouldn't mourn him. To be true she would soon forget his face in favour of another more gentle man that would take her in. A man that wouldn't hit her, a man that would teach her the ways of the world and a man that would treat her as his equal. A captain. A pirate. A friend.

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                                              TEN YEARS LATER

Eva looked out towards her beloved Nassau and smiled. It had been two months since her feet had touched it's sandy shores. She missed the noise and the smell of palm trees and incense. Most of all she missed her dear friend Eleanor. She was a few years older then her but that didn't stop either of them from forming a bond stronger then sisters. It would be nice to catch up and rest her bones. She would never complain but being the ships carpenter was hard work and psychically demanding, not to mention emotionally trying. The walruses boatswain was one hell of a task master. Eva had often thought it was her right to be the boatswain but Flint told her it wasn't wise to covet that position and carpenter and surgeon was the best she could hop for. She supposed he was right, most women didn't even make up that far.

*****The Carpenter was responsible for the maintenance and repair of the wooden hull, masts and yards. He worked under the direction of the ship's Master and Boatswain.

The Carpenter's duties were to check the hull regularly, placing oakum between the seems of the planks and wooden plugs on leaks to keep the vessel tight.  More often than not, the Carpenter would also serve as the Ship's Surgeon and perform operations and amputations with the same wood working tools (with no anesthetic!).*****