I hate remembering what happened to me many years ago after a night of partying at a seaside bar in Barbados. Sometime during the course of the rum-guzzling evening a tall, skinny, bearded, foul smelling creep suddenly appeared next to me at the bar. He smiled at me through what was left of his blackened teeth and asked if he might take a swig from my bottle. Always the generous type I nodded and he picked up my bottle and slowly took 3 big gulps of my fine Puerto Rican best that had been made just a few days boat ride to the North Northwest of me. He again smiled at me and, without a word of thanks, walked out into the darkness. I dwelled on him for a moment and then returned to my drinking duties.
Not but a few swigs later I started to feel very light headed and my vision was quickly blurring. That is all I remember of the night. When I finally started to become aware of my surroundings I couldn't imagine where I was. I heard creaking like that made by an old wooden floor being walked upon. I heard a sound that made me think of bedsheets being snapped in the wind, I heard seagulls and I still felt that my body was in involuntary motion. I then smelled the sea.
Although I didn't want to open my eyes I had no choice. I had begun to hear voices. As I let the dim light through to my eyes I could see that the creaking I heard was that of a tallship's wooden deck and masts. The snapping was the canvas sails snapping in the wind and I saw hungry seagulls flying behind the ship in hopes of scraps that are often tossed off the aft end. The slow, up and down, side to side motion was that motion made by a ship at sea; I was on a ship sailing to where, I didn't know.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh, he's awake!" was suddenly shouted from directly behind me. I turned my head and there he was, the same mysterious guy I had given my rum to in the bar. "Get ye lazy bones off my deck and stand like a man" he shouted towards me. "And like a man you will work, but like a dog you'll obey or your last day will be on this ship" He grabbed my arm and, while still holding it, pushed me in front of him towards some cabin doors. As I got to the doors I knew instinctively to open them. I was then led down a short ladder (4 or 5 steps) and into a large cabin area. It was still early morning and not much light was coming into the cabin but I could see treasure; pile after pile of treasure. There was gold and silver in all forms and jewels and pearls. Black pearls from Tahiti and Bora Bora and white pearls from all over the South Pacific.
"I see in your eyes that, although you are realizing you're a prisoner here, you still are amazed by the treasures around you. Well Mate, the Captain would kill you for that look in your eyes alone so ye had better lose interest fast. This treasure we are taking to hide before we return to these seas for more looting."
Dang, I had been shanghaied in Barbados. I'm sure now that, while he was swigging my rum, he was spitting a drug into the bottle; a drug that caused me to pass out for hours. I was then informed that my duties would be many and, as long as my labor was valuable, I would live. If my services were no longer needed, my life would be ended.
As days went by....................................................
Oh well, I guess I don't have time to finish this story, it's about time to judge. All I can say is I know this story, true as it is, would have won the Mighty AP Diggin' Tool hands down. Be thankful I couldn't finish.
I cannot tell you all how much I am enjoying everything, I have some medical problems that keep me housebound, and I'm in alot of pain, all the stories and poems, and following all the posts, really help me to deal with my pain, and keeps my mind off of my owies. Again, thank you everyone, good luck, and thank you Cyn and AP for coming up with such an awesome idea, I hope to see more contests in the future, this is a blast!!! I don't blame you Cyn, it will be so very hard to choose!!!!! TC and HH!!! Red 
?, Red and I make them!!!!
