The Golden Penrod: Part 6

The Golden Penrod
By Darjeeling

Part Six

Determined not to show fear, Nevaeh fought back tears as the surly and malodorous pirate, racing alongside his mates, carried her swiftly to his ship. Her upper body, weighted down sufficiently so that she could not fight him, bounced against his body with every step he made. Waves of foul stench made her dizzy as her face made involuntary contact with his hindquarters. "My heavens," she thought, fighting to stay conscious, "does he store cheese in his underthings?"

Nevaeh felt the vibrations of Evinrude's boots pounding heavy wood as he swiftly boarded the ship. The dense noise compounded her disorientation and the busy activity around her began to seem very far away. Hearing her captor shout orders to his men to pull up the anchor and set sail, Nevaeh realized that she was going out on the broad sea on a ship populated with crude and smelly criminals. With a little cry of terror, she fainted.
* * * * * * * * * *
Nevaeh awoke to the gentle motions of the ship on the calm sea. Rubbing her eyes and sitting up, she cautiously observed her surroundings. She was on a large bed decorated with plush red covering and luxurious silk pillows. The room housed a writing desk of impressive size and workmanship; her bag was resting on the desk's wide surface. Her eyes wandered to the west wall where a large stuffed fish was mounted. She squinted to gain a better look and nearly died from fright when she noticed that the creature was missing an eye.

Screaming loudly, Nevaeh did not notice that a pirate had rushed into the room. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard. Nevaeh stopped her shouting and looked into the man's face. She felt the blood drain from her face as the nasty little pillager sneered at her: it was the pirate who had been knocked off his feet in the church.

"Well," he said, licking his chapped lips, "what's gotten you in such a state?" His eyes moved south and rested on her heaving mounds. "You might be too much for the cap'n to handle. Maybe I'll just test you out and see if you ain't better suited for me."

Nevaeh thought she would faint again. The pirate leaned in, chuckling nastily. She moved away from him, but he snatched one of her arms with his filthy hand and moved as if to kiss her, his tongue protuding and flickering.

A loud crash interrupted the romance. Evinrude grabbed the underling with one hand and flung him across the room. The little pirate hit the wall with a thud, the mounted shark falling on him from the force of the impact. Groaning, he stood shakily and was instantly pounced on by the captain. Evinrude tossed the man out the door, followed by verbal vulgarities. He angrily slammed the door and turned its lock.

Initially grateful for the rescue, Nevaeh once again felt fear. Evinrude stood less than five feet from her, his eyes roaming hungrily over her earthly shell.

"I thank you, sir," she whispered. "I thought he would hurt me." Concentrating her courage, she looked into his eyes. "Please, sir, may I go home now?"

Evinrude smirked. "We ain't nowhere near shore, love," he laughed. He adopted a serious look and stepped toward her. "Do you want to help John Hayes or don't you?"

Nevaeh gasped. "How do you know my John?"

"I don't. We've never met. But," he went on, reaching out and fingering the ribbon lacings of the girl's tight bodice, "I know all about him. I know he has Teh Gay. And I know how to cure him."

Stricken with joy, Nevaeh grasped Evinrude's hands in hers and smiled at him. "Please, give me The Golden Penrod! Give me the object that will cure my beloved!"

Smiling mysteriously, Evinrude stepped back. His eyes not leaving Nevaeh's, he slowly put his right hand to his crotch. He unfastened the buttons with two fingers and shucked open his pants. A blinding light burst forth from his trousers, causing Nevaeh to cover her eyes and fall to the floor.

Nevaeh carefully uncovered one eye and squinted at the ethereal glow from Evinrude's trousers.

"The Golden Penrod?" she whispered, her heart beating madly.

"It is the object you seek," Evinrude confirmed, putting his hands on his hips and gazing at Nevaeh. "Now you must decide if you are truly willing to unleash its powers."

Nevaeh swallowed nervously. "I will do whatever I must to help John Hayes," she said. "Poor John cannot help himself. He has never been able to do so. Do you know that I have, at times, tied his shoe lacings for him when he could not remember how to?"

Evinrude grunted impatiently. "The man is a hopeless fool, I know!" he barked. "But the question is, will you save him or won't you?"

Nevaeh's eyes swelled with tears. She could not bear to be yelled at. Glancing around, embarrassed, she noticed the one-eyed shark lying on the floor. Shrieking with rediscovered fright, she dashed thoughtlessly to the safety of Evinrude's arms.

Nevaeh was surprised by Evinrude's response. Wrapping his muscular arms around her trembling frame, he murmered comfortingly to her. "I know, I know..." he said. "He took your father from you. But I more than paid back the sonofabitch. He'll not hurt anyone ever again."

Nevaeh was confused. She knew she should be fearful of this man and not trust him, but she felt safe in his arms. The Golden Penrod, as stiff as her father's exquisitely carved walking stick that remained in the Covington parlor, pressed into her creamy alabaster thigh, warming it. Evinrude aroused strange feelings in her, feelings that she allowed herself to enjoy. John Hayes need never find out about her time spent on the ship.

Nevaeh looked up at the pirate, lust bubbling in her heart and loins. "Must I go to bed with you, sir?" she asked in a low voice. Evinrude no longer reeked; now he smelled alluringly musky yet sweet.

Evinrude met her eyes. "I will not take from you what belongs to John Hayes. The Penrod's magic extends itself in a myriad of ways. Yes, you must free it, but not necessarily by the means you mention."

Releasing the captive from his strong grip, he walked to a far corner of the room and picked up a chamber pot. "Nevaeh, you must give me a blumpkin."

She tilted her head and frowned. "I do not believe I brought one with me, sir," she said, feeling her heart sink. She must help John Hayes, she must! Thinking of the kindhearted man and his faulty sinuses, she was ashamed at the impure desires she felt here with Evinrude. John Hayes had never made her feel so warm and tingling.

The pirate guffawed. "You are an amusing one, Nevaeh," he said. He motioned with one hand. "Come to me and I will show you how to cure your beloved."

Nevaeh sighed anxiously and slowly walked toward Evinrude. "You will do this for John," she silently told herself. "Whatever this man asks of you, it will be nothing compared to the happy future you will have with John Hayes!"

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