The Ferryman’s Due

“Captain! There's a sign approaching!" A pirate shouted from the crow's nest.

"A sign? Is he mad?" Captain Richard "Lullaby" Santiago chuckled, boldly stepping forward to the deck's edge. He took off his tricorn and stared at the endless sea with a lone wooden sign. Richard had been venturing for days with his crew in the promises of a sacred treasure, with only a wooden sign as the first object of interest. Richard's personal ship, the S.S. Orchestra, had a lot of height, so it puzzled him how the sign was tall enough to reach the deck.

A reassuring hand landed on the captain's shoulder. "Do you think we are heading the right way, Captain?" Onesimo, his first mate, coughed, rubbing his balding head.

"I'm not sure, Oni," the captain admitted. He leaned forward to read the wooden etchings. "Beware venturing forth. Hopes and dreams are to be abandoned. Navicularius debitumsuum accipit." The crewmates exchanged concerned whispers as he read softly.

"Spooky!" Onesimo chuckled. "What does the Latinmean?"

"No clue," the captain shrugged. He fiddled with his rings. He then saw the newest member of the pirate crew, dragging a wet towel along the guardrail. "Franky! Can you read this?"

The crew member, wet behind the ears, eagerly turned around. He adjusted his glasses and awkwardly shuffled to the front of the ship. Franky swallowed, his eyes glancing at the sign. "I think... S-sorry, Captain. I don't know," the recruitstuttered as his eyes fell to the ground.

The captain put his hands on his hips and squinted his eyes. "It's alright, Franky. We can't know everything." He peered down into the water. "How do you think this sign is standing up? The seafloor would have to be miles down," Richard pondered.

"They probably had plenty of wood," Onesimo joked. "Whoever made this sign is just trying to scare people from their treasure."

"Right," the captain nodded. He watched as a crew member tried to grab the sign rowdily. "Don't touch-" Before he could stop him, the crewmate pulled away and yelled once he touched the sign on its sides. Inspecting the sign closely, the captain could see pieces of teeth embedded in the wood. "Well, whoever it is, they are doing a damn good job. Alright, let's sail ahead, mateys!"

After a few hours, the sun began to set. The captain gripped the steering wheel tightly. Onesimo approached from behind and cleared his throat. "Captain, do you feel something strange? The sea is unusually quiet. Some of the men are paranoid and hearing voices."

Richard motioned for a nearby member to steer. He sighed heavily, "I would be lying if I said I didn't feel anything. The air is much colder." The captain motioned for Onesimo to follow him into his personal cabin, knowing he needed to bring up his crew's morale.

"Gather the men. Tell them to get their instruments. It's time to play a song," Richard grinned, picking up his polished guitar.

"The crew will love it like always," the Onesimo chuckled, his beer belly bounced.

The captain and first mate marched outside toward the main deck. Richard adjusted the cords on his acoustic guitar while Onesimo rallied the others. It didn't take long for most of the crew to gather their instruments and create a circle. One mindful pirate walked around and began lighting the hanging lanterns.

Richard strummed once to set the melody. "As always, boys, just follow my lead," he nodded. Onesimo settled on the deck with his legs wrapped around a conga drum. The crew joined with banjos, flutes, and a singular trumpet.

Richard cleared his throat before beginning. "The sea is calling me. The sea is calling my name. I'm sorry, honey. The ocean don't deserve no blame. I didn't do it for the fame, I didn't do it for the claim. I don't mean to offend her, I just love a good ol' adventure. I'm not a good mentor; the sea made me surrender. The boy is anything like his father; he too, will march to Davy Jones' locker."

The crew sang and hummed along with the shanty. Richard recruited crew members through his love of music. The captain's musical talent earned him the title "Lullaby" on account of his luring voice and musical skills. His shanty crew was known as the "Marching Band."

Richard and the rest of the band continued to play several songs. As they finished one shanty, Richard noticed Frank biting his thumb as he watched. "Franky! Do you know how to play an instrument?"

Frank widened his eyes, "Umm, y-yeah! I-I used to play a little violin. T-though I was taught more in a cl-classical direction." He nodded his head eagerly. "I-I always wanted to learn the t-trumpet."

The captain grinned, "Great! You have plenty of time to learn, kid. I'm sure Sebastian can loan his. He's our only-" Richard was interrupted by a loud clang. Everyone glanced as a brass trumpet thudded on the deck. "Did he leave and throw his trumpet?"

The other crew members gave confused looks, unable to answer. "Sebastian!" Richard yelled out, tilting his head to look past the musical circle. As the captain waited for an answer, he heard a loud splash followed by gurgling.

"H...elp!"

Everyone followed the sound to the edge of the main deck, looking down below. "Was Sebastian drinking? Did that drunk fall overboard?" a pirate asked. Richard's instinct told him otherwise.

Richard fiddled with his jewelry. He glanced over at another crew member and squinted his eyes. "Matey, what's that on your shoulder?" The captain pointed at a reddish slug slung over the crew member's shoulder. The crew member widened his eyes, quickly trying to tug it off, but it was latched tightly to his body.

Richard's gaze shifted to how the slug stretched over the railing and into the ocean. "Hey, stop pulling or-" He tried to speak calmly, but before he could finish, the man was lifted into the air, smacked onto the deck, then pulled into the ocean.

Several red vines with pulsing suction cups popped out of the sea and surrounded the ship. They slammed onto the main deck and grabbed several pirates. "Tentacles! Men! Grab your swords and slice!"

Richard quickly noticed a tentacle falling toward him. He dove out of the way, watching it slam against the wood. He held his hand out as a reliable pirate threw him a spare sword. He drove the sword down and sliced the tentacle into two. The tentacle slithered away as the cut piece oozed black liquid.

The deck erupted into chaos, swords and tentacles swinging wildly. The captain sliced more before noticing one tentacle trying to snatch Franky. Onesimo pushed him out of danger, but got his arm caught instead. The first mate struggled, playing tug of war over the rail before finally losing and being abducted into the ocean.

"Keep fighting, men! I'll be right back with your first mate!" Richard shouted through clenched teeth, diving into the water with no hesitation. As the water hit his body, he blinked rapidly to see around him. The water was murky, but the ship's lanterns helped his eyesight. The captain spotted Onesimo getting tugged deeper by the tentacle.

Swimming hastily, he sliced the tentacle off and freed Onesimo. They held their breath and began to swim up to the surface. They both glanced down and noticed the tentacle monster. It had several giant yellow eyes and circular rows of teeth. It swam further down with its cut-off limbs, with a few tentacles holding drowned men.

Richard and Onesimo were pulled back onto the main deck. They panted heavily as the men covered them in towels.

"W-what was that?!" Onesimo yelled

"It's a squid," Richard muttered, trying not to rattle the crew.

"No, that looked like no squid! That was an abomination! Something from the depths of hell!" Onesimo pounded his fist on the floor.

"We are in hell," Frank spoke up. His voice was without a stutter. He had a blank expression as everyone directed their attention toward him. "Abandon all hope ye who enter here.That's commonly the warning before the gates of hell," Frank explained, his eyes wandering.

"How do you know that?" Onesimo growled.

"My father was a priest. Religious teachings were often beaten into me," Frank admitted. "I didn't believe it though, so I stayed quiet. I thought it was nonsense."

Richard rubbed the towel over his head. He panted, "Tell me, Frank. I know you were lying before. What was the Latin saying?"

"Navicularius debitum suum accipit. It means 'The ferryman receives his dues."

"Who the hell is the ferryman?" Onesimo coughed.

The sea answered in response by becoming still. Disbelief washed over the crew as the ocean changed to stillwater, making their pirate ship feel buried in sand. Richard stared into the sky, which turned to obsidian black; the stars vanished, leaving the crew in a void.

The captain gazed out from beyond the peak of the main deck. The crew focused on the sudden appearance of an island, with flickering blue wisps of fire dancing around it. Two colossal marble doors loomed on the island. In front of the entrance, a large humanoid figure pointed at the ship. His robe was tattered, and chains decorated his entire body. He appeared monstrously tall with two intricate horns sticking out of his head. The demon smiled and started slowly approaching, stepping off the island and walking on the water.

The captain stood still, unable to react to the demon drawing nearer. His men broke into a panic. As some screamed, others acted on adrenaline and prepared the cannons as a last resort. They fired, but missed; their shots swallowed by the ocean, barely causing a ripple.

The demon retaliated, tearing off his horns and chucking them like spears. His horns pierced through two people. Richard winced, watching the demon's horns regrow.

The men were hysterical, unable to think clearly. They started clinging to the first mate for guidance on what to do. Finally, one pirate yelled for the captain's help. That was when everyone noticed the captain was missing.

Richard calmly came back to the front deck with his tricorn and guitar. "Sorry, men. I needed my hat," he murmured.

"Captain, wh-what do we do!?"

"I'm going to play a song. I hope ya'll join me," he muttered. The men protested in anger and confusion. "Join me, mates. This will possibly be our last recital," Richard nodded. Most of the crew stared at him in disbelief. Their faces changed when Onesimo sat down with his conga drum. One by one, crew members would join the circle with their instruments.

Richard strummed his guitar, looking out at the deck at the only audience member. "Death follows me everywhere. Death follows me after every prayer. I'm not scared of dying. I'm more scared of living. Heaven won't take me, and hell kicked me out. Please don't cast doubt when I say, death follows me everywhere. Death always has its fare."

The demon leaped onto the deck once close enough. Everyone stopped playing except for Richard, whose fingers didn't stop strumming. After finishing his final melody, his eyes strayed away from his fingers, and he finally met the demon's yellow eyes. "Sorry, mate. No encores."

The demon smiled and rasped, "PaYmEnT rEcEiVeD." His body dematerialized into a black liquid. Richard hung his head back and panted heavily as his men celebrated.

The crew marched across the water and approached the towering twin doors. As the crew failed to open the doors, Richard felt a hand on his shoulder as Frank pushed the brass trumpet into his hands.

"Music is often used to praise deities. Through history, the trumpet signified a victory," Frank nodded.

Without saying a word, the captain took the trumpet. Richard took a deep breath and blew on the brass instrument. The doors opened.