The Island

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Originally uploaded by captjackcracker

The island bare's a large wooden cross and the whitest sand on its windward side. To the visiting traveler , landlubber or everyday citizen this is just another beautiful sight in Charleston harbor. A large religious symbol proclaiming that the religious fate is alive and well in Charleston, also known as the holy city for this fact. But to the mariner the sight of the cross and the bleached white sand brings about a completely different thought, something a bit more tragic , a song of sorts. As the tails been told mariner's out at sea caught in a storm begin to hear the sirens song, as the storm gets worse the song becomes louder and more luring putting the sailors in a trance,bringing them and ship closer to the rocky shore and the crushing waves where doom awaits. Over the years many of men and ship have been lost to this fate. The large wooden cross is there for the men lost, a reminder to the mariner that the siren's song sounds sweet and comforting but the ending is sure to be tragic. Oh and that beautiful bleached white sand really isn't sand at all but it be the bones of the lost souls crushed and washed a shore by the pounding sea. The last time this tail was told was on my charter trying to make an honest living now that piracy is frond upon. I had the usual types on board visiting traveler, landlubber and everyday citizen and one very large woman from Baltimore. In seeing the island and large wooden cross and white sand she insisted on a closer look. I SHOULD LIKE TO GO ASHORE CAPTAIN and being a paying customer I was happy to accommodate. Reaching the island by long boat the large woman was quick to exit the boat and wade ashore for a closer inspection of the sand. She took handfuls of the wet sand and rubbed it on her skin informing us of its medicinals qualities, sea salts minerals and such. CAPTAIN WHY IS THIS SAND SO WHITE WHEN ALL THE OTHER ISLANDS ARE BROWN ? she asked. So I began to tell the tail as the woman from Baltimore kept on. When I reached the end and told her that the sand really wasn't sand at all but the bones of the lost sailors the expression on her face went from know it all aristocrat to that of horror and disgust. I began to laugh as a pirate will often do in a case such as this. As for the large woman from baltimore, she did not find the humor in it.