“I agree!” said a deep gravelly voice from a dark corner of the room, the sound of which made all of the men stop laughing, and caused the ginger-haired and woolly-bearded pirates to back away from James, and indeed the mysterious man, in fear.

“Aye, perhaps you’re right, sir,” said the ginger-haired pirate, nudging his friend. James could see the other pirates in the room were fearful of this man, so much that the mere sound of his voice sent them quickly back to their tables.

“I am looking for a bosun, and I could use an educated man like you.” The man with the deep gravelly voice emerged from the shadows. As he made his way across the room to James, the other pirates shifted uncomfortably and sat back down at their own table. He was a tall, heavily built man dressed entirely in black, with long black hair and a beard. His face was weathered, exceedingly lined, and his eyes were dark and intense. James knew at once who this man was, though the illustrations in the papers didn’t do him justice.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Captain Blackbeard. I am James,” he said, reaching out his hand.

Blackbeard laughed. It was a deep jolly laugh that lit up his face in a way James hadn’t expected.

“James? That’s a terrible name for a pirate,” he said. “So tell me, James, why do you want to be a pirate?” He took a seat next to Smee, pushing the poor man awkwardly against the wall, and James soon followed.

“I want to find Never Land,” James said, wishing at once he hadn’t. The last thing he wanted was to sound foolish. It was his dream to serve with the likes of Blackbeard, and he couldn’t believe his luck running into him here. He didn’t want to mess it up with talk of fairy tales. Blackbeard was one of the most feared, respected, and ferocious pirates James had ever read about. He could hardly believe he was talking to him, let alone being considered as one of his crew. He couldn’t believe his luck, or how congenial the man was. He wasn’t at all like James had imagined him to be when he’d read about his exploits.

“That’s as good a reason as I’ve ever heard, and the most honest, I wager. But let’s put your knowledge to the test, shall we, and prove once and for all you are a man who knows what he’s about.” James could see a devious twinkle in Blackbeard’s eye, and knew this was more about putting on a show for the other pirates in the room, who all remained silent for fear of Blackbeard’s wrath.

“It would be an honor, sir.” James snapped the cuffs of his pirate shirt, smoothed his lapels, and braced himself for Blackbeard’s questions.