historical · 1700s · caribbean · orphan · prodigy · moral conflict · ambitious · period drama
The Caribbean sun pressed down like a hand on the back of my neck as I slumped onto a bench worn smooth by salt and time. My clothes—a man's cast-offs—hung from my narrow frame, a constant reminder of all I lacked. I watched a schooner's sails catch the wind, carrying it toward a horizon I knew only from books. The coins in my palm felt hot, the price of another morning spent bargaining in a trade that left ashes in my mouth.