A foreigner's journey

Caribbean, Havana.

Heavy rain and slippery mud made walking difficult, leaving almost no pedestrians on the streets of this prosperous port city.

The dilapidated wooden tavern door was blown by the wind and rain, making an old noise of pattering. Accompanied by the slight friction sound of matches being struck, oil lamps flickering with dim yellow light were lit.

This tavern called ‘Bells and Rum’ is located near the Bay of Santa Maria, adjacent to the famous Castillo Morro. It is the most famous place for drunkenness in Havana and the gathering place for all gossip.

"A glass of rum without water."

A few coins were thrown onto the solid wood bar, making a clanging sound, and were then held down by the bar owner's thick hand.

The bald bar owner with a strong build and beard looked at the guests who were soaked by the rain, and said in a sullen voice: "Sit down wherever you want. This damn weather... do you want some hot food? We have it here. The lamb soup is the best in Havana.”

The guest took off his hood, revealing an old wrinkled face that had experienced many vicissitudes of life. He subconsciously licked his lips: "...the one with chili pepper in it?"

"Plenty of Cubanelle peppers and chopped fresh onions."

The boss smiled so brightly that he showed his big yellow teeth: "How about a piece of bread as a bonus?"

"Give me one." The old sailor fumbled in his pocket for a long time, and finally took out a few more coins and put them on the bar: "Put more onions."

When the boss yelled at the cook twice, he came back with a glass of rum in his hand and handed it to the old sailor: "Drink, man, warm yourself up. You look like this, have you just gotten off the ship?"

The old sailor drank half a glass of rum in one go, and the remaining rum was sloshing around in the glass: "Yes, there was a strong wind suddenly on the sea. Fortunately, the ship arrived at the port in time, otherwise..."

The boss was casually wiping the wine glass that was not very clean, and shrugged his shoulders: "The sea is like this. It was sunny one second, and then there were huge waves the next second, faster than those gypsies lifting their skirts. It’s fast.”

At this time, another figure with coldness and moisture all over his body sat in front of the bar and said hello to the boss: "Hey Gomez, this fucking weather... have a glass of rum, put it in the account .”

"Guess what, Nieto? I happen to have five IOUs here, and they all have your name written on them!"

The boss said angrily: "Either pay back the money or get out!"

"Don't do this Gomez, my good brother!" The man called Nieto was a skinny middle-aged man. His face was turned blue by the cold rain but he still said: "You forgot Have you missed the time we spent exploring the Caribbean together? If I hadn’t saved your life in the storm..."

"You know? You are just like your name, your true grandson!" (Note 1)

Gomez, the owner of the tavern, placed the uncleaned glass on the bar in front of Nieto and poured half a glass of wine: "Shut up and drink if you want to drink. Don't talk about useless things."

Nieto gave a crooked naval salute, then picked up his wine glass and took a long sip. After passing the wine in his mouth, he frowned in confusion: "What does this taste like? Although it is quite delicious..."

"[Heather]."

Gomez took another dirty cup and started wiping it, and said without raising his head: "The recipe passed down from Aden comes from Captain Heather's great invention."

"Captain Heather? I've heard of that name."

The old sailor who was staring blankly at the wine glass in his hand suddenly raised his head: "He is the owner of the Black Pearl, the King of Rogues!"

Gomez became interested. The emphasis in the tavern was on the exchange of information. The more popular information he had, the more benefits he could gain from those who were eager to obtain the latest information. The sturdy tavern owner lay down in front of the bar and lowered his voice: "Tell us about this 'Captain Heather'."

The old sailor pushed the empty cup in his hand forward, and then said to himself: "I haven't eaten for two days, I am very hungry."

Gomez immediately turned to the kitchen and shouted: "Why isn't the mutton soup ready yet? Bring over the large mutton soup with extra chopped onions and Cuban peppers! And two pieces of bread!"

Within a few minutes, a large plate of steaming mutton soup exuding a rich aroma appeared on the bar in front of the old sailor.

Large pieces of mutton are wrapped in rich soup, and Cuban peppers are chopped into small pieces. The slight spiciness does not irritate the stomach too much. It is mixed with cooked chopped onions to form a wonderful balance, exuding an amazing aroma.

The old sailor enjoyed several pieces of mutton and drank a large mouthful of hot soup. He picked up a piece of bread, tore off a large piece, dipped it in the soup and put it in his mouth. He narrowed his eyes with satisfaction.

Gomez, the tavern owner, was very discerning and helped the old sailor fill up his wine glass: "Is Captain Heather really as... magical as the legend says?"

"Magical? No, no, no, Captain Heather cannot use such words to describe it."

The old sailor picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and licked his lips:

"You may have heard the story about him surrendering the terrifying Barbossa gang and seizing the Black Pearl, but you certainly haven't heard the story between him and the Flying Dutchman!"

Not only Gomez, but also Nieto took the initiative to move to the seat closest to the old sailor: "Come on, Gomez will give this brother another glass of rum, and charge it to my account!"

The old sailor held the wine glass, cleared his throat and whispered: "Legend has it that the famous Jack Sparrow, the pilot of the Black Pearl, owed a huge debt to Davy Jones, the king of hell in the deep sea, but he wisely surrendered to the sea. Under the command of Captain Se, he tried to use his reputation to offset debt disputes."

"You won't repay your debt? This dirty thing!" Gomez expressed his disdain and inadvertently glanced at Nieto, who was a little uncomfortable.

"The Flying Dutchman and the Black Pearl, two world-famous pirate ships, met on a stormy night."

The old sailor was very good at adding to the atmosphere, and his voice became deeper and deeper: "Have you heard of the legend about the Black Pearl?"

"I heard some... well, very strange rumors. I heard that all the sailors on the Black Pearl have immortality." Gomez also lowered his voice, as if this would prevent those terrifying immortal sailors from listening. arrive.

"I can tell you that the rumors are true! Captain Heather led the undead sailors of the Black Pearl who will never die, and launched a fierce exchange of fire with the Flying Dutchman. Gunfire flew, and the sea set off huge waves and whirlpools. That day Even the moon was so scared that it hid at night.”

I don’t know where the old sailor got the gossip, but his retelling of the scene is very close to the real situation:

"Davy Jones angrily called out the terrifying Kraken, and the huge tentacles that covered the sky wrapped around the Black Pearl, about to tear the fastest pirate ship in the Caribbean into pieces!"

Gomez and Nieto subconsciously held their breath.

"Captain Heather, holding a sharp blade burning with golden flames, jumped into the sea alone and fought to the death with the Kraken. As God testifies, he single-handedly killed the behemoth, Davy Jones and his Flying Dutchman. I have to lower my proud head and surrender to Captain Heather."

The old sailor talked so hard that he was foaming at the mouth. He picked up the wine glass and took a sip from time to time. Soon the wine glass was full.

Gomez quickly filled up another glass for the old sailor: "Then what?"

"Captain Heather continues his great journey and encounters the pirate king of the Mediterranean, Captain Chevalle, in Palermo!"

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Note 1: Nieto means ‘grandson’ in Spanish.