The Tale of The Pale Lady

Long ago, a woman was taken on her wedding night, press ganged into a pirate crew. She was taken as an offering to appease the captain, her husband slain in his attempts to save her. The captain took that which is inherently sacred to all women, and then forced her to service the crew. The lady waited, with no family to return home to; she did not plot her escape, but her revenge. One night, when the moon was large and bright in the sky, she snuck out of bed and made her way for the captain’s quarters. Along the way, she was caught by the ship’s bosun and given 50 lashes. Each lash ripped into the soiled white gown that she still wore from her wedding night. As the bosun cleaved flesh from bone, she did not call out in pain but instead only shed a tear thinking of her long dead husband. On the last lash, her body slumped onto the deck as she drew her last breath. When the crew woke the next morning, they found the body of the woman, and the dried husk of the bosun whose eyes were missing. In their place, the sockets were black as night. Many sailors claim to have seen a woman wearing the gown of a bride. Others say she protects other women, taken to sea against their will, forced to please their captors.