He gulped, licking the salt from his lips. ‘Again, tell me why I’m doing this?’
‘You have to, it’s the rules of engagement,’ she said.
‘Isn’t there another way?’ The breeze tousled his hair as he winced at the odour of the others damaging his sense of smell.
‘It’s a tradition. We can’t change tradition. If we changed tradition, then it’s no longer a tradition. When my family’s all about tradition,’ she said as the others surrounding her nodded. ‘You want me to say yes, don’t you?’
Wiping sweaty palms, he frowned at the depths of darkness. ‘Yeah. But, I don’t want to do this.’
‘If I was in your position, I’d be the same. Tell you what, I’ll help you. It’ll be all over soon.’ She gave him a quick shove in the back and he teetered over the edge with a cry, as the crew craned their necks to follow his fall.
And they waited. Silently.
Until his head arose from the briny drink.
‘Should’ve listened to your mother when she said never play with pirates. Pick me up for dinner at seven,’ she shouted topside.
And he waved and swam back to shore, smiling.
(200 words)
From MOVING MOMENTS
Rural Romantic Ramblings 
I love this!
Victoria’s middle name is Rose after my great-grandmother, as is one of my cousins and a few of my Dad’s cousins.
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Great stuff Mel – cleverly done and a good ending that made me laugh. You always do an excellent job with fairly compact word counts! No traditional traditions I can report on from my family – maybe I need to devise something for the kids…
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Rose is a beautiful name and its a nice tradition. My daughter is named after my Grandmother too.🌼
So glad you liked this piece, I appreciate your commenting.
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Aww, shucks, Nic! Thanks for the compliment.
I enjoy writing short sharp pieces as a great break from the long process of writing (soon to be released) novels.
Have fun creating a tradition with the kids – give ’em something to remember! ☺
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Exciting times Mel – please remember me when you’re a rich and famous novelist 🙂
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Enjoyed this!
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Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the read. Validates my reason to write more. I appreciate you taking the time to comment too.
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