The Curse of the Flying Dutchman

A portent of doom hangs over the dark raging seas. The year is 1641 and the Dutch ship 'The flying Dutchman' is navigating the waters of the Cape of Good Hope on its return journey home to Amsterdam from the Dutch East Indies. The ship is filled with riches and its crew is looking forward to returning home and reuniting with their families after a long voyage. 

Her Skipper, Captain Hendrick Van Der Decken is a man in a hurry to go home.

Mr. Borse is the youngest in the crew and has ended up in the fated ship as a stowaway. Like the rest of the world, the happy go lucky Moroccan has the usual dreams of seeing the world, making money and marrying the girl of his dreams. He is on course to his dreams and is assisting the captain on the bridge, when the 17th Century vessel gets hit by fierce gales and killer waves. 

The fearful crew implores with the captain to head for the safety of the shore and ride out the storm. The captain will have none of it. He takes a swig of rum and contemptuously shakes a fist at the skies and yells "No storm has ever stopped me before and by Jove, it's not going to stop me now".

Howling winds bends the masts and rips the sails, monster waves sends the ship heaving and lurching. The crew finally cracks and there is a mutiny on board. As Mr. Borse looks on in terror, the captain, furious and vengeful, kills the leader of the rebellion and throws the body aboard. That's the end of Mr. Joglekar.

At that point, lightning floods the skies and a shadowy caped specter appears on the ship's deck hovering a few inches over the ground "You are a very stubborn man, Captain".

The Captain replies "I never asked for a peaceful passage, I never asked for anything. So clear off before I shoot you too". The captain draws his pistol and fires.  

The apparition cannot be harmed by a mere bullet and says “for this you are accursed, because of your actions you are condemned to sail the oceans for eternity, with a ghostly crew of dead men.  You will bring death to all who spot your spectral ship and you will never be allowed to make port or know a moment’s peace.”

Defiant to the end the captain replies, “Amen to that.”

Amid the cries of hopelessness and terror of her crew, the Flying Dutchman sinks to a watery grave. The sea has claimed yet another one.

Next day, in the wintery morning, the waters have calmed down and the sun is out in the soft breeze. From the still waters, a ghost ship surfaces from its watery grave. The Flying Dutchman has just started an eternal voyage across the world which will never end. Its life as usual as the gloomy crew of skeletons goes back mournfully to their daily chores of running the ship. They are well aware they are going to break all maritime records.

Mr. Borse puts on his favorite hat sadly and looks on despairingly at his grinning skull in the mirror. He raises his voice to the skies - "I didn't sign up for this. I want to go home!! ". The Dead captain places a fatherly (and a very bony) hand on Mr. Borse's shoulder blades and what is recorded as the understatement of the year 1641 says "Don't worry, all will be well". 

Over the centuries, the ghost ship has traversed the world round and round. The sighting of the Flying Dutchman has been a harbinger of disaster for Mariners. Ships have been led astray into hidden reefs by the ghost ship and sunk. Mariners cross their hearts and nail a horse shoe on their ships mast to ward off the omen of the Flying Dutchman.

So in the near future, if you are out in the ocean look out for a 17th century ship with full masts and a red glow. Look hard and if you see the captain waving a skeletal hand, you know what to do.

Utter a prayer and escape while you can!!!!!

Footnote: It takes whole of 300 years before Mr. Borse is finally (and the only one) released from the ghost ship. He gets reincarnated as a SAP CRM consultant and is now settled in Florida. He has seen the world, made money and married the girl of his dreams - not in that order though. However, from childhood Mr. Borse dreams of phantom ships and cannot understand the lure of the sea which seems to tug at him constantly. But he is afraid...deathly afraid to venture out even to the beach.

And he knows not why :)