This is really a short story, 14 pages, but it's really unexpected since I was not used to this type of story by Steve Berman. It's an historical romp, strangely setting in an unknown Caribbean island, and it has love and sex.

Radford is a young English man who was shanghaied to become an unwilling pirate. During an attack, Radford manages to gain vengeance toward the man who forced him, a fellow crewman, but he is also injured. Marooned in an island with a strange frenchman known as Inkman, since he creates wonderful tattoo for the pirates dock on the island, Radford will heal not only his physical injury, but also his mind, also thank to the help of an handsome spanish pirate.

The story it's all about Radford and his journey out of the darkness he fell in. It has also the great merit to be unexpected in only 14 pages, since I started reading it obviously waiting for Radford to bond with Inkman, and why I wouldn't? it was almost impossible that in a so short story there were more than two main characters. And instead Radford bonds with Inkman, but not in the way I think: Inkman helps Radford to heal physically, but the whole mental healing will arrive also thanks to Salort, the pirate who will show to Radford that not all the pirates are to despise.

Very nice short story, with enough little details to allow the reader to plunge in the story, always an hard thing to do with an historical setting and few pages time.

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/498323.html