داستان ملکه هانزانی

Chapter seven

Queen Hanzani’s Story

Captain Scott did not understand what Queen Alliana was saying. He asked Mr Stewart:

“What do you think the Queen meant by saying that the treasure was cursed?”

“Sir, these islanders have a lot of strange beliefs. I think we should listen to what they say and leave the island.”

“But we can’t leave without new sails. Surely they can help us there.”

“What do you suggest we do?”

“I’m going to have a talk with her. You go and look after the men.”

The captain knocked on Queen Alliana’s door, then opened it. The Queen was sitting in a large chair with her eyes closed. She opened them when the captain spoke.

“Excuse me, Queen Alliana, but I would like to talk to you.”

She did not say anything.

“I don’t know why that treasure made you so angry, but our ship.”

The Queen raised her hand to stop the captain from talking. She stood up and walked to one of the walls of the room. She took a picture from it.

It was a picture of the same woman in Blackbeard’s cabin. Without her headpiece on, Queen Alliana looked exactly like her. She gave the picture to Captain Scott to look at.

“It’s a beautiful picture of you.”

“It’s not me, Captain. It’s my great-grandmother, Queen Hanzani. She was once the Queen of this island and of all the islands in the Bermuda Triangle. She was a great and kind woman, but she died sadly, at a young age, from a broken heart.”

“Was her husband killed by one of уour enemies?”

“We had no enemies at that time, except for the pirates who came to steal from us. The man she loved and married left these islands and changed into an evil person.”

“Does this have something to do with you not wanting the treasure we showed you?”

“Captain, sit down and I will tell you a story.”

The captain sat in a chair opposite the Queen. Her large, soft eyes made him feel very relaxed. He sat back in his chair and listened to her story. He saw everything as if it was all happening right there in front of him.

“When my great-grandmother was sixteen, she and a boy her age promised to love each other forever. So they married and sometime later that boy left the island.

He said he was going to sail around the world and bring back all of the things which would make their life together perfect and happy. While he was gone, pirates attacked the island. They killed Queen Hanzani’s parents and stole everything they had. Many people died because they had no food.

Queen Hanzani found a way to make rum from the sugar plants so they could trade it with others for food.

She made the island strong and soon all of the people, from all of the islands in this triangle, began working together so that the pirates would never do such a thing again.

“Everyone knew the Queen did this so her true love would have a home to return to. Each morning, she would walk along the beach to see if his ship was coming, and each morning she returned a little bit more sad.”

“When he finally returned, it was awful. He returned as a pirate with a chest full of stolen treasure. He wanted to give it to Queen Hanzani and take her away from the island to live with other rich kings and queens. She was furious.”

‘Pirates killed my parents, and now you want me to touch stolen treasure?’

‘But I did this for you, to make you happy.’

‘Throw it into the ocean and live as we do and I will be happy.’

Throw it into the ocean? After all the years I spent getting this? I was almost killed many times.’

‘If this treasure means more to you than I do, you keep your treasure.’

“The Queen left him, and in anger he sailed from the island. There was a terrible storm; we call it the storm with the large face. The clouds were so large that they looked like the face of a man blowing on to the sea.

The pirate ship was destroyed and now a ghost ship travels these waters with Blackbeard’s ghost on it, watching the treasure he thought more important than love.

My great-grandmother died in her sleep that same night. I wear this necklace to remember her.

The pirate’s ghost and his treasure are there to remind him, and anyone else who tries to take what is not theirs, that they will never be happy.

You have that treasure Captain and you must take it from this island and put it back on that empty ship. Otherwise, you will never leave the Bermuda Triangle alive.”