Literary Reviews, Page 86
“Black Betty,” by Ben Peek (continued)
Besides the lack of length restrictions, Mr. Marin offers rapid response times in regard to submissions; certainly appealing aspects of Lone Star Stories which attracts numerous, mostly semi-professional writers with several prior publication credits.
The only slight fault I could point to in regard to Lone Star Stories is its name. Mr. Marin’s apparent sentimental attachment to his home state would unfortunately seem to leave the publication open to misunderstanding by those unfamiliar with it. Some might mistake it for a publication devoted to the Western genre or exclusively to pieces with some Texan content. Aside from occasional and minor editorial lapses, Lone Star Stories is a well put together little publication well worth the reader’s and contributor’s time and effort.
“Black Betty,” [Lone Star Stories; Issue 23, October 1, 2007] by Ben Peek, is a compelling and macabre adventure story set against the Caribbean pirate era. Although no date is specified within the piece, somewhere around 1665 would be my educated guess. The story involves a British warship and its crew commissioned from St. Lucia, a Caribbean island that changed hands between the British and the French myriad times, with the former controlling the island from 1663 to 1667, a time frame coincident with the height of the Caribbean piracy era.
The story is largely framed in the form of testimonial evidence in regard to an investigation being conducted by Lord Richard Lewis who is apparently the governor of the colony or some other high official. His inquiry is in regard to an affair concerning the mighty warship Meredith which he had outfitted for the benefit of Captain Andrew Lewis, his now déclassé son. The son had been disgraced due to an affair he had had with a black woman who apparently had been a practitioner of herbal and folk medicine. Lord Lewis had been scandalized by his son’s association and had hung Zaierra, the object of Andrew’s affections.
Upon learning of a connection between Zaierra and a legendary, now virtually mythical, pirate queen referred to as “Black Betty,” Lord Lewis ordered his son, by way of redemption, to hunt down both the pirate and her swift raiding ship—boasting distinctive black sails—of the same name. Black Betty is believed to have been a onetime runaway slave who had turned pirate as revenge; a revenge which has wreaked havoc upon the Caribbean for years. Myths abound about her including that she had made deals with the sea to gain immortality. Click to continue:
