Black Bart's Legacy (First Place)

Thunder boomed, rattling windows in the old home. From somewhere deep within the bowels came an answering creak. At the top of the attic stairs, the door flew open and banged shut. Maggie jumped and her heart began pounding.

“It’s just the wind…,” she muttered. Her hand gripped the railing, as she eased up another step. At the landing, Maggie’s candle illuminated the painting of her ancestor, the infamous pirate Black Bart.

“There’s no treasure is there?” she asked. Black Bart scowled, his black eyes never wavering from her ebony ones. He seemed to be daring her to follow the map drawn on the parchment tucked in her pocket.  “All right, let’s see if that chest of yours really is in the attic.” Was it her imagination, or did Black Bart just smirk? Maggie hesitated and then turned to climb the stairs. The door at the top continued to sway back and forth. 

Another creak sounded from somewhere above. Maggie paused. Was someone else up there? One of the other two cousins? Each had received the same instructions: show up on today’s date and spend the night.  Those left in the morning would receive a portion of Aunt Agatha’s million dollar estate. Did the others receive a similar map? Probably, but if she could find it before they did.   

Maggie reached the landing to the attic but froze when the door slammed open. Black Bart stepped into the doorway, his tricorn dipping low over his face and his low chuckle sending chills down her spine.  Maggie sucked in a breath as he pulled a cutlass from his scabbard and began slicing toward her.  Scrambling backward, she felt the landing give way to air.

But just before she hit the bottom, she heard, “One down, one to go.”





Word Count 297