Chapter One: The Boy Who Refused to Break
The rain lashed against the stone walls of St. Andrew’s Orphanage, a grim, imposing structure nestled on the outskirts of a town that forgot it existed. The children within its walls were not orphans in the eyes of the world, merely unwanted. It was a place where laughter was a rare and precious commodity, where the warmth of kindness was colder than the wind that swept through the narrow corridors.
John never knew his real name. His earliest memory was of being dropped off on the orphanage steps, wrapped in a threadbare blanket, his cries echoing in the dark. As the years passed, he was given the name ‘John’ by the overworked matron who had more interest in discipline than affection. His surname was a blank space—just as his lineage was a mystery he never solved.
The orphanage was a hard place. Punishments were doled out for the slightest infractions, and it didn’t matter whether you were guilty or not. John learned quickly that survival meant silence and obedience. But deep down, he harboured a resilience that nothing could squash.
He endured the beatings, the endless chores, and the hollow, empty days. While the other children huddled together for comfort, John stood apart, his blue eyes always searching beyond the confines of the orphanage walls. Dreaming of something more.
One frigid winter night, after a particularly brutal punishment that left him bruised and limping, John made his decision. He was twelve years old when he crept through the darkness, his thin body wrapped in stolen blankets, his pockets filled with bread snatched from the kitchen.
He ran. Through the frozen countryside, through hunger and fear, he ran until he could no longer feel his legs. When the ocean breeze hit his face, salty and raw, he stumbled to a stop.
The harbor was bustling with fishermen readying their boats for the early morning tides. Desperation forced courage into his bones. He approached the largest boat he could find; a sturdy trawler named The Sea Eagle and begged for work.
Captain Angus McCloud looked down at the scrawny boy with bruises fading on his skin and fire blazing in his eyes. Something in John’s gaze must have struck a chord, for the old captain agreed to take him on.
Life aboard The Sea Eagle was harsh but fair. John worked harder than he ever had, hauling nets, scrubbing decks, and mending lines under the captain’s watchful eye. And for the first time in his life, he felt something close to family.
Captain McCloud was a man of principle and kindness, his rough exterior hiding a heart of gold. He taught John the ways of the sea, but more importantly, he taught him about honour, compassion, and resilience. John soaked up the man’s wisdom like a sponge.
As the years passed, John grew from a skinny, fearful boy into a strong, capable young man. His muscles hardened by labour; his mind sharpened by the captain’s teachings. He loved the sea, but more than that, he loved the man who had become the closest thing to a father he’d ever known.
But nothing good lasts forever. Captain McCloud’s health began to fail, his once-powerful frame withering under the weight of time. When the old man finally succumbed to his illness, it was John who held his hand as the light faded from his eyes.
Devastated, but determined to honour the man who had given him a future, John left the sea. He took the name ‘McCloud’ as his own and vowed to build a life that would make the old captain proud.