Harper's Father: A Short Story
Harper’s father had hoped for a son but that didn’t stop him from growing attached to his little girl from the moment he first held her in his arms. As a child, he’d encouraged her curiosities and taught her the things she seemed so eager to learn, assuming that when she grew older she would eventually become more interested in the lifestyles of other girls her age. The day never came that she was excited for the intricate new dresses gifted to her or the extravagant balls on the arm of a young officer; instead she would prefer to sneak off to the nearby blacksmith’s shop or to the docks to watch the ships. Often she would return home with her dresses filthy and her mother would scold her for not presenting herself in a more ladylike manner.
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This wasn’t discovered by her mother and father until she had become quite skilled and made a sword for her father as a gift, thinking this would impress him and allow her to pursue a different lifestyle. Commander Harper was far from pleased and put a stop to her lessons immediately.
As some time passed, word eventually spread through her hometown that there was a Voodoo Witch on the run after placing a curse on the Duchess. After many-a-night where her father would come home frustrated that his men could not get close enough to this woman to catch her, Harper saw a chance for herself to finally prove to her father that she could be more than some young lieutenant’s future wife. She went to her father’s Captain, explaining to him that as a woman closer to this witch’s age she would have a far easier time getting close to her. The Captain reluctantly agreed and paid Harper a small portion up front for the job.
Following a few days of searching high and low in the town, Harper finally caught wind of the whereabouts of the witch she was searching for, resulting in her following the other woman onto a ship in the harbor – one that Harper didn’t recognize. Little did she know, this would be the end of her life as a pampered Navy man’s daughter and the beginning of a more exciting – and terrifying – adventure than Harper could have ever
This wasn’t discovered by her mother and father until she had become quite skilled and made a sword for her father as a gift, thinking this would impress him and allow her to pursue a different lifestyle. Commander Harper was far from pleased and put a stop to her lessons immediately.
As some time passed, word eventually spread through her hometown that there was a Voodoo Witch on the run after placing a curse on the Duchess. After many-a-night where her father would come home frustrated that his men could not get close enough to this woman to catch her, Harper saw a chance for herself to finally prove to her father that she could be more than some young lieutenant’s future wife. She went to her father’s Captain, explaining to him that as a woman closer to this witch’s age she would have a far easier time getting close to her. The Captain reluctantly agreed and paid Harper a small portion up front for the job.
Following a few days of searching high and low in the town, Harper finally caught wind of the whereabouts of the witch she was searching for, resulting in her following the other woman onto a ship in the harbor – one that Harper didn’t recognize. Little did she know, this would be the end of her life as a pampered Navy man’s daughter and the beginning of a more exciting – and terrifying – adventure than Harper could have ever