I’ve recorded another episode of the Death Of 1000 Cuts podcast. The last one was technically episode zero, the pilot, but literally no one cares about my fidelity to numbering systems so let’s just say this is two. No theme tune yet.

If you’d like to listen to the podcast on iTunes, that is also a thing you can now do.

Here’s the piece I talk about this week. If you’d like to submit, please read the submission guidelines. You can get in touch via the ‘Contact Me’ link on the right.

Untitled (by Caleb)

Some have remarked that my childhood wasn’t normal, and I can’t deny their statements entirely. I was born with a family, of course. Everyone is. The only difference with mine is that it lasted less than a year. My mother and father left me, abandoned me, forgot about me; or perhaps even decided they’d be better off if I’d never been born at all.

That’s what the pirates tell me. I’ve lived with them ever since they found me as a baby, lying in a basket by the harbor. Not an ideal beginning, to be sure, but I know this life can’t be what I was destined for. There are so many other things I could be doing, like fighting in the British army, exploring the vast, grime-covered streets of London, or simply playing with other children my age. I’d settle for that in a heartbeat. Sometimes I lay awake at night, imagining how much better my life would be if I was living it on land.  The grass is always greener on the other side.

That’s what Barnabus told me, at least. He’s my confidant/friend/schoolmaster all rolled into one. Plus he’s one of the Captain’s oldest friends, which explains why he’s still here, when a younger, stronger man could do his assigned duties with more vigor. Speaking of the Captain…I hate him. I know it sounds callous, but you haven’t been around him like I have.