The night came soon and all the sailors went to their nets, but unlike the other days, today there were only smiles. For some reason, Ricardo's attitude was beginning to infect the rest of the crew with hope, and Dima had also been much more friendly today.

If we add to that the great food that, although it did not taste good, at least gave everyone a great anecdote, and we do not forget the favorable wind of the day, then we have a combination that resulted in the last push that these sailors needed to be able to arrive at port

But as there was always a problem and it was that the impossible could not be achieved solely on the basis of faith, Dima was about to die and if he died morale could collapse and the work on each shoulder would only grow.

"You really think you're going to die tonight, you're a faithful follower of Tusha, why not ask him for a few more days, that way you get to be buried on an island." Ricardo asked somewhat annoyed, his plan had failed, but he achieved what he was looking for, with high morale one could try, perhaps they would fail, but at least they will not give up halfway.

"Boy, if you bury me on a beach and don't let the seagulls eat me, I swear I'll come back from the dead as a ghost and cut your balls off in your sleep…*cough*…*cough*." Dima commented, she wanted to laugh, but his throat was not very well, so she played in his place.

"Today is my day. Today I start another trip. Don't worry, they're going to make it. The boys have been blessed by the big brother, it doesn't matter if he dies, no one will lower their arms until they touch the port or die trying … *coff* …*cough*". Dima said, looking happily at Ricardo's worried face.

"We need you Dima, things could get complicated being only five, we also need someone to do the end-of-trip ritual, there is no one left on board who can do it as well as you…" Ricardo answered, perhaps doing a ritual to the goddess will encourage Dima to survive another week.

"*cough* …*cough*… It's today boy… I would love to see the seagulls one more time. The birds always remind me what I was looking for when I was young, the freedom to be a pirate and fly wherever the wind takes you… But… Today too, it's a good night to go…*cough* …*cough*" Dima said lying on his net looking at the rest of the sailors changing their bandages.

"Young cabin boy, could you help me change the bandages, at least I want to be comfortable tonight…*cough* …*cough*..." Dima said between coughs.

Ricardo came over and helped Dima change his bandages like he did every night. But Dima's bandages were full of pus and not just blood, when removing the bandages, Ricardo noticed that several fingers of his hand had fallen off and the remaining ones were about to do so as well.

Ricardo was not disgusted, but sad. Dima put the bandages on him when he had hurt himself and helped him keep his hands, today he had to do the same, but as a last favor to a dying friend.

"You know Dima, you were the first sailor on this ship to treat me like a real sailor the day after the incident, I thank you for that… I needed it" Ricardo said with a sad smile.

"*cough* …*cough*… You're a jerk, boy… That's why you need others to remind you that you're not a jerk…"*cough* …*cough* … The day you stop being a jerk… It's going to be the day to stop caring how they treat you" Dima answered somewhat abruptly, looking at the boy changing his bandages.

"When I was your age, I was also a moron … It was hard for me to realize that, but time gives good advice and from mistakes you will learn to live as you want and not as your parents wanted, boy, you ran away from home, but only your body, your mind is still locked up with your family… You should seek to be like a bird, free and without sorrow"

"It could be... Unfortunately now I'm a slave to my pride… Or to my madness" Ricardo replied with some sadness, because old Dima had told him something that he had been thinking about for a long time and the obsession that the sirens left him with did nothing more than remind you of this problem.

"Birds are also proud and shit in the open on top of sailors… Look at it another way, being free should give you pride and being a slave to your last name shouldn't…*cough*…*cough*…" Dima said, with bandages already changed and looking at the roof of the deck.

"Pass me my last painting, boy, I want to sign it, it would be a shame to leave it without a father…empty, outcast from the world… *cough*… *cough*" Dima said, pointing to the trunk under his net.

Ricardo went ahead and looked in Dima's trunk, several paintings were scattered, they had no frame, they were just rolled up papers, but the old pirate painted really well, not even in Ricardo's house were there such good paintings.

Finally, Ricardo took out the painting that Dima pointed out to him, when he opened it he noticed that the painting illustrated a bird that he had never seen, it was quite normal, not very colorful and did not stand out as much as the rest of the paintings that Dima had painted.

"What bird is this?" Ricardo asked looking at the painting, perhaps satisfying the old man's obsession would help him more than a few words of encouragement.

"They call it 'Tuca', it's from my home island, it's completely gray, except for its white beak, it's quite fat almost like a fish, it can't fly because of how fat it is, but it likes to dig caves where it puts its chicks , he only digs them near the hot springs on my island." Dima said with a smile on his face, remembering his childhood, as he took the painting, then smeared the end of his bandage with the blood from the previous bandage and began to sign the painting.

"I remember that lonely island, that without the sense of an island, empty, useless, marginalized, isolated, the people had no heart and those who had them did not last long, but the birds did not give a damn about the inhabitants of the island and they always accompanied me …*cough* …*cough*"

"These 'Tucas' always swam in the hot springs with their pigeons, they weren't afraid of humans, no one hunted them, so they used to play with the people who got into the hot springs, although I must have been the only idiot who paid attention to these uncolored birds…" Dima said, passing the signed painting to Ricardo and going to sleep, as if everything in this life was complete.

Ricardo took the painting and put it away, but while he was folding it he noticed the initials engraved on the painting D.I.M.A.

He stared at the initials for a while, he looked up to see the dying old man covered in seabird tattoos, with a body corrupted by the sun and the sea, while with a dazed face he murmured: "You are an Abad…"

But only one short sentence came from the old man curled up in his net, trying to sleep: "I'm a pirate…"