Tails of the Deep [Major Editing]

Chapter 2: First Voyage

  THE first light of dawn filtered through the circular glass windows of the ship and the air tasted salty with a hint of rum. The sound of waves slapping against the ship and the squawking of seagulls racing across the sky roused William from his sleep. His eyes fluttered open and his ears were greeted by the loud snoring and movements of his fellow crewmate sleeping on the bunk bed above him. Sailors, he thought, how typical.

He stretched luxuriously before jumping out of his bunk, excitement searing through his veins. It was his first day as a real sailor.

Suddenly, the cabin doors swung open. "Wake up ya boneheaded fools!" Bod shouted as he entered the cabin and drummed his fists on the wooden wall. In an instant, all the men sprang up and stood at attention.

Bod walked down the aisle, keeping his head held high. It was now that William realized why his father appointed this man as his first mate. He had clear leadership qualities. Bod was a tall man with broad shoulders and arms packed with muscles. He has several scars across his face and body, depicting the dangers he had overcome while at sea.

"You, set the sails! You, scrub the decks! You, you're on watch duty! You..." Bod started assigning duties while pointing to the respective crewmen.

William watched everyone exit the room as he waited eagerly for Bod to assign him his duties. He smiled to himself as he thought about the duties he might be assigned to. Perhaps, steering the wheel, he thought, or maybe Bod would teach me how to sword fight? Or maybe...

"You, boy!" Bod called, pointing his finger at William. "Follow me," he instructed and led the boy up the stairs and on to the deck. Bod instructed the boy to wait before he entered one of the rooms and disappeared. William could hear him talking to another sailor. He strained his ears in an attempt to hear their conversation but it was in vain.

A minute later, Bod emerged with a sailor. "Boy, 'tis here is Griffin Sears and he'll be teaching ya what ya need to learn on board."

William nodded. "So, sir, what will I be doing today?" He asked, eyes shining with anticipation.

"Ah, lad, yer first assignment is to learn how to scrub the decks," Griffin replied as he handed William the brush and a pail filled with soapy water. "This is the most basic duty of a sailor, or rather in this case, a cabin boy."

William could not believe it. He was the captain's son! He was expecting more valiant duties like watch duty or learning to work the cannons. Well, I suppose every sailor has to start somewhere, he thought. So, he dipped his head in response and accepted his duty.

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The wind whipped ripples across the open stretches of water while the birds circled overhead, shrieking. The sun's golden rays gave a warm ambience to the surroundings, making the afternoon a hot and restless one. William's throat was dry with thirst. His body was sore and his arms were giving way from the hours of scrubbing the decks. Using every ounce of energy that he had left, William dragged the pail of soapy water across the deck, pushing himself and the pail forward, ignoring the protests and resistance from his body. Scrubbing the decks was not as easy as it seems.

William allowed his mind to wander and eventually he found himself thinking about home. He thought about having a cold bath, his warm bed, his mother's homemade lemonade.

A pang of sorrow gripped him as he remembered his mother. He let out a sigh. He thought about the letter and tried to picture his mother's panic-stricken face with eyes clouding with dismay, worry and sadness. Feelings of doubt began to stir within him but he shook it off before it could get any worse.