Iguanatopia - ONC 2021 (Completed)

4: Stormtopia

A haze laid over the horizon. Grey fluttery strokes dimmed the blue sky that met the even bluer ocean below.

Alba knew what those strokes meant, she had seen them before.

Quickly, she descended from the mast. Ignacio followed. His long sharp claws dug into the wood as he climbed down the pole headfirst. It was only a few days since the lizard had boarded the ship but they had been inseparable ever since. Wherever Alba went, Ignacio went, whether she wanted him to or not. There really was no way to stop a six-foot lizard from doing what he wanted.

Pedro stood by the wheel when Alba walked up to the helm of the ship. Joe sat at the captain's table and looked at the map. Ever since they set course towards Feather Islands the both of them had got along remarkably well. There had only been a few tousles. But no turnips, or other root vegetables, had been thrown.

"There's a storm approaching," Alba said. "We should lay anchor for the night somewhere while it blows over."

Pedro shook his head and peered at the sky. "I don't see any storm," he said. "The sky looks blue to me."

"Me neither," Joe agreed and gazed towards the horizon with the eye that wasn't covered by his eye patch. Today it was the left eye.

Great. Suddenly they were all chummy with each other and agreed on everything.

"Do you see the streaks over there?" she asked and pointed towards the foggy lines right in the direction they were heading. "That's a sign of a storm. Captain Ignacio told me that."

Pedro just shook his head again. "That's no storm," he said. "I've been on the sea much longer than you, sweetheart. I think I know a storm when I see it."

Sweetheart? The anger percolated inside of Alba. She pondered if Ignacio, the lizard not the captain, would bite Pedro's leg if she ordered him to. The lizard did seem unusually obedient. But she decided not to try. It would only lead to more drama.

"We're on a trajectory to reach Feather Islands by tonight," Joe informed her. "We can't stop now. Someone might reach the treasure before us."

"No one else knows about the treasure, so I think it would be wiser to ensure we're safe from the storm and get there tomorrow instead," Alba protested. "We won't get there at all if we get swept away by the storm."

"There won't be a storm," Joe and Pedro said in unison.

Alba started to get tired of them agreeing on things. But there seemed to be no arguing with them.

***

Three hours later the storm struck.

Wind gusts tore the sail to shreds. Rain showers soaked the deck. Rough waves washed over the ship.

Alba sat hunkered down in the women's quarters in the belly of the ship. It was really a converted broom closet with two bunks in it. One for her and one for Grace. No one had thought about the possibility of female crew members when building the ship.

Ignacio was bravely hiding under the blanket on Alba's bed. Probably tearing up the sheet with his giant claws. Only his long scaly tail stuck out. Apparently, lizards weren't fond of storms. And neither were cats, as the terrifying jaguar Oliviero currently dwelled under Grace's bed, sometimes letting out a meowl to let everyone know he was still there.

The waves caused the ship to sway precariously. Alba held on to the walls of the ship to not fall out of her bunk.

Quiet sobs came from Grace's bunk. The other woman might seem fierce and unbreakable most of the time but Alba knew she was terrified of storms. Cautiously Alba slipped off her bunk, straining to keep her balance as the ship moved, and sat down beside Grace.

Ignacio followed, of course.

"Sorry," Grace mumbled as Alba put her arm around her shoulder. "I never liked the sea. I only stayed because of him. And now he's gone."

"Captain Ignacio?" Alba asked. She had noticed the smiles between Grace and the captain. Grace never smiled at anyone else. Only towards a certain handsome captain with a red beard.

Grace nodded and shuddered as another wave shook the ship. "He saved me," she said. "I stole a boat when I escaped the plantation. I tried to row myself to a safe island. But eventually, my arms wouldn't obey me anymore. I passed out. When I woke up I was on the Estrella. Ignacio had seen me and told his men to pick me up."

Alba nodded and stroked Grace's hair. The black curls felt fluffy and soft under her fingers. Grace had already been on the ship when she joined the crew and she had never had the guts to ask her how she ended up there.

"He let me stay on the ship as a cook," Grace continued. "There was a reward of a hundred doubloons on my head and he could get punished himself for helping me but he never hesitated. He treated me like a person, not like property. So I stayed, even though I could never get used to having the ocean underneath me. I rather live free on the water than be trapped on land. "

"He was a good man. The best man I've ever met."

Grace nodded but seemed lost in her own thoughts. Something seemed to weigh on her.

"Ignacio told me he loved me," she suddenly said. "The night when he disappeared."

"Did you love him back?" Alba asked.

"I could have. But his drinking habit... I couldn't tolerate that. I couldn't let myself love him. So that's what I told him. And he turned to the bottle right away. That's what killed him. I killed him."

"You didn't kill him. His habit killed him."

Alba put her arms around Grace and they held each other tight as the waves kept shaking the boat. They cried. They cried for a good man. They cried for Captain Ignacio.

Lighting flashed by outside the small round window and water splashed on the glass. Beside them Ignacio and Oliviero had curled up together, deciding to be friends, at least temporarily. The iguana had its tail curled around its body and the cat had nestled itself within the circle that formed. A pink tongue reached out to give the scaly tail an affectionate lick.

Any company was good company to weather out the storm.

The night went by and the waves slowly calmed down. The rainfall got lighter and the winds less strong.

Alba woke up from bright sunlight stinging her eyes. She and Grace laid next to each other on the bed. The other woman still slept peacefully. On her lips was a smile. Perhaps she thought of him. The man who had saved her.

The cat and the iguana were also asleep. The long scaly tail functioned as a pillow for the feline. Fluffy orange fur contrasted against rough green scales.

Alba exited the room and climbed the stairs towards the deck. The fresh morning air felt revelatory after being locked in below deck all night.

Her first discovery upon setting foot on the deck was that the sails were shredded. They wouldn't sail far with those sails.

Her second discovery was that Pedro and Joe sat together up by the wheel. The men slept nestled tight together with a rope that tied them to the wheel. Apparently, neither of them had wanted to leave the other one alone in the storm. Or neither of them had wanted to give the command of the ship to the other one.

Her third discovery was that the ship had floated ashore close to an island. A rocky beach greeted them and blubbery grey creatures swam in the waters below. 

Manatees.