Jonathan Palmer tossed and turned in his bed. He couldn’t help but anticipate the adventure that awaited him in the wee hours of the morning. The gleam of moonlight that streamed through his window only added to his feeling of restlessness.
He jumped out of bed to pick up his antique pocket watch from the bedside table. It was four o’clock in the morning, and it was almost time for his final departure from the world he had known for some fifteen years. Soon, the years he spent at The Angelican House For Boys would just be a memory.
He had it planned for months now. Nothing was going to stop him. He was ready to find his birthmother and learn the truth of his story, not the one told by the Sisters at the orphanage. Deep within his heart, he knew there was a strange secret they were hiding. Jonathan was ready to risk his life to uncover the truth .
He quickly dressed, pulling on his faded dungarees and pea coat. It was a chilly day in February, even for Jamaica. When he pulled on his favorite wool cap, caramel colored hair jutted out like pieces of straw. He grabbed his duffle sack, packed to the gills, and reached for the special locket that was kept in the top drawer of his chest. He carefully slipped the locket around his neck.
Jonathan tiptoed over to Marcus and Julian, who slept in the bunks across from him. Goodbye old buddies. I will pray for you as you will pray for me. I will never forget all of the great times that we shared together. Marcus and Julian did not wake. Jonathan wanted to slip away silently in the night. He especially did not want to wake Sister Mary Katherine – for she would surely thwart his well-planned escape.
As he tiptoed down the creaky wooden stairs, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder, he took one last peek into the old schoolroom. Jonathan froze in the doorway before snapping back to reality. Some of the better memories flashed through his head.
He remembered all those times he and Marcus would pretend to be ill and sneak down to the pier to go fishing. Of course they released the fish they caught as they could not explain their finds to the Sisters.
One of his better memories was at Christmas time when some of the wealthy families would deliver gifts to the boys. Somehow they knew exactly what the boys wanted.
When he as a small boy he had remembered receiving twice as many gifts as the other boys. He always let Marcus and Julian pick two of his presents. He had always wondered why he had received more.
Despite those memories, he knew that it was time to move on. He walked five blocks from the Angelican House at a brisk pace, until he reached the docks at Port Royal. It was time for his adventure to begin.
* * * * *
Jonathan knew the docks like the back of his hand. This was thanks to Peter Miller, a middle-aged seaman who was like a father to him. He had let Jonathan help load the ships since he was nine-years-old. Peter was a vital part of Jonathan’s plan to escape.
As Jonathan approached the docks, he found himself mesmerized by the early morning sunrise as it glistened upon the water. He couldn’t help but stare at the sky, ablaze with red streaks. An older seaman startled him from behind, grabbing him hard on the shoulder.
“Red sky at morning, sailor take warning,” he declared. “This could be the sign of a rough start, son."
