The Silent Thief

XIII

XIII

               The storm came suddenly.

First a gush of wind, then a sprinkle of rain--it seemed as if the storm over took us; swallowing our ship into its nasty clutches.

“Ace, grab the third mast line there!” yelled the Captain over the sound of the waves and the wind beating us.

I knew nothing about ships. How was I supposed to know which line was the third mast line? There were lines everywhere!

“Which one?” I called back.

“That—you know what? How about you just stand out of the way!” Captain James called back irritated.

“I will then!” I yelled to him.

“You’re acting like such a bitch!” He screamed back. It seemed as if the storm enjoyed our anger because it was getting worse.

I gasped. How dare he call me such a thing?! “Well…You’re…You’re an ARS!” Ha, how’s that?

The Captain was about to reply but I was almost glad that Sir William interrupted. Captain James probably would have said something much more vulgar than ars.

“Ladies, this is not the time!” Sir William came by and slapped us both upside the head. “As you can see, we have more serious matters to attend to such as, NOT drowning!”

We glared at each other but agreed to settle it later.

“Captain, the men are having a hard time turning the ship,” reported a sailor who came stumbling up.

The Captain ran his fingers through his soaked hair.

“Your orders, Captain?”

“Bring me twenty men!”

“Aye ay, Captain!”

In approximately twenty seconds, the Captain’s orders were fulfilled. Another large wave hit the side making everyone fall.

“Quickly men, if you want to live through tonight, go down to the storage area and get the stones. Ten men stay on the deck to tie the stones down once the other ten men bring them up. Secure the lines tightly! Now go!” Men scurried here and there trying to stay on their feet. The deck was now very slippery because of the hard rain. “Take fifty more men downstairs to row. We need to turn the ship into the waves!” The Captain commanded to Jabari who started calling the men. “Ace,” the Captain called to me.

“Yes, Captain?”

“Get downstairs and row!”

“Aye, Captain,” I yelled back before turning on my heel and running to the door. I noticed Sir William along with two other men, were battling with the steer. Another wave hit the side and the ocean water splashed across the deck. I stumbled but managed to reach the door throwing it open. From downstairs, I could hear the men yelling, “ONE, TWO, HEAVE!”

I slipped down the stairs but jumped up into an empty seat on a bench. Another man came and sat beside me leaving me in the middle of the bench. The three of us grabbed a hold of our oar and rowed with the rhythm of the other men. Before I knew it, the men on my left and right were sweating and breathing heavily.

Here’s my advice if you ever have to row a ship; never sit between two men because you’ll end up smelling like a donkey.

I was too soaked to sweat but I was breathing heavily as well. “ONE, TWO, HEAVE!” We cried pulling the oar to our chests then pushing it back out.

“Almost there men! The ship’s almost turned around. Keep rowing,” Alexander called. Most of the men had taken off their shirts. Their muscles contracted and their backs arched every time they rowed. More water came in through the holes, stinging our faces. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up.

“I’ll take your place, lad. You’re too tiny to do much anyway,” Alexander said.

If it were under different circumstances, I might’ve been offended—but now I was relieved. This was almost as worse as when I rowed the single boat trying to catch up with the ship.

I got up letting Alexander take my place. Then I heard a cry. Yes, the men were yelling loudly, but this was not from our boat. I quickly ran up onto the deck and searched our dark surroundings. I caught a glimpse of something not too far off, but I was thrown off my feat.

“Are you crazy, Ace?!” asked the Captain. I didn’t realize what was happening. The Captain held me tightly but his arms were wrapped around one of the mast poles. Then I was underwater. Ten seconds went by until I was able to breathe again. “Can you not see the waves?” said Captain James pointing ahead of the ship. I gasped out of fear. I had never seen such huge waves before. “Brace yourself,” Captain James warned. Another wave splashed over us. I now noticed that Sir William and the other two men had themselves tied to the steering wheel’s podium. “Quickly, we need to run to the helm before the next wave hits us,” Captain James said while he unwrapped his arms from the pole. I looked to see another huge wave building up. It was going to crash any moment now. Captain James jerked my arm and we were running. We reached the stairs and I held on for my life. The wave’s power was so strong. I was gripping the stairs so hard, that I didn’t realize my fingernails had cut into my palms.

I heard that same cry again. My head snapped to the direction it was coming from. Finally I could see it; another ship. I could barely make out a few men on the deck. They were tied down too.

“Captain!” I called pointing to the ship.

He pulled out his telescope. “Sir William, by all means, try everything in your power to keep them from seeing us.” Sir William’s face paled. He snatched the telescope from his nephew’s hands and peered through them.

“Yes, James. That would be a good idea,” Sir William said handing him his telescope back.

Was it pirates? What was wrong with that ship?  I looked to the ship again and felt as if my heart leaped out of my chest. I saw it.

The yellow and white ship.