Chapter 4

Adam’s head dropped down.  He suspected that in his cabin, on the walls of the African Star,  photos of his girlfriend and family were getting ripped up by pirates making their own sense of space in someone else’s life.  Visions of drinking, dancing and damage crept into his strained headspace.

 

Always one to take the negative position from the start, Adam jolted his head up and mumbled to himself. 

 

“Don’t be a fool.  This is not real!” He slapped his own face. This brought him back to the land of the living.

 

He jumped up and strode out onto the deck. 

Toby was standing next to Gerard.  They were laughing while rolling salty, oily smelling sailor’s tobacco into tapered cigarettes.  When Adam came into view they stopped, both looking incredibly embarrassed.

 

“What are you two idiots laughing at?” Adam shouted at them with high  pitched anxiety in his voice.

 

“Nothin!”  Gerard casually replied.  A smile edged its way up on both sides of his dry mouth with scabby lips.

 

 Toby shifted his feet awkwardly to the left. His head hung down in an equally awkward manner with a guilty smile.

 

“We are not in a good position with those fruity  pirates in there,” Adam spat back pointing to the Mess occupied by Sal and Squiddly.

 

“What I don’t understand is why they are talking like 17th century seafarers when this is clearly not a sailing ship and no one has cutlasses or  blunderbusses.”

 

“I want some sword fighting, cannons going off, parrots and busty wenches,” said Gerard.

 

“I’m ready for a battle,” added Toby.

 

They both started laughing.  Adam couldn’t help getting caught in the revelry and joined in himself.  

 

***

 

The African Star kept afloat  as the sea got heavier.

 

On the bridge Captain Samuel West had his big red face two inches from Wilkins' increasingly angry complexion.

 

“You ‘ave a pirates beard Cap’n’,” said West pulling the end of Wilkins' white goatie.

 

“You should join us to capture more treasure from hapless vessels. Oh  ‘arr,” said  West.

 

Tied in a sitting position to a stool meant Wilkins' shortness did not give him the ability to look over at the horizon.  Lack of control of his own ship was building up a momentous fury in him.

 

“I demand to know where we are going and how safe my crew are!” shouted Wilkins with spit flying out of his dry  mouth .

 

“Keep your hair on Snowy,” came back West. “When we find that treasure you’ll be released from those shackles.”

 

***

 

Shark-tooth Sal raised his head and with his hands wet from the vomit in his lap ran fingers through his long, greasy hair.

 

Squiddly leaned to the left grabbing Sal’s head so his ear was close.  

 

“How much longer is this charade going to go on?”

 

Sal shook his messy head, replying

‘Don’t give up on your character mate. Keep those pirate voices happening to convince them who we are.’   

 

Comments

This had pace and the characters are great. I loved the opening paragraph and how it realistically portrayed the way people and images occupy our heads. The frustration building up in Wilkins is also beautifully described. I could relate to that 100%. Great chapter!
I have to believe in what I'm writing. I don't believe in ghosts but I do believe in con-men. That's why I ended it like I did.
I love where you have taken this chapter, Ken. Great descriptions also. This could now go anywhere. Wonderful chapter :)
Late in submitting. Sorry. Will be posted soon. As for Ken's chapter, this is the kind of open ended chapter that leaves possibilities for the direction of the plot. As always I love Ken's realism, not so much the action here but the dialogue and human characteristics. ..."with his hands wet from the vomit..." May not be to everyone's taste (excuse me) but the picture conjured is very vivid and smelly. Nice one Ken.
Just noticed, Ken, that Cpt West, the pirate should be on the African Star, not the Aegean Sunset so I'll make that right in next chapter.
Thanks for pointing that out Ray. Bit of a problem to have the same man on two ships....oops.