"Set Me Free" pt 2 (c) Moshda 2010

Ok, here's some more that I just wrote today~! (If you're confused, check out part 1.) Not sure how many parts this will take.... but it will be a short story if it kills me!

He couldn’t afford to mess this job up. His mother and little sisters were counting on him to earn enough money to pay for their voyage across the sea to join him and his father in this new country. Their homeland, Lefia, was in turmoil since the king had just died heirless and his various assistants and lords were each vying to become the next ruler. The old king’s predecessor had bled the people dry of all their money and resources, and the nation was crumbling and on the brink of an internal war.

Jim’s father had decided to take his family and flee from the island nation, across the sea and to the large, prosperous land of Bolli. However, the merchant they’d begged a passage from had refused to transport women. He was a superstitious old codger and believed that having four virgins and an ‘old witch’ aboard his vessel would leave him shipwrecked on a deserted island with all his crew dead. So, Jim’s father had convinced to let the captain pay for his and his son’s passage by working as a deckhand on the Marietta for two years. As soon as they reached port at Bolli, Jim was to find work and earn money to bring the rest of the family over. Now, Jim had done just that.

“All right, lads, now to Market! Full sails!” Captain Hawkins bellowed, climbing the steps to the aft deck.
“The Market?” Jim asked nobody in particular.
“Aye, them’s treacherous waters this time o’ year. We be needing a guide to get across,” one of the deckhands—whose long black hair was tied at the back of his neck—replied, hauling on one of the ropes to lift up the sails which fluttered in the breeze.
“A guide? Surely the Captain is capable of sailing to Seshaire without help.”
“The Captain is one of the most capable there is. However, the Wandering Islands take to moving about this time of year, and any sailor foolish enough to venture through that stretch of ocean unguided will find himself shipwrecked right sharpish,” the other man continued.
“You mean the Wandering Islands really move?” Jim gasped. “I thought that was just folklore!”
“Aye, they do move, and quickly too. None of us will get much sleep when we sail through there. Mark my words, you’ll come back to port with a few grey hairs,” remarked another sailor—who was missing the last two fingers on his left hand-- with a wink. “Oy, give that rope a tug, will ya?”
“What kind of guide could get us through such a dangerous piece of sea?” Jim asked, doing as he was told. The man missing fingers grinned through his bushy beard and replied,
“Even if I told ya, you wouldn’t believe me. Jus’ wait and see lad.”
“So what’s your name?” asked the young man with the ponytail.
“Jim, and yours?”
“Samson; that ornery old codger is Bill,” the other replied.
“It’s a pleasure to meet—” Jim began, but Bill interrupted with a good-natured jest:
“You’ll not be saying such when you’re tossing your stomach over the railing.”
“I’ll have you know, I’ve sailed before!”
“Enough with the chatter down there—get back to work ya useless lot!” the Captain bellowed, spinning the giant steering wheel about.
“If we need a guide, why are we leaving now?” Jim whispered to Samson.
“Ya see, the Market’s a bit up the coast. We’re in no danger as long as we stick close to the shallows. The Wandering Islands never get that close to the main lands,” Samson replied, tying some ropes to the ring at the base of the mast.

The sailing was smooth and slow as they made their way up the coast. The captain called orders every now and then, but for the most part, the ship practically sailed itself. The fresh breeze from the ocean made the sun only pleasantly warm, and the ocean reflected the clear deep blue of the sky. When they docked at the market, Captain Hawkins sent Samson and Curtis, who usually sat in the crow’s nest, to go get a guide, admonishing them to make sure it wasn’t “too thin and sickly or fat and lazy”. They took the purse of gold coins he gave them and headed off down the boardwalk; meanwhile Bill and Jonesy, who worked in the galley, were busy filling an old metal washtub, set at the prow, with ocean water and tying it firmly to the rail. Jim could only wonder at what they were up to, as Captain Hawthorn was glaring at every one with such a fierce ‘do your work’ look on his face that Jim dared not ask questions. He knew the captain was anxious to not miss the tide.

After about an hour, just as Captain Hawkins was just beginning to chew his fingernails and mutter nervously about missing the tide, Samson and Curtis were spotted coming slowly down the boardwalk. To Jim, they seemed to be dragging something between them. He squinted against the sun, but couldn’t make out what it was.
“Strange,” he muttered to himself, “I thought they were getting us a guide…”
“Oh, they were, looks to me like they got one!” Jonesy exulted beside Jim.
“But—”
“Just wait and see, mate, wait and see,” Jonesy clapped the younger boy on the shoulder and scuffled off to see to the sails.

Hahaha, this could definitely be made into something long! XD but I like it