When everything goes wrong for our protagonist, he takes to the seas, hoping to find a new life far from home. But no one can ever really flee from one’s past. -- Deathshead419
"Oh lack-a-day lilly, got bit by the filly! The whole world is hating on me. And so I'm running off to sea!" -- Alfarell children's song.
Fairweather knew she had a stowaway. It wasn't as if there were a lot of hiding places on her old tub. Kid thought they were completely hidden in a coil of rope with their hands over their eyes. A tiny little halfbred Elf curled up tight and miserable. Just the right age to be running away from home for the day.
A little adventure, a little scare, and soon they'd miss their people and want to go home. Ocean-going vessels were sharper about finding that flavour of stowaway and kicking them back to the docks. Kid must have thought themself sharp to hide there.
Fairweather cast off with the appropriate flags aloft and headed out into the bay. Far enough to lose easy sight of the dock, and make the town a little less recognisable to the little one. She set her baited nets and waited for the right sign. Listening to the sea and the wind.
True enough, the kid got bored and uncomfortable, and came out of their hidey-hole. Fairweather pretended not to notice as she tucked into her packed lunch.
"Mrs Hellkin? Can I have some?"
Good gods, they made attempted stowaways smaller and smaller. Even standing up, this kid was barely a sprout. "What's this? A stowaway? On my ship no less. This food ain't for you. I need it to feed my muscles so I can bring up the haul."
"I got muscles too," said the kid, showing off matchstick arms. "I'm big and strong! I can be your crew."
"Crew. Hmm..." Fairweather pretended to think. "I could probably use a hand. But first - why stowaway at all? Don't you have a nice home to sleep in?"
"No," pouted the kid. "I'm running away forever."
"Oh, I see. Forever's a very long time," nodded Fairweather. "Bad life at home?"
"Uhuh. Rennie yelleded at me and makes me do chores. An' I have to eat yucky vegables or I don't get a sweet."
"Cruel fate indeed," said Fairweather. "Not many vegables at sea, I grant you, but there's yelling if the weather's foul, just so a body can be heard. And for you... stowaways only get emergency rations, crew or nay."
The little sprout started looking a lot less confident. "I'm hungry. C'n I please have some rashens?"
"Promise you're gonna work?"
The kid nodded, so Fairweather gave them a ship's biscuit. Something designed to last for years upon years because nobody wanted to eat them until they were desperate. Kid was giving it a good solid gnaw when Fairweather's nets were ready.
"Time to work, fingerling. Come and work the windlass."
"I'm Zari."
"And I'm captain Fairweather. I tell you to do something, you jump and say, Aye, aye, cap'n. Let's try that again. Work the windlass."
Zari stuffed the biscuit into the pocket at their dress' chest and followed Fairweather to the crank. Normally, she'd operate it with both hands. This time, she took one side and let the kid hang on to the other. One turn on her side lifted the kid off their feet.
"Drag it down now," instructed Fairweather. "All yer muscles into it." She kept the windlass steady and amused herself watching the kid put all their effort into trying. Bless 'em for not giving up... She slowly turned on the kid's turn, letting them believe that they were actually doing something.
It took five turns before the little mite was exhausted to the point of tears.
Fairweather took over the other side and cranked up her catch in seconds, turning it to dump into the hold. Something that upset Zari no end, because they were icky.
"I wanna go ho-o-o-ome," Zari bawled.
"Yeah, you're not cut out for sea life." Fairweather set her sails back to the dock where an anxious Rennie was bouncing on the balls of hir feet and watching for a certain sail.
"Zari Fullermate, what were you thinking running off like that?" demanded Rennie Fullermate, still scooping up hir kid and covering them with kisses. "I was halfway worried to my sickbed about you. You don't even know how to swim! Were you hurt? Are you hungry? Did you get sun fever?"
"Reh-nee-e-e-e... I'm fine," complained Zari. "Cap'n gived me a biscuit." They held up the half-gnawed ship's biscuit as proof.
"Darling, that's a rusk. Let's get you some proper food."
"Do I gotta eat vegables?"
"Yes. And you still have to help me wash dishes and pick up your toys."
"Awright. I can do that," agreed Zari. "It's better than life at sea."
Rennie Fullermate mouthed, "Thank you," to Fairweather, who tipped her hat.
She was always glad to help the sprouts get perspective on their little lives.
[Photo by orbtal media on Unsplash]
If you like my stories, please Check out my blog and Follow me. Or share them with your friends! Or visit my hub site to see what else I'm up to.
Send me a prompt [41 remaining prompts!]