Page 14 of Found at Sea
I snapped awake, covered in a cold sweat. The lamp was almost dark; the flame small and barely glowing.
Somehow, I eventually surrendered to my body’s needs, letting the rocking of the ship loll me to a deep sleep.
***
Four days at sea and I was currently emptying what little I had in my stomach overboard into the crystal blue water. Far from a beautiful sight, I know, but my body was not accustomed to the constant rocking of the vessel and the odor of fish and salt water.
Fortunately, the sickness was easing as the days passed, but there were still moments where I lost control. Moments like now.
Some of the men scrubbing the deck laughed as I threw up again. I did my best to ignore them.
“Once yer done throwin’ yer guts up, get back ter work,” Horace shouted. He was a boatswain and supervised all the activities aboard theCrimson Night. His long, light brown hair was stringy and his brow was always furrowed.
With his short temper, he was certainly a man I did not wish to anger.
“Yes, sir,” I replied after wiping my mouth.
I didn’t know where we were. Out on the sea, everything looked the same. All blue water in every direction, with maybe a small bout of land in the distance. It was disorienting sometimes.
I looked toward the helm and saw Captain Flynn. He stood so tall and confident at the ship’s wheel that it was difficult not to gape at him.
The top of his dark hair blew in the breeze, as did the front of his opened shirt. I marveled at his muscled abdomen, remembering the way it rippled as he thrust into the whore at the brothel. My pants fit tighter at the thought, and suddenly, I forgot all about my sea sickness.
As I stared, I wondered how it would feel to touch him. To have him touch me. I pictured myself as the man who’d been in front of him, taking every pumping of his cock into my body. Never having known the touch of another, I could only imagine what it’d be like.
Captain Flynn regarded me, and I froze as our gazes locked.
From my distance, I couldn’t clearly see his eyes, but they were imbedded in my memory. One blue and one brown; a mesmerizing sight to behold. His jaw was set and his stare was intense, causing warmth to flood in my belly.
I looked away.
In the days I’d been aboard, he hadn’t said a word to me. But I’d often caught him staring.
“Lad!” Horace yelled, gripping my arm and yanking me toward him. He shoved me down before throwing a mop beside me. “Get ter work!”
I did as he said, recalling how the last swab who’d given him lip was met with the cat-o’-nine-tails. I washed the deck with the other men as the sun traveled higher in the sky. The heat of it burned into my back and sweat poured down my face.
My body ached with each forward motion of the mop, and by the end of the day, my hands were blistered.
The setting sun cast a dark orange glow on the sea, causing the sparkling blue water to appear darker. I was on the starboard side of the ship, awestruck by the sights. For years, I’d sat atop my perch on the tallest hill in Helmfirth, gazing at the sea and wondering what adventures awaited beyond my small town.
And there I was, finally free.
“Move yer arse!” Horace yelled, shoving me aside as he passed.
Well almost free.
I inwardly laughed, even though I should’ve been frightened at such a fact. It’d been my choice to board theCrimson, however, if I hadn’t, I would’ve been forced aboard anyway. Captain Flynn had said as much. I suppose in a way I was afraid, but it was outweighed now by the excitement.
A splash in the water caught my attention and I looked to where it’d come from, only to see a flash of something green before it disappeared below the waves.
“Mermaids.”
I pivoted on my heels to see who’d spoken, and I was surprised to see one of the younger members of the crew. He had short dark hair and eyes the color of the sea, and he stood inches taller than me. We hadn’t spoken in the four days I’d been aboard, but I’d seen him plenty of times.
Hardnotto see someone when you’re stuck on a ship in the middle of the ocean.
“Huh?”
