The Storm
Baron Britpop Blastfurnace • Chapter 26
The days of our crossing dragged on. The crew said we had uncommonly good weather. Then one day, the wind picked up. It began to rain, and the waves started to grow. The Captain ordered Andelbert and me to go to our cabin and told us not to come out until he gave the all-clear. He also told us to keep our chamber pots handy, for we were likely to get sick. We did as we were told.
The Jellyfish soon started rocking back and forth from side to side. After a time, it started rising and falling from bow to stern. The bow would rise at a steep angle and then come crashing down as if it were falling. Every time it fell, the ship creaked and groaned as if it were about to come apart.
Andelbert and I both got gravely ill. We spent most of the time lying in our bunks, praying we wouldn’t sink, and then rolling over to get sick in the chamber pots.
After what seemed like an eternity, the seas began to calm. Eventually, we were allowed back on deck. The crew looked ragged and tired. They were utterly saturated by water.
Stout saw us and laughed.
“I see you survived the storm, alright.”
“I was quite sure we would all perish,” I replied.
“Well, that was a dandy of a storm. No doubt about it. But I seen worse,” Stout said.
“It felt like the ship kept falling.”
“That’s because she was. We steer the bow into the waves, and when we crest them, the ship falls down the other side of the waves. Some of those waves were high as the masts, so it made for some mighty drops. If one of them towering waves had hit us broadside, it would’ve flipped the ship over and busted her up.”
I was no longer captivated by the idea of being a sailor, and our ship seemed very small.
