Realistic+-+Take+Me+Away

=Take Me Away=

“Blimey, Joey. Have ye ever seen anything so beautiful?” commented my father, with a pensive expression on his face. The twinkling warm lights of the buildings near by reflected in his eyes, giving him a kind fatherly gaze. It took me a moment to reply to his question.

“No, father. I haven’t. That ship is probably the grandest to have ever sailed through London in since 1870!” I exclaimed. I was easily awed, still having a young eager boy in my ten year old self.

Father chuckled. “Lad, that’s nearly a decade that you’re talking about. But still, it’s quite possible. That ships definitely in the top ten, and it’s the best that I’ve seen myself.”

We were overlooking the harbor, trying to make shapes out of the cool swirling fog that had swallowed it several nights ago. It was an old past time of my father and me to watch the ships roll in from the sea, returning from fantastic places with stories to tell. The tales that their trusty crews recited in the nearby inns was always excellent entertainment. So here we were, waiting for a ship to bring in our evening’s fun. We hadn’t known that //The Princess//, the royal ship, was due to come in tonight until we saw its crowned mermaid emerged from the dense fog. It was difficult not to recognize it.

Even in the dark, //The Princess//’s luxury was apparent. It had been painted an elegant shade of green, and exquisite carvings covered its side. The Sails were new and creamy white, giving the ship a look of power. It was the most beautiful thing I had seen in my life. Father raised his lantern higher to try and throw its comforting glow across the water. “I reckon we won’t be able to see its full splendor till morning though. This fog’s so thick it’ll take hours to clear away.” he muttered. I was disappointed. I’d only seen one other royal ship before several years ago and that one had amazed me even though it was only a trade ship. //The Princess// was for special purposes. Everyone knew that.

I adjusted my rough warm jacket so it covered more of my exposed throat. The night was chilly. Condensed fog dripped through my flat hat and into my hair, sending shivers down my spine. Father noticed my shivers, and without a word lead me down the street that led to our home.

The two of us chatted excitedly about the newest arrival and it wasn’t long until the cobblestone street brought us to the front door. Mother had seen us approaching, so she had a fire roaring and tea on the stove. The warmth comforted me. Winter in this part of London had a bite to it.

Mother asked us about the ships for this evening, and while I warmed up father explained to her in an enthusiastic voice about the Princess. Mother couldn’t share the same amount of enthusiasm, but she understood how important this was to us and so she made several friendly comments on it.

That night, the three of us went to bed with happy thoughts foreseeing tomorrow. But that night, something terrible happened. I had been dreaming peacefully when all the sudden a foul smell woke me up. I bolted upright in bed, and saw a frightening glow was emanating from the kitchen. I ran to my parents’ bedroom, and together we tried to smother the flames. But they only erupted faster, and father yelled at me to try and run outside. I was too panicked not to listen, and so I climbed through a window that hadn’t been surrounded my flames yet.

Hours passed. Neighbors had heard our cries for help and tried to get in the house to help my parents, but they failed. The fire was too powerful and all anyone could do was wait as the flames slowly died with the almost useless help of the firemen. My parents did not emerge from the house.

It wasn’t until late afternoon that the fire finally died down to a manageable amount that the job was finished. A fireman went inside and came out with his head shaking. Horror gripped me. I knew what that meant. I doubled over to the ground, tears streaking down my cheek. A policeman came and took me away, and I barely noticed.

Several weeks later, I found myself in a small orphanage. Still consumed with grief over my parents’ death, I was in a catatonic state most of the time. The other children gave up on trying to connect with me, leaving me in a corner to brood. The sisters that took care of us followed the same example after trying a little longer than the children. And my stony face told them that I didn’t care.

It was one day that we were on a walk outside that the sisters had forced me to take that I saw //her// again. //The Princess// had finished its business here, and it was preparing to cast off. I needed no time to decide. I bolted from my group of dumbfounded orphans and ran up the gangplank before anyone could notice me.

I dashed behind a large crate so fast that the sisters still hadn’t noticed my escape. The crew, being used to small boys aboard, ignored me. My heart beat loudly until the cries of alarm from my caretakers finally subsided after an hour or so. I slumped back against the crate, exhausted from my ordeal. And right before I drifted off to a troubled sleep, I thought of what on earth I had just done.

A rough, callused hand slapped me awake. I looked up, confused and forgetting where I was. The ship rocked back and forth smoothly, telling me that we had set sail. An elderly looking sailor was looking down at me with a bemused expression. “Sonny boy, if the first mate catches ye like that he’ll have yer hide fer sure.” He drawled, in the odd sailor talk that I had always found amusing before my parents’ death. He had an odd twinkle in his eye as he said so.

“Huh?” I said. I was still groggy from my nap and my mind was fuzzy.

“Never mind. Just don’t ye go falling asleep again. I might have to punish ye meself if ye do. Ma names Sam, by the way. And what’s yours, young lad?” Sam said, still smiling.

“Oh! Well, uh, my names Joey. Er…I’m not really supposed to be here, ” was my hasty reply.

“Are ye now? Well, I won’t ask where ye came from Joey. I’ll teach ye the ropes. Ye remind me of meself when I was your age. Didn’t have a clue aboard a ship. We’re heading for Asia, by the way. So ye’ll have plenty of time to learn.” Sam’s grin widened. I smiled weakly back at him. The muscles that were needed ached as if I was cracking stone to use them. I realized that I hadn’t smiled in a very long time. Sam became my best friend aboard the ship. When I told him of that horrible night of the fire, and how it was also the first time I had seen this ship, he gave his sympathy and thought it interesting that both events had happened on the same night.

Also, Sam kept his promise. He began to teach me how the rigs and ropes of the fine ship worked and I could soon handle them just as well as any other sailor. He had trouble with the ropes himself sometimes due to his arthritic fingers, and I was happy to help him. Sam also told the captain that I was his little nephew and the captain, a military type man, just grunted in reply. Another set of hands was always welcome. At first, I was a little anxious about going all the way to Asia. But I realized that I had left absolutely nothing in London, and so I trusted Sam’s word that we would be okay once we got there.

One morning, while I was swabbing the deck, Sam came over to talk to me. “Y’know, Joey, I’m not coming back once we’re in Asia. I have some friends there who’ve made good lives there, and I intend on joining them. But I was thinking…would ye like to come with me? Indonesia’s a good place to start over. And I reckon you need a fresh start. Ten’s a young age, and you have your whole life ahead of ye," he said, slowly.

I looked at Sam open-mouthed. I had lost sleep trying to figure out what I would do once we got there. Go back to London? Join another crew and sail for the rest of my life? And now Sam had made my decision for me. I wanted to stay with him. He was like a grandpa to me. “What do you intend to do over there?” I asked. As much as I wanted to stay with him, I didn’t want to do anything illegal.

Sam smiled, showing very few teeth. “We’ll be at sea a lot, because my friends have a trading company. They help the countries there exchange goods. I love the sea, and I’m not about to leave it. So they’ve promised me a good ship and a good deal of gold if I’ll go over and captain one of their ships.”

My decision was automatic. I wanted nothing else than to sail more, and to sail under Sam’s command was a dream. I worked for the next week cheerfully whistling all the time. We didn’t see land until almost a month later. I was impatient to start my new life, but the grand ship was at its limits. The planks and hub groaned as the sails pulled the vessel forward. “LAND HO!” cried the man at the crow’s nest. My heart leaped out of my chest.

“This is it Joey. We’re starting anew.” Sam whispered. The excitement was apparent in his voice. I nodded vigorously. We crept toward the docks and finally the gangplank made a satisfying thud as it connected with solid ground. I ran down its wooden surface, kissing the ground when I got to it.

Sam’s friends had sent a fancy coach to meet our arrival. I was impressed by how wealthy they seemed to be, and it only made me more enthusiastic to try this new life. Sam fell asleep once we were in the carriage as my words of growing expectation filled the compartment. The carriage tumbled down the road quickly, and finally Sam and I were at the doors of a lavish mansion. I banged the large brass knocker three times and we were greeted by a polite servant. He led us through the home as we looked around with looks of amazement to a large study, where the men that would fabricate my destiny awaited.

Now here I am, almost twenty five years later, still living in Indonesia. I travel a lot, but it wasn’t enough to keep me from finding a lovely girl whom I fell in love with and married. I have a son who just turned four. Sam died several years ago, and I had still been under his command at the time as his first mate. Now I captain his ship, //The Maybird//. My life has me living blissfully happy.

I woke up one morning in my own bed, which was rare. I usually awoke looking up at the ceiling of a ship cabin. I realized I was home. Since this was so unusual, I decided to spend some time with my son. I shook his tiny frame awake, telling him to go and get his jacket. I would show him my ship today, for the first time. We waved goodbye to his mother and set off for the docks. He climbed up my shoulders and pulled at my hair as we made our way through the tiny town that I had called home for so long. Soon the air became saltier and I saw //The Maybird//. “Blimey Dad! Have ye ever seen anything so beautiful?” my young son exclaimed.

I thought of my first glimpse of //The Princess//. I thought of how my life had changed aboard it. I thought of everything that //The Princess// had given me. Tears of happiness brimmed in my eyes. “Yes, son. Yes I have.” I said, smiling through my tears.