Morning everyone. I managed to get up early enough that I managed to get a cup of coffee in me before sitting down at my desk. I know, wonder of wonders – pre-desk caffeine. Especially on such a drizzly morning. Well, let’s not waste the caffeine. Ready with those timers? Excellent. Fly my pretties, fly!
I have to say, I had no expectations when I sat down with this prompt. I figured I’d go pirate. which I suppose I sort of did in a sideways sort of way. No idea where this story would go if I continued it out. I’d have to think about it a while before I set pen to page to work on it. But that’s okay. Some stories need thinking through and mental marination before you work on them. This would be one of them.
Tuesday, January 5th: There was nothing but water as far as the eye could see.
There was nothing but water as far as the eye could see. I fought the rising panic and forced myself to walk calmly across the deck. With each footstep I could feel the words echoing through my bones as I tried to control myself.
Don’t Panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic.
Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot.
Don’t panic.
I reached the other side of the ship. Again I studied the horizon. I stared until I thought my eyes were going to shrivel up and fall out of my head like salt cured rasins.
Not that anyone makes rasise by salt curing them,. Or eyeballs either I expect.
I could feel my heart thudding in my chest and knew that if I didn’t get a grip on myself I was going to be in serious trouble.
I snorted a laugh.
“Serious trouble,” I repeated outloud. I gripped the railing as laughter bubbled forth shaking my whole body.
“Serious,” I snorted “Trouble.”
The laughter overtook me. Tears came to my eyes and rolled down my cheeks at the hilarity of it. My knees gave way and I slid to the deck, rear end plonking against the wet wood with a hollow sound. Gradually my laughter tapered off. I felt shaky inside after my bout of hysteria.
I hiccupped as the laughter trailed off and I rubbed the back of my hand across my mouth. My lips felt dry and cracked.
I took a deep breath and held it, counting slowly to ten. I let it out in a slow steady stream and then waited. The hiccups were gone. I took a relieved breath. At least something was going right.
How had this happened?
I snorted.
I knew how this happened.
Toby. That’s how this had happened.
Although the details were hazy. I remembered sneaking aboard the docked pirate ship outside the maritime museum. Toby wanted some photos of the ship in the moonlight for his Instagram feed. The plan had been to sneak on board and get them, then sneak back off and meet his friends at the bar. I wanted to skip the whole sneaking on board part and just meet everyone at the bar, but Toby was insistent.
I remembered the heart pounding excitement of sneaking on board. Toby found it energizing, but I found myself becoming slightly ill. I knew Toby thought it no different than breaking the rules at home, but I knew different. There his father was the mayor, his mother was not only the daughter of the man who owned the biggest employer in town, but a renowned attorney. His brother was the Sherriff and various uncle, aunts and cousins sat on the city and county commissions and boards. Any trouble he got in, he was quickly gotten out of. Here things were different, although Toby didn’t seem to realize it.
I reached up and felt the tender spot on my head. I remembered getting on board and then I remember Toby undying a rope so that he could shift something around to get a better photo. Then I remembered a white flare of pain as something hit me from behind, then only darkness.
I could piece things more or less together from there. The rope Toby loosened caused something to knock into me, and then somehow the ship got loose. But where was Toby? Why wasn’t he here with me? Wherever here actually was.
Ten til Midnight 