This story was inspired by the Harris Burgan Picture Captain Tory. The Plot and everything is mine but the Schooner, and Captain Tory arent. Enjoy!
Captain Tory
"Grandpa Max, where are you going?" I asked the elderly man half way out the door that lead to the black abyss that was London in the year 1912.
He turned his head and answered, "Only on a walk. Don't worry I'll be back soon."
"Can I come with you?" I ran over to him and clutched his coat
"No I want some time to myself," he answered patting my head and he released himself from my grasp. I stood there watching him leave.
"Edward, it's time for bed!" my mother called from the other room.
I turned and complained, "But I want to wait for Grandpa!"
"For god's sake your 13 years old, can't you listen when I say GO TO BED," my mother yelled. I jumped and ran immediately ran up the stairs into my small room in the corner of the house.
"Whew that was close, she could have killed me! Oh well," I whispered walking over to the window that overlooked the river in front of the house. There was a small light that looked like it came from a lantern, being held up by a tall figure (I couldn't see very well because it was foggy). It swung three times like it was a bell.
I looked around and saw nothing for a couple of seconds but then slowly a shadow appeared on the water towards the bridge.
"What?" I whispered opening and closing my eyes just to make sure that they were working properly. The closer I looked the shadow turned into a shape that I knew very well.
It was a small Schooner.
I saw the schooner stop in front of the figure holding the lantern and the figure got on. Then a bell rang twice and the boat left the side of the road and proceeded to go in the opposite direction. My eyes tried to follow it but it disappeared as soon as it reached the bridge, just like it did before. I slumped away from the window wondering what the heck had just happened. I didn't have much time to think because my door opened behind me and I turned around.
"Edward, why are you still up? Go to bed, you have a busy day at work tomorrow."
"Ok Mother, I will," I said as the smiled at me and walked out of my room. I went over to my bed and pulled out my Pajamas (I put them there to try to keep them warm, it doesn't really work though). I quickly put on my freezing Pajamas and hurried into my covers trying to keep myself warm. After a couple of minutes I fell asleep.
The Seagulls were my alarm clock the next morning. They must have known that my mother was coming to get me because not a moment late, there was someone pounding on my door.
"Edward, GET UP!" the voice that I recognized as my mother's yelled.
I sighed and answered back, "I'm already up mother."
"Ok but hurry, your hot cakes are getting cold." I could hear her going back down the stairs again. I hesitated, not wanting to escape the warmth of my blankets, but I knew that I had to get up anyway. I slowly sat up felling the coolness of the air sending shivers down my spine. Fighting the urge to go under my covers once more, I threw off the rest of my covers and ran to my dresser. The cold air wrapped it's self around my ankles, and I tried to ignore it as I took off my Pajamas and threw on a cold button down shirt, freezing pants and a icy jacket. The only thing that weren't really cold was my socks (because my feet were so warm that they warmed right up). I folded up my pajamas and placed them under my covers and went down stairs.
"Good Morning Edward," said a voice over in the corner of the kitchen.
"Grandpa," I said happily and ran over to him. "What time did you get home?"
"Not long too long ago," He answered giving me a hug.
"What were you doing?" I asked him as I released myself from grasp and sitting down to eat my hotcakes.
"Nothing special," he answered simply not volunteering any other information. I looked at him wondering what he actually did, while finishing my hotcakes. My mother put a finger to her lips as the radio came on with the weather.
"Today will be partly cloudy and 3º C today while tonight will be Foggy and -7º C, make sure that you dress war-" the radio was cut off by another program
"Sorry Folks! We interrupt this program to bring you the latest breaking news! A small child by the name of Samantha Hendrickson has died last night. Apparently she had been sent out to go give Amanda Avon her mother's soup. Samantha was found and declared dead by George Evans, who had just so happened to pass by at the time. He also said that there was a ship that was floating away when he found her earlier today. Tell me Mr. Evans, what did that ship look like?"
A new, low voice came on the radio.
"It looked like a small Schooner. Although it was dark, you could tell that there was, maybe, ten people working it."
"Thank you for that information, Mr. Evans. Can you tell us anything about any of those ten men?"
"Like I said, it was dark so I could not see anything, but I did hear a name, I think it was Tory."
My head jerked up and looked at Grandpa, who was as white as a ghost. He quickly excused himself and left the room. My Mother and I looked at each other, not knowing what to think. Finally I asked her, "Do you think Grandpa did it?"
"Honestly Honey, I don't know, I just can't see him murdering an innocent child," my mother shuttered at the thought. "I know my father well and I do not think that he did it.'
I smiled at my mother. Once she decided something was right, it remained right until she was proven wrong. But there still was one thing that bothered me
"Why did he leave the room?"
My mother did not answer that but I could tell that it was exactly what she was thinking too. I sighed and got up to do my dishes but my mother stopped me.
"I'll do them," she said taking the dishes away from me. I was shocked. My mother never did the dishes for anyone else, so her taking my dishes must have meant something.
"Mother," I asked
She turned and faced me," if anyone asks you anything about either me, your grandpa or even you, you just ignore them and give them the service that they want. Don't say anything except maybe 'I don't know anything' you understand me?"
I nodded and she smiled at me.
"Go boy, now go get ready for work." She waved me out of the kitchen and I ran upstairs to gather all of the things that I needed for work.
"Here's your bread sir," I said handing a tall man his loaf of bread. "Next please."
A tall man shuffled forward in the long line that expended out of the door way of the small bread shop.
"Thank you for your purchase, next please," I said
"Uh yes I would like 4 croissants and ten bagels," the man asked. I quickly ran into the back while calculating the amount that he owed.
When I got back to the front, I said "Here you go, that will be Five pounds and Nine Sickles." The man shuffled out the money and grabbed his stuff and took off.
"Thank you for your business." I mumbled to myself and continued to serve customers.
The morning was generally pretty quiet until lunch when one of our neighbors, James Von Duke came in.
"I'd like a bagel," he said
"Coming right up sir," I answered and brought him his things.
"Hey you're the boy that lives next door, right? Wasn't it Edward Tory?" he asked, handing me the amount.
"Yep that's me," I answered not looking up.
"Well they just took your Grandpa into custody and he's going to have to sit in jail over night until he either confesses to the crime or pleads not guilty," he said. Taking his bagel, and leaving the shop.
I dropped the money that Mr. Von Duke had given me, I was shocked. They had taken Grandpa into custody all because of some guy that says that he had herd the name. And everyone automatically assumes that it was him. It could have been me, (although I know that I didn't do it) or Mother could have done the deed, but no they just take him. Mother and I might never see him again.
"Hey Tory, Get that cleaned up," my boss's voice rang out, interrupting my thoughts.
"Oh sorry hold on," I answered cleaning as quickly as I could and ran out the door.
"Where is he…?" I mumbled to myself looking left and right. Then I saw a long brown coat. "Aha!" I said and ran after him calling, "Mr. Von Duke Wait!"
He turned around and I was able to catch up with him.
"Sir where is he," I asked out of breath. He just smiled at me and motioned for me to follow him.
After a couple of minutes we arrived at the court house. He pointed at the window and gave me a leg up so I could see.
Inside was a huge brown desk that stretched from one end to the room to the other and my grandpa stood there facing the man that stood behind the desk. I could almost here what they were saying.
"Since you can't… you are innocent, I plead you guilty and sentence you to… in jail. Take him away!" the jury said banging the stick.
"NO!" I yelled jumping down from the ledge and ran to the front door; I opened it and screamed, "Grandpa!"
He turned around and smiled at me, "I'll see you tomorrow Ed," he said and disappeared behind the giant wooden door.
"No, wait Grandpa!" I yelled charging up to the wooden door and pounding on it.
"Get him out of here," the Jury ordered a nearby guard. I felt the guard wrap his arm around me. I struggled, trying to free myself from his grasp.
"Stop struggling, you'll get hurt," the guard ordered me, but I didn't stop. The guard then opened the door and tossed me outside. I hit the ground and was greeted with the sudden darkness.
I woke up in a dark room and the sound of crying next to me, my vision was blurry so I couldn't see where she was.
"Mother," I managed to gasp out.
"Oh Edward, your awake," I heard her say and felt her hand rest against my forehead. "Good, no fever."
"Mother what happened?" I asked her trying to clear my vision without success.
"The kind Mr. Von Duke brought you back home and said that you were knocked out. I told him to bring you in here as I called the doctor. Once he learned that you were ok, he went and told your boss what happened to you so you didn't get fired." She said calmly "Honey do you remember what had happened that had caused you to fall?"
"No Mother all I remember is falling," I answered hoping that my face didn't show the lie.
"Ok, well if you do let me know," she said and got up to leave "Get some more sleep."
My vision had finally cleared and I saw that my hand was bandaged up.
"Wait Mother, how long have I been sleeping?" I asked, inspecting the rest of my body.
"Oh about the rest of the day yesterday and most of today," she answered
I thought fast. "Where's Grandpa?"
I saw my mothers face fall and I thought the worst.
"He was convicted of the murder and is sentenced to be hanged tomorrow," she said tears welling up in her eyes.
"No!" I said and sat up, "But he's innocent!"
"I know but the Jury doesn't seem to think so, Of course now they have to find him, because he ran as soon as he heard his sentence. The guards haven't been able to find him yet." She said with a hint of a smile. "Their now I've told you now get some more sleep"
Relief flooded over me. I nodded and covered myself back up in my warm covers. Sleep quickly washed over me and I greeted it with a smile on my face.
I woke up to the tapping on my window. I looked over and saw Grandpa Max looking at me with a smile on his face. I looked at him for a second making sure that I wasn't dreaming, before I realized that this wasn't a dream.
"Grandpa," I asked and he nodded. I quickly got up, grabbed my long brown coat and opened the window. "What are you doing here?"
He just smiled and motioned for me to follow him. I looked around before saying, "I'll see you down stairs." He nodded and I closed the window. As quietly as I could I went over to my door and opened it. There weren't any lights on so I knew that my mother had gone to sleep. I quietly sighed with relief and went down the stairs.
Once I was outside I looked around for him. He was standing by the side of the dock with a single lantern in his hand.
"Come on Edward, I want you to see something," he said calmly I went over to him and watched as He swung his lantern three times and slowly the schooner appeared again.
"Then it was you the other night!" I said staring in disbelief as the schooner came closer.
"Hey Caption Tory, Are you ready to sail," One of the Crewman called to Grandpa Max
"I just have one more thing to do and then yes," he answered. I was confused, what was the one lat thing that he had to do?
"Edward, I want to talk to you one last time," Grandpa Max said turning to me and kneeling down s he was my height.
"I want you to take care of your mother after I'm gone, and I want you to have this," he said and he handed me the lantern.
I stared at him while he placed the lantern in my hand and asked "But why, why are you leaving us?"
He sighed and answered, "I did not hurt that little girl, some one else did, but people seem to think that I did it, so I have to leave."
"But that doesn't make any sense," I pleaded and latched on to his jacket.
"I'm sorry but this is something that I must do, for not only for myself but for you and your mother. But here I'll tell you a little secret, when ever you feel lonely, come out here during the night and wave the lantern like a bell three times, I'll always come back."
"Now I have to go, Edward do you prom ice me that you'll be good for your mother?"
"Yes Grandpa, I promise."
Good then I have nothing to worry about." He stood up.
He gave me one last hug and went on to the schooner. I stood there watching him go, tears welling up in my eyes.
"Alright let's cast off!" I heard him yell to the crew members
"Right!" they yelled back and began scurrying around. The schooner started to disappear and Grandpa Max turned around and waved. I waved back at him until the schooner had fully disappeared from my view. I wiped my eyes and returned to the house. I placed the lantern on the table and went back up to go to sleep.
They eventually caught the real person who had killed the poor girl, but not after many other deaths. I had decided to help with the investigation and found out that I really enjoyed it. As I grew up I became an investigator and helped solve many different kinds of cases.
I periodically saw Grandpa Max and he was happy each time he did, and also significantly older. But all happy things must be put to an end and that was when my grandpa finally died. I never saw him again.
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