Adventure of The Gold
The floor boards creaked, you practically had to pry the doors open with a crowbar and drops of water were constantly dripping through the walls. He had a hundred more complaints about the ship and its disrepair, but you get the picture.
The orange Blumaroo sighed as he picked up an old kettle off the floor. Placing it on top the stove, he turned to look at the kitchen again. How this ship managed to stay afloat was a mystery, how he was supposed to cook in it was an even bigger mystery.
This was the reason you don't push someone off a ship in the middle of the ocean, no matter what he says about your cooking. After all, there isn't that big a chance he'll drown.
Bonju sighed for what had to be the hundredth time that day. There wasn't much that could be lower then this, but at least he hadn't hit rock bottom. Not totally, anyway.
"I don't know why you're bothering. This place never stays clean for more then a week."
Captain Turin, a red Grarrl, stepped into the room, weaving past the junk that was scattered around.
"Last chef I had, Flower I think her name was, tried to keep it clean too. Wasn't two or three weeks before she gave that up. Not another week after that, we lost her at sea."
"And the chef before that?" Asked Bonju, just as curious as his species is stereotyped for.
"He didn't last a week. There was a bad storm and he had forgotten to lock the knife drawer. There isn't much you can do at that point. We'll, good luck, Bonju. If you need anything, just come find me."
Leaving a very freaked out Blumaroo behind, the Captain went up on deck.
"Now I know why they hired me so quickly…" Mumbled Bonju. "This job is practically cursed!"
Picking up a broom, Bonju started to clean. The least he could do is die in a sanitary kitchen.
---
He missed the Cyodrakes Gaze, even if he hated most of its crew. Now that he was aboard The Gold, he found he yearned for a lot of things about his old ship. The cleanness for one.
And yet, for all of the things he missed about the Cyodrakes Gaze, he doubted any of them missed him. Not that he'd know, of course. Having snuck through the porthole before Tuan had unlocked the storeroom door. He may not have been fat, but it was a tight fit all the same. And a very long swim, too.
Sweeping the last of the dust up, he tossed it out the porthole. His new kitchen was finally clean, not a spot out of place.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Oh, yes. The leaky roof. Glaring at the ceiling as if it had committed some indescribable crime, Bonju sat down to rest.
"I hope this ship sinks…" He muttered to himself.
"Ha! You wouldn't be the first, my friend."
Spinning around, Bonju watched a blue female Wocky enter the kitchen.
"And you are…?"
"Sonya. I've heard you're the new chef. Take my advice, leave this ship at the first possible moment."
Taken aback by her bluntness, the Blumaroo soon recovered.
"May I ask why?"
"You think it's just the Chefs and Cooks that have died aboard this ship? Nobody lives long aboard The Gold, Nobody."
Stunned into silence, the Blumaroo did nothing to stop the Wocky from leaving. Just what had he gotten himself into, anyway? Something about the ship wasn't right, and it gave Bonju the creeps.
( one week earlier )
Locked up in the store room, Bonju sat upon one of the crates. Captain Tuan had said to 'Think about what he did'. It didn't help much though, the more he thought about it, the more he feared he would be further punished when they arrived back in Shenkuu.
Then there was boredom. The crates the Cyodrakes Gaze carried were full of food and supplies, that's it, nothing else. Shenkuu really had no use for anything else, at least nothing worth buying clear across the ocean.
Of course, the Blumaroo would never admit to looking through everything for toys, even though he did. So, the only thing there was to do in the store room was to stare at the ocean from the porthole. Needless to say, he was bored.
Hours passed by, and Bonju was sure he'd be the first to die of boredom. But a flash of green caught his eye. Leaping from his current crate to one closer to the porthole, he peek out.
And Island, not one hundred feet away.
"Hoban must have taken the long root home… Evil Ba$#3R&!"Not too thrilled with the navigators plan to leave him in the store room for as long as possible, Bonju seethed. Muttering insults, the Blumaroo settled down to think.
Five minutes later, Bonju pried the porthole open with one of Kentari's extra blades. Sliding out with some difficulty, Bonju swam towards the Island, leaving the Cyodrakes Gaze and all it's oblivious crew behind.