Chapter 3 has finally made it! Yay!
Let me know what you think! (References are at the bottom, if you come across terms that you're not sure of)
"So ya got t'a plan, right Oil?"
"Well, yeah bu-"
"Good. So, yu'll do it, right?"
"Well, I guess. But I-"
"Good. Now, I'll'meet'ya back heah at sunset. An' I want it done, Oil", Spot's voice still rung in my ear. "I want it done."
That was just about an hour ago. And now I was sitting on a stoop on Bridge street - which was an odd name, at least in my mind, fer a street with no bridge on it. I scolled all-frust'rated-like - with my head in my hands and all. It was 'n a'dventure - that's what he called it, at least - 'n a'dventure. An' he didn't even tell me 'zacky what this grand a'dventure was.
My mission? Get a boat from the yard - more like steal a boat - and bring it back to "The Newsie" dock.
My plan? That was a work in progress.
Why in the hell was I doing this? I hadn't got a clue. I guess because that Spot kid said so. And why in the hell not? I got nuttin' else better to do, right?
But how in the hell was I gonna get a boat off the yard?
"You'se a shipboy, ain't'ya?" That's what that Spot kid said. And, yeah - I'm a shipboy. But that's 'bout it. I ain't no capt'n! I ain't 'loud ta go gal'a'vantin' 'round a shipyard takin' boats! I'd get taken from my crew if I e'er got caught fer somethin' like that.
But I said I'd do it. And I gotta be true to my word - that's what we're always told. Even if all yer money don't 'mount ta nuttin', as long as yer word is true, you could always climb back up. 'Cause this world id full 'a cheaters, and there's gotta be some 'a us who are a'right.
And it happened to old capt'n, once - the old crazy one, who build old Jade. When he was young, he came across a nice lot money. He was real weird 'bout it too - wouldn't let it leave his sight. Told his crew that if anyone e'er stole his money, he'd shoot 'em. And then, in the middle of the night, his crew came into his cabin, and knocked 'im out. He woke up the next day on a dingy out in the Indian Ocean, with a pistol and some grog. The crew had revolted 'gainst him, and left 'im to die. But he was "rescued" by an Indian fisherman. He told the fisherman everthin' that happened to him - didn't lie to 'im a once. An' he worked on that fishin' boat fer almost a year, until he earned enough money to leave.
An' when he found all his crew again, he shot each 'n e'ery one of 'em in the middle 'a the night - with the very same pistol that they'd given him, when they left him fer dead.
. . .
The clock above me chimed - real loud too - eight a' clock. Sunset in June was later - almost half past eight. So that gave me a half hour to get a boat back to that Spot kid.
I stared aross the street and down a few hundred yards at the ships docked waiting for repairs, for a few seconds. Why in the hell was I here? I couldn't do this. What if I stood out?
"Ya blend right in, Oil", Spot had said, "With those closes ya wearin', you won't stand out a bit."
I looked down at my ratty clothes. They were made from leftover dungarees - the cloth we use fer the sails - from Old Jade's last trip to India. My pants were still too big fer me, and were being held up by some extra rope that I'd found. There was a big ol' patch - that I'd fixed all by myself, thank you very much - on my right knee; but it was startin' to come undone. My shirt was all baggy and worn, and the sleeves had been pushed to my elbows so many times that it'd stretched out the material; so much that I had to keep the cuffs forever rolled up.
Takin' a deap breath, I turned my 'ttention back to my mission. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat. Steal a boat.
Don't get caught.
. . .
I tip-toed my way across the street and onto the yard. I knew that I looked fearful, but I couldn't'a helped it.
"Boy", someone called out at me, "What are you doin' here? Where's yer ship?"
I turned around to see a big burly tar walkin' toward me. He was pr'olly the just the tar on the second dogwatch, but I was still a'scared of him. He could still get me kicked off 'a my ship, forever.
"Ah-" I said, stumblin' with my words, "I needed to get something off of my ship. The cook sent me, 'cause he's still at the markets, gettin' food." What else would he be doin' at the markets, ya numbskull?, I thought at myself.
"And what exactly is it that the cook wants you to get, that he can't wait fer tomorrow to get himself?"
"Ah-" I didn't know what to say, "He wanted me to get...his, um- nightcap. Yeah, his nightcap. He's a big one, but he can't get to sleep without his nightcap." - I started to really slip into the strecher. Made it sound real - "And everyone deserves a good night's sleep, right? Are you gettin' a good night's sleep tonight, sir? Or do they have you on the first nightwatch, too?"
The tar looked like he was gonna yell at me to get off the yard. But in'stead, he sighed and his head dropped in the littlest 'mount - almost like he was givin' up, "They got me on three watches, boy. Dogwatch, first nightwatch, and midwatch."
"That's real bad, sir", I said, givin' him sympa'thy, "A tar like you shouldn't haveta do that. You sould tell 'em that you can't do all three watches. That's gotta be at least..." - I counted with my fingers the hours - "Ten hours! No one should gotta do that, sir."
"Thanks a lot, kid", the tar said, "But you think I haven't tried that one yet. They won't let me. And I've tried e'erythin'."
"Are you the only tar at watch?"
He shook his head, "Nah. But I'm the only one for this side of the yard. I don't know what they were thinkin'. Cuttin' costs, I get. But ten hours of watch for one person, I don't."
"I hear ya", I said, "It's hard to watch a yard - this place is huge!"
"Yeah", he said, "But I've only got the south-east docks."
"That's still a lot."
He nodded, "Yeah. A lot", he then looked back to me, "But you outta go get your cook's nightcap, or he'll start wonderin' what happened to ya."
"Nightcap? Oh- yes. His nightcap. I'd better go get that."
It was obvious that he knew I was lyin'. But he didn't seem to mind too much anymore, "You ain't really here for a silly old nightcap, are ya boy?"
"No", I ad'mitted.
"Then what is it?"
I looked around, thinkin' of a good believable stretcher to tell him. Then I leaned toward the tar, and told him with my voice low, "You won't tell nobody I was here, right?"
"Not 'lest I have to", he said, in the same low-ish voice.
I straightened my back up again, and told him, "I miss the ship."
"Well, that's perfectly normal fer a kid", he replied, "Normal fer any good tar, really."
I smiled as he called me a tar, "Really?"
"'Course", he said, "Now, let's go find yer ship. I'll let ya stay fer a few hours, but ya gotta leave 'for ten."
"That's fine", I said. I'll be gone 'fore then. I'll have stolen from you 'fore then.
. . .
It didn't take too long to find old Jade. She was 'zackly where I left her earlier that afternoon. Before I met that Spot kid. Before he made me steal.
The tar and I looked up at old Jade, "This yer ship?"
I nodded.
"Well, you brought her just in time", he said, "I was lookin' at her when I came in. Musta been out in a storm 'cause, her hull'd been weakened mighty good. Wouldn't'a made it had you been a couple more miles away."
I looked up at the tar. I didn't realize that we'd come that close to loosin' old Jade. I looked back up at the ship - she was e'erything that I'd come to know and love. I thought of all the places I'd been, while still standin' on her ever-sturdy deck. All the times I'd been told to "toe the line", fer bein' roudy. I knew e'ery bump, crack, and crevice on that ship. And I'd almost lost all of that. It was almost too much to bear.
"Do you have an extra dingy?"
The tar looked at me, confused, "What?"
I'd surprised myself, too by askin'. But it didn't feel right - stealin' from the yard, while the tar was on watch. 'Specially after what he'd told me 'bout old Jade, "An extra dingy. Do you have one?"
"Kid", he said, "Are you really askin' that? 'Course we got extras. Gotta have extras. Always."
"Well", I asked, hesit'ant'ly, "Could'ya spare one?"
He looked at me, "What for?"
I took a deep breath, and told him about my mission.
"And that's why I need a dingy. Please, sir?"
He looked like he wasn't gonna answer. Just stood there fer a few seconds, "Do you know where exactly you boys are goin' with that dingy?"
I thought for a few seconds, tryin' to remember anythin' about where we were goin', "He asked me if I knew anythin' about Randall's Island. That might be it."
"Then, no. I can't spare a boat. Not fer that", he said, lookin' all serious again.
"Why not?" I was suddenly angry at him, fer not givin' me a boat after what I'd told him.
He bent down on one knee, and looked me in the eye, "Look, kid. There ain't nothin' good on Randall's Island. You'll just get yerself killed. And I ain't taken no part in that."
That should've been my first warning.
. . .
The sun was setting over the city of Manhattan and it was turning the whole sky a bright yellow-orange. I sat in my dingy, and looked up at the sky, listening to the cities on either side of me, and the gulls that flew overhead. And I couldn't help but thinkin', This was how it should be.
What? Wondering how I got the dingy? Well, you see this bruise on my eye? You should see the other guy.
And no, I didn't beat up the tar - in fact, I didn't beat up anyone. 'Just told the tar that I'd just go up onto old Jade fer a bit. I took one of the life boats from the back of the boat, took some food from the galley (it ain't "good stuff", but it'll haveta do) and just as I was puttin' the second oar into the socket, I turned around, and the other oar hit me in the eye - bruisin' it good.
"Karma", is what the cook whould'a called it.
References:
Bridge Street: actually has no bridge... It's attached to a road that has a bridge, but the name of the street changes. I always found that kinda funny.
Ship yard: Where ships and boats are put for repairs, and also to load and unload shipments.
Dungarees: Cheap cloth made in India. Used by many for sails, and when unsuable for that - turned into clothes for the sailors.
Tar: Slang for Sailor.
Strecher: Lie.
Dogwatch: Noon to 4:00 p.m. Afternoon watch
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. First dogwatch
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Second dogwatch
8:00 p.m. to midnight 1st night watch
Midnight to 4:00 a.m. Middle watch or mid watch
4:00 to 8:00 a.m. Morning watch
8:00 a.m. to noon Forenoon watch
The City of Manhattan: Before 1898, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens were all seperate cities. And on January 1st, 1898, the Greater City of New York was formed. So, in this story, I will be refering to Brooklyn as the City of Brooklyn; Manhattan as the City of Manhattan, or New York; and Queens as Long Island City (as it was called before becoming Queens). Look this stuff up - it's really kind of fasinating!
"Toe the line": As a punishment, young boys of the ship, were typicaly told to "toe the line". This was to stand for a length of time with their toes just touching the seams of the deck (the spaces between the deckplanks that were filled in with mixture of tar and pitch). They had to stand there without talking to anyone - whether the skys were clear or not, and no matter how cold or hot is was.
Galley: The kitchen of a ship.
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