Stories of the Spiral
If We Did Not Meet
By the light of the candle on my desk, I was leafing through my journal, having nothing else to do. I then turned onto an old entry, dating back six years ago.
Besides having the day's entry, I also found a sketch of a young girl I met six years ago in Scrimshaw, and I smiled as I recalled the memory.
As the men in the shipyard worked to repair the Providence, Uncle Haytham sighed. The sudden storm had badly damaged our ship, forcing us to stop in Scrimshaw for repairs.
Uncle Haytham had dark eyes and black hair that was tied in a short ponytail low on the back of his head with a red ribbon. He wore a three-cornered hat, and a dark coat, pants, and boots with a scabbard strapped to his waist.
I was wearing a dull blue waistcoat over a white shirt, tan pants, and leather boots. My short blade's scabbard was strapped to my side.
"Uncle Haytham, may I please have leave?" I asked politely. Uncle Haytham turned to look at me, one eyebrow raised.
"The shipwright said that the repairs would take two days. I don't want to just lie around doing nothing!" I pleaded.
After a long moment of consideration, Uncle Haytham said reluctantly: "Very well then, but be back by sunset."
"Thank you, Uncle Haytham." I said, nodding my head before running off into the town.
The town that I saw had a ramshackle feel to it. All it took was one walk through its narrow sandy streets to discover that Scrimshaw was a far cry from Port Regal.
The people of Scrimshaw didn't seem to pride themselves on the regularity of their streets or the neatness of their sidewalks, and instead of making good time, I was having a good time.
The houses were shingled and included things scavenged from ships. Hatchways made convenient bridges for gutters, and more than once, I saw the brass letters of a ship's name still on the fence planks.
I was so busy looking all around me that I bumped into four Wharf Rats in ragged clothing. The lead Wharf Rat stepped in front of me, and I stopped.
"Well, well, what's a stranger doing so far from the harbor? I daresay he looks like he could spare a coin pouch or two!" The lead Wharf Rat said as the other three surrounded me and drew their daggers.
Unfortunately for them, I'd been trained to use a sword from when I could first hold a stick. Before they could react, I drew my short blade and slashed across the lead Wharf Rat's shirt, revealing coarse gray fur. The others tried to grab me, but I spun around, my blade narrowly missing their hands.
The leader grabbed me from behind, and just as the other three was within striking range, I felt the leader's hands let go off my arms, and I glanced behind me to see a large rock on the floor next to the unconscious leader's head.
I took advantage of their surprise and kicked the nearest Wharf Rat in between the legs, and as he bent over in pain, I slammed the butt of my sword into his head.
Another rock hit the head of a Wharf Rat, and I spun around to slam the flat of my blade into the other Wharf Rat's head, knocking him out.
"Are you still alive, stranger?" A voice said from behind me. I turned around to find a girl my age with golden blonde hair cut in a bowl fashion, and bright green eyes. She was dressed in a dull brown waistcoat over a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, tan pants, and boots.
"Yeah, I am, thanks to you." I said as I held out my hand. "My name's Matt Exeter. I'm pleased to meet you."
The girl hesitantly returned the gesture, and I sensed she wasn't too used to formality. "I'm Rena Raden. Follow me if you want to stay alive!"
The girl ran off, and I could barely keep up with her. We entered what seemed to be Scrimshaw's central marketplace, an incredible mishmash of stairs, decks, catwalks, and roofs at different heights.
Rena leapt and climbed with amazing agility, and if I hadn't spent the past three years of my life climbing up and down a ship's rigging, I would've lost her.
I soon got the hang of it, and I finally caught up to her in front of what seemed to be a bookshop. Rena opened the door, and I followed her inside.
The inside of the bookshop had a fireplace across the room from the door, with a counter to its left, and a wooden table and chairs and a staircase to its right. The walls of the bookshop were lined with bookshelves full of ancient tomes.
"Mom, I'm home!" Rena called upstairs. A few seconds later, a woman that looked like an older Rena with longer hair wearing a green dress came down the stairs.
"Oh, you've brought a friend, I see." The woman said, surprised.
"My name's Matthew Exeter. I'm pleased to meet you." I said as I held out my hand.
"I'm Rena's mother, Cassandra." The woman said as she shook my hand.
"This stranger here got into some trouble with the Rats of Nim. It's not like I saved him to be nice." Rena said, crossing her arms while turning her face away from me.
"Mind your manners, Rena." Mrs. Raden chided. Then she turned to face me. "I'm sorry, Matt. She usually isn't like this."
"It's alright." I said. Then under my breath, I muttered: "Tsundere, much?"
"You can stay here until the Wharf Rats give up searching for you. Please, make yourself comfortable." Mrs. Raden said. I nodded gratefully as I took a book from the shelf and sat down at the table to read it.
"So what do you do for fun around here?" I asked Rena as she also took a book from the shelf.
"I run errands for the sailors and merchants for some extra money. We don't get a lot of customers here, as the Wharf Rats aren't exactly bookworms." Rena answered as she sat down at the table.
I nodded as I continued reading. Soon, it was time for me to go, and I returned to the Providence by the rooftops without any incident.
The next day, the shipwright had sent me to the central marketplace to arrange for more lumber to be sent down to the docks. On the way back, I decided to pay a visit to the Radens' bookshop.
I knocked on the door, and Mrs. Raden opened it, looking sad. I asked: "What's wrong?"
As I stepped inside the bookshop, the inside was in shambles. The bookshelves and furniture was knocked over, and many of the books were either torn or their charred remains were atop the counter.
"What happened here?" I asked, shocked.
"The Rats of Nim destroyed the bookshop and stole our strongbox during the night." Mrs. Raden said bitterly.
"Is this the first time it's happened?" I asked, gripping the hilt of my sword. Mrs. Raden shook her head.
"They've wrecked the bookshop before, but they'd never taken our strongbox before. I was saving up money to move away with Rena, but with the strongbox gone…"
"So where's Rena?" I asked.
"She left to go look for the strongbox. I tried talking her out of it, but…" Mrs. Raden said, looking at her feet. "I don't know what to do.
"I'll go look for Rena and the money. You stay here." I said as I turned around and left. I took to the rooftops and looked around for Rena.
I soon heard a cry for help that sounded like Rena's, and I ran towards the sound of the voice to find Rena cornered by the four Wharf Rats from yesterday.
I leapt from atop the roof I was on, and I slammed the flat of my blade into the head of one of the Wharf Rats. I spun and slammed the flat of my blade into the next Wharf Rat's head, and Rena seized the opportunity to deliver an uppercut to another Wharf Rat's jaw.
Before he could get away, Rena swept his legs from under him, and I quickly placed his blade next to his throat. Rena shook her head.
"I've already found the money." Rena said as she produced a small pouch from her waistcoat. I nodded as I slammed the hilt of his dagger into his head, knocking him out.
I took the scabbard from the Wharf Rat's belt and sheathed the dagger, handing it to Rena. "You're going to need this if we're going up against pirates."
"What're you talking about?" Rena asked suspiciously. I raised my hand to silence her. "I'll explain when we get back to the bookshop."
"You're offering to smuggle us to Port Regal?" Mrs. Raden asked as she and Rena sat at the now-upright wooden table.
"That's right. We've already sold most of our cargo, so there'll be plenty of room for you in the hold." I answered.
"Well, I guess we could leave the bookshop to our friends…" Mrs. Raden said thoughtfully.
"If you really want to leave, meet me in the docks at midnight." I said as I turned to leave.
I left the bookshop and returned to the docks, where the Providence's repairs were almost complete. At midnight, after everyone had gone to bed, I snuck out onto the quarter deck, where I saw two figures holding bags approaching.
I led the Radens down into the hold, where they made themselves comfortable among the crates full of biscuits and hardtack.
"Thank you, Matt." Mrs. Raden said to me as I turned to leave. I nodded in acknowledgement and left for my mattress full of mildewed corn husks.
The next morning, we set sail for Port Regal, and nothing happened until the evening, when I was having dinner with my uncle in his cabin, when someone knocked on the door.
"Come in." Uncle Haytham said as he put down his fork. The door opened to reveal Louis Mills, one of our men. He had short brown hair and brown eyes, and he wore a red scarf, a dull blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up, tan pants, and leather boots.
"There's something queer in the hold, sir." Louis said, jerking a thumb outside. "I think you'd better see for yourself."
I nervously followed Uncle Haytham to the hold, where the Radens sat against the hull between two crates, their hiding spot revealed.
"Who are you and how did you get here?" Uncle Haytham asked, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
Before the Radens could speak, I said: "They used to be booksellers in Scrimshaw, but after their bookshop was robbed, I brought them here."
Uncle Haytham nodded slowly and he beckoned to the three of us to his cabin, where we all sat down to dinner together.
Uncle Haytham said nothing as we explained to him what had happened in detail, and when our stories were finished, Uncle Haytham began to speak.
"I'll let you stay aboard the Providence, on one condition: Rena will have to work as a deckhand during the rest of the way home and during our next voyage."
Rena nodded, and after they had left, Uncle Haytham began scolding me for not telling him earlier, but after dinner, he sent me to bed without any further punishment.
During the next few days, Rena worked as a deckhand, and her climbing skills proved to be a valuable asset atop the Providence's masts and rigging.
As we made port in Port Regal, the Radens walked down the gangplank to the harbor, their bags slung over their shoulders.
"Well, see you later, Matt!" Rena said as she stopped briefly before running off, waving goodbye to me as she caught up with her mom. I waved back and turned to follow Uncle Haytham back to our house.
I smiled as I closed my journal and began to get ready for bed. I'm glad I met Rena. Otherwise, I probably would've been lost a long time ago.