A million ideas were bouncing through my mind. I was ebullient. Nothing could stop me from throwing the most awesome pirate party ever.
I gathered all the cooks, inventoried their ingredients, and taught them several of my own recipes Mother and the baker taught me. After leaving them to cook, I helped Jasper clean with a renewed purpose. I felt the captains' eyes as we pulled out a couple tables and cloths. They didn't stop us so we kept on.
As the sun neared the horizon, Jasper lit all the onboard lanterns. I met Randy, George, and Aspen, the ship's musicians, and learned none of them chose the pirate life. Each of them were honest men who were captured and forced into entertaining them, though they grew to enjoy the life. While they discussed a solid set, Aspen taught me a few basic notes and riffs. I surprised myself at how naturally I picked them up, giving some credit to my couple free sessions with my pre-orphanage friend's mother who gave violin lessons.
I glanced out the window, the sun was gone.
Showtime.
I lead the musicians out and gestured for the cooks to bring out the food.
The orphans' and on-deck pirates' curiosities were already peaked as they hesitated before heading for the lesser meal downstairs.
"Orphans and pirates gather 'round!" I yelled gesturing for a formation in front of me. They obediently gathered, pirates from below deck coming up to see the fuss.
"As us orphans all know, we recently parted from our- beloved- Matron." They burst out laughing and booing. "Good riddance!" I cheered and the boys reciprocated my energy, even the pirates. I noticed Captain Gryphon and Raven watching from the quarterdeck above and smirked. "Tonight! We celebrate our new life!" More cheers were followed by attentive quiet. "To our new lives as pirates!" I grabbed a cup of liquid handed to me by one of the cooks and lifted it.
"Yeah!" Pirates and junior pirates roared many grabbing bottles and cups of their own.
I chugged the cup. The rest followed.
The musicians began their songs and pirates began to sing along. The festive mood was growing and spreading.
I smiled to myself, impressed with our work.
"Nice job!" Jasper popped up behind me placing a hand on my shoulder. "I was especially impressed with that announcing way to excite the crowds."
I smiled back at him.
"Anytime." I smirked and shrugged.
"So in response to not getting better treatment for your little one's, you guys planned a party?"
I recognized the voice and turned expectant of an arrogant expression but was surprised. Raven wore a wholeheartedly excited face.
"I'm game." He smiled looking around from the food to musicians to dancing pirates and orphans.
Slightly confused, I gestured a path to the dance floor and he took it running into the happy mob like a child. I was having a really difficult time pinpointing that boy.
"Can't just watch from the side now, can we?" I chuckled to Jasper, my foot tapping to the song my musician buddies were playing.
"After you," he signalled me toward the mob. I laughed and jogged toward the throng of jolly folk, pulling him with me.
We began an awkward shifting of feet I called the extent of my musical motion. Yet no matter how bad I looked, Jasper looked even stiffer. Shiloh jumped over to us laughing as he danced something I would call the octopus-monkey. But at least he was dancing.
After a whole song of my disappointing dancing, I got thirsty.
I grabbed a bottle of the only liquid the chefs left out and chugged the entire thing.
It tasted funny.
"Wooh!" I cried finishing the container, then skipped back out there yanking the fiddle from Aspen.
"Jolly Sailor!" I announced. George and Randy stopped confused but got the idea as I began to tap my foot then launched into song.
The pan flute and tambourine quickly swooped in for backup as my peppy solo became the swinging party it should be.
I pounced and laughed through the crowds as I played, likely close to having poked out some eyes, but too giddy to care. Everyone clapped me on and yelled for me to keep going, having made a circle for me to do my thing. I spasd in that space while I played some wildly differentiating fiddle from the preset tune but no one cared. I was intoxicated with the spotlight.
Aspen came up and gently took the fiddle back and continued where I left off, except on the correct path. Still feeling the energy, I used that circle, I danced in that circle, I was breaking in that circle, I was breakdancing in that circle.
"Go Cal!" I heard Shiloh's squeals like a whale in my mind. I felt awesome and limitless as I owned that space, though something deep down in me new I looked like a dying fish flopping on the deck. As I spotted my compadres, I straightened up and bounced out of the circle totally having forgotten my momentary spotlight.
"Howdy friends!" I squealed floating toward Jasper who stood awkwardly near the musicians with Cliff and Shiloh jump-dancing around him.
"Hullo!" Cliff jumped, he took a swig from a bottle on the table he offered me some and I finished the rest of the bottle wobbly. "These drinks are grrrrrrrreat! Huh?" Cliff cackled.
"Yup!" I let my head loll into nod as I looked back at Jasper who was still leaning from side to side in a sad excuse for dancing.
"You suck at dancing!" I yelled over the music.
"Thanks?" Jasper chuckled uncomfortably.
A trifold hat popped up in the circle I abandoned.
"Our saviour!" I grabbed Shiloh and Jasper and dragged them toward the wild movement. Cliff skipping along after us.
In the middle of the action, Captain Raven was popping, locking, and making the robot cool again. I was impressed.
I tore through the circle, letting go of my boys and pushing Raven out of the circle and out of the crowd. My boys stayed with me.
"Teach us how to dance!" I whispered into his ear creepily.
He laughed, looked past me at my companions who were still "dancing" and laughed harder.
"Let's do it!" The golden haired boy threw an arm around Jasper and me, leading us back into the crowd. Cliff and Shiloh as well latched on as the familiar leg kicking of the cancan that came from Raven and reverberated throughout the rest of us.
Pirates and orphans added to our line as we kicked our legs higher in more synchronicity and less worries as the laughter began to overpower the music.
Jasper not feeling the same joy I was, slid out of the line and disappeared, but I didn't let one rhythmically awkward boy ruin my night. Even as the cancan line broke off into small groups again I continued to jerk with Raven.
As the new song lacked the energy of its predecessor, we began to talk instead of dance.
"I really like this party!" Raven shouted over the music.
"Thanks, matey!" I giggled.
"You know, I never really got to hang out with boys my age before!" I sobered up slightly in sympathy. "So this is really great!"
I laughed just realizing how much more than a pick-me-upper for the orphans this fest was.
"I must say, you and Jasper-" he beamed, still swaying with the music, "are my first real friends!" I felt so touched I wanted to start crying. I could no longer dance. "I have the most fun talking with you guys!" He continued yelling over the tambourines unreceptive of my overbearing pity.
"You poor boy!" I cried and hugged him really tight. After I made contact, I made a small home in his arms, so rough, so strong, so welcoming. I buried my face in his chest and took a whiff of his salty, manly scent. I began swaying in his arms unrelated to the music. His warmth against mine was such a comfort I didn't want to pass up.
"Body warmth is really great huh?" I mumbled.
"I guess?" Raven sounded very confused.
Suddenly I felt an urge.
"You're really good looking you know?" I whispered getting my face as close to his as I could.
He blinked looking back down at me, then focused his eyes on mine, searching.
He leaned down, closing in, looking curiously at my lips then eyes.
I shut my eyes and hoped for nature to take over.
"Cal are you-?"
Then I got another urge.
I jumped back.
"I have to go potty." I stated bluntly then jumped away looking for Fay.
"Bathroom buddy! Potty pal! Where art' thou?" I chirped. THen I spotted him near the food table watching the dancers from afar judgingly.
"Fay! I want toilet. You come?" I smacked my lips unfocused.
He stared at me for two seconds.
"Cal are you drunk?"
I thought about it. I thought about it really hard. No thoughts were forming, but small fishes were swimming across my vision.
"Yes."
"I thought those bottles tasted funny." Fay commented placing his bottle down. "How many did you have?"
"Uno." I held my pinkie up and giggled then hiccupped. "E-squeeze me."
"God, you really can't hold your liquor." Fay scoffed then pulled me toward and up and onto the quarterdeck.
"I can't go weewee here!" I pouted looking down at the happy dancing palm trees and monkeys.
"What you need is fresh air not to 'weewee'," Fay gave me a hard stare.
We heard a loud crash as Fay and I looked down to see Cliff drunkenly arguing with a big gorilla.
"Whatchu lookin' at? Mate!" The preteen puffed out his chest and waved a finger at the confused oaf.
"Oh goodness. Am I the only sober one?" Fay sighed then looked back to me. I focused on the couple out of place strands on his head; they waved to me as he spoke. "Okay, I'm going to go down there to straighten Cliff out then I'll come right back for you. Do not move. Okay?"
"Rrrrrrrroger!" I saluted to the little hairs. They waved goodbye as Fay jogged down the steps.
"Byebye!" I whispered after them.
I then stumbled to the handrail and looked down at the wiggling car sales blowup dolls hopping around. I then noticed the spaghetti noodles that are strewn to the base of the main mast and followed them up the tree with my eyes and found there was glitter in the sky.
"Woah." It was really pretty. Guided by instinct, I slid down the romped down the banister and grabbed a string of spaghetti. It felt fibrous in my hand and smelt like yucky tar.
I swatted at the glitter in the sky but it seemed to be out of my reach. I stood on my tippytoes but was still too short so I teetered my way up the noodle rope. One hand after the other, the big, almost vertical web shook under my momentum. Eyes on the sparkly prize, I slowly climbed for what felt like a minute until I found myself facing a hard wall that blocked me from my sky glitter.
"Outta my way cheese block!" I let go of the rope with one hand and punched the wooden circle. I glanced down at the jungle of jumping frogs, Fay amongst them still trying to rip Cliff away from the fight that won't happen. They all appeared so teeny tiny from my high spot. I felt like a giraffe.
I considered making giraffe sounds to realize I had no clue what sound they made. So I settled for a cow.
"MOOOOOOOOOO!" I called at the twinkles. They winked down at me playfully and climbed a bit further.
"Cal? Is that you?"
I turned my head to see a familiar hunk of man.
I leapt from the spaghetti into the basket.
"Ahoy, Jaspy." I coughed a wooden rail in my gut. I felt two large hands grasp under armpits and pull me the rest of the way into the nest.
"Hey Cal. Thank you so much for helping set this up." Jasper smiled looking down. I leaned on the edge of the nest and looked down. We stood so high above the energetic bugs my vision began to spin.
"Wow." My head lolled.
"I'm just so grateful, you always have my back when I need you." He turned and looked at me with genuine feelings. I saw a fuzzy halo appear over his head. "I am so thankful you are my friend."
"I'm thankful too." I whispered, leaning really close. There was his scent again. I stared deep into his eyes focusing on his presence, his warmth mixing with mine, his plush welcoming lips. I put my hands on his shoulders, and unwittingly, my lips found his.
*Author's Note*
Yep. That happened. You're welcome.
Look forward to tomorrow's chapter.
Oh and any questions, just ask; any reviews, just review; any thoughts, just think... online with a comment or PM... Grazie.