Treasure Planet: The Real Treasure

Chapter 12

Over the next few months, Silver worked Jim and me until we were ready to collapse. Every once in a while, we'd have to scrape barnacles off the hull of the ship. It was tough work. Using my arm that much aggravated the gash; it even reopened a couple of times, bleeding through the new bandage and preventing it from healing. But eventually it did, leaving absolutely no scar.

()()()

The first thing Silver tried to teach us was how to make a good, sturdy knot. Jim figured it out before Silver even finished showing us how. I wasn't so lucky. As Silver would repeatedly show me how to tie the knot, my focus would switch to Jim, who was wandering aimlessly around the deck of the ship. Eventually, Silver just told me to go and that we would try again another day.

I climbed down to the deck and walked next to Jim to see if he would notice me. He didn't acknowledge my presence, so I contented to walking beside him in silence.

()()()

Jim and I had to scrub the deck a lot. It was tiresome work. My hands and knees would be raw after spending so much time on the hard wooden deck. Silver would stand watching over us. Whenever Jim confronted him, Silver would just give him a bucket of soapy water and point to where he had missed a spot.

I wanted to get up and protest the hard labor as well, but I didn't think it would do us any good. After all, Silver was in charge of us. We had to do whatever he told us to. So I just sighed and continued my work, trying to get it done as fast as possible so I could lie down and give my aching body a rest.

()()()

Jim would often stare at nothing while we worked. It would make me feel forgotten. But he would always do something to make it up to me and show me that he did care.

Like once when we were peeling potatoes, I lost focus gazing at Jim, who was again staring at nothing. I accidentally sliced my thumb with the knife. When I gasped and the knife clattered to the floor, he snapped out of his thoughts and looked at me with concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked, coming over to check on me.

"I'm fine. The knife just slipped," I said through clenched teeth. The cut really stung, but I was trying not to show it. Jim could see right through me though.

"Let me see it," he demanded in a soft voice.

I had been hiding the cut behind my other hand. I shook my head.

"Really, I'm fine," I urged. I really didn't want him to think of me as a weak little girl who needed to be taken care of and coddled.

But when he saw a large drop of blood sliding down my wrist, he gently grabbed my hand and started to examine my sliced thumb.

"Jim, really, I'm fi-"

"Shh," he shushed me.

I shut my mouth and stared along with him at my thumb that now had a little red trail slowly traveling down my hand and past my wrist. He gently squeezed my thumb, causing me to gasp and involuntarily jerk it away from the pain. His hold was steadfast, however.

"Looks like you got yourself pretty deep there," Jim stated. He pulled the edge of his shirt out of his pants and used it to wipe the blood off of my thumb and hand.

"Your shirt," I protested.

"It'll wash out," he dismissed my concerns.

After wiping my thumb clean, he pulled a bandage out of his pant pocket and applied it to my thumb, covering up the cut completely.

"There you go, all better," he smiled. I appraised the bandage and returned his smile.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it," he shrugged.

I expected him to go right back to sitting across the room from me, as he had been before. But instead, he sat behind me so he could show me how to use the knife so I wouldn't cut myself again.

His arms encircled mine, guiding my hands on where to hold the potato and how to move the knife in a way that used a minimal amount of effort on my part. I could feel his warm breath on my neck as he explained to me the proper positioning. He wrapped his hand around mine and moved it for me over the peel.

"There, you got it!" he exclaimed, smiling down at me.

I smiled and looked up into his eyes; those captivating cerulean blue eyes. I couldn't look away. He stared right back into mine. I don't know exactly what I was feeling, but I knew I never wanted this moment to end.

But all good things must come to an end. Silver had noticed our silence and looked over at us before coughing to get our attention. Our heads snapped towards him, and his smirking face told us he had witnessed everything that had happened in the past few minutes. I blushed and turned my head to the side, hiding my face with my hair. Jim quickly moved to a spot a few feet away, a blush also evident on his face.

Things were a little awkward after that. But soon the event was forgotten, at least by Silver.

()()()

One night, I woke up from a nightmare, though I couldn't recall what it had been about. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I got out of bed and soundlessly snuck up on deck to gaze at the stars. As I was gazing up at them, I saw a shooting star go by. Before I knew it, there was a whole meteor shower. It was so beautiful, I started laughing with joy. Then I felt compelled to do something else. I started singing. It was a song that I had loved my whole life and it was from The Little Mermaid, my favorite movie, next to Treasure Planet of course.

Look at this stuff

Isn't it neat?

Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?

Wouldn't you think I'm the girl

The girl who has everything?

Look at this trove

Treasures untold

How many wonders can one cavern hold?

Lookin' around here you think

Sure, she's got everything

I've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty

I've got who-zits and what-zits galore

You want thing-a-ma-bobs?

I've got twenty!

But who cares?

No big deal

I want more

I wanna be where the people are

I wanna see, wanna see 'em dancin'

Walking around on those - what do you call 'em?

Oh - feet!

Flippin' your fins, you don't get too far

Legs are required for jumpin', dancin'

Strollin' along down a - what's that word again?

Street

Up where they walk, up where they run

Up where they stay all day in the sun

Wanderin' free - wish I could be

Part of that world

What would I give if I could live out of these waters?

What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?

Bet'cha on land they understand

Bet they don't reprimand their daughters

Bright young women, sick of swimmin'

Ready to stand

And ready to know what the people know

Ask 'em my questions and get some answers

What's a fire and why does it - what's the word?

Burn!

When's it my turn?

Wouldn't I love, love to explore that world up above!

Out of the sea

Wish I could be

Part of that world

When I finished singing, I noticed the meteor shower had ended. I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, but when I turned to look, I didn't see anything. I decided to head back to bed. After I had settled in my hammock, I glanced over at Jim's hammock.

He wasn't there.

()()()

Some nights were really fun. Silver would tell amazing stories in the galley, using his mechanical arm to depict monsters and treacherous situations. Jim and I would sit nearby on the stairs while everyone else gathered around Silver. Though we weren't with the rest of the crew, we still listened intently to his stories. I found them extremely interesting, and couldn't wait to hear what new things Silver would have for us each night. Jim acted like he didn't care, but every once in a while, I would see him look up curiously and smile as we watched Silver animate his incredible tales.

Other nights were not as good.

()()()

One night, Jim and I had to clean all the dirty dishes. We had just finished our last plates. But then Silver walked in and dropped a whole boatload of filthy ones in front of us. I stared at the pile with my mouth hanging open. Jim had the same look on his face. But he closed his mouth, glared at Silver, and started furiously scrubbing a dirty pot. I began to do the same.

Hours later, we had finished our last plates, but were too exhausted to move anymore. So we ended up falling asleep on the floor. Jim had his arm around a pot and his head was resting in the crook of his arm. I was lying on the floor, my head resting on his lap. Silver walked in and saw we had fallen asleep. At first, he was going to wake us up and scold us. But upon seeing the clean and stacked dishes, he smiled and walked over to us. He placed his jacket around Jim's shoulders, then left the room.

Feeling the weight on his shoulders, Jim woke up and saw Silver's mechanical leg disappear up the stairs.

Then he looked down at my sleeping form on his lap. He smiled and gently placed his free hand on my shoulder, as if to reassure me he was there.

Though I was barely conscious, I could feel him and knew I was safe beside him. I unconsciously nuzzled his lap with my cheek before falling back into a deep and restful sleep.