Chapter 9 - Land
The morning hours painfully ticked away, as slow as they could possibly go, it seemed, for all of them. Anxiety taunted the atmosphere on the ship throughout the day, as all of the older boys seemed to mentally battle whether they wanted to return to their homes or not.
Roger had gotten some sense knocked into him by Jack, and was back in his room again. Ralph, Maurice, and Jack were all out on the viewing deck, admiring the deep blue waters. All of the other boys were in their rooms, leaving the three in peace. The sun glittered over the faces of the three boys, as they gazed outward.
"Only a little bit more," said Maurice, somewhat nervously.
"Yeah," echoed a chorus of the voices of Jack and Ralph, in a tone of unison.
Silence hung in the air, following that statement, but no one seemed to find it awkward.
Two navy officers stepped out onto the deck, grinning broadly.
"Boys, we'll be pulling into port in about a half hour," the taller of the two announced proudly.
The three gasped quietly, their eyes transfixed on each other; no one put in a word, but rather, just mused silently to themselves. The two officers strolled away, leaving the boys shaking in nervousness.
"It'll be fine," Ralph assured the others aloud.
Jack nodded, and stared off blankly, while Maurice fidgeted every now and then in his seat. Ralph, meanwhile, took to biting on his fingernails subconsciously.
"What do you think we'll return to?" Jack asked reluctantly.
"I have no idea," Ralph sighed, looking outward to the water, once again.
"And frankly, I don't want to know," Maurice added in, while a bit of a chuckling tone.
The three boys grinned, glad of the slight comic relief that came from Maurice. Proceeding it, although, silence daunted the three for quite a while. Suddenly, a few littluns emerged from their rooms, one by one, creating a rather large pack of them. The mass huddled forward onto the deck, as they gazed ahead, past the water.
"We get to go home!" a littlun squealed happily.
"Our h-ho-ho--," Percival cried, his voice barely louder than the others'.
The littluns merely ignored Percival, but Jack, Ralph, and Maurice knew what Percival's quivering was about. None of the three boys spoke, but the mindless jabber of the littluns continued on.
Suddenly, a shriek broke the mellowed noise.
"Land! Land!" a littlun shouted excitedly.
"No," Jack gasped, his voice barely above a whisper.
The older boys came spilling from their rooms to the viewing deck; each gazed off to where the littluns had begun pointing, and gasped in amazement at the land ahead.
"Land!" a buzz sounded through the group.
Finally, Ralph, Jack, and Maurice arose from their seats to get a better look of the faint land the others were pointing at.
"Home!" one of the littluns called.
The horn of the ship sounded, and it drew smiles to all of the littluns' faces. Jack turned around quickly, and stared at the floorboards of the viewing deck with a piercing gaze. The boat finally neared the closest deck, and slowed to a stop. The excitement slightly drew down, and then the two officers that Jack, Ralph, and Maurice had seen earlier stepped up to the deck.
"One line! Single file! The stairs are bow-side, near the Captain's quarters!" they called.
Everyone assembled into a straight line; the littluns lead out, and Ralph, Jack, and Maurice lagged behind, all the way at the back of the line. As they were lead down the stairs, each boy looked over the smiling faces in the crowd.
The morning hours painfully ticked away, as slow as they could possibly go, it seemed, for all of them. Anxiety taunted the atmosphere on the ship throughout the day, as all of the older boys seemed to mentally battle whether they wanted to return to their homes or not.
Roger had gotten some sense knocked into him by Jack, and was back in his room again. Ralph, Maurice, and Jack were all out on the viewing deck, admiring the deep blue waters. All of the other boys were in their rooms, leaving the three in peace. The sun glittered over the faces of the three boys, as they gazed outward.
"Only a little bit more," said Maurice, somewhat nervously.
"Yeah," echoed a chorus of the voices of Jack and Ralph, in a tone of unison.
Silence hung in the air, following that statement, but no one seemed to find it awkward.
Two navy officers stepped out onto the deck, grinning broadly.
"Boys, we'll be pulling into port in about a half hour," the taller of the two announced proudly.
The three gasped quietly, their eyes transfixed on each other; no one put in a word, but rather, just mused silently to themselves. The two officers strolled away, leaving the boys shaking in nervousness.
"It'll be fine," Ralph assured the others aloud.
Jack nodded, and stared off blankly, while Maurice fidgeted every now and then in his seat. Ralph, meanwhile, took to biting on his fingernails subconsciously.
"What do you think we'll return to?" Jack asked reluctantly.
"I have no idea," Ralph sighed, looking outward to the water, once again.
"And frankly, I don't want to know," Maurice added in, while a bit of a chuckling tone.
The three boys grinned, glad of the slight comic relief that came from Maurice. Proceeding it, although, silence daunted the three for quite a while. Suddenly, a few littluns emerged from their rooms, one by one, creating a rather large pack of them. The mass huddled forward onto the deck, as they gazed ahead, past the water.
"We get to go home!" a littlun squealed happily.
"Our h-ho-ho--," Percival cried, his voice barely louder than the others'.
The littluns merely ignored Percival, but Jack, Ralph, and Maurice knew what Percival's quivering was about. None of the three boys spoke, but the mindless jabber of the littluns continued on.
Suddenly, a shriek broke the mellowed noise.
"Land! Land!" a littlun shouted excitedly.
"No," Jack gasped, his voice barely above a whisper.
The older boys came spilling from their rooms to the viewing deck; each gazed off to where the littluns had begun pointing, and gasped in amazement at the land ahead.
"Land!" a buzz sounded through the group.
Finally, Ralph, Jack, and Maurice arose from their seats to get a better look of the faint land the others were pointing at.
"Home!" one of the littluns called.
The horn of the ship sounded, and it drew smiles to all of the littluns' faces. Jack turned around quickly, and stared at the floorboards of the viewing deck with a piercing gaze. The boat finally neared the closest deck, and slowed to a stop. The excitement slightly drew down, and then the two officers that Jack, Ralph, and Maurice had seen earlier stepped up to the deck.
"One line! Single file! The stairs are bow-side, near the Captain's quarters!" they called.
Everyone assembled into a straight line; the littluns lead out, and Ralph, Jack, and Maurice lagged behind, all the way at the back of the line. As they were lead down the stairs, each boy looked over the smiling faces in the crowd.