We were running to the 'new and improved' Flick. If captain Jaggery were still here, Flick would look and seem more punctilious than him. He seemed like a more mature captain Jaggery. I wondered if he would act as what he looked like. I sure hoped not.
We startled him what I came running up to him because he jumped. "Whoa! Slow it down. What is the big hurry?" He asked me as if we were in no danger at all. Like we were in a protected, steel enforced room with no one around.
"Dad… Coming… Must… Hide…" I was really panting. Zacharia was just catching up with me.
"Flick, I mean, captain. Bosses boat, or what we think is his boat, is chasing after us, most likely in search of Charlotte." Zacharia was still hobbling over our way. "Since Charlotte yesterday told me that she ran from home, I suspect that he is chasing after this boat." When he finally caught up to us, Flick gave us a mission.
"Zacharia, I trust you to take Charlotte down into the brig. Go and hide her in the spot, if it is still there, that you hid in the last voyage. I trust that you will be up here before they catch up. Will you not?"
"Captain, I shall try, but I will be the signal that she is safely stowed away. If trouble happens and they ask to search the ship, try and resist them into your cabin, but don't have them come into the hold until I appear."
"Good plan Zacharia," I complemented.
"OK," Flick started, and then was cut off by the loud horn of the quickly approaching ship.
Zacharia started to take me down the ladder of the hold. This place had the dust still stirring from loading it at dock. It tickled my nose and I let out a big sneeze.
"SHHHHH!" Zacharia hissed at me.
We went by the place where I had my baggage last trip. I flashed back to what happened that moment aboard the voyage. It was clearing up. The skull, glowing eyes, mutiny aboard the ship, and most of all, Cranic. The thought sent shivers down my spine. Was there another soul, surviving in this dusky, damp and dark wilderness? Anyway, if there was, I would have already been notified, but for what reason would they be down here?
The ship was starting to rock ever so much more than before, and with great force. I was hearing things clatter about and some glass breaking. We were tumbling about, like a hurricane surprisingly formed.
Like a hurricane.
It was the hurricane that killed Mr. Hollybrass, a true friend of mine. Even though I never admitted it, he was a great friend. I thought of him as a future husband for me (Boy! What was I thinking back then? Dream on!). But I knew the age difference was way too wide for a couple to be married into.
We finally got down to the brig where I remember staying. Zacharia was trying to hurry up, but at his age and the turbulence of the ship, I knew he was going to go soon. He was swaying back and forth to the rocking of the ship. He was like a pendulum, swaying back and forth like the ship was a grandfather clock.
Eventually, we did reach the destination of where we wanted to go. I was stumped, all that was there was a wall of big crates. Why would I hide here? They surely would find me.
"I can't hide here!" I whispered. "You and I know I'll get caught!"
"On the other side of the wall, miss…" he began to say before he was cut off by a big lung of the ship.
"Are we swamping?" I asked him, in a 'hope were not' tone of voice.
"I hope not, but I now know that they have caught up with us."
It was all still then. No more was there any movement aboard the whole entire ship.
"As I was saying," Zacharia continued, "Climb over the boxes and go as far to the left as you can. There will be a lonely box there. Open the lid and climb inside. Put the thin blanket over the top and be quiet so no one will suspect anything. I must head off." I turned to look at the wall of boxes and when I turned to ask him a question, he wasn't there.
The trip up wasn't as hard as coming down. It had to have taken me a good 10 minutes the whole way.
I found the box pretty quickly and was set in less that one minute. I had adjusted to the dark and was getting a little tired and closed my eyes for a second.