Chapter 32: Practical Jokes
Isabelle was in bed when the door to the cabin opened with a creak, but she wasn't asleep. She watched in the semi-darkness as Louisa prepared for bed, and it was then that she sat up. "You're back," she stated, and Louisa jumped.
"I was... I mean... I didn't..." she faltered, and Isabelle smiled. "Don't worry yeself. I know what ye've been doing every night," she said, and Louisa froze. "Ye do? How... how d'ye know?" she managed. Isabelle climbed out of her bed and looked her friend in the eye. "Ye've been going out everynight, an' comin' back just afore sunrise e'er since we got ye back to the ship! Ye *have* t' stop bein' so scared - no one on this ship will let any of us be taken!"
Louisa sighed in relief, but Isabelle mistook it for a defeat, of sorts, until Louisa answered, "Ye don't know *what* I do, Isabelle, an' while ever it helps *me* get through the night, let me be, savvy?" the last part came out harsher than she'd intended, and she could see the hurt expression on Isabelle's face, but there was nothing she could say, or do, to repair the damage.
Isabelle turned away from Louisa and climbed back into bed without saying anything. Louisa did the same, but she lay awake, staring into thin air. Isabelle didn't know what she was talking about, she decided finally, before letting the clutches of sleep overcome her for the last few hours before the sun called all to be on deck.
It had been two weeks since the night in the crow's nest, and that was still the meeting place for the two. But that was a comforting place - to pass the time during the rest of the day, they'd started playing practical jokes on people, especially Jack. For instance, they found an age-old battle scar on the inside of the ship, livened it up with a firecracker, and left it for someone to find. Needless to say, he panicked! "Ye bloody fools! Ye don't leave dynamite in the open on *my* ship!" he'd yelled, throwing a bucket of water of the firecracker which more than likely did more damage than the firecracker itself.
Jamie and Louisa hadn't been able to stop laughing, which (of course) let Jack know who'd been behind the trick. The next joke they played was on Maty, the usual pirate in the crow's nest. Borrowing the spyglass, Louisa dabbed the tiniest speck of whitewash on the lens. When Maty put up the spyglass, he thought he saw the white sails of a ship on the horizon, and this called it down. Again, Louisa and Jamie had started laughing, disguising it as a joke between them when Jack sent a suspicious glance in their direction. He had reason for his suspicions - the day before, they'd glued one of his boots to the deck (when he was wearing it, mind!). He called for the spare glass, and climbed the crow's nest himself.
There was nothing on the horizon, in any direction, and Jack had his suspicions confirmed when, upon closer inspection, he found the speck of whitewash. Swinging back onto the deck, he headed straight for Jamie and Louisa. "What d'ye have planned next?" he asked Jamie as though it was the most normal question for a captain to be asking his son. Louisa had to stop herself from laughing. Jamie found he couldn't open his mouth for fear of laughing in his father's face, so Louisa answered as calmly as she could, "I don't know what ye're talking about, Cap'n." Jack wasn't convinced, "Sure ye don't, an' I'm a bloody mermaid!" he retorted, but neither would budge from their argument. Jack left, muttering under his breath about not understanding teenagers.
After a momentary meeting, Jamie and Louisa decided to leave it for a few days before they played their next prank. It didn't really matter that much, though, because everyone was on the lookout. The day before the ship was set to stop at a port to restock and take a break for a day or two, they planned their next prank, and this time, it was the cabin boy's turn.
"Ye do realise we're standing in his room," Louisa laughed as the two stood in the entrance to the main closet, which opened up onto Jack's storeroom. Jamie nodded, and opened the Hessian bag he held, "Aye, an' I'm glad o' that!" The bag moved, and Jamie glanced inside. Louisa looked at his coyly, "It *is* early, ye know..." she whispered, and indeed it was. Only the cook, the cabin boy, and the two captain's were awake, besides them. Jamie raised his eyebrows with a grin, "Oh, aye? An' what d'ye suggest we *do* so early?" he asked.
Louisa grabbed the bottom of the Hessian bag and upended the contents into the blankets the cabin boy called a bed. The harmless python slithered into a more comfortable spot, annoyed at being treated so indignantly, while Louisa looped her arms around Jamie's neck, stretching up onto tiptoe to be more his height. Jamie rested his hands on her sides, pulling her closer. "This is something better to do, early, aye?" she asked, and he grinned. "Much better, Cannonfire," he agreed, and closed the distance between them.
They weren't so completely wrapped up in the moment that they didn't hear the footsteps sounding from towards the galley. Jamie pushed Louisa gently into the closet, and pulled the door shut, just as Jack and Will (Sr.) turned the corner at the top of the stairs. Inside the closet, there was enough space as long as they stood as close together as possible; they could hear the conversation outside the door clearly. "Damned if I know where that blasted snake's disappeared to," came Jack's voice. "I wouldn't put it past Ranger t' have killed it, ye know. Ye should'a told him it was there!" came Will's reply, and at this, the two in hiding had to stop from laughing.
When the two captains had passed, and their footsteps led towards the deck, Jamie and Louisa made their appearance. "How long have ye had that snake for?" Louisa asked, and Jamie grinned, "'bout two days. I've been feeding it wi' a rat whenever I could catch one. I figured we'd be able to think of somethin' t' do with it!"
Hearing footsteps coming in from the deck, Jamie snatched a hasty good-bye kiss, and the two fled around the corner and into their own rooms (well, Jamie slipped back down to the crew's quarters), just before Jack turned the corner. He knew something was amiss on his ship, but he wasn't completely sure what. He stood in the hallway for a minute, before turning to see the closet door slightly ajar; he pulled the door open as though he'd expected to find a stowaway, but found nothing except an empty Hessian bag. He picked it up, and stared at it, wondering why the cabin boy would have a Hessian bag; shrugging, he folded it in half twice, placed it on a shelf, and closed the door tightly.
That day brought more excitement to the ship then there'd been for a long time. The merchant and fishing ships of the local port came into view, sending a wave of excitement through the crew. Each man onboard loved the sea, but (unlike Jack) they did prefer to have a bit of land-time occasionally. Louisa almost forgot about the snake, until that evening. The crew was having one of the usual pre-landing parties, when they were startled by a blood-curdling scream from the hallway.
At first, everyone thought Isabelle or Louisa were in trouble, but when they noticed that they were standing talking to Jamie and Will (Jr.) on the deck, it was obvious that it wasn't either of them. Jack saw the looks Louisa and Jamie exchanged, though, and something clicked. He headed straight for the closet and found the cabin boy calming himself down, glaring at the large python that lay curled up in the blankets.
The snake was harmless, kept in the galley to rid the ship of the constant stream of rats and mice that loved to come aboard. Jack picked it up by the tail, and took it back down to the galley. On his return, he found the crew gathered around the cabin boy, who was telling how he'd been attacked by a snake. It *was* a good story, but since very few knew the snake was onboard, very few believed him.
Jamie and Louisa listened to the boy's story with grins on their faces; Jack caught his son's eye, and look passed between them that caused both to start laughing. Sometimes, jokes were a way to liven the mood of a ship; besides, one thing was certain - the cabin boy would think twice before sleeping in the closet again!
Isabelle was in bed when the door to the cabin opened with a creak, but she wasn't asleep. She watched in the semi-darkness as Louisa prepared for bed, and it was then that she sat up. "You're back," she stated, and Louisa jumped.
"I was... I mean... I didn't..." she faltered, and Isabelle smiled. "Don't worry yeself. I know what ye've been doing every night," she said, and Louisa froze. "Ye do? How... how d'ye know?" she managed. Isabelle climbed out of her bed and looked her friend in the eye. "Ye've been going out everynight, an' comin' back just afore sunrise e'er since we got ye back to the ship! Ye *have* t' stop bein' so scared - no one on this ship will let any of us be taken!"
Louisa sighed in relief, but Isabelle mistook it for a defeat, of sorts, until Louisa answered, "Ye don't know *what* I do, Isabelle, an' while ever it helps *me* get through the night, let me be, savvy?" the last part came out harsher than she'd intended, and she could see the hurt expression on Isabelle's face, but there was nothing she could say, or do, to repair the damage.
Isabelle turned away from Louisa and climbed back into bed without saying anything. Louisa did the same, but she lay awake, staring into thin air. Isabelle didn't know what she was talking about, she decided finally, before letting the clutches of sleep overcome her for the last few hours before the sun called all to be on deck.
It had been two weeks since the night in the crow's nest, and that was still the meeting place for the two. But that was a comforting place - to pass the time during the rest of the day, they'd started playing practical jokes on people, especially Jack. For instance, they found an age-old battle scar on the inside of the ship, livened it up with a firecracker, and left it for someone to find. Needless to say, he panicked! "Ye bloody fools! Ye don't leave dynamite in the open on *my* ship!" he'd yelled, throwing a bucket of water of the firecracker which more than likely did more damage than the firecracker itself.
Jamie and Louisa hadn't been able to stop laughing, which (of course) let Jack know who'd been behind the trick. The next joke they played was on Maty, the usual pirate in the crow's nest. Borrowing the spyglass, Louisa dabbed the tiniest speck of whitewash on the lens. When Maty put up the spyglass, he thought he saw the white sails of a ship on the horizon, and this called it down. Again, Louisa and Jamie had started laughing, disguising it as a joke between them when Jack sent a suspicious glance in their direction. He had reason for his suspicions - the day before, they'd glued one of his boots to the deck (when he was wearing it, mind!). He called for the spare glass, and climbed the crow's nest himself.
There was nothing on the horizon, in any direction, and Jack had his suspicions confirmed when, upon closer inspection, he found the speck of whitewash. Swinging back onto the deck, he headed straight for Jamie and Louisa. "What d'ye have planned next?" he asked Jamie as though it was the most normal question for a captain to be asking his son. Louisa had to stop herself from laughing. Jamie found he couldn't open his mouth for fear of laughing in his father's face, so Louisa answered as calmly as she could, "I don't know what ye're talking about, Cap'n." Jack wasn't convinced, "Sure ye don't, an' I'm a bloody mermaid!" he retorted, but neither would budge from their argument. Jack left, muttering under his breath about not understanding teenagers.
After a momentary meeting, Jamie and Louisa decided to leave it for a few days before they played their next prank. It didn't really matter that much, though, because everyone was on the lookout. The day before the ship was set to stop at a port to restock and take a break for a day or two, they planned their next prank, and this time, it was the cabin boy's turn.
"Ye do realise we're standing in his room," Louisa laughed as the two stood in the entrance to the main closet, which opened up onto Jack's storeroom. Jamie nodded, and opened the Hessian bag he held, "Aye, an' I'm glad o' that!" The bag moved, and Jamie glanced inside. Louisa looked at his coyly, "It *is* early, ye know..." she whispered, and indeed it was. Only the cook, the cabin boy, and the two captain's were awake, besides them. Jamie raised his eyebrows with a grin, "Oh, aye? An' what d'ye suggest we *do* so early?" he asked.
Louisa grabbed the bottom of the Hessian bag and upended the contents into the blankets the cabin boy called a bed. The harmless python slithered into a more comfortable spot, annoyed at being treated so indignantly, while Louisa looped her arms around Jamie's neck, stretching up onto tiptoe to be more his height. Jamie rested his hands on her sides, pulling her closer. "This is something better to do, early, aye?" she asked, and he grinned. "Much better, Cannonfire," he agreed, and closed the distance between them.
They weren't so completely wrapped up in the moment that they didn't hear the footsteps sounding from towards the galley. Jamie pushed Louisa gently into the closet, and pulled the door shut, just as Jack and Will (Sr.) turned the corner at the top of the stairs. Inside the closet, there was enough space as long as they stood as close together as possible; they could hear the conversation outside the door clearly. "Damned if I know where that blasted snake's disappeared to," came Jack's voice. "I wouldn't put it past Ranger t' have killed it, ye know. Ye should'a told him it was there!" came Will's reply, and at this, the two in hiding had to stop from laughing.
When the two captains had passed, and their footsteps led towards the deck, Jamie and Louisa made their appearance. "How long have ye had that snake for?" Louisa asked, and Jamie grinned, "'bout two days. I've been feeding it wi' a rat whenever I could catch one. I figured we'd be able to think of somethin' t' do with it!"
Hearing footsteps coming in from the deck, Jamie snatched a hasty good-bye kiss, and the two fled around the corner and into their own rooms (well, Jamie slipped back down to the crew's quarters), just before Jack turned the corner. He knew something was amiss on his ship, but he wasn't completely sure what. He stood in the hallway for a minute, before turning to see the closet door slightly ajar; he pulled the door open as though he'd expected to find a stowaway, but found nothing except an empty Hessian bag. He picked it up, and stared at it, wondering why the cabin boy would have a Hessian bag; shrugging, he folded it in half twice, placed it on a shelf, and closed the door tightly.
That day brought more excitement to the ship then there'd been for a long time. The merchant and fishing ships of the local port came into view, sending a wave of excitement through the crew. Each man onboard loved the sea, but (unlike Jack) they did prefer to have a bit of land-time occasionally. Louisa almost forgot about the snake, until that evening. The crew was having one of the usual pre-landing parties, when they were startled by a blood-curdling scream from the hallway.
At first, everyone thought Isabelle or Louisa were in trouble, but when they noticed that they were standing talking to Jamie and Will (Jr.) on the deck, it was obvious that it wasn't either of them. Jack saw the looks Louisa and Jamie exchanged, though, and something clicked. He headed straight for the closet and found the cabin boy calming himself down, glaring at the large python that lay curled up in the blankets.
The snake was harmless, kept in the galley to rid the ship of the constant stream of rats and mice that loved to come aboard. Jack picked it up by the tail, and took it back down to the galley. On his return, he found the crew gathered around the cabin boy, who was telling how he'd been attacked by a snake. It *was* a good story, but since very few knew the snake was onboard, very few believed him.
Jamie and Louisa listened to the boy's story with grins on their faces; Jack caught his son's eye, and look passed between them that caused both to start laughing. Sometimes, jokes were a way to liven the mood of a ship; besides, one thing was certain - the cabin boy would think twice before sleeping in the closet again!
