(Sorry, but this chapter had to be divided into a three-parter. Also, the
comforting song I made up.)
~ Ruby Of the Sea ~
Chapter 4
The Storm
Part I
After a few days of constant day-and-nigh vigilance by Ruby, Nicole's health began to improve, and a week after the disastrous party, Nicole could romp outside with the other children, though she must come in early.
Ruby happily watched her younger sister become stronger, and was certain that she was much healthier after she had recovered from her illness, than before she became ill.
One Saturday after supper, the family gathered in the sitting room. Everyone was reading, though neither Nicole nor Ruby enjoyed it much. They were not allowed frivolities nor were they allowed to play because Mr. Louis considered Saturday evening to be part of the Sabbath.
Ruby was reading a very dull tale about a man who was founding a sea- side port, when she saw the family cat, Anastasia, come in the door.
"Here, kitty, kitty!" Ruby cooed.
Anastasia looked up at her and blinked, then came over to her and rubbed against Ruby's legs.
Ruby leaned down and picked her up. She placed the feline in her lap, and tickled its chin, glad to have something else to do besides reading a boring story.
For a time the cat seemed content to be petted, but soon it began to tense, and Ruby could feel it.
"What are our plans tomorrow?" Ruby asked abruptly, shattering the silence.
Mr. Louis looked up, surprised. "We are going to Mass as we always do on the Sabbath, at Port Henry."
Ruby nodded, frowning, and continued to pet the uptight feline.
A few minutes later, the cat abandoned Ruby's lap entirely, and took to pacing the floor back and forth across the room.
"Could we perhaps put off Mass? Just for one day?" Ruby pleaded, nervously watching Anastasia.
"Mary, I do not know what had brought upon this sudden aversion to religion, but tomorrow we will all be attending Mass unless we should all die in our beds." Mr. Louis said angrily. He was not normally a stern man, but Mr. Louis was very unrelenting when religion was called into question.
Ruby bit her lip, and said no more for the rest of the evening.
As Ruby slowly clambered into bed, she reflected on the cat's curious behavior. 'Animals have a sense that humans lack, and I should know it.' Ruby thought, drawing the covers to her chin.
'Rats will always leave the ship before it sinks, groundhogs build their den thicker if it is to be a cold winter, and I have never known a sea-bird to miss a meal of dead fish. Cats and dogs know something that we do not.' Ruby reflected as she fell asleep. She also remembered that she herself had been to tense and edgy to tell Nicole a story tonight as she slipped into the realm of dream.
The next morning, Ruby woke a few hours before the sun.
As soon as her eyelids fluttered open, Ruby ran to her balcony, and stood stiff as a statue. The wind had a warm, moist lull to it, and every detail of every object stood out like a pin.
The sunrise was as red as blood. Her face went pale. She turned to her left to look at the pastures where the cows were grazing.
Ruby's countenance turned white as chalk. All of the cattle were grazing on one small clump with their tails to the north.
Ruby did not loose a moment. She threw on a satin robe, and ran down the hallway, not bothering to be quiet. She ran past Nicole's room, and past her servant's quarters, on to the room where Mr. and Mrs. Louis were sleeping. On her way there, she saw the cat. It was sitting in a corner, hissing at anything and everything that so much as looked at her. Ruby hastened her steps.
When she arrived, she did not bother to knock, but flung the doors wide in a sudden and loud gesture of haste.
Almost before Mr. and Mrs. Louis were fully awake, Ruby was kneeling at the side of their bed.
"Mr. Louis," Ruby said, her face white and grim as opal, "if you ever loved your family or your life, then you will not ask us to go anywhere near the ocean today."
"Mary!" Mrs. Louis exclaimed.
"I know you do not understand this now, but if you value your life, or the life of your wife, your daughter, or my life, then you will not have us go to Port Henry."
"Mary, you look ill! Is something the matter, dear?" Mrs. Louis was persistent.
"Should we leave, we will all have something very much the matter with us! We shall all be dead!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Mary, are you not being a bit dramatic?" Mr. Louis asked, his iron- hard volition wavering.
"Not in the least."
Mr. Louis's will teetered for a moment, and that was all it took. "Fine, Mary. If you think that something so dreadful as all that will happen, then we will stay home."
Ruby nearly collapsed in relief. "Thank you, father." She then picked herself up, and walked to the door, though she was a bit shaky.
Just outside the door, stood Nicole, a rag doll tucked beneath her arm, and one fist rubbing her eye.
"Ruby? What's happening?" Nicole asked sleepily.
"Nothing, Nicole. Go back to bed." Ruby replied, pushing her sister along in front of herself.
As a maid named Miss Landers passed by, Ruby called out to her.
"Landers, go buy much bread and cheese."
"I'm sorry, Mahm," Miss Landers apologized, "but tis the Sabbath, and no stores'll be op'n."
Ruby frowned. "Search the port and buy any good groceries, but be back before ten in the afternoon!"
"Yes Mahm." Miss Landers replied as scurried off, wondering what might have come over the young lady.
"The storm may last a while..." Ruby murmured quietly.
"Ruby, what's going on?! I'm scared!" Nicole demanded.
Ruby kneeled by her sister and put on a comforting smile, "Don't worry, nothing will happen to you. Just stay near me and don't go outside today because a storm is coming."
Nicole still looked up at Ruby worriedly and questioningly.
Ruby drew Nicole into a tight embrace, and whispered a quick poem to her.
"Your troubles may reach unto the skies, the problems seem so wide; but Dear, please rest now, shut your eyes, and lay your problems aside. The house's strong walls will be your shields, and irks won't bother your pretty head. The enigma's pain shall soon be healed, but if you cannot stand the issue then do return to bed."
From between her strong arms, Nicole looked up at her sister's swarthy, sun-tanned, face.
It seemed disconnected and vague. She realized that Ruby was not signing to her, but remembering the song and its original singer. As Nicole squeezed her sister tightly in a hug, she wondered who the singer was, and what that person was like.
"Tell me a story."
Ruby looked up. "What?"
"Tell me a story." Nicole pleaded, "Tell me about what Captain Jack did once during a storm."
Ruby comically put a hand to her chin, as though she were thinking very hard, then held her pointer finger up and exclaimed: "I've got it!"
"Tell it to me!" Nicole pleaded, hopping up and down.
"Alright, but first let's go down to the sitting room, there we won't be bothering anyone."
Then Ruby picked up Nicole, and carried her down the flight of stairs, then to the couch that directly faced the already blazing fireplace.
"Now let me see..." Ruby hummed as she decided where to begin.
Then, deciding where to start began...
----------------------------------------------- What?! No reviews?! *Sob* *Sigh* I'll go ahead and update anyway.
Well, no reviews to answer; but I'm hoping for at least one for the next chapter! \_/
~ Ruby Of the Sea ~
Chapter 4
The Storm
Part I
After a few days of constant day-and-nigh vigilance by Ruby, Nicole's health began to improve, and a week after the disastrous party, Nicole could romp outside with the other children, though she must come in early.
Ruby happily watched her younger sister become stronger, and was certain that she was much healthier after she had recovered from her illness, than before she became ill.
One Saturday after supper, the family gathered in the sitting room. Everyone was reading, though neither Nicole nor Ruby enjoyed it much. They were not allowed frivolities nor were they allowed to play because Mr. Louis considered Saturday evening to be part of the Sabbath.
Ruby was reading a very dull tale about a man who was founding a sea- side port, when she saw the family cat, Anastasia, come in the door.
"Here, kitty, kitty!" Ruby cooed.
Anastasia looked up at her and blinked, then came over to her and rubbed against Ruby's legs.
Ruby leaned down and picked her up. She placed the feline in her lap, and tickled its chin, glad to have something else to do besides reading a boring story.
For a time the cat seemed content to be petted, but soon it began to tense, and Ruby could feel it.
"What are our plans tomorrow?" Ruby asked abruptly, shattering the silence.
Mr. Louis looked up, surprised. "We are going to Mass as we always do on the Sabbath, at Port Henry."
Ruby nodded, frowning, and continued to pet the uptight feline.
A few minutes later, the cat abandoned Ruby's lap entirely, and took to pacing the floor back and forth across the room.
"Could we perhaps put off Mass? Just for one day?" Ruby pleaded, nervously watching Anastasia.
"Mary, I do not know what had brought upon this sudden aversion to religion, but tomorrow we will all be attending Mass unless we should all die in our beds." Mr. Louis said angrily. He was not normally a stern man, but Mr. Louis was very unrelenting when religion was called into question.
Ruby bit her lip, and said no more for the rest of the evening.
As Ruby slowly clambered into bed, she reflected on the cat's curious behavior. 'Animals have a sense that humans lack, and I should know it.' Ruby thought, drawing the covers to her chin.
'Rats will always leave the ship before it sinks, groundhogs build their den thicker if it is to be a cold winter, and I have never known a sea-bird to miss a meal of dead fish. Cats and dogs know something that we do not.' Ruby reflected as she fell asleep. She also remembered that she herself had been to tense and edgy to tell Nicole a story tonight as she slipped into the realm of dream.
The next morning, Ruby woke a few hours before the sun.
As soon as her eyelids fluttered open, Ruby ran to her balcony, and stood stiff as a statue. The wind had a warm, moist lull to it, and every detail of every object stood out like a pin.
The sunrise was as red as blood. Her face went pale. She turned to her left to look at the pastures where the cows were grazing.
Ruby's countenance turned white as chalk. All of the cattle were grazing on one small clump with their tails to the north.
Ruby did not loose a moment. She threw on a satin robe, and ran down the hallway, not bothering to be quiet. She ran past Nicole's room, and past her servant's quarters, on to the room where Mr. and Mrs. Louis were sleeping. On her way there, she saw the cat. It was sitting in a corner, hissing at anything and everything that so much as looked at her. Ruby hastened her steps.
When she arrived, she did not bother to knock, but flung the doors wide in a sudden and loud gesture of haste.
Almost before Mr. and Mrs. Louis were fully awake, Ruby was kneeling at the side of their bed.
"Mr. Louis," Ruby said, her face white and grim as opal, "if you ever loved your family or your life, then you will not ask us to go anywhere near the ocean today."
"Mary!" Mrs. Louis exclaimed.
"I know you do not understand this now, but if you value your life, or the life of your wife, your daughter, or my life, then you will not have us go to Port Henry."
"Mary, you look ill! Is something the matter, dear?" Mrs. Louis was persistent.
"Should we leave, we will all have something very much the matter with us! We shall all be dead!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Mary, are you not being a bit dramatic?" Mr. Louis asked, his iron- hard volition wavering.
"Not in the least."
Mr. Louis's will teetered for a moment, and that was all it took. "Fine, Mary. If you think that something so dreadful as all that will happen, then we will stay home."
Ruby nearly collapsed in relief. "Thank you, father." She then picked herself up, and walked to the door, though she was a bit shaky.
Just outside the door, stood Nicole, a rag doll tucked beneath her arm, and one fist rubbing her eye.
"Ruby? What's happening?" Nicole asked sleepily.
"Nothing, Nicole. Go back to bed." Ruby replied, pushing her sister along in front of herself.
As a maid named Miss Landers passed by, Ruby called out to her.
"Landers, go buy much bread and cheese."
"I'm sorry, Mahm," Miss Landers apologized, "but tis the Sabbath, and no stores'll be op'n."
Ruby frowned. "Search the port and buy any good groceries, but be back before ten in the afternoon!"
"Yes Mahm." Miss Landers replied as scurried off, wondering what might have come over the young lady.
"The storm may last a while..." Ruby murmured quietly.
"Ruby, what's going on?! I'm scared!" Nicole demanded.
Ruby kneeled by her sister and put on a comforting smile, "Don't worry, nothing will happen to you. Just stay near me and don't go outside today because a storm is coming."
Nicole still looked up at Ruby worriedly and questioningly.
Ruby drew Nicole into a tight embrace, and whispered a quick poem to her.
"Your troubles may reach unto the skies, the problems seem so wide; but Dear, please rest now, shut your eyes, and lay your problems aside. The house's strong walls will be your shields, and irks won't bother your pretty head. The enigma's pain shall soon be healed, but if you cannot stand the issue then do return to bed."
From between her strong arms, Nicole looked up at her sister's swarthy, sun-tanned, face.
It seemed disconnected and vague. She realized that Ruby was not signing to her, but remembering the song and its original singer. As Nicole squeezed her sister tightly in a hug, she wondered who the singer was, and what that person was like.
"Tell me a story."
Ruby looked up. "What?"
"Tell me a story." Nicole pleaded, "Tell me about what Captain Jack did once during a storm."
Ruby comically put a hand to her chin, as though she were thinking very hard, then held her pointer finger up and exclaimed: "I've got it!"
"Tell it to me!" Nicole pleaded, hopping up and down.
"Alright, but first let's go down to the sitting room, there we won't be bothering anyone."
Then Ruby picked up Nicole, and carried her down the flight of stairs, then to the couch that directly faced the already blazing fireplace.
"Now let me see..." Ruby hummed as she decided where to begin.
Then, deciding where to start began...
----------------------------------------------- What?! No reviews?! *Sob* *Sigh* I'll go ahead and update anyway.
Well, no reviews to answer; but I'm hoping for at least one for the next chapter! \_/