Chapter 4: Early Morning Blues and Greens
The warm yellow streaks of the sun could be seen peeking over the horizon. It was quite a lovely sight. Jim watched soundless, chin propped on his knee. Sunrises were an awesome experience no matter how many times you experienced one. His first night watch went well, though very VERY uneventful which was a good thing. Morph had disappeared, most likely nesting on Jim's pillow on his bunk. B.E.N had keep him company for a while until Jim just couldn't stand the robot's rambling about why a deck of cards didn't include a "number one" card, and sent him away. He didn't care where, just away! After that, there was only him and the still silence save for the occasional wind that whipped pass and dissolved behind him.
Jim rose from the bench seat in the crow's nest. His shift was basically over even though the day watcher wasn't up yet. No one was up yet, actually. He climbed down the rope ladder to the deck below. He found he wasn't really tired; he didn't tier easily anyway. Breakfast would be made soon, maybe stay up a little longer to put something in his stomach…
His thoughts ceased as the door to the first mate's cabin swiped open, and closed with a barely audible click. "Good morning, Ms. Morgan" Jim greeted, politely. Even if she seemed extremely stern and short, didn't mean she wasn't no less a lady and first mate who deserved respect.
The first mate squinted her eyes at him, her face contorting into a pensive expression. "Are you biding me a good morning or are you telling me the morning is good? Why couldn't I discover it to be a good morning by myself? Maybe it's not so good for me."
Jim scrunched his nose, confused and utterly bewildered by her reply. "Um, I was just being polite. You do know what that is?" he remarked, sarcastically. Not harsh sarcasm, at least, not yet.
"Yes" Ms. Morgan said, curtly. "Since you were being polite, I'm -wishing- you good morning, Mr. Hawkins."
Jim smiled. "Thanks. You can call me Jim."
"I'd rather not." With that, Ms. Morgan walked pass him. Jim threw a glance over his shoulder at her. He thought he use to be short with people, but Ms. Morgan, what an odd person! He shrugged, and made his way to the crew's cabin.
***
"I'm SO excited the Captain asked me to be the ship's cook!" B.E.N. exclaimed to his little buddy on his way to the galley. "I never thought in all my years of existence I'd be a navigator AND a cook for a ship!"
"That's great, B.E.N." Benjamin said, as they made it into the galley. "What do you have in mind for breakfast?"
B.E.N. touched his metal finger to his 'chin' thoughtfully. "Scrambled boobybird eggs, galactagrit patties, slabs of bonza meat, and grainage toast!"
"Wow! I never had that big of a breakfast before."
"When you're cooking for a whole ship's crew, you need to make a BIG breakfast!" B.E.N. wheeled himself to the pantry. He scanned the shelves until discovering the items he needed. "Benny, come over here and help."
Benjamin hesitated for fear of messing something up again, but B.E.N.'s encouraging wave over brought him to the pantry. The robot handed him a large sack of grainage to form into squares and bake. He hobbled to the preparation table, setting the sack beside it. He couldn't quite set the sack all the way up there on the table.
Usually the meals wouldn't be so 'elaborate' on the ship, but since they had a rather smaller crew than usual, it would be all right to. B.E.N. brought the other items over, beginning a happy tune as clanking arms and food flew every which way. All the food was done in fifteen minutes. B.E.N. spun his spatula round his finger, and would of blew on it in Old Western fashion if he actually had lungs.
"Here Benny, try this out" he said, handing Benjamin a grainage toast. The little boy took a bite and replied with a mouthful, "It's good!"
"You carry the bowl of scrambled boobybird eggs to the serving table."
Benjamin stared up. "Are you sure? You do remember what happen last time?"
B.E.N. snorted. "We all make mistakes. I've made more than my share, but it doesn't matter." He handed Benjamin the bowl of scrambled eggs, and they made they're way to the serving table across the room. Benjamin let out a sigh of relief as he set the bowl on the narrow table, closest to the stack of dishes. He'd made it there without an incident!
The crew began pouring in a few minutes later. The two Bens were ready to serve, and they did with everything going smooth. That was, until the stack of dishes were accidentally bumped by poor little Benjamin's elbow. He tried catching them before they clattered to the floor, but it was hopeless from the get-go. His attempt to play catch caused the scrambled eggs to go flying from it's bowl. It was like a slow motion moment as the eggs flew through the air, landing on what else…the next person that stepped off the stairs.
Now, Benjamin was a slightly clumsy boy and everyone was aware of that. It wasn't everyday his actions caused an unwanted accident, but for some reason, him and food just did not mix! He hurried to stack the unbroken dishes back into a neat pile, muttering his 'sorrys' to anyone who would except it. Only one person didn't.
The whole room had fallen silent, an eerie silent at that. Benjamin hadn't noticed until he stopped and raised his head. He would of thought "so, that's where the eggs wound up", but the sight made him completely speechless! His heart leapt into his throat. The eggs landed oh-so-favorable all over Captain Amelia's coat…and pants and boots and worst of all - face. She stood there stunned for several moments, the anger slowly boiling to a breaking point.
It seemed a whole eternity of silence, the feeding crew in halt, Benjamin staring down not daring to move. Amelia motioned first, delicately plucking a piece of egg from her shoulder and distractedly releasing it from her fingertips.
"Delbert Benjamin Doppler, Jr."
Oh no, the full name. Not a good thing! Benjamin raised his head, deathly afraid of what he was about to witness. He hoped and wished and prayed that this was just a nightmare or his sometimes anxious imagination playing tricks on him. He wanted to do right especially on his mother's ship. He thought he could prove he wouldn't strew up. Too bad it wasn't this time around.
"Stand" he heard his mother order, feeling a firing squad through that one word. Benjamin did as he was told, eyes drifting to the floor again. "You will swab the deck and galley until they are clean enough to eat off of everyday on this exploration. Look at me, Benjamin!"
The little boy lifted his shaky gaze to her.
"Is that clear?"
He nodded, hating himself deeply.
"Retrieve the mop and bucket from the closet. And, you will not handle food on this ship again unless you are eating it. Do I make myself clear? Answer me this time."
"Yes, ma'am" the tiny voice answered. Benjamin made his way to the closet nearby, and left the galley with the mop and bucket.
All eyes were still held on the situation especially Delbert's. He stepped forward, resting a hand on Amelia's shoulder. "Amelia…" He stopped instantly at the frightful glare that met him, and let the situation drop for now.
***
The etherium seemed very inviting. Benjamin frowned, wondering if he'd be missed if he just vanished. He wished he could vanish. It was a drastic thought especially for a young child, but that was how his mind worked. Drastic thinking was his way of life. The world ended every time he did anything wrong. Benjamin wasn't a bad or trouble child. He was actually a very good child compared to his sisters.
"Hey Benny." The boy looked up from the slopping mop. He heard his infamous nickname, but it wasn't B.E.N. for once. Jim waved his hand. "Take a break and come over here for a minute."
"I need to get the deck done. It'll take DAYS to get it DONE!" Benjamin was about to go into hysterics.
Jim almost laughed, not at Benjamin directly but at the boy's perfect way of exaggerating things. "The deck isn't going anywhere." He grabbed the mop, which towered over Benjamin's head, and lead him to the side-observation platform. "Does your mom always treat you like that?"
Benjamin sucked his bottom lip, nodding. "She hates me."
"Why do you think that?"
"I never do anything right. I'm such a poophead!"
Jim threw him a quirked look. "Poophead?"
"Yeah, that's what my sisters call me. They're really mean to me most of the time. Except for Hattie. She doesn't hate me all the time. It's like every time I do something wrong, my mom attacks me. It's been happening ever since I was old enough to walk and talk and I don't know why!"
"Listen Benny," Jim held the boy's shoulder firmly. "I've known your mom since before you were born. I honestly think she does not hate you. I think she doesn't know how to treat you. She probably treats the girls differently because they're girls and you're a boy. She's use to being a stern ship captain giving orders to an all male crew and having things just right, she might not know any other way to treat you except like she does her crew. Do you understand?"
"I…I think so." The tears welling wanted to fall, but Jim wouldn't have any of that. He thought fast. "You should look at this in a humorous way."
Benjamin snapped his gaze to him. "What do you mean?"
"It was pretty funny seeing the Captain in full suit with scrambled boobybird eggs hanging off if you think about it,."
The boy thought hard, wadding through the horridness that was his mother deathly look to the egg slapped on her face. He started to crack a smile. "It was kind of funny."
"See? Look more on the bright side of things. I learned to, so I know you can too."
"All right, Jim. I'll try."
***
Writing notes: I am no "mary sue" writer :D Though I'm still not sure where I'm going with Ms. Morgan yet. I promise this'll be the last time Benjamin has a huge incident. If anyone noticed, I changed his full name. Makes more sense now, at least to me! Anyways, thanks for the reviews!!!
The warm yellow streaks of the sun could be seen peeking over the horizon. It was quite a lovely sight. Jim watched soundless, chin propped on his knee. Sunrises were an awesome experience no matter how many times you experienced one. His first night watch went well, though very VERY uneventful which was a good thing. Morph had disappeared, most likely nesting on Jim's pillow on his bunk. B.E.N had keep him company for a while until Jim just couldn't stand the robot's rambling about why a deck of cards didn't include a "number one" card, and sent him away. He didn't care where, just away! After that, there was only him and the still silence save for the occasional wind that whipped pass and dissolved behind him.
Jim rose from the bench seat in the crow's nest. His shift was basically over even though the day watcher wasn't up yet. No one was up yet, actually. He climbed down the rope ladder to the deck below. He found he wasn't really tired; he didn't tier easily anyway. Breakfast would be made soon, maybe stay up a little longer to put something in his stomach…
His thoughts ceased as the door to the first mate's cabin swiped open, and closed with a barely audible click. "Good morning, Ms. Morgan" Jim greeted, politely. Even if she seemed extremely stern and short, didn't mean she wasn't no less a lady and first mate who deserved respect.
The first mate squinted her eyes at him, her face contorting into a pensive expression. "Are you biding me a good morning or are you telling me the morning is good? Why couldn't I discover it to be a good morning by myself? Maybe it's not so good for me."
Jim scrunched his nose, confused and utterly bewildered by her reply. "Um, I was just being polite. You do know what that is?" he remarked, sarcastically. Not harsh sarcasm, at least, not yet.
"Yes" Ms. Morgan said, curtly. "Since you were being polite, I'm -wishing- you good morning, Mr. Hawkins."
Jim smiled. "Thanks. You can call me Jim."
"I'd rather not." With that, Ms. Morgan walked pass him. Jim threw a glance over his shoulder at her. He thought he use to be short with people, but Ms. Morgan, what an odd person! He shrugged, and made his way to the crew's cabin.
***
"I'm SO excited the Captain asked me to be the ship's cook!" B.E.N. exclaimed to his little buddy on his way to the galley. "I never thought in all my years of existence I'd be a navigator AND a cook for a ship!"
"That's great, B.E.N." Benjamin said, as they made it into the galley. "What do you have in mind for breakfast?"
B.E.N. touched his metal finger to his 'chin' thoughtfully. "Scrambled boobybird eggs, galactagrit patties, slabs of bonza meat, and grainage toast!"
"Wow! I never had that big of a breakfast before."
"When you're cooking for a whole ship's crew, you need to make a BIG breakfast!" B.E.N. wheeled himself to the pantry. He scanned the shelves until discovering the items he needed. "Benny, come over here and help."
Benjamin hesitated for fear of messing something up again, but B.E.N.'s encouraging wave over brought him to the pantry. The robot handed him a large sack of grainage to form into squares and bake. He hobbled to the preparation table, setting the sack beside it. He couldn't quite set the sack all the way up there on the table.
Usually the meals wouldn't be so 'elaborate' on the ship, but since they had a rather smaller crew than usual, it would be all right to. B.E.N. brought the other items over, beginning a happy tune as clanking arms and food flew every which way. All the food was done in fifteen minutes. B.E.N. spun his spatula round his finger, and would of blew on it in Old Western fashion if he actually had lungs.
"Here Benny, try this out" he said, handing Benjamin a grainage toast. The little boy took a bite and replied with a mouthful, "It's good!"
"You carry the bowl of scrambled boobybird eggs to the serving table."
Benjamin stared up. "Are you sure? You do remember what happen last time?"
B.E.N. snorted. "We all make mistakes. I've made more than my share, but it doesn't matter." He handed Benjamin the bowl of scrambled eggs, and they made they're way to the serving table across the room. Benjamin let out a sigh of relief as he set the bowl on the narrow table, closest to the stack of dishes. He'd made it there without an incident!
The crew began pouring in a few minutes later. The two Bens were ready to serve, and they did with everything going smooth. That was, until the stack of dishes were accidentally bumped by poor little Benjamin's elbow. He tried catching them before they clattered to the floor, but it was hopeless from the get-go. His attempt to play catch caused the scrambled eggs to go flying from it's bowl. It was like a slow motion moment as the eggs flew through the air, landing on what else…the next person that stepped off the stairs.
Now, Benjamin was a slightly clumsy boy and everyone was aware of that. It wasn't everyday his actions caused an unwanted accident, but for some reason, him and food just did not mix! He hurried to stack the unbroken dishes back into a neat pile, muttering his 'sorrys' to anyone who would except it. Only one person didn't.
The whole room had fallen silent, an eerie silent at that. Benjamin hadn't noticed until he stopped and raised his head. He would of thought "so, that's where the eggs wound up", but the sight made him completely speechless! His heart leapt into his throat. The eggs landed oh-so-favorable all over Captain Amelia's coat…and pants and boots and worst of all - face. She stood there stunned for several moments, the anger slowly boiling to a breaking point.
It seemed a whole eternity of silence, the feeding crew in halt, Benjamin staring down not daring to move. Amelia motioned first, delicately plucking a piece of egg from her shoulder and distractedly releasing it from her fingertips.
"Delbert Benjamin Doppler, Jr."
Oh no, the full name. Not a good thing! Benjamin raised his head, deathly afraid of what he was about to witness. He hoped and wished and prayed that this was just a nightmare or his sometimes anxious imagination playing tricks on him. He wanted to do right especially on his mother's ship. He thought he could prove he wouldn't strew up. Too bad it wasn't this time around.
"Stand" he heard his mother order, feeling a firing squad through that one word. Benjamin did as he was told, eyes drifting to the floor again. "You will swab the deck and galley until they are clean enough to eat off of everyday on this exploration. Look at me, Benjamin!"
The little boy lifted his shaky gaze to her.
"Is that clear?"
He nodded, hating himself deeply.
"Retrieve the mop and bucket from the closet. And, you will not handle food on this ship again unless you are eating it. Do I make myself clear? Answer me this time."
"Yes, ma'am" the tiny voice answered. Benjamin made his way to the closet nearby, and left the galley with the mop and bucket.
All eyes were still held on the situation especially Delbert's. He stepped forward, resting a hand on Amelia's shoulder. "Amelia…" He stopped instantly at the frightful glare that met him, and let the situation drop for now.
***
The etherium seemed very inviting. Benjamin frowned, wondering if he'd be missed if he just vanished. He wished he could vanish. It was a drastic thought especially for a young child, but that was how his mind worked. Drastic thinking was his way of life. The world ended every time he did anything wrong. Benjamin wasn't a bad or trouble child. He was actually a very good child compared to his sisters.
"Hey Benny." The boy looked up from the slopping mop. He heard his infamous nickname, but it wasn't B.E.N. for once. Jim waved his hand. "Take a break and come over here for a minute."
"I need to get the deck done. It'll take DAYS to get it DONE!" Benjamin was about to go into hysterics.
Jim almost laughed, not at Benjamin directly but at the boy's perfect way of exaggerating things. "The deck isn't going anywhere." He grabbed the mop, which towered over Benjamin's head, and lead him to the side-observation platform. "Does your mom always treat you like that?"
Benjamin sucked his bottom lip, nodding. "She hates me."
"Why do you think that?"
"I never do anything right. I'm such a poophead!"
Jim threw him a quirked look. "Poophead?"
"Yeah, that's what my sisters call me. They're really mean to me most of the time. Except for Hattie. She doesn't hate me all the time. It's like every time I do something wrong, my mom attacks me. It's been happening ever since I was old enough to walk and talk and I don't know why!"
"Listen Benny," Jim held the boy's shoulder firmly. "I've known your mom since before you were born. I honestly think she does not hate you. I think she doesn't know how to treat you. She probably treats the girls differently because they're girls and you're a boy. She's use to being a stern ship captain giving orders to an all male crew and having things just right, she might not know any other way to treat you except like she does her crew. Do you understand?"
"I…I think so." The tears welling wanted to fall, but Jim wouldn't have any of that. He thought fast. "You should look at this in a humorous way."
Benjamin snapped his gaze to him. "What do you mean?"
"It was pretty funny seeing the Captain in full suit with scrambled boobybird eggs hanging off if you think about it,."
The boy thought hard, wadding through the horridness that was his mother deathly look to the egg slapped on her face. He started to crack a smile. "It was kind of funny."
"See? Look more on the bright side of things. I learned to, so I know you can too."
"All right, Jim. I'll try."
***
Writing notes: I am no "mary sue" writer :D Though I'm still not sure where I'm going with Ms. Morgan yet. I promise this'll be the last time Benjamin has a huge incident. If anyone noticed, I changed his full name. Makes more sense now, at least to me! Anyways, thanks for the reviews!!!