Is anyone out there?... The is a very short one-shot that may become something more. It is an idea i've had for a while that just would not leave me alone! I'm not JK and any mistakes are my own.
No-one was watching so they missed the transformation of broken child to hardy man. The boy that had ran from that school had been almost blind with fear and pain. Not a physical pain but a pain of the soul that nevertheless left it own mark and was visible from the way he hunched his shoulders and flinched at friendly gestures, eyes restless and seeking.
The men on the boat did their own bit to help the transformation. Mainly from being themselves. They were not particularly kind and they had the same faults as you or I. But the place they worked meant they had no time for petty games or childish antics and they were straight and honest in their own way. They were not cruel and their expectations were not unattainable which was an improvement.
They noticed the way the boy slunk onto the deck like a frightened animal, emanating despair and misery. He was not the sort of boy they would normally have hired and they wondered if they would regret repaying the favour owed to the boys uncle. The boy ghosted around at first and was often found in odd places and hidey holes, but he was useful enough. It helped that he had wits and was sharp as a tac. If he was told something once he didn't need to be shown again and he took the initiative when he knew he wouldn't be scolded for it.
Being the men they were they missed the slow metamorphosis. In fact it wasn't until some years later when the boy stood straight and went with a girl, confident and at ease, that it occurred to them he had grown. Even then it was to note with satisfaction how he no longer clung to them like glue in any new port or bar and was content to go on his own and find his way back.
From the boys perspective he felt a freedom he had never had before. There is something about being so small and insignificant in the midst of a storm that alters something inside you. The winds and rain don't care and in a way that was cathartic. Eventually the unhappiness that had hung heavy like a weight was purged from his soul. Not that he suddenly became a beacon of cheer, he didn't. But he had perspective now. He knew who he was.