"The human heart is like a ship on a stormy sea driven about by winds blowing from all four corners of heaven." — Martin Luther King, Jr.
The sunlight bore down into the captain's quarters, coming through a port window, the cross formation of the glass paneling reflecting on the hardwood floor. The two lovers lay sleeping peacefully, Nat's arm around Kit as the two confide in the other for warmth on the cold Atlantic nights. As the sun began to pressure the night to take its leave, Kit awoke, Nat hugging her, her feeling his warm steady breathing on her back, his arm around her waist.
It just feels so amazing to be this close to somebodyKit thought.I do wonder if Judith and Mercy also share this special of a bond with their husbands or tis just me that is this lucky.
kit then fell back asleep, the ocean waves rocking the ship, coaxing her into a deep sleep. She once again awoke as she was facing Nat, him looking down at her with a slight smile on his face, his deep blue eyes seeming to be the only thing that exists as they were met with her brown ones. The kiss they share always feels like the first one they ever shared, passionate and deep. Eventually though, they separated as they knew that tis was much to do above deck on the ship for their first day out on the open ocean. There was much work to be done, even with the crew of nearly 6 people, including themselves. They then leave their room together, hand and hand, going up onto the forecastle deck. Kit immediately noticed how open and exposed she seemed on the open ocean. Twas not a piece of land for miles to see, with only the sound of the ocean waves and the occasional seagull call to keep them company.
It felt as though she were in those great theaters in Paris that she always dreamed of visiting, the spotlight on her as people peered down from the high, gold enshrined, decks above. But at the same time as she held onto the wooden railing on the edge of the ship, the prow racing through the water onward toward the endless expanse of the ocean, heading toward the sunny, sandy, endless shores of Barbados. The thought still ringed in her head as she continued to look onward toward the horizon.
I'm heading back home, back to Barbados. back to the beaches and swimming, back to Bridgetown and back to the sun and hoping to never see the cold of winter ever again.
The thought that had once left her heart so torn and in pieces, broken by some thing that she could not even describe. How much of a fool she had been back then, not realizing that Nat was the only thing missing, the thing that would turn that dream into the reality that she was now living. She gripped the railing tighter, as if this was some dream that if she were to not hold onto it hard enough, would fly away from her like a spooked bird in the meadows. As she was looking over the horizon, the rising sun slightly stinging her eyes, she saw what seemed to be a horde of black moving across the ocean, with the occasional flash of white illuminating the mass of rain and thunder. She felt as though her heart stopped at this sight, her blood running col, reminding her of the day that many a week ago when she was almost hung. The fear latched onto her, almost like it had gotten into her very soul and would never leave her. She had know the risks before setting sail with Nat, but seeing them first hand in front of her sent her to almost faint on the deck, no doubt causing much alarm among the crew.
She backed away from the railing and hoped to clear her mind of the thought. but she knew that she could not just yet until she told Nat of the coming storm. As she was searching she ran into a girl, who appeared to be her age if not slightly younger. She had long red hair, reaching all the way down to the middle of her back. Her skin was pale, though dotted with the occasional blot of freckles here or there. her green eyes, as comparable to emeralds, glistened in the sun that kit was sure caused her eyes to have a green glow to them.
"Why, hello! I'm the captain's wife on this here ship. Were recently married and tis just the most wonderful thing in the world. And your name is?" Kit was scared that she had frightened the girl when she jumped back a little at Kit's excited voice.
"My name tis Mary. We moved to Saybrook when I was 14, tis hard to believe I'm 17 now. But twas so funny having them see a Irish family in Saybrook for the first time. The stares just didn't stop for a few weeks." Kit wanted to laugh at the hilarity of this statement, realizing how similar this situation that she had experienced was so close to her own.
"Oh how alike we are! I tis from Barbados and I had tan skin that got me into many a trouble in Wethersfield. So much trouble in fact that i was almost hung for it." When she said this, the young girl's mouth dropped open and she lost the ability to speak for several seconds before clearing her throat and continuing to speak.
"So how did you avoid the gallows then?"
"Tis so funny that you ask me that. Well my Nat brought the child that I was teaching at the old widow's house to the trial and her testimony saved me. But she would have never gotten to the courthouse without Nat's help." Kit noticed that she was blushing as she retold the story. Also noticing how acknowledging that she was blushing only caused her to blush more.
"That truly is crazy. Well thank the lord above that you safe and with us here right now."
"Agreed, twas divine intervention that I twas here today."
"I tis will admit that i do envy what you have with Nat. I always wished i could have someone who loved me."
Kit had to hold back a laugh by covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh, Mary, you will find that someone soon enough. No need to rush into it. Me and Nat were just so in love with each other that we didn't even need the courtship. We just wanted to get married."
"I know, uhh, oh I forgot to ask for your name, what is you name?"
"Katherine, but everyone calls me Kit."
"That's a nice name. My name has always felt too basic for a Christian name."
"I would say yours is also nice. It has a classic feel to it." Mary seemed to blush at this, though hidden by her freckles.
"Thanks, well I have to go check on the rigging for the canvas, Thank you for talking." Mary then walked forward before climbing up the rope ladder towards the crow's nest to check the rigging. Why she is even more daring then me. kit thought as she left to go find Nat.
She kept walking, her boots hitting the wooden deck with a thump as she walked onward, as she thought she saw Nat with his signature long hair, crouched over a coil of rope on the deck. She moved closer, only to be greeted by a very Scottish looking man with brown hair that appeared to have some chestnut mixed in there. His black eyes, as deep as the ocean at nighttime seemed to pierce through her as he looked at her.
"Oh sorry, I'm looking for the captain. Have you see him around here at all?"
"Sadly no miss, I haven't seen him all day so far. Its like the lad wandered off into the foothills of Scotland, never to return."
"i surely do not hope that to be true, also by chance, what is your name?" Kit knew that she should really have known who the crew that she was going to spend some time with for at least the next 6 months, if not longer.
"Alistair. I'm Scottish and proud of it. I wish i could be in Edenborough tis now, but alas, I am here instead and grateful for it. Tis a opportunity to explore more of the world."
"Scottish, Eh? I'm from Barbados and where heading back there on this voyage. I sorely missed the beaches and the sun during my time in Connecticut."
"Barbados, you say? The heathen island in the west indies?" This sent Kit recoiling as John had said this to her when she first arrived in Connecticut.
"Tis no heathen island! Tis as civilized as London."
"Tis just have to see for myself when we get there.:" The anger Kit felt as this man had the nerve to insult her Barbados. She wanted to fly off the handle and insult him, but she calmed herself and kept walking forward, her boots hitting the deck with a bit more emphasis now.
She kept walking forward, unaware of her surroundings, she then feels as though she collided with a wall, stumbling back a few steps. What she sees instead is a very obviously looking Spanish dude who looked to be far older then she is. He looked to be at least 30 if not slightly younger. He had dark black hair with black eyes with a beard over his face.
"Sorry, Tis did not see you, my name is Marcelo, your name is?"
"My name is Katherine, but everyone calls me Kit. I'm the captain's wife and its not my first time on a ship so I wont be keeling over the sides as others thought I would be."
The older man laughed at this before shaking his head and smiling. "I would not doubt it. Most girls don't wanna live a life on the open ocean, but clearly your fine with it."
"Oh tis more then fine! I've always loved sailing, tis more loved the solid ground if I do say so myself." The man then laughs again before he composes himself.
"Nat sure is luck to have you, both of you deserve each other." Kit could feel the blush going up her face, at this a smirk appeared on Marcelo's face. "Oh come now, that surely isn't all it takes to embarrass on Katherine Eaton, the fearless sailor's wife who left everything behind. Reminds me of my familia back in New York with my two hijas and my esposa."
Kit relished at the though of finally being able to speak Spanish to somebody. "Por que dejaste a tu familia entonces?" She replied in a heavily British accented, broken, Spanish.
"Hablas espanol?"
"I just know bit and pieces of Spanish from the words the Spanish traders taught me when they would dock at Barbados. They even taught me a few curse words that my grandfather was less then pleased abut hearing."
"Oh, okay then. Just didn't expect to hear you speaking Spanish, albeit a little to much like a foreigner, but tis will have to do for when we dock in Cuba. With your way of talking to people, the two of us could easily heckle some merchants to charge less for their goods."
"Oh Nat would have my head if I dared to do that, but I might just be able to convince him otherwise." They both laughed, probably louder then what was acceptable of them before she left in search of Nat, wondering how on God's earth he had managed to hide from her for so long. As she descended the stair to the storage deck, hoping to find Nat somewhere here, checking the cargo or other.
but as she checked throughout the boxes and cargo, she did not find him anywhere. but as she searched behind a stack of boxes she ran into a man who had a mix of light brown and dark brown hair on his head, his beard just coming in on his face. His face look something of western European, though kit couldn't quite figure out what country it was. Though that question was answered for her as he spoke in a very French accented and broken English.
"Hello there, miss. What brings you down into the cargo old today?" His voice was rather deep, while still sounding friendly.
"Oh me? I'm just trying to find Nathanial, have you seen him around here?"
"Depends on what your trying to find him for, sailors never snitch on fellow sailors you know." kit playfully swatted him at this before continuing.
"No, he's my husband and I just wanted to tell him something." At this a sly grin appeared on the man's face.
"I take it you don't want the crew to come the captain's quarters for the next few hours, right? also try not to be too loud, Joseph over there in the hammock is sleeping." He leaned his head over a few inches, as if to point toward then man that lay sleeping in the tan hammock, his black curly hair falling just around his shoulders. "Hes just 17 years old, just got on the boat in Saybrook after coming from New London. He said there wasn't any work in new London, so he came to Saybrook and decided to join the crew. Nat let him on and put him under my watch since he is young and has never been on a ship before."He almost seems mad at him for existing, just cause he's young doesn't mean hes wanted to reply in a manner that was surely not proper for a woman to reply in. But she clamed herself and instead aimed for a sarcastic approach.
"You know, you were once that young and stupid, I call your bluff, why he can learn just like the rest of us did!" At this the man rose from his seat and walked the two steps over to her. She now noticed just how tall the man was, the top of her head just barely reaching his chin. He looked down at her, as he did this a chill went down Kit's back, not in love as she was normally used to feeling, but a sense of fear of what might happen. How many times had her grandfather told her to watch her mouth when she was little. She took 2 steps back from the man, he stayed in the same place.
"Why are you so close to me? Do you have no manners? I'm a married woman you know!" Kit's temper slightly flared as she thought about just how close this man had dared to get to woman, a married one at that no less!
"I simply was surprised at your response, not many women that I have met have ever stood up to me, a quite respectable trait if I might add." Kit was still furious at him for getting so close to her, but that too was beginning to ebb.
"Ok, but why did you get that close to me? You surely could have told me that at a more respectable distance." At this, the man smirk and laughed to himself a little as Kit's anger nearly fumed over, like a angry teapot on the stove.
"Tis have no idea myself, but granted though I never got your name?" How this man could be so casual after this moment was something that Kit hated, but she continued on.
"Katherine, but everyone calls me Kit."
"Gabriel, but everyone calls me Gabe"
"Gabe, isn't that French, you even from here?" He threw up his hands in a mock surrender.
"Yes, tis from France, but moved here a few years ago and now here I am. Used to work on several vessels back in France, Brittany will forever be my home."
"Brittany you say? Isn't that near Jersey and Guernsey?" Kit had always paid attention in school, but geography had always bored her.
"Yes, well I have to go back to sorting the cargo. I'll see you around the ship then?"
"Yes."
As she said this she turned her head, he blonde hair falling down upon her shoulders and walked onward toward the stair agian to go down to the third and final deck. As she descended the stairs, she finally found Nat, crouched over a pile of nails, in his hand a hammer, trying to secure a board to the wall.
"Nat I've been looking all over for you. And here you are doing repairs to the ship. I doubt that there is a single thing that needs fixing on this ship." Nat immediately stood up and walked over to her, the hammer hitting the floor as he pulled her close to him. He pulled her into a kiss, the world fading around them and Kit was sure she could feel the ground falling out from underneath her. She mewled slightly as she pulled him closer as she wrapped her arms around his neck, his landing around her waist. They stayed like that for only God knows how long, just holding each other for this moment in their lives, one that they hoped would not be the last. kit then pulls away and Nat tightens his hold on her waist.
"Nat, I was trying to find you since when i awoke this morning and went out onto the deck, I noticed a.." Kit could not even say the wordstormsince she knew what challenges lay ahead of them.
"Noticed a what?"
"A storm."
As she said this, she could visibly see Nat grow more solemn by the second as he he held her ever tighter against him, as if to protect her from something he knew no other defense against then to hold on for dear life. Kit put her head in his shoulder, her arms tightening around his chest, while tears began to start in her eyes. Nat noticed this and took her face in his hands and looked down at her, those deep blue eyes giving her a sense of calm in the moment.
"We need to prepare the ship for the upcoming storm, tis would be a good idea to get moving." Nat grabbed her hand and they ran up onto the decks and began to try to prepare the ship for the upcoming storm. Joseph and Gabe were down in the cargo hold, securing the cargo down to the floor, the molasses and cane sugar rolling around in the barrels. Mary was up in the crows nest and up in the rigging with Nat and Carlos, making sure to coil up the sails, hoping for the ship to stay in once place as it was rocked around on the ocean, being held only by the will of the ocean. Dictating if they were to live or die.
As they crew of 6 worked furiously, dashing about on the deck completing task after task, the dark wall of clouds, lightening and thunder grew ever near, a grave reminder of their current situation. kit herself worked down on the third deck, hammer in hand, putting boards down wherever she could find a leak or crack in the wood. She had gone though more then a bakers dozen nails and boards and yet she was still not satisfied. Whether it was fear of the ship falling apart or the fear of the storm, she could not tell and thus continued to work, nail after nail, board after board. Nat then walked down onto the third deck, trying to see if anything was amiss, to see his wife crouched on the floor hammering in board after board. He laughed to nobody but himself before walking over to her, completely oblivious to his presence.
"You know, Kit, tis no reason to worry about this. You did marry a sailor after all, a experienced one at that." Kit jumped back in shock from hearing someone suddenly next to her and on the previously unoccupied deck. She would have fallen backward, onto the hardwood floor had Nat not grabbed her and pulled her up onto her feet again.
"Yes, tis know that Nat, but what tis truly worrying is what this storm could do to us."
"Oh don't worry, The Witch can hold up against any storm."
"Tis not that I'm worried about, tis worried about losing you. I don't want you to be taken from me this early in the marriage or ever for that matter." This silenced Nat and there they stood for a good few seconds just holding each other. Speech failed him, so instead Nat leaned in and kissed her. It was a short one, but with as much passion as they shared that one night that they left Wethersfield. As they separated, his blue eyes meeting her brown ones, silence filled the deck again.
"I love you kit , I will never leave you."Nat said this in a low, husky voice that never failed to make Kit shiver as he held her close. "We best go up to the second deck with the rest of the crew, so that we can hold down the cargo and try to keep steady."
"Agreed." Kit then grabbed his hand and lead him up to the second deck. It was then the storm began to rock the boat, the crew grabbing onto whatever they could find for purchase.
the storm raged on outside, the waves rocking the boat back and froth, the wind howling like the wolves in the Connecticut forest. The Witch so far was unaffected by any of the storm attempts to knock her over, holding true to the ocean and keeping its occupants safe from the dangers and death that awaited them outside the safe hardboard interior of the ship. A sound then ripped through the air, that caused them all to grow silent.
The canvas had unfurled and they were moving farther and father into the open ocean, away from help and life towards helplessness and death.
Joseph, Mary, Ant and Kit all left the safety of the second deck as they went up the ladder to the rigging. As they climbed the ladder, the rain then began to fall in slabs, hitting them all like a wave of daggers hitting them all at once. As they all reached the top of the sails, Nat and Kit went to one side and rolled up the canvas and waited for Mary and Joseph to do the same. it began to roll up before it sopped and a bloodcurdling female scream was sent out onto the night. They both went pale as the went over to check if Mary slipped overboard. Instead they were greeted with Mary holding onto to Joseph's hand as she dangled from the sails, her dress flying about her in the wind.
"I've got you! I won't let go!"
"You better not!"
"Hold on! I'm going to pull you up now, put your other and on the pole. Yes, right there and pull!" Joseph pulled her up and they landed on the wood scaffolding, Mary laying half on him as they had fallen back as he had pulled her up. His arms were around her back, hers were around his, each holding onto each other as though they would die if they were to let go. Nat and Kit exchanged identical looks of knowing at each other until Nat whispered in her ear, almost undiscernible from the storm that continued on around them.
"Soo how long until we need to plantheirwedding?" At this, kit gently nudged him in the side with her arm.
"I say maybe 6 months, if not shorter."
"Bold of you to assume that."
"The evidence is right there in front of us." At this Kit pointed toward the two people, Mary looking down at Joseph, her red curly hair matted won slightly as it hung around her head, mixing slightly with his black, curly hair. Kit and Nat looked at each other, nodded and climbed down the ladder. A loud crash of thunder and lightening sent them scurrying into the stairwell as Mary and Joseph descended the ladder. They then joined Kit and Nat on the second deck, the two of them sitting close together with their hands interlocked, her snuggled up against him as they sat on the floor as the storm raged outside. The hours raged onward and onward, the storm never ceasing. There were a few close moments when the ship began to list, at which Mary threw her arms around Joseph and buried her face in his coat, him holding her close.
Eventually though the storm began to ebb, before quickly picking up force again. They all just wished for this nightmare to be over, especially Mary, who was not taking the storm too well. She sat there, shivering against Joseph, his coat giving her at least some warmth on this god-forsaken, cold night. Mary eventually falls asleep, her head resting on joseph's shoulder as he soon falls asleep aswell, his head leaning against the wooden boards of the hull. As they both fell asleep, the storm finally took its leave and the sea fell quiet again. Alistair spoke up into the silence, pointing at the two teens sleeping on the floor.
"Well, they certainly are cute together, that's for certain."
"Tis so funny, me and Nat saw Joseph pull Mary up after she slipped up in the sails, and they just laid their staring at each other as we left. They only left this trance when there was a loud crash of thunder which spooked them and yet here they are." Kit pointed toward them as laughter filled the deck.
"Oh well, tis best to get to bed since we are going to be heading back out to sea tomorrow." with that Alistair and Carlos both left for their quarters as Nat placed his arm around Kit's waist.
"You know, I do wonder how obvious we were when were younger."
"Oh Nat, we were so obvious that I'm surprised that Judith didn't tease me for it."
"maybe the reason why she didn't tease you was because she respected your choice to go after the handsome, charming, sailor."
Kit blushed and she hoped Nat could see it through the darkness. "Maybe that is the reason." She then leaned up to kiss him as they walked towards their room. Kit noticed that this time they seemed to be more eager then any time before, save their wedding. She figured it had something to do with the fact that they had faced death head on today and survived, or maybe it was something else. But regardless, Kit welcomed it as she and Nat lay in the aftermath, his hand holding her head close as they caught their breath. They then fell asleep shortly after completely unaware of the other two people walking on the deck outside the door. Or how much they both loved each other and yet did not want to admit it.
But they too fell asleep and the ship continued forward, onward toward its original destination of Barbados, toward the endless sun and beaches and away from any frightful storms that dared to interfere in her path.
Completely unaware of the challenges they were yet to face when they arrived.