Chapter 6

          The sun snuck over the low hills of the mainland and traced with golden fingers ripples fleeing the ship’s keel.  Lizzy stood in the fore of the bow, willing yesterday’s wind to return to the tired sails.  Iama sat on a barrel midship, her back against the mast, picking her teeth with a long steel knife.  At the helm Sam drowsed, her long body sagging on the wheel.  The rest of the crew were playing cards on the deck, bored out of their minds by the lack of action.  Lizzy looked back on all the idle hands and cursed the turn in the weather.

            Towards noon a slight breeze stuck in the sails and the ship began to move with more alacrity.  A shout from Kris in the crow’s nest brought the crew crowding to the starboard bow to spy a tiny boat with white sails floating on the horizon.

            “String up all the canvas.  Catch all the wind you can!” cried Lizzy, excited that their quarry was finally in sight.  Hands flew to the rigging, and soon the ship was moving along at a jaunty clip propelled by her many sails.

            In the fore of the ship Abby stood alone, tugging at a line extending far into the air.  The other end attached to a black kite detailed with a familiar white skull and crossbones.  Abby pulled vigorously on the line, making the kite plunge and swoop in the sky.  It lost altitude and she began backing slowly to force it higher.  Iama noticed Abby’s direction a moment too late.

            “Splash!”  Abby’s head preceded her heels over the side railing, the string snapping in the process.  The diamond of black cloth fluttered up and away on the now stiff breeze until it remained only as a speck in the clear blue sky.  Iama shook her head silently, turned, and threw a rope over the side to retrieve the sopping Abby, completely unaware of the danger of the kite flying unattended across the sky.