Chapter 4

A Chapter by Minyonka

About an hour later, Jim, Morph and I were on the quarter deck. I was sitting up in the shrouds, staring out at the sky, while Jim was finishing up his job. Morph had even helped, turning into a miniature mop.

“Looks like you made a new friend, Jim,” I said as Morph turned into his original form.

Jim just chuckled and leaned against his mop.

“Well, this has been a fun day, huh,” he said, “Making new friends, like that spider psycho.”

I watched as Morph turned into a miniature of Mr. Scroop.

“Spider psycho! Spider psycho,” he repeated. I found it cute.

“A little uglier,” Jim answered.

Morph changed the face to look maniacal, cackling wickedly.

“Pretty close,” Jim said and I started laughing quietly.

“Well, thank heavens for little miracles,” my dad said while coming up the stairs with a bowl of scraps. He threw the bits of food overboard. “Up here for an hour and the deck’s still in one piece,” he finished and I chuckled.

“Um, look, I, uh… what you did… Thanks,” Jim mumbled, finally finding the words he was looking for.

“Didn’t your pap ever teach ya to pick your fights a bit more carefully?”

Jim turned away from my father and mopped faster, moving closer to the shrouds I was in.

“Your father’s not the teaching sort, is he,” I asked.

“No. He was more the ‘taking off and then never coming back’ sort,” Jim answered as he stopped mopping and leaned against the side of the ship.

I glanced at my dad, who had a slightly sympathetic look on his face. He walked over and leaned next to Jim while I moved lower in the shrouds, almost on the edge.

“Sorry, lad,” my father said.

“Hey, no big deal. I’m doing just fine.”

The way Jim spoke told me that he was far from ‘just fine.’ I sighed quietly and glanced up at my dad again. He had a knowing look in his eye.

“Well, since the captain has put you with me, like it or not, Em and I will be pounding a few skills into that thick head of yours to keep you out of trouble,” he said.

“What,” Jim demanded.

“I won’t be letting you out of my sight,” I added and Jim turned to me, a glare in his eyes.

“You can’t do-”

“You won’t so much as eat, sleep or scratch your bum without my say-so,” Dad finished.

“Don’t do me any favors!”

“You can be sure of that, Jimbo.”

I put my hand on Jim’s shoulder, gaining his attention again.

“You can be sure of that,” I said with a smirk.

I could see the anger glowing in his eyes and had to resist the urge to smile widely Once my dad walked away, Jim started talking again.

“Why bother,” he asked.

“Huh,” I questioned.

“Why do you and Silver bother to try and teach me? It won’t work.”

“You’d be surprised, Jim. I can’t tell what Dad’s reason could be, but mine is this. One day, your life will flash before your eyes. You might as well make sure it’s worth watching.”

With that, I left Jim to think over what I’d just told him. I walked down to the galley to find my dad cleaning up, humming an old, familiar tune as he did.

“Hey, Dad,” I greeted with a smile.

“Em? What’re ya doing down here,” he asked.

“Thought I’d help you out, but it looks like you’re just about done. I left Jim too deep in thought to cause trouble.”

“Did ya now? How so?”

“I told him one of the old proverbs you used to tell me.”

My father smiled before turning back to wiping down the counter.

“Hey, Dad… why’d you decide to teach Jim,” I asked after a moment.

“Now where’d that come from?”

“Jim asked me. I gave him my reason, but I want to know yours.”

“To keep him out of trouble. I gotta work him so he don’t got time to snoop around,” my dad answered.

“Sounds good to me. Just don’t kill him. I actually get along with this cabin boy.”

I pushed myself off the counter an gave my dad a hug before leaving to go to the crew’s sleeping quarters.