Chapter 1.5 or The Fun Little Middle Chapter

In which Graham has a sit down with a strange character. Possibly the end to chapter one (unwritten as of yet) or left as a fun little middle chapter.

"Alright now, here we are." said the moustachioed man as he helped Graham down into a room that seemed to consist entirely of gold and red furnishings. As she looked around her she noted the half-full bookshelves glittering from wall to wall, the ceiling molded in gold leaf, and the carpet and curtains a deep crimson decorated with golden tassels and trim. The only thing not red or gold was a giant wooden desk, behind which she had entered the room; and at which was situated a high-backed crimson leather chair. There were two other leather chairs, though both were significantly smaller and situated on the opposite side of the desk facing the larger, more intimidating chair. Off along the far wall of the room, near a bookcase, was situated an ottoman, some easy chairs and a golden roll-away coffee table.

"Where am I?" she pondered aloud.

"A silly question indeed. You are merely in front of where you once were...that is to say where you have just been. My my you truly don't know a thing about space, do you? Well then let's start with a cup of tea and a good book."

Graham was overwhelmingly confused. This strange, white haired, twirly moustachioed man pulled her into the study of his ship just to...study? She watched as the elegantly crimson-clad old man fussed over a delicately detailed ornate golden tea set. He delicately measured out the amber liquid into two cups before steadily extending one by it's ornate handle towards Graham. She took the cup, clasping the bowl betwixt both hands feeling the warmth spread through to her fingertips, sat down in one of the armchairs by the bookcase, and waited for further instructions in a peaceful silence.

"All right then," said the man, searching through the golden shelves of thick leather tomes "let's find you a book that has something to do with spaciality in reference to this dimension. Hmmm...Aha! Here's one, and it just so happens to be one of my favorite books concerning life in the third dimension on Planet Earth." He grabbed a nearly maroon bound leather book and cracked open it's gold leafed pages. "The title is 'Everything you need to know concerning life in the third dimenson on Planet Earth' By Captain Ignarro," He gracefully sat down opposite Graham, teacup in one hand, book in the other and began to read aloud.

"Chapter One: The meaning of Life. Though many great scientists and philosophers have spent countless hours pondering the subject. The answer to the age old question is, in fact, the simplest and therefore the most difficult. To put it as simply as one possibly can-"

"I'm sorry" Graham interrupted "but what exactly do you do here and who are you? What is this place? Is there anyone else here?"

The man closed his book and set it aside, crossed his legs, leaned his head into his right hand and furrowed his brow. After a few moments of deep pondering he lifted up his head and said "I will answer your questions in reverse order. I am not alone on this ship, you will meet the crew in due time. As for what this place is, it is most obviously a vessel, a nautical vessel of Palissy's design meant to transport human beings. You will meet him, as I mentoned earlier, later and he can explain the 'ship' more thoroughly. And as for me" he paused to rise out of his chair and flamboyantly whirl around, hands falling stylishly angled on his hips "I am Captain Ignarro!" He held his pose whilst Graham looked on, searching for words and an appropriate expression to give to her face, but she couldn't find a proper one of either so she decided to let both go blank.

At that moment a young woman, not much older than Graham, burst into the room. She was slender but muscular and had a large scar that ran perpendicular across her right eye closing it and making it to look like an italicized letter T. The woman had her mouth open to say something but stopped when her eye caught the scene laid out before her. The captain frozen in his all-too-proud-of-himself stance facing the girl-statue situated in an armchair, void of all expression, teacup in hand. The three of them stayed there for several moments, awkwardly silent, Graham still unsure of what face or phrase to use, the young woman with her brow furrowed in confusion, and Ignarro still in his pose, his mind leaving his body behind to imagine just how majestic he must look in his full glory leading him to unconsciously mutter "oh yes." under his breath.

At this the woman raised an eyebrow, turned on her heel, and quit the room post haste closing the door and leaving Graham behind. Graham turned her head to Ignarro and spoke.

"Umm.." she began, which seemed to bring Ignarro back into his body as he loosened up out of his pose. "that woman, I think she wanted to see you."

Ignarro picked up his cup and looked into it thoughtfully, stating matter-of-factly "Well then, she got precisely that! Good on her too, she caught me in my full glory." and he smiled dreamily, his moustache twitching with glee.

"That's not what I meant. I meant to say she wanted to speak to you."

"Well if that's what you meant to say then why didn't you just say it? My stars girl, you have a lot to learn."

Graham stared at him, a bit dumbfounded, while he shook his head and paced. After a moment of silent putting and pondering he took a last swig from his teacup, and set both himself and the cup down opposite Graham.

"Now, there is another of your multitudes of questions I have yet to answer...which one was it again?"
"I'm still not quite sure who you are." Graham said in an apologetic tone. Ignarro stopped twisting his moustache and looked at Graham, looked through her would be more accurate, his face trained with upset.

"My dear I took the time to bring you all the way up here into my ship and you can't even be bothered to learn my name?"

"I know your name, but I would like to know more about you."

Ignarro's face softened into a smile a he rose gently out of his seat.

"So it is not who I am but what I am that you are so interested in. I am beginning to see where you problem stems from when you attempt to communicate effectively."

He stood as he said this, ignoring or perhaps just not oberving Graham's gaping gob, strained with frustration at this contant barrage of what she took to be insults. At the nearest shelf of books he removed the first great volume in what looked to be an exhaustively long series. He creaked open the cover and waved back the tissue paper, smiling slightly at the open page. He turned the book round and handed it to Graham.

"This, my dear, is me."

She looked at the faded image. A robust man was standing in great inky knee-high boots on a cobblestone path. The path panned the horizon and lead to a backdrop of open ocean where a ship waited for him in his enormous jacket, probably of a crimson color, which he filled out to the seams. He had a beard which, if one had never known what a beard is, might be shown as an example of the perfect definition of a beard; thick and jet black. Though I suppose everything was rather a shade of black given the nature of printing images in ink. He was outfitted with a robust leather belt into which was tucked a pistol and a cutlass, the handle of the latter being quite plain save for the gargantuan jewel befitted to the hilt. Upon his head sat a fantastically flamboyant hat, festooned with feathers, lined in lace, and easily the size of his two boots put together. Graham looked at the picture from the top of the page to the bottom, which is how much space was needed to depict the figure, and thought to herself: 'Now this is a man of the sea.' She looked up to see the subject of discussion staring at her with a self satisfied grin.

"Well?" he said expectantly "what do you think?"

"You look much different in the picture" Said Graham

"I should hope so!" Ignarro laughed, his eyes twinkling "I was only three when the image was originally printed in the local paper."

Graham sat, puzzling over the grown man and the number three.

"Sorry, but are we talking about the same picture? The one on this page?"

"I should think since I wrote the book I would know on what page I put my family portrait." Ignarro crossed his arms defiantly.

"But there is only one man in the picture." said Graham, confused and unsure.

"Precisely, one man and one boy, no higher than his father's knee."

At this Graham realized what had been amiss with the photograph. She looked again and there, clad in all black, with the same jet black hair, was a young boy clutching clumsily at his father's boot which matched hm in height and could probably overtake him in weight.

"So your father was a captain?"

Ignarro looked at her with a mix of worry and another undiscernible emotion that reeked of frustraton. Quietly, nearly to himself he said "My god, I shall have to have Averroes conduct and eye examinaton" and then shouted "Are you partially blind or perhaps illiterate?" Which caused Graham to jump.
"Read, if you can, girl!"
Graham looked again at the picture. There, at the bottom, in miniscule print, was a caption. It read: 'Ignarro (age three) with his father, a renowned player.'

"I see" said Graham to herself, though Ignarro took this opportunity to join in.

"Do you?!Well, that' a relief."

Graham, though usually shy and not one for confrontation, felt the sudden urge to stick up for herself and she ran with it, setting the book in her lap.

"I beg your pardon sir but I do not appreciate having my every more scrutinized nor do I approve of being called "girl" as I am an intelligent being in possession of a name."

Ignarro smiled at this and peered at her over folded hands.

"Well then, my dear intelligent being, why don't you solidify your statement with this aforementioned nomenclature so I may know who to credit later on since you have so rudely left it a mystery up until this point; and I, as you can see, have quite literally been as open as a book with you."

Graham tripped over her aforementioned urge and landed flat on her shame. She hadn't introduced herfelf and he had been so up front about himself. She slumped gloomly in her chair.

"I'm terribly sorry." looking up at Ignarro with tired, apologetic, green eyes. "My name is Graham."

"I know," Ignarro said off-handedly " but all the same I'm pleased to meet you."

Graham's face grew hot with frustration and thought angrily to herself 'Why the hell did he ask me to introduce myself f he was already aware of my name?!'

And as f in response to her inner monologue he noted aloud "Politeness, my dear Graham, goes a great deal farther than any man's eye can see. Though it may not always be as swift as being rude, it's rewards are a hundred times as great."

Ignarro extended a hand towards Graham in search of his own autobiography to be delivered and Graham politely obliged.

"You are more than welcome, if it suits your fancy, to read as much about me as you like. Or, if you are not interested in me there are plenty of other books in here and about the ship on every manner of topic. Do you enjoy reading?"

He leaned against the bookcase, book still in hand, suddenly very serious; seemingly deep in thought. Graham felt far more comfortable since it appeared Ignarro had no intention of trapping her with such a straightforward question. She set down her tea cup and crossed her legs still clad in her not-quite-clean running pants in an attempt to feign confidence.

"I prefer anything quiet and relaxing."

At this Ignarro let out a warm laugh, like spilling a bottle of melted down Christmas bells. He steadied himself on the bookshelves and looked back at Graham, eyes smiling with content.

"Well then it appears  have done quite well in finding myself an apprentice. Come now my dear, let's see if there are some fresh clothes we can put you in. I daresay you are too small for Mauro's clothes and Averroes is too thin for her own good. Perhaps you can borrow some things from Palissy."

Ignarro clapped his hands, rubbed them together and headed for the door at which the young woman had arrived earlier. Graham scrambled to her feet to stop him before he got too far.

"Umm, sorry, but I didn't realize you were looking for an apprentice, nor that I would be assuming that role once aboard."

Ignarro opened the door and paused in the archway, allowing the night air to flow in. Graham could just see out onto a wooden deck bathed in moonlight.

"Why did you get on board?"

He left her there after a moment, moving out into the open elements and she followed, attempting to answer his question properly.

"I don't know." She said, and it was true. She had no real reason except for a feeling. That feeling was the only thing that had compelled her and she told Ignarro such. He stood staring over the railing and out to sea all the while she was talking. She told him about her boring life and how unhappy she was, about how little she felt she had accomplished and how she aspired to accomplish even less. She told him about her aversion of all things noisy or complicated, and how she especially detested confrontation. She let out all of her faults and fears until there was no more to say. When she finally concluded that all of this must be why she got on board Ignarro spoke once again.

"No" he said "your first answer was much closer."

"I don't understand" Graham realized this was quickly going to become her catchphrase.

"When you ad you didn't know why you got on board you were much closer to the truth than when you gave all of those supposed reasons." Ignarro crossed his arms seriously, standing tall, but still never looking away from the open sea.

"And I suppose you can tell me why I got on better than  know myself?" Graham asked a bit crossly.

"Yes" said Ignarro "and this will be your first lesson as my apprentice. The reason why you decided to board my ship is the same reason why all things happen the way that they do. When you've been around as long as I have and seen all the things that I have you realize that nothing happens for a reason, and that bad things happen specifically to remind us of that."

"So there is no reason, no purpose for my being here?" Graham asked a little let down.

Ignarro unfolded his arms and looked at Graham who was now looking out to sea, leaning on the railing, a somber expression on her face.

"Don't dwell on it too much. The beauty of nothing having one set purpose is that you can learn to bend the situation to fit your own purpose; you determine each point of action and reaction. All you have to do is remember this first lesson."

Graham didn't move, didn't blink, and remained silent, which Ignarro took as his cue to give her some space, and time.

"I'm off to the galley for some dinner. You are welcome to come when you are ready. The door leading downstairs is on the opposite end of the ship from my door. Once downstairs the door is marked so it should be easy to find."

With that Ignarro left Graham in the moonlight wandering aimlessly through her own mind.

Author's Note

Try to pick out any parts that may be inconsistent or vague. I have a problem with jumping from place to place in a story. Also please let me know if Ignarro's paradoxical "lesson" is weak in reasoning.

Reviews

[HayleyLemore]

I sense an epic adventure in the making. And with that in mind - when Graham questions her reason to be on the ship... well, the chapter should end on a high note and with intrigue so as to capture the readers interest. You want the reader to keep flipping pages and continue on your journey. Graham shouldn't say, "So there is no purpose, no reason for my being here?" As a reader I'm hoping there IS purpose and reason. And perhaps that purpose is mystical and magical.
The flamboyant nature of this piece is great. I see the humor woven into it.
In the beginning when Graham says, "Where am I?" Grammar in writing can be a peculiar thing. It could read: "Where am I," Graham pondered. Of course it is spoken 'aloud' because she said the word. 'Aloud' is redundant in this case. Although you see it done in the classics, and often. You could write: "Where am I," she said, and it has the same value. But I like Graham pondering. The question mark is not needed in the tag because we know she is questioning her whereabouts. Be careful of all tags. They should have comma and a quotation. Ex: "It's blue," she said. "No, it's green," he replied.
I really like your style of writing and think this has great potential. I see the great creativity and the broad sweep of a Broadway play. Don't stop. Another tip is - you might read your writing out loud to see how the tongue trips over certain words or flows with the greatest of ease. Keep up the good work.
Hayley

[August Tyng]

Thank you so much for your help!I have a hard time with english grammar so this was perfect! I will be editing and adding another chapter soon so stay tuned :) I think I will tweak the way ignarro explains the lesson since I get the feeling I may have lost some of the meaning in the writing. Thank you again for a great review.