2 Ships and Stories

  As soon as the Feodora was unloaded the crew started loading new goods in the freight-space. All boxes and barrels were carefully distributed to create an even load. Long ropes held everything in place so it wouldn't move. Any undesired movement would lead the ship to imbalance which could cause the ship to capsize, as one of the seasoned seafarers declared. His name was Tom and the first mate had told him to take Ian under his wing.

  Because as he said 'Any dumbass can unload a ship, but only good and seasoned seamen are able to load it properly and even them need an able first mate and a smart captain to double-check it. Be sure to remember that one, lad, it will save your life one day.' Any mistake could lead to doom. 'All those smugglers that have drowned because their greed got the better of them... some even hollowed their keel, idiotic bastards. All of them are now lying in their ever-wet beds beneath the waves. Or at our lords table in heavens if ya believe in that, lad.' the old man said loud and in a significantly lower voice 'Or maybe in Tir-na-nog at Manannan's court. If they are lucky enough.'

  His voice carrying an awe that made clear he neither worshipped the northern gods, still popular among common folks especially seamen, though better not spoken about, nor the beliefs the church preached, but the old gods... like his father had... a dangerous belief nowadays.

  Ian liked the old man. He reminded him of his late father, who had been a relatively old man himself, having outlived three wives. That is if one counted his mother's disappearance as death. His father had always doubted that, had even told him she got spirited away. Taken by her folk or more sinister people. His brothers had thought him to be a little peculiar in his old age. Especially after taking his mother for a wife, when she had been younger than his eldest.

  Ian sighed and focussed on the knots Tom had shown him. He knew the old man would probably redo them later, but it still gave him the feeling of being of use.

  After several hours the ship was loaded. As the sun was already setting the Feodora would spend another night in Sparrowsbourgh leaving tomorrow at midday. The captain wanted to reward the crew with an extended shore leave as they had worked hard and would spend a few weeks without reaching any harbour, as Tom had told him. Ian felt a little anxious about that. He never had really left home much less spent time on a ship. The perspective of several weeks out in the open felt more than foreign.

  He had been asked whether he wanted to stay aboard or join the older seamen who had invited him quite open-heartedly, but he had declined the offer. Wanting to familiarize with the ship beforehand. Ol' Tom stayed, too. 'Too much effort to grown land-legs for me old bones.' he had told the younger seamen who had patted his shoulders and gladly accepted his offer of taking the night-watch.

  Before the last light had vanished Tom gave Ian a tour around the ship.

  'Is it really a cog?' he asked the old man. Tom chuckled in response and declared cryptically 'Some might say so. But most times the Feodora is simply the ship the captain needs. One could say it depends on who is looking at it. It is as much of a cog as of any other human ship-forms.'

  'How am I supposed to learn the right terms if the ship changes?' Ian asked intrigued since he had no doubt about the Feodora being special, simply looking at her captain.

  'Just stick to Starboard and Port board for left and right, respectively. And Bow and Stern for front and back. The big mast in the middle is the main mast, it carries the crow's nest and the main sail. The one to the bow is called foremast and the one to the stern mizzenmast. The rest will come to you eventually.' the old man smiled as he sat down on the main deck watching the harbour and the boy at his side. This was the first of many evenings the old man told Ian about his gods. How Lugh slew his grandfather the Fomorian Balor, about the Morrigan, the chooser of the slewn and about Manannan a trickster and lord of the sea. Many a time the crew would gather and listen to him. Sometimes even the captain or the first mate would join them standing quietly in the shadows.

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  And like that the first part of his journey passed. His many duties, such as running errands on the ship, climbing into the crow's nest to bring food to the look-out, scrubbing the deck and helping in the kitchen, made Ian settle into his new life rather quickly. The others told him to be quite talented as he has had no problem to adapted to the ship's movements at all, quite the opposite, he felt as if he finally was where he belonged.

  Of course he still had a lot to learn. Tom as his mentor spend a lot of time teaching him the ins and outs of a seaman's life, whilst either the captain or the first mate took care of the younger one’s education. Educated commoners, a rather unheard idea. But it assured the loyalty rather than planting the seed of rebellion. Something that lead many of the so-called higher classes shy away from ‘wasting education on the dirty plebs…’, as one of the older seamen quipped. Some of those evenings when they talked politics and had drunk their fill, or maybe a little more, could become quite heated. The cruel and hypocritical church, blood sucking nobles and so on. Nearly any authority could be questioned by the riotous lot, but never the old gods or the captain. Sometimes Ian asked himself if he was really the only one running from those authorities or if that was maybe a hiring criterion.

  When he asked about those rather dangerous conversations Tom, one of the first to ever sail with the captain, always said 'The Capt'n is giving us the choice to trust 'im or not. He offers education to form an opinion for oneself. Rather than having us discover his oddities ourselves and fret about them. One might even think of educating us as a rather selfish endeavour for it grants his own security.' Ian had yet to experience the so-called oddities, besides the contract he had signed when he first arrived. Yet.

  One evening as he told another of Manannan Mac Lir's adventures the first mate Ron FitzRoy joined them. He always liked to listen to the old man's tales but today he frowned and said 'Of all days, Tom, do you think today is the right day to talk about Manannan? The captain will join us soon, you better stop invoke spirits you can't bottle up later on.'

  'You are right I was careless in my choice, today, please extend my apologize to the captain.' Tom said hurriedly and frowned.

  'No need. You know he has heard every word.' the first mate grinned signalling that no offence was taken. Ian frowned why not talking about Manannan today, why not in front of the captain?

  'So, young Tom, are you again talking about times that are so far in the past, you never knew them?’ a solemn voice out of the shadows asked, making the old man shiver. ‘You should know better than to glorify people and calling their names while traveling on the Ley lines. You know better than to call a god, especially that one whilst travelling the lines. Do you want him to sink the ship 'cause he can? He would do so, I assure. Especially this one. Better think before invoking the Tuatha de Danann, they like to play with mortals.' Sean McLir continued in a solemn manner. He had called the old man young, as if the barely in his third decade looking captain was many times his senior, that was more than a little eerie to Ian. When he looked up the captain’s usually brown eyes gleamed amber in the light of the torch as he stepped into the light.

  'Aye Capt'n should've thought about it. Never invoke the Sidhe while travelling the Ley-Lines, 'cause they might come over to visit. Should've known better, I apologize.' Tom bowed his head as if more like apologizing to a noble or maybe something more, Ian thought. A little odd. Just like the smile that had spread on the captain’s face. The following silence was complete, no-one dared to move only the flames dancing on the torch could be heard, as if even the surrounding sea was listening. Until after a few moments of listening into the darkness the captain said ‘It is okay. No harm was done this time. At least you slandered no-one. They were listening but more out of curiosity, than out of malice’ The first mate nodded and as if that had been the sign the sounds of the surrounding sea returned. A relieved sigh could be heard and the crew dispersed. Only Tom, Ian and the Captain were still standing there, looking over the dark sea.

  Ian thought the whole event odd. Yes, the belief in the Tuatha was strong abord but that seemed to be extreme. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that the eerie silence had been more than just coincidence. And travelling on Ley line? What did that mean? He didn’t know and his feeling told him that now was not the time for questions. Not while the darkness surrounding the ship felt like it was watching and waiting. On what? He didn’t know and a sinking feeling told him he didn’t want to know either.