say that I shall be terribly disappointed if you’re wrong.”
He laughed at her humor. “I’ll be back to check on you as soon as I can.”
Reluctantly Serenity let go of him and watched him leave. She took a deep breath to fortify her courage.
Oh, who are you fooling? she asked herself. You’re scared witless.
Who wouldn’t be?
Her teeth chattering from her raw nerves, she headed for the bunk and took a seat. She had barely secured herself when the door to the cabin opened.
Barney poked his balding head in and grinned at her. “Scared, are ye?”
“Terrified,” she answered honestly.
“That’s what the captain said, so I thought me and Pesty would come down here and see if we could help you any.” He entered the cabin with a…well, it looked like a bird that had been plucked clean for dinner.
Only a few feathers remained on the poor creature. “I take it the bird is Pesty?” she asked.
“Aye. I got her back in…” He frowned and stroked his chin as if trying to recall a specific year. “Well, it was a while back, to be sure. Probably before you were born, now that I think about it. I was on the Merry Tide back then, and we used to ship all kinds of exotic birds to England for them rich folks to buy.”
He pulled a chair up to sit beside the bunk. Pesty shifted her bare wings and made a quick squawk. “Butter beans, butter beans,” the bird said.
“Sh,” Barney snapped, then raised a gentle hand to touch her head. “I’m telling a story.”
The bird shifted on his shoulder. “Story. Story. Whale of a tale.”
Serenity pressed her lips together to keep from laughing at the bird.
Barney smiled warmly. “What can I say? She keeps me in line.”
Pesty bobbed her head up and down. “In line. In line. In line and over the side, mate.”
“It was nice of them to let you keep her,” Serenity said.
“Oh, they didn’t let me,” Barney said hastily. “She caught some kind of sickness and the captain ordered me to kill her. But she was such a helpless little thing that I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead, I took her to my cuddy and kept her safe. She’s been with me ever since.”
Lightning flashed, illuminating the cabin. Serenity gasped in sudden alarm.
“It’s all right, lass,” Barney offered in comfort.
Rain started falling, hammering a fierce tattoo against the boat. The lanterns in the room jingled and clanked as the ship tossed about. One chair skidded across the room and bumped against the far side.
“The trick is not to think about it,” Barney told her.
She swallowed, trying not to think about how far away land was, and the fact that she didn’t know how to swim. “H-how do you do that?”
“Me,” Barney said, puffing his chest out. “I just sing. ’Course, the songs I know aren’t fittin’ for a lady to sing. But you probably know a few.”
The ship rolled and pitched. Her stomach heaved. “I feel sick.”
“Now, don’t be getting sick in the captain’s bed,” Barney said, getting up quickly. “He won’t like that none at all.” He crossed the room and grabbed the washbasin out of the cabinet. “You feel the urge, you use this.”
She grabbed on to it tightly and just nodded.
“Ahoy, mate,” Pesty chimed.
A sharp lurch almost sent Serenity off the bed. Oblivious to the vicious bucks of the ship, Barney took her hand and placed it in a small niche carved just over the bunk. “That’s a grab rail. You hang on to it and it’ll keep you in place.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her stomach churning even more. At the moment, she was more frightened than she had ever been in her life.
Deep inside, she wanted to run away, to find some safe corner of the ship where no harm could befall her. But that was useless and she knew it. There was no safety at sea. The only thing that stood between her and death was nothing more than flimsy pieces of wood that could split apart at any moment and send her to the bottom of the ocean!
Serenity
He laughed at her humor. “I’ll be back to check on you as soon as I can.”
Reluctantly Serenity let go of him and watched him leave. She took a deep breath to fortify her courage.
Oh, who are you fooling? she asked herself. You’re scared witless.
Who wouldn’t be?
Her teeth chattering from her raw nerves, she headed for the bunk and took a seat. She had barely secured herself when the door to the cabin opened.
Barney poked his balding head in and grinned at her. “Scared, are ye?”
“Terrified,” she answered honestly.
“That’s what the captain said, so I thought me and Pesty would come down here and see if we could help you any.” He entered the cabin with a…well, it looked like a bird that had been plucked clean for dinner.
Only a few feathers remained on the poor creature. “I take it the bird is Pesty?” she asked.
“Aye. I got her back in…” He frowned and stroked his chin as if trying to recall a specific year. “Well, it was a while back, to be sure. Probably before you were born, now that I think about it. I was on the Merry Tide back then, and we used to ship all kinds of exotic birds to England for them rich folks to buy.”
He pulled a chair up to sit beside the bunk. Pesty shifted her bare wings and made a quick squawk. “Butter beans, butter beans,” the bird said.
“Sh,” Barney snapped, then raised a gentle hand to touch her head. “I’m telling a story.”
The bird shifted on his shoulder. “Story. Story. Whale of a tale.”
Serenity pressed her lips together to keep from laughing at the bird.
Barney smiled warmly. “What can I say? She keeps me in line.”
Pesty bobbed her head up and down. “In line. In line. In line and over the side, mate.”
“It was nice of them to let you keep her,” Serenity said.
“Oh, they didn’t let me,” Barney said hastily. “She caught some kind of sickness and the captain ordered me to kill her. But she was such a helpless little thing that I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead, I took her to my cuddy and kept her safe. She’s been with me ever since.”
Lightning flashed, illuminating the cabin. Serenity gasped in sudden alarm.
“It’s all right, lass,” Barney offered in comfort.
Rain started falling, hammering a fierce tattoo against the boat. The lanterns in the room jingled and clanked as the ship tossed about. One chair skidded across the room and bumped against the far side.
“The trick is not to think about it,” Barney told her.
She swallowed, trying not to think about how far away land was, and the fact that she didn’t know how to swim. “H-how do you do that?”
“Me,” Barney said, puffing his chest out. “I just sing. ’Course, the songs I know aren’t fittin’ for a lady to sing. But you probably know a few.”
The ship rolled and pitched. Her stomach heaved. “I feel sick.”
“Now, don’t be getting sick in the captain’s bed,” Barney said, getting up quickly. “He won’t like that none at all.” He crossed the room and grabbed the washbasin out of the cabinet. “You feel the urge, you use this.”
She grabbed on to it tightly and just nodded.
“Ahoy, mate,” Pesty chimed.
A sharp lurch almost sent Serenity off the bed. Oblivious to the vicious bucks of the ship, Barney took her hand and placed it in a small niche carved just over the bunk. “That’s a grab rail. You hang on to it and it’ll keep you in place.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her stomach churning even more. At the moment, she was more frightened than she had ever been in her life.
Deep inside, she wanted to run away, to find some safe corner of the ship where no harm could befall her. But that was useless and she knew it. There was no safety at sea. The only thing that stood between her and death was nothing more than flimsy pieces of wood that could split apart at any moment and send her to the bottom of the ocean!
Serenity
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