*continued from Part 3*
Circus Pirates - Part 4
“Well, I’ll watch the helm,” Kross said to Henry. “I was a Captain’s mate when I was a younger lad. I probably have the most ship smarts around here,” he grinned to me.
“That’s probably true,” Henry nodded. “Funny how I’m Captain, and not him.”
“Well, I actually like to steer the vessel sometimes!” Kross said. “It’s a fact that the quartermaster is at the wheel more than the Captain is.”
“It’s true. I’m mostly running about making sure everyone else on this ship is doing their job and not stealing the rum. By the way, I still have to find those weaseling, dirty little midgets again…” He mumbled some unintelligible rambling for a moment then said, “Shall we continue the tour below decks?”
Henry walked off without waiting for an answer. I followed. We went down to see Cookie.
“Have you heard Bran and Bard lately, Cookie?” Henry asked the colossal cook.
“Aye, somewhere about the fore. Bran was belting some tune a few minutes ago,” Cookie said.
Henry grunted some agreement and stalked off towards the fore of the ship. We passed several cabins before coming into an open room that rocked up and down more violently than the rest of the ship.
I stumbled on my feet once and I figured we must be in the bow from its pointed shape. This also must’ve been where the crew slept because it is here where Henry began shouting at one of the many hammocks hanging here.
From this hammock popped up the two heads of Bran and Barn. Then before I could even blink, they had stood in the hammock and pushed aside a hatch in the ceiling of the ship. Bard, standing on Bran, hopped up through the hole and disappeared. His hands came back down and Bran swung out of the hammock as well.
All the while, Henry had been climbing up on the lower bunk, grasping at them and yelling for them to come down. We heard their infectious giggling fading away as they retreated.
“God damn you midgets! Get back here!” he spat.
I looked at him, shocked.
He saw me and apologized. “Sorry,” he said looking at the floor. “I’ve adopted a bit of a sailor’s mouth.” He wiped his hand across his mouth as if to wipe away the foul language.
“What are they running from? Uh, besides you,” I asked. Perhaps he had a valid reason for cursing after them, I thought.
“Those slimy little midgets have kidnapped Landon and hidden him somewhere,” Henry said angrily.
“Oh no!” I said, though I did not know who Landon was. Then I thought aloud, “How would they hide him? How long has he been missing?”
“Since mid-morning. He gets upset when he doesn’t eat,” Henry said, stalking out of the room and back on deck.
We walked up to the deck, passing by Cookie again. When we reached the top of the steps, Angie came out of the Captain’s quarters opposite them on the deck.
“I found Landon!” Angie said. Landon soon followed Angie, coming through the doors, holding her hand.
*Part 5 currently in progress!*
