Episode 8

Things That Are Known, And Things That Are Unknown

To be honest I was a little worried we wouldn’t fit in with the rest of the crew, but the truth is it didn’t take long to feel like part of the gang.

“What’s happening?” I said smoothly as I entered our room a few days after we’d jumped ship. Ibrahim and Abidemi were playing cards. Tortoise was asleep in his bunk.

“What does it look like?” Ibrahim said, picking up a card and immediately throwing it down in disgust. “Ugh, did you even shuffle these?”

Dee picked up, moved a card, and lay down a set next to the other two. “Two Wheels and a Horse,” she beamed triumphantly, throwing down her discard. “Full Chariot.”

“This game is rigged,” Ibrahim said, pushing down his last remaining peg. “I’m going to bed.” He didn’t seem too disappointed.

“Want to play, Gecko?” Dee asked. She gathered up the cards, which were spread out on the table in little piles, and shuffled them.

“It looks complicated,” I said.

“I’m sure you’ll pick it up quickly. I’ll teach you.”

“Next door, please,” Ibrahim said, already slipping past with his toothbrush. “Some of us need to sleep.”

“Sure. And you’re welcome!” Dee laughed good-naturedly. I helped her slide the game box back together and put the table away and we headed out into the hallway.

“Is he really annoyed you beat him?” I asked.

“Nah, not really,” Dee said. “He’s just being dramatic.” She laughed. “Maybe a little. He always attacks too soon.”

“Comrades!” Miguel emerged out of darkness. “It is good to be with you.” He gripped our arms casually. “Is Ibrahim around here?”

“I think he went to brush his teeth,” Dee said.

“Thanks, okay. By the way, Old Gudge looks for two of you. He said he wants you weatherdeck.”

“Shinnerkins, we’re late,” Dee said, shoving the game into Miguel’s hands. “Come on, Geck, follow me. If you can keep up!” And she dashed off.

Dee was fast! But I was quicker on the ladders and kept up. Moving through a ship at full speed with only night vision and quick wits to keep you from taking a tumble is fun. We ran, we leapt, we scrambled, dodging sailors and barrels and cannons and sacks. It was good, you know, to just run.

By the time we reached the top, bursting into morning light and sprawling out on the deck, we were both laughing. The sun was hot and the sky was blue.

“On your feet, bib-nibblers!” Old Gudge’s gruff voice was unmistakeable. We struggled to our feet, gasping, still laughing. The old wombat was standing in front of us with a bucket and a couple of mops. He wasn’t laughing.

“You’re late,” he gruffed.

“My fault. Sorry, sir,” Dee said. “I know,” she added hastily. “The fish won’t care I was late.”

Gudge looked at us for a moment, his face impassive. “You’re both on scrubs. Scrub then swab. Get to it.”

“Do either of them ever laugh?” I asked Dee, after Gudge had left. We got down and started scrubbing, sloshing seawater onto the deck and pushing and dragging the bookstone over the sand.

“He does sometimes, but not very often. He’s nice though. He’s kind of retired now. He’s still officially the Quartermaster, but the First Mate has mostly taken over.” Dee lowered her voice. “She’s a bit scary. You know how the Captain chopped off that dog’s hand? Molly probably would’ve done a lot worse.”

Dee knew a great deal about the ship and the crew, and was good company. But an hour later we were still scrubbing. “I thought being a pirate was supposed to be fun,” I said, breaking the silence.

“At least we’re clean,” Dee said. “And outside. There’s worse jobs than this.”

I wasn’t convinced. I needed to come up with a plan. This was going to get old really quick.

Next episode: The Bunk