Straightens Ship

Thwack! The flying jib at the bow of the ship backwinded. The imbalance of the sails made the boat tip dangerously to starboard. Jack skidded across the deck and caught himself just before he tumbled over the rail. He gripped the ratlines and straightened up.

"Oooh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" he said to the Barnacle, convinced now that the ship itself was out to sabotage his mission. "Well, it will never happen." He grinned while his restrained crew continued to chant, moan, and shout, and Arabella continued to clutch the port rail, her sad eyes never leaving the horizon. "It's the sea, doll. Just the sea," Jack said, frustrated by her sudden obsession with the ocean. "Seen one, seen them all. Waves, horizons, open air. Not much else to look at besides that foggy island that might or might not be there depending on when you look, and the occasional odd tail of a sea creature that may or may not be a beastie ready to attack us."

Jack took a step toward her, hoping, though he knew it might be in vain, to get her attention. But the ship was still backwinded, and he slipped backward. "I'll be back in a moment, doll. Must attend to the jib," he said. Keeping a hand on the rail, he hurried to the bow. He ignored the crew, neatly leaping over them. Then he sat astride the bowsprit, muttering to himself while he inched along the pole to release the wayward sail. Salty spray stung his eyes, and he almost slipped twice due to the slickness of the wet bowsprit, but he finally made it back to the deck.

***

The Siren Song, Chapter 7