admin January 14th, 2011
It’s a short story- Thanks in advance =)
A Fairlytale in Parts: Part 1 The Ship
On a ship, swaying on a turbulent sea, an old woman sat at the Captain’s table and picked at her food and watched him intensely. Her clothes were made of the finest silk which only emphasized the leathery texture of her wrinkled skin. Her hair, thin with age, was wound tight in a bun, but a few strands had escaped to hang about her face. This did not detract from her striking blue eyes as they bored into the man across from her.
The Captain shifted in his chair. He was a sturdy man with a barrel chest and a tanned, sea roughened face. There was two day old growth on his square jaw and his black hair was tied in a braid that hung down his back.
“Are you comfortable in your cabin, Milady?” he asked.
She look startled that he had spoken to her. She had been staring, thinking, in a wandering day dream.
“Oh. Yes, It’s a little cramped for my taste, but I am determined to make do,” she said with a flourish of her fork. She continued to stare.
“You don’t remember me do you?” she asked at length.
She couldn’t keep the hurt from her features. The Captain furrowed his eyebrows.
“No, Should I?”
“Not the way I am now, but you once knew me well, I think.”
“Milady, I think I would have remembered someone as fair as yourself.”
He could tell she had been beautiful once , so he gave the answer he thought every beautiful woman wanted to hear. He was a ladies man and never missed an opportunity, to flatter, even regarding the elderly. It was Mere politeness that drove him.
Her cheeks turned pink under his flattery and her skirts rustled as she shifted her entire body toward him. Her eyes seemed to change hue as her emotions played across her face.
“Forgive me, milady, I didn’t catch your name?”
He knew it was an untoward question. She appeared to be a lady of station, and he, merely a sea captain. She sighed and smiled sweetly from her place across the way.
“My name is not as important as the reason I am here.”
“And why are you here?”
At that moment the swaying of the ship turned urgent. The dishes and food began to slide from the table and the old woman was spilled from her chair.
“Milady!”
Thunder cracked and lightning flashed. The sea raised a fist and smashed against the windows of the captain’s stateroom windows as he stumbled over the rolling debris, attempting to reach his fallen guest.
The table slammed into him, knocking him off his feet, and pinned him to the floor. From his captivity, he could see the old woman struggling to stand, but the sea surged and the ship rocked sending her tumbling across the room. Something fell and hit the Captain in the head, their eyes locked for a brief moment and suddenly recognition dawned in the Captain’s eyes.
“Rosaline,” he whispered. Then the world went black and he fell into a dream.
@ JLT– wow. thanks a bunch. nothing else really? LOL. I guess I just find it hard to believe that I don’t need to add or chnage anything. Thank you! =)
@Doug- great suggestions. Thank you. =)
Hey do you guys think more description of the Captain’s quarters is needed? Maybe a few sentences talking about everything being in its place, etc?
