Karen walked on the dock towards a tall, skinny man lounging on a barrel with a cigarette. He wore a loose gray T-shirt and overalls with tousled auburn hair fluffing up in the sea wind. Just like a poodle's tail, she thought.
"Captain Stalmer!" she shouted.
The Captain looked over and saw what appeared to be a teenage girl coming towards him, "Heyo, lass!" he called back.
She waited until she was close enough to speak without shouting before she introduced herself and her purpose. "I'm Karen," she said. "I'm a passenger on your Clipper for next week. I was hoping you could show me the list of passengers for today's trip and their phone numbers."
Stalmer paused for a moment to let out the smoke from his mouth and to look Karen over shrewdly. From the unkept light brown hair to the well-worn mud-infested sneakers, she seemed to be what people call a 'tomboy.' And in his known years, 'tomboys' have a habit of pulling nasty pranks. But this tomboy had an honest feel in her eyes and in the moment, Stalmer decided to test what she was made of. "Now look here lass," he started, "I can't give out pers'nal information just like that." His forefinger and thumb pressed together for an instant to be followed by a loud 'snap.' "Not without a price, that is."
Karen read in the captain's eyes what he saw in her. She answered firmly, "And what is your price?"
"Well, it just so happens that I've run a muck of these glories." He tapped the cigarette held firmly between his teeth. "If you buy me 5 good ol' cartons of Camel cigarettes, you can see the list. Just a glance, mind."
"Okay! So, how much will they cost?"
The captain smiled. Now for the real test, "Oh, no more than $20 per carton." The captain hunched back and smirked. He expected this young prankster to back down as soon as she calculated the cost. However, Karen was not the typical prankster to skulk away when facing barbed wire.
"Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes." She turned to leave and ran into Jared and Amy, who had just caught up.
"Oh, hey guys, just in time. Watch the Captain and don't let the man out of your sight. I'll be right back."
"Where are you going!" Jared called.
"I'll be right back!" She sped off down the road away from the docks, leaving three startled persons looking after her.
And she was right back. With 5 cartons of Camel cigarettes.
"Here you go, Captain," Karen slapped them down on the rusty barrel he was leaning on.
He looked down at them suspiciously and opened a carton to smoke one. When he discovered their bona fide, questions filled his mind and overflowed into speech, "How -- where -- ?"
"The list please," Karen held out a flat palm.
"This must've cost a pretty penny, lassie. I hadn't known it was in your type."
"It cost $30 total, give or take a couple dollars."
"That so, is it?" He looked up at her. The captain was beginning to realize that this was no ordinary tomboy. "What're your contacts?"
"Ah, ha ha," she put up her finger and smiled, "Valuable information only known to a few. The list please." She held out her hand again.
Captain Stalmer shook his head, "An honest man don't dare go foul on his word." He looked in a dirty, dark blue folder, found the yellow, grimy file, and handed it to her. "Remember," he said, "just a glance."
"Right, right," Karen snatched the paper and stared at the names and numbers with concentration marked on her face. Jared and Amy knew the expression. Their friend was gifted with photographic memory, and this was the face of imprinting images into the mind.
"Alright," she handed the paper back, "thanks for your time, captain."
"Yeh, sure lass."
"Amy, Jared, c'mon." Karen, Amy, and Jared rushed across the docks to their bikes.
"What's the plan?" Jared and Amy huddled forward.
"Well, we need 4 tickets, right? All we have to do is get rid of 4 people on the list for the 1 o'clock ride."
"Get rid of!" Amy shouted.
"Shhh!"
"Get rid of?" Amy whispered, "You don't seriously propose that we get them stuck some where!"
"No!" she whispered, "Are you crazy? I haven't tried a prank like that since the McGregor festival. No, what I was thinking was that we could call these folks up and see if they want to trade our passes for next week for their passes for today.
"But the ship leaves in less than an hour!" Jared whispered, "What makes you think anyone wants to switch on such short notice?"
"When they hear the sound of my charming, sweet -- "
" -- Forked tongue --- "
"They won't refuse. C'mon, let's be quick about it. You and Amy go to your house and call up this half," she wrote down 9 numbers on a piece of paper, "and I'll call up the other half. Come to my house when you're done. And remember -- be convincing."
Half an hour later, Amy and Jared had just finished their last call on their list and were approaching Karen's house. So far, only one person had agreed to trade. They hoped that Karen was more "convincing."
"Karen!" Jared called when they entered. They walked to the kitchen and could faintly hear her voice wafting through the kitchen door. "Yes," they heard her say distinctly, "We can definitely manage that. Just meet me at the docks near the Clipper at 1 o'clock precisely, please. And thank you, sir." Click. She glanced over at the twins, "On time once again," she grabbed her jacket and ran past them. "C'mon, we only have a few minutes before 1300. Did you guys have any luck?"
"Yep," Jared replied, "one person agreed."
"Good. I only got two for certain."
"What about the last one?" Amy asked.
"He said he'd trade, but on one condition."
"What's that?" The twins asked.
"Tell you on the way. You'll love it."
3 minutes; 2 minutes; 1 ... Ding dong dong ding. Dong ding ding dong. And the bell strikes one. Jacob listened to the song of the church tower. He had arrived at the docks three minutes early and was watching the 4-mast topsail Clipper glide through the bay with nothing but the wind to propel it. He leaned against a dock rail and imagined what it would be like to sail in the old days. No engines, no metal hulls, no fumes of gasoline or diesel. Soon, he became so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't notice his three friends behind him talking to some people. He didn't notice them trading pieces of paper with those people. He didn't notice when his friends slipped in beside him and shared the view.
"Beautiful, isn't it," Amy spoke softly.
Jacob started and looked around, "Oh, hey. When did you guys get here?"
"Few minutes ago," Jared answered. "Do you like that Clipper?"
"Oh yeah," Jacob leaned forward on the rail again. "I was just thinking what it would be like to sail on it. It would be great inspiration for a story," he sighed.
"Well," Karen smiled, "why don't we find out?"
"Someday that'd be a good idea," Jacob said wistfully. "I'm a bit low on money, though."
"Well, well," Karen grinned, "Then it's a good thing that I brought these." With a sweep of her hand, she held up 4 boat tickets. Jacob's eyes widened slightly, but then softened into a smirk.
"Ha. Your prank almost worked this time, Karen."
"These are real!" Karen put on her most sincere face.
"Sure, I've seen that face before," Jacob's smirk never left his face.
"No, it's true," Amy patted the rail for emphasis. "It cost us a whole -- "
"The point is," Jared stared down his sister, "that they're genuine. It's not a prank or a joke. You have my testimony." He placed his hand over his heart.
"Hmmmmmmm ... " Jacob frowned.
"All aboard who's going aboard!" The ticket-master shouted from the Clipper.
"Jacob, c'mon!" Karen said, "Don't make me dress up in a clown's outfit for nothing."
His frown disappeared, "A clown's outfit?"
"Long story," Karen said, "We have to go now, though!"
Their journalist friend took a deep sigh. "Alright, I'll come. But shame on you if it's a prank."
The four friends boarded the ship and shortly after, set sail towards the horizon. They were allowed to climb the ropes and look through the old ship's telescope. The young writer took the whole experience in like a daydream. As the day closed and they headed back to shore, he leaned in his normal position against the side of the ship and wrote in his notebook.
Karen slid up beside him, "Soooo," she said, "You see it wasn't a prank."
"It sure wasn't," He replied. "But definitely the best surprise you guys have pulled on me yet."
"Ah, you know me. Only the best."
"Hey!" Jared shouted from the ropes above them. "That's not what I've experienced!"
Amy answered for Karen from across the deck, "Well I wonder why!"
Jacob chuckled, "How did he even hear us."
She shrugged, "Downwind."
"Say, what was that you mentioned about dressing up as a clown?"
"Oh!" Immediately her face turned bright red, from forehead to chin. "Well, there's a circus in town and one of the clowns was going to come on this trip we're on now, but I traded one of our tickets with him. But he said he'd only trade if I filled in for him at the circus while he was on the ship."
"So, you're going to be a clown next week?" An excessively large grin covered Jacob's face.
"Don't look so delighted."
"Why shouldn't I be? You're finally doing your true profession."
"Hilarious. But hey," she punched him in the arm, "I better not see an article about that circus with my name or face in it, you hear?"
"Now why would I -- "
"YOU HEAR?!" She grabbed him by the lapels and forced his face level with hers.
"OKAY!!" He shouted back with equal volume, though his grin had not departed from his face.
"Good," she let go and patted down his lapels. "Then we have nothing to worry about."
"Well," his grin altered into a sincere smile, "I know we wouldn't even if I did write a story."
Karen crossed her arms over the side of the Clipper and stared over the shimmering water. "You know," she said, "You have a solid point, my friend."
Here's to all my good friends out there. You know who you are.
You're welcome!!
Haha, thanks.
Nice job! This is super well written. I honestly think this is one of the best stories you've ever done. It's really awesome.
Keep up the amazing work!