Drabble Series: 'An Execrable Business' (29/?)

[dwgm]

Only 300 words today, theme: "Sentence". Many thanks to my dear hereswith for beta reading, editing, and excellent suggestions.

Previous bits...

1. Tortuga 2. Happiness 3. Festive 4. Last Minute 5. Calm 6. Truth 7. Bargain 8. Spook 9. Down 10. Wounds 11. Moon 12. Monsters

13. Beauty 14. Name 15. History 16. Service 17. Advice 18. Captain 19. Awe 20. Cross 21. "You've made a big mistake" 22. Heroism 23. Gold 24. Echo

25. Greed 26. Advance 27. Challenge 28. Adventure

And here's today's...

29. Sentence


~ An Execrable Business, continued...


“What in blazes is this?”

The words fairly burst forth from the mouth of a big, fierce-looking man with reddish hair as soon as Nell peeked over the side of the ship. Barbossa. Jack had given Nell a brief and accurate description.

She’d followed Jack up the accommodation ladder and now her mentor grabbed her unceremoniously and hauled her up and onto the deck.

“All right?” he demanded, when she'd steadied.

She nodded once, silent and unsmiling, and furtively peered about at the ship and crew, her heart thumping.

“Come on, then,” he said, and gave her a little shove to start her moving toward the back of the ship. The stern, she reminded herself. Jack was at her shoulder, and as he walked he said to Barbossa (and the rest that stood staring), “This halfling's me new cabin boy, Parry Smith. Friend of a friend, won’t be in the way. He'll quarter with me.”

“With you?” Barbossa exclaimed. "What—"

“Aye. He'll fetch and carry, tidy me things—but what’s all this dawdling about? Are we ready to make sail?”

“Aye, Captain!” said several men.

“What are we waiting for, then? Mr. Barbossa?”

Barbossa, abandoning dissent, began to roar out orders in a voice that set the crew scurrying.

Jack herded Nell aft to the doors of the Great Cabin, set beneath the overhang of the quarterdeck, and pulled one side open. “You’ll do better in here just now. You're not allowed on the quarterdeck with me, and Bill’s too busy.”

Nell went in. There were two hanging lanterns lit, but they made more shadows than light in the gloom. She turned back. “What should I do?”

“Tidy up!” Jack waved a hand as he glanced about his cluttered domain and observed, ruefully, “Lord knows the place needs it!”


TBC...

Comments

[pearlseed.livejournal.com]

“Tidy up!” Oh, hell's bells, poor Nell. She is going to pay passage if that's what. Jack's never struck me as tidy, (him going through swag CotBP)
and he's quick--less said the better of young Mr. Smith.

"Barbossa, abandoning dissent," for the moment, I'm thinkin'. Big gulp--here we go again. Thanks, I'm keepin' a weather eye...

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

It's going to be an interesting voyage. *g*

So happy you liked this little bit! Thank you for commenting!

[mindyracal.livejournal.com]

how long can jack keep up the charade of bossing Nell around? I don't think that she'll be able to handle it for long. Or....Barbossa will smell her out.

*sits to the edge of my seat!*

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

We shall see. ;) I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Thank you, again, for commenting. :)

[stealmybike.livejournal.com]

“Tidy up!” Jack waved a hand as he glanced about his cluttered domain and observed, ruefully, “Lord knows the place needs it!”

LOL! This ended on a very humorous note, and I loved it.

Got to love Barbossa's suspicion with all this. He is an older and wiser rogue, lord know he'll catch on before everyone else does. ;)

Great work here love!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

No one can accuse Jack of being excessively tidy. He really does need a cabin boy, or a steward like Killick, in the Aubrey-Maturin series (who is such an endless source of amusement in those books). Nell's adventures filling this niche are just beginning.

So happy you enjoyed this! Thank you for commenting!

[artaxastra.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. And we all know what Hector is thinking! *G* I can't wait to see what he says to Jack!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Yes, indeed, Hector is not a happy camper. I'm so glad you're enjoying the story!

[florencia7.livejournal.com]

Mr. Barbossa - now, THAT must have hurt! ^^

And I LOVED this: "“Tidy up!” Jack waved a hand as he glanced about his cluttered domain and observed, ruefully, “Lord knows the place needs it!”" - SO perfect! ^^

This story would make such a fabulous PotC 4!!!!!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

This story would make such a fabulous PotC 4!!!!!

It would have to be a prequel, of course, and Barbossa is Jack's pre-mutinous first mate (hence the Mr., entirely proper as Hector himself would acknowledge).

I'm thrilled that you like it so much!

[mary684.livejournal.com]

Oh dear Lord, Jack waving his hand ruefully at his cluttered domain! How perfectly rendered! I see Hector is already a trifle suspicious, I expect he will become more so as time wears on and Nell is adorable in her ignorance --The stern, she reminded herself. Hee! I can so relate!

I love this little adventure of yourn.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

All that nautical jargon is very difficult for us lubbers. I'm on book 11 of the Aubrey-Maturin series and I'm still all "What? What?" when O'Brien starts rattling on about the technicalities of sailing.

I'm so happy you're enjoying this! More about Jack's domain in the morning. *g*

[p0wdermonkey.livejournal.com]

Ah, Jack! Giving Hector some shouting to do will keep him busy for maybe an hour. "Parry", on the other hand... Is the voyage to England long enough to get that cabin tidy?

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Is the voyage to England long enough to get that cabin tidy?

Perhaps not. More on that anon. ;)

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

A cabin boy? On the Black Pearl? That won't end well, I fear... :-P And poor Nell tidying up the great cabin!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Indeed, there are some squalls ahead. Glad you enjoyed this piece! Thank you, again, for commenting!

[compassrose7577.livejournal.com]

A bit of a stereo-typer here, isn't Jack? Expecting the female to always have to clean up? Shame, Jack!

I suppose his excuse would be that he needs to carry out the charade, so....

Still, at least he had the good grace to know it was a mess. Many men wouldn't even have noticed that.

Ah-ha! An end is in sight! I know--sooner or later--I'm going to catch up!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

he needs to carry out the charade

That's exactly it, though it's certainly something she's capable of doing, more interesting than some things, and everyone must work, the Pearl isn't a passenger ship.

Thank you for persevering with the story, and for your comments!