Boatswain

{ (if: (count: (history:), (passage:)'s name) is 0)[Your watch having ended, you have retired to your bunk to prepare for a well deserved rest. A [[well-stuffed duffle->Duffle]] forms a pillow at one end of the bed, your [[carefully folded blankets->Blankets]] provide a footrest at the other. (set: $boatswains to 0) (set: $jewel to false)] (if: (count: (history:), (passage:)'s name) is 1)[No sooner have you set foot below deck than the Captain's voice calls for you once again. "Boatswain! Come here at once!" The obfuscations of power have long ceased to amaze you in your short time at sea. You strive now merely to obey. Stuffing the jewel into your duffle, you quickly head [[after your liege->followcaptain]].] (if: (count: (history:), (passage:)'s name) is 2)[(set: $boatswains to 0)You hurriedly grab your duffle and blanket, cast a look around your now barren home, and [[head above deck->upper deck]].] }

As you reach down to spread the blankets over your bunk, a metallic shimmer catches your eye. Before you can inspect it further, a voice rents the air: "Boatswain!"(set: $boatswains to it + 1) So much for rest. You put your feet to the floor and head off in search of the captain. The call sounded like it came from the [[upper deck]], but with the way the wind plays with sound on this ship it may have come from the [[galley]].

You recline your weary head against the duffle and begin to [[contemplate the day->Contemplate]] as the ship drifts gently back and forth, driven by the waves.

"It wasn't supposed to be this way," you think to yourself, "but then again, it never is." "[[It's lonely on a ship->Lonely]]...[[I thought I'd be a captain by now->Captain]]...and [[I'm hungry->Hungry]]."

"After sixteen hours on watch even the Captain's crows start looking pretty tasty, even if they do smell bad. Of course, harming those crows wouldn't do anyone any good. The smart thing to do would be to wait until one of them sucumbs to the heat, or the weather, or whatever it is that's taking'em. Snatch it up real quick before its mates get a taste of it. Never work though. Those crows are quick. And hungry." [[Boatswain!]] (set: $boatswains to it + 1)

"I really didn't think it would bother me: being at sea on my own, finding my way around a ship alone and unknown to the world. As it turns out, the loneliness is extremely hard. Day in, day out, it's just [[me->Me]], [[the Captain->TheCaptain]], and [[the crows->Crows]]. Sure there are other people around, but they'd just as soon step through me as speak to me. [[The notice->Ad]] for this place was misleading, to say the least."

"I mean how long could it possibly take, really. There's only so much to sailing a ship: port on the right, starboard to the left, missen mast, half mast, top sail...what else do you need to know? If I'd only timed the market a little bit better I'd be buying my own ships by now. Selling'em too. Too bad the bottom fell out just as I was getting going. A year or two either way and I'd of been golden. Now it's just sit and wait, I guess. Someday, somewhere, someone will need a Captain and I'll know just what to say: Hoist the mainsail me hearties, we're bound for treasure by morning!" [[Boatswain!]] (set: $boatswains to it + 1)

"Six months at sea didn't seem like a bad deal to start. Do some traveling, pay off a few loans, free food, and a place to stay. Where's the downside in that?! Of course, soon as the boat passed the bar (as the song goes) six months with the Captain began to look like a very long time indeed." [[Boatswain!]] (set: $boatswains to it + 1)

{<style type="text/css"> .tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;margin:0px auto;} .tg td{font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;padding:10px 20px;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;overflow:hidden;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-baqh{text-align:center;vertical-align:top} </style> <table class="tg"> <tr> <td class="tg-baqh">See the World!</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tg-baqh">Make New Friends!</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tg-baqh">All Expenses Paid!</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tg-baqh">Apply in Person at Dock 9, Berth 16. Hurry, We Sail at Dawn!</td> </tr> </table>} "Sure, looking back on it, it sounds a bit strange...maybe a little too good to be true...and the sail at dawn thing is kind of weird. But then again nothing much else was coming down the pipe, so here we are." [[Boatswain!]] (set: $boatswains to it + 1)

"The Captain is a mystery, to be sure. When the First Mate signed me up for this voyage, I thought we'd meet at least once in person before heading out to sea. When that didn't happen, it struck me as a bit odd. But a Captain's way is a Captain's way, I suppose." [[Boatswain!]] (set: $boatswains to it + 1)

"There's the Captain now. So much for rest." You put your feet to the floor and head off in search of the Captain. The call sounded like it came from the [[upper deck]], but with the way the wind plays with sound on this ship it may have come from the [[galley]].

{ (if: ($boatswains) is 1)[The Captain is not here, but must surely be nearby. [[Visiting the crows->visitcrows]], perhaps? Or maybe inspecting [[the bow of the ship->the bow]]?] (if: ($boatswains) is 2)[The First Mate pounces on you as soon as you emerge from below deck. "Where have you been, 'swain?" He does not sound pleased."The Captain has called for you more than once, and you're lucky he hasn't called for you again! Thought is free, and time is not. Be off now! Do your duty and don't let me catch you lazing about again!" Before you can ask where the Captain might be the Mate disappears below deck, leaving you alone with the sea. [[The crows->visitcrows]] eye you from a distance, preening their jet black feathers in the spray thrown up by the waves as they break (with greater intensity now) over [[the bow of the ship->the bow]].] (if: ($boatswains) is 3)[The chaos on deck is like none you've seen. Storm clouds blot out the sky. The horizon, if there is one, is pitch black. Piles of rope and sail clutter every available surface as passengers franticly scurry back and forth across the deck. Where they hope to go, you are not sure: but go they hope, all the same! "There's the 'swain!" a voice rings out. The First Mate turns to glare at you from across the deck. Whatever is going on, the Captain is surely not pleased. The apple falls from your pocket. The Mate, upon seeing it careen across the deck in his direction, gestures to someone behind you and suddenly everything goes dark. Moments later you awaken in the water. Shards of wooden bucket spread out before you in every direction as you watch the ship sail away into the distance, leaving you to wonder how much water you can tread. (link:"Go Again?")[(reload:)(go-to:"Title")]] (if: ($jewel) is true)[The chaos on deck is like none you've seen. Storm clouds blot out the sky. The horizon, if there is one, is pitch black. Piles of rope and sail clutter every available surface as passengers franticly scurry back and forth across the deck. Where they hope to go, you are not sure: but go they hope, all the same! "There's the 'swain!" a voice rings out. The First Mate turns to glare at you from across the deck. Whatever is going on, the Captain is surely not pleased. Before the Mate can set foot in your direction you leap into a nearby longboat, release the winch, and drop from the davits into the sea. It is a grand escape, worthy of a story in its own right. For now, though, you have no time for tales. You grab an oar and head off in the direction of a low island that seems, almost as if by magic, to have appeared before you in the distance, pressed between the clouds and the horizon. As you dip your paddle into the water a fading voice entones behind you: "Every man shift for all the rest, and let no man take care for himself; for all is but fortune. Coragio, bully-monster, coragio!" (link:"Go Again?")[(reload:)(go-to:"Title")]] }

{ (if: (count: (history:), (passage:)'s name) is 0)["Boatswain!" (set: $boatswains to it + 1) No sooner do you set foot in the storeroom than the Captain's voice begins ringing off the rafters. It's so clear that for a moment you think the two of you may be in the same room. A quick glance around, however, proves you to be mistaken. You quickly [[return to the galley->galley]].] (if: (count: (history:), (passage:)'s name) is 1)["Boatswain!" (set: $boatswains to it + 1) Again?! You grab an apple from an open sack, stuff it in your pocket, and quickly [[return to the galley->galley]].] }

{ (if: (count: (history:), (passage:)'s name) is 0)[The galley is a mess of pots, pans, and assorted sundries. The cook is nowhere to be seen. That'll probably be your next mission, knowing the Captain: find the cook. For now, though, it's the Captain that needs finding. You could always [[wait here]] and see if the Captain comes in. There's a stew bubbling over a fire in the corner and a couple of pieces of hardtack drying on a barrel. Smells harmless and no one's likely to miss a bit of either. Of course the Captain is waiting and surely won't wait for long. Maybe it would be better to [[check the back storeroom->storeroom]].] (if: (count: (history:), (passage:)'s name) is 1)[Nothing much has changed in here. The galley is still a mess. You could alway [[wait here]] and see if the Captain comes in. Stew, hardtack, rest. This may be the best room on the whole ship at the moment! You may even find something to drink [[back in the store room->storeroom]]. Of course the Captain is waiting and surely won't wait for long. Perhaps it would be best to [[check the upper deck after all->upper deck]].] (if: (count: (history:), (passage:)'s name) > 1)[Still empty in here. At this point it's probably safe to assume the Captain isn't coming to the galley. And apparently no one else is either. (Lazy cook!) [[Better head for the upper deck->upper deck]].] }

"Boatswain!" (set: $boatswains to it + 1) I guess that call wasn't coming from the gallery after all. Better go [[check the upper deck->upper deck]].

Standing near the bow of the ship brings with it a certain urge to fly, but the feeling quickly passes when you notice sharks circling in the waters below. You're not one for omens, but you'd just as soon not test them either way. The Captain, it seems, must be [[visiting the crows->visitcrows]].

{ (if: (count: (history:), (passage:)'s name) is 0)[The stench from this portion of the ship is unbearable, at least to you. The crows seem to recognize your discomfort and do their best to increase it. Silent before, they now raise their voices, producing a cacophonous wave of unmeasured sound. Pressing on through the din, you search high and low for the Captain, unroosting crows in every direction as you make your way toward [[their coop->coop]].] (if: (count: (history:), (passage:)'s name) is 1)[You emerge from the coop to find silence now reigns. The crows are nowhere to be seen. You pause for a moment, unexpectedly heartened by their absence, then look up to find the masts feathered black. Spread throughout the rigging, the crows appear now to keep watch over their kingdom below. Not knowing what to do or where to go, you [[return to your bunk->Bunk]].] }

You enter the coop, the last possible place of refuge for the Captain, only to find it empty, devoid not only of Captains, but of crows as well. As you turn to leave, a glimmer catches your eye among the floorboards. You bend down and retrieve from the straw a small jewel, no bigger than a thimble, which you pocket before [[heading back out->visitcrows]] onto the deck of the ship. (set: $jewel to true)

Before you can set foot in the Captain's direction, your orders are prepared: "Boatswain! Go, speak to th' mariners; fall to't yarely, or we run ourselves aground. Bestir, bestir!" (set: $boatswains to 5) You change direction before your boot reaches the boards and [[set off in search of the crew->crew]].

The crew, it seems, need not your command. The masts are alive with crew, sail, and crow, each quivering with urgency in preparation for the coming storm. Below them a small [[crowd of passengers->crowd]] has gathered.

"You mar our labor. Keep your cabins: you do assist the storm," you offer, but your protestations have little effect on the gawking crowd. "Down with the topmast! Yare! Lower, lower," you turn your attentions back to the crew. "Lay her ahold, ahold! Set her two courses! Off to sea again! Lay her off," you proclaim with similar efficacy before [[returning to your bunk->Bunk]] to prepare for your demise.

"Those crows must be sick. There's really no other explanation. Of course there's no talking to the Captain about them." "Everyone has parrots," says the Captain, "I keep with the crows." "It seems the best thing to do is clean the mess and try to stay away." [[Boatswain!]] (set: $boatswains to it + 1)

<= #[[The Boatswain->Bunk]]