Take Me Home

(set: $backstory to false)(set: $fish to false) =><= Take Me Home [[Begin|start2]]

I got up and left the rope in its place. It wouldn't be long before I had frayed it into nonexistence. The deck sloped ever so gently as I meandered toward the captain's cabin. My uncle was sure to be at the helm, so I was guaranteed quiet in there. As always, when I went through the door I glanced at the giant map sprawled out and pinned down on the table. When I first boarded the Gull, I had been utterly confused by the lines, colors, and markings on this map. Now, months later, I had learned most of what it read - depth charts and points of interest, likely areas of rough sea, and unexplored islands. [[Examine the map closely.|map]] [[Tuck into your hammock.|hammock]] [[Grab a snack.|snack]]

I closed my eyes and leaned towards the breeze, letting it dance in my hair. It brought the strong smell of salt and fish, a smell that had originally made me slightly nauseous but one I had grown accustomed to. I had started to enjoy it, in fact. The late afternoon sun tanned my skin and danced shadows on the deck. The otherwise still water was broken occasionally by a jumping fish, the splash a soothing sound to me. I had no plans for the rest of the day, but I was getting restless sitting around. [[Go inside your cabin.|cabin]] [[Go to your uncle.|uncle]] [[Go to the galley.|galley]]

(set: $backstory to true)I leaned closer to the map, my eyes tracing the marked path of the boat and the numerous islands we'd stopped at for restocking and exploring. Our current route was leading us into deep sea for a while before turning toward shore. A new land, for me at least. The intention of this journey was to get me out of the house and into the world. I had grown impatient with the monotony of daily life with my parents, and when my Uncle Duane had shown up to stay after a long trip out at sea, he convinced me to come with on the journey of a lifetime. The first few weeks were exciting but after that, the sea had become just as monotonous as land. I wanted to go home. [[Get a snack.|snack]] [[Tuck into your hammock.|hammock]] [[Go out to the deck.|deck]]

I wandered over to the hammock my uncle had strung up for me. It took some getting used to, as did the constant rocking of the ship, and I had spent most of the first few nights sitting out on the main deck, watching the stars and fish go past. Now, though, I had no problem sleeping through the night, and often retreated to the cabin during the day to sneak in a nap. I tucked myself into the hammock and closed my eyes, wondering where our next stop would be. I knew the general path the Gull was taking, but I wasn't too sure when I would return home. (if: $backstory is false)[The intention of this journey was to get me out of the house and into the world. I had grown impatient with the monotony of daily life with my parents, and when my Uncle Duane had shown up to stay after a long trip out at sea, he convinced me to come with on the journey of a lifetime. The first few weeks were exciting but after that, the sea had become just as monotonous as land. I wanted to go home. ]\ [[Take a nap.|nap]] [[Go out to the deck.|deck]]

I walked to the cabinet by the porthole, my uncle's stash of snacks. He was a large man and ate constantly, and hated bothering Cook when it wasn't meal time, so he had taken to loading up on granola bars and dried fruits to eat throughout the day. I opened the cabinet and noted my options: a bag of almonds, a few fresh apples, and a box of dried apricots. None the most appealing, but dinner was a few hours away and I could feel my stomach rumbling. [[Take the almonds.|almonds]] [[Take an apple.|apple]] [[Take the apricots.|apricots]]

(set: $backstory to true)I stepped through the cabin door back into the late afternoon sun. The crew was starting to rouse - there were some stronger winds coming and it was getting close to dinner time. (if: $fish is false)[The smell of frying fish wafted from the galley.] I saw my uncle, positioned at the helm as he usually is, calling orders to his first mate. She nodded and scurried away, shouting at crewmembers as she did. From what I could gather, we were rerouting the ship to avoid a potential storm. [[Go to your uncle.|uncle]] [[Go to the galley.|galley]]

(set: $fish to true)I leaned my head back and shut my eyes, letting the gently swaying of the ship rock me to sleep. I had done a good bit of work on the scaffolds in the morning and I was body and sun tired. Soon enough, I drifted to sleep. A short while later, I woke to the smell of frying fish. Nearly dinner time, I thought, as I rolled out of the hammock. [[Go out to the deck.|deck]]

I grabbed a handful of almonds and ate them idly, staring out the porthole at the sea. The water was still and clear, though who knew how many hundreds of feet deep. If the weather stayed nice, the crew would have a late evening swim, something I enjoyed participating in from time to time. I lived on the coast with my parents so I had plenty of experience swimming in the sea, but there was nothing like diving into the open water with nothing around you. Sometimes being on the sea terrified me. (if: $backstory is false)[The intention of this journey was to get me out of the house and into the world. I had grown impatient with the monotony of daily life with my parents, and when my Uncle Duane had shown up to stay after a long trip out at sea, he convinced me to come with on the journey of a lifetime. The first few weeks were exciting but after that, the sea had become just as monotonous as land. I wanted to go home. ]\ [[Go out to the deck.|deck]]

I grabbed an apple and ate it idly, staring out the porthole at the sea. The water was still and clear, though who knew how many hundreds of feet deep. If the weather stayed nice, the crew would have a late evening swim, something I enjoyed participating in from time to time. I lived on the coast with my parents so I had plenty of experience swimming in the sea, but there was nothing like diving into the open water with nothing around you. Sometimes being on the sea terrified me. (if: $backstory is false)[The intention of this journey was to get me out of the house and into the world. I had grown impatient with the monotony of daily life with my parents, and when my Uncle Duane had shown up to stay after a long trip out at sea, he convinced me to come with on the journey of a lifetime. The first few weeks were exciting but after that, the sea had become just as monotonous as land. I wanted to go home. ]\ [[Go out to the deck.|deck]]

I grabbed some dried apricots and ate them idly, staring out the porthole at the sea. The water was still and clear, though who knew how many hundreds of feet deep. If the weather stayed nice, the crew would have a late evening swim, something I enjoyed participating in from time to time. I lived on the coast with my parents so I had plenty of experience swimming in the sea, but there was nothing like diving into the open water with nothing around you. Sometimes being on the sea terrified me. (if: $backstory is false)[The intention of this journey was to get me out of the house and into the world. I had grown impatient with the monotony of daily life with my parents, and when my Uncle Duane had shown up to stay after a long trip out at sea, he convinced me to come with on the journey of a lifetime. The first few weeks were exciting but after that, the sea had become just as monotonous as land. I wanted to go home. ]\ [[Go out to the deck.|deck]]

I headed over to Uncle Duane and called up to him. "Ahoy! Are we changing course?" "Ah, I don't like the feel of this wind. We're cutting in closer to shore just in case," he said. I nodded, and turned back to watch the crew slowly getting up to adjust the sails and redirect the Gull. (if: $backstory is false)[The intention of this journey was to get me out of the house and into the world. I had grown impatient with the monotony of daily life with my parents, and when my Uncle Duane had shown up to stay after a long trip out at sea, he convinced me to come with on the journey of a lifetime. The first few weeks were exciting but after that, the sea had become just as monotonous as land. I wanted to go home. ]\ [["Take me home."|home]] [["Where are we headed now?"|shore]]

I popped into the galley to see Cook in the midst of chopping some peppers to go with the fish currently frying on the griddle. "Fish and peppers for dinner again?" I mocked. "Aye, and you'd better be grateful we even have fresh produce, what with the way your uncle likes to comandeer half our supply for himself!" she said. I laughed. My uncle's secret snack stash was no secret among the crew. [[Go to your uncle.|uncle]] [[Take a seat.|seat]]

"Home? That's at least a fortnight away, and we've still got a few more stops before the journey's over! Don't tell me you're getting sick of the sea already?" my uncle said. "Not seasick, just homesick maybe." I smiled sheepishly. "Dear, when I first set to sea, decades ago, I spent the whole first week begging my captain to turn around. The sea is daunting, a new world, and it's right for you to feel unsure. But I think you're gonna regret it if you head back now. Besides, I can't exactly turn my whole ship around for you!" "I know," I said, musing. He was right, of course. But I wasn't exactly unsure. I was just bored. Journeys are only fun as long as they're interesting. There were only so many small empty islands one could see before they all started looking the same. [[Give it some more thought.|thought]] [[Ask to leave at the next port.|leave]]

"To shore, of course!" he said with a twinkle in his eye. "Yes but what shore?" "Does it matter? It'll have people and supplies, and then we'll be off again." I sighed. One shore after another after another. [["Take me home."|home]] [[Think about what you want to do.|thought]]

I sat down on the nearest stool, fiddling with a loose string on my shirt. Cook continued his chopping, but took a second to toss me a chunk of pepper to snack on. The door swung open and my uncle strode in, eyeing the in-progress meal. "Peppers and fish, a fine combination!" he boomed. Cook rolled her eyes at me. "Are we changing course?" I asked him. "Just cutting in closer to the shore. I don't want to risk being caught in a storm on open waters." (if: $backstory is false)[The intention of this journey was to get me out of the house and into the world. I had grown impatient with the monotony of daily life with my parents, and when my Uncle Duane had shown up to stay after a long trip out at sea, he convinced me to come with on the journey of a lifetime. The first few weeks were exciting but after that, the sea had become just as monotonous as land. I wanted to go home. ]\ [["Take me home."|home]] [["Where are we headed now?"|shore]]

I'd grown weary of the sea, yes, but it still was more interesting than being at home. Besides, I'd gotten my sea legs and took a bit of pleasure in the feeling of stepping off at each port or island and reaccustoming my wobbly legs to solid land. Maybe I'd stay after all. END [[Start over?|start]]

"I think I'd like to go nonetheless," I said. Uncle Duane looked down. I knew I was disappointing him, but I really wasn't looking forward to two more months of sea travel. "If that's what you want. We can drop you off at the next port. It'll be easy to arrange travel to your folks from there." I stood up, ready to go to the cabin and pack my belongings. "Thank you." END [[Start over?|start]]

Take me home. What I had wanted for weeks, the stress of endless travel and near-total solitude had overwhelmed me and sunk my initial optimism. I sat aboard the Listing Seagull, pulling strands out of the fraying rope in my hands. The crew idled around me - calm seas meant little to do for most of them. [[Go inside your cabin.|cabin]] [[Enjoy the sea breeze.|breeze]]

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Take Me Home

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