Stormy Seas: Part 6

 “Any crew aboard?”
The folding door to my bunk was thrown aside and Captain Peck stuck his mustached face in mine. “Oh good, someone's here,” he said. “Get up, we've got to sail.”

“Already?” I asked groggily as I sat up.

“We're behind our usual schedule and the airship pilots are saying there's a storm coming,” he explained. “Get dressed, we've got to be ready to sail with the tide.”

Before I could ask anything else Captain Peck was gone. I got up and pulled a shirt on.

“Mr. Elderton?”

“Eldon,” I called out into the hall.

Ameya came to the door buttoning up his shirt. “We sail already?” he asked.

“I guess so,” I shrugged. I sat on the edge of my bed and pulled my shoes on.

“Rhoden!” Captain Peck shouted. He stalked back down the hallway. I could hear cursing and groaning in his wake.

“Sir?” Rhoden called from the first mate's cabin.

“The others must still be at the tavern. I'm going to go fetch them.”

“We'll load the provisions while you're gone sir,” Rhoden said. He was pulling his coat on as he came into the hall.

“You had better or we'll all starve,” Captain Peck said. He climbed up the ladder and onto the deck.

I grabbed my coat and hurried up as well. On deck I could see that the sun had not yet risen. I could only guess what time it was. 

“Is early, yes?” Ameya said.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair before I put my hat on. “When did the others come back?” I asked.

“Very late,” Ameya said. “I was already asleeping.”

“A pretty short stay, wasn't it?” Rhoden said as he climbed on deck.

“Very short,” Jack, the ship's cook complained. “I've still got a load of rotten food from the last trip to get rid of and cartloads of new coming in!”

“Go help him dump it then Eldon,” Rhoden said. I winced inwardly. It was going to be a smelly morning.

I followed him down into the back of the hold to the galley. We passed the stove and the large oven for cooking breads. Jack threw open the larder door and I gagged on the smell.

“Better roll up your sleeves,” he said. I took off my jacket and hung it on a peg near his white apron.

“This is what we've been eating?” I asked, trying hard to smell anything but the rotting food.

“I cook it,” he insisted. “This is mostly what we've been eating.” He tossed a glass can of asparagus at me.

“Asparagus?” I asked. I tossed it back.

“Well, canned everything we have left.” He set the can back on the shelf. “The rest of it is still mostly edible.”

“So are we heaving it out the window?” I asked.

“No, we're taking it out and giving it to the passerby.” He picked up a large piece of heavily salted meat and dumped it in my hands. I cringed. “Go out and hand it to people, we'll get rid of it in no time.”

I seriously considered leaving it in a heap near the dock. I was not thrilled with the idea of wandering around trying to hand people food that the crew wouldn't eat.

“Go on, I'm coming too,” he said. He handed me another handful wrapped in soggy paper.

“Yes sir,” I said and trudged up on deck.