Constant
Alfredo Fafa
Constant
Dedicated to: My son, Frank R. Atanacio for just loving adventures
Prologue
Donald Singleton moved up in the ranks practically
overnight. He was a Master Shipmate when the voyage began. He
took what was left of the crew into battle against the
Colonists. He considered his men excellent soldiers, and
expected nothing less. His men were trained under the best
captain in the fleet. He was very fond of his captain, and he
knew that the captain was a brilliant man.
Captain Miles Aragues was shot and killed by an American
sharpshooter. The sharpshooter was a young Colonist who fought
in the Revolutionary War for liberty and freedom. Something that
the Americans wanted, and the captain couldn’t understand why.
Singleton found himself grappling the Captain’s log. He
couldn’t find the right words to put down on the pages. He
couldn’t find the correct words to explain to the Crown why the
The Constant, got lost in a freak storm. It was some type
of anomaly that left everyone clueless.
Singleton also couldn’t explain how a bunch of farmers
beached and destroyed over eighty-five percent of the crew. The
Captain’s log had to explain all of this, and he simply didn’t know how.
After reading, and rereading what Captain Aragues wrote in the
first few pages. Singleton knew that the captain respected the
Colonists for putting up a fight he believed was just impossible
to win. He knew the Crown had the best fleet in the world, and
perhaps that was the reason that led to his demise.
Singleton wondered if the captain took the respect he had for the Colonists into his watery grave. The Americans were tough, and resilient. But if not for the freak storm, capture of The Constant would have been imminent.
Soot stained most of the captain’s quarters. Tables were over turned, and chairs broken. The place was an absolute mess, but after riding the freak storm into nowhere, it was understandable.
It was safe to acknowledge that a calm has settled in over the British’s supercharged warship. The clouds in the distance were slightly yellowish, as if the sun was trying to sneak through.
The Constant was still moving against the small waves, but it lacked the luster it once had prior to reaching enemy waters.
If the charts were interpreted correctly they were heading back to England. Puffs of smoke and small fires appeared just about everywhere on the ship, but it did not immobilize her. She was a fighter, and a true credit to the British Fleet.
Singleton’s mission was perfectly clear. He knew he had to bring the Constant back home. He knew a challenge was presented to him, and he fully accepted. Deep down he also felt challenged, because he had never captained a ship before, and he had never given orders to anyone aboard the ship.
Singleton was a tall thin man. He had a thin black beard with streaks of gray. He wore a striped shirt with black trousers. It was military designed for everyone aboard the Constant. He felt drained, and looked even worse. Nevertheless, his new team had to stay focused, and obey the new chain of command. He was the new captain of seven crewmen, and he was also responsible for three prisoners of war. They were captured just before the battle started, and they were locked up through the freak storm. Probably wondering what was going on outside the lock-up.
1
Captain Donald Singleton’s hands were cold, and his arms ached. He flexed them so blood could flow freely. It was probably an excuse for not writing. He kept biting his lower lip, but flexing was still his main chore at the moment. He knew he couldn’t write anything in the Captain’s log. Not just yet.
His hunger for succeeding was what made him think positive. His day was scattered, just like his thoughts, but he had to collect himself, and prove to his men that he was worthy of taking command of this once powerful ship.
Deck hand Scott Morrell rushed into the captain’s quarters. He was a strikingly handsome young man with a swashbuckling look. He had his blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, and his face purposely unshaven. His military issued shirt was covered in blood. He was almost completely out of breath.
“ Morrell, what is it?” Singleton shouted.
“ It’s Maury,” gasping for more air. “ Japps, the cannon gun fell on him sir! He’s trapped like a bloody animal! If we don’t help him, he will lose a great deal of blood and die!”
“ Calm down Scott,” Singleton suggested. “ Relax, please.”
“ Damn it captain!” he continued. “ You gotta come quick! That damn bloody cannon has him pinned.”
“ Japps can’t move?”
“ He can’t sir,” Morrell replied. “ The bastard is pinned in real good.”
Singleton nodded as he tried to remain calm. He wanted to set a good example, but deep down inside he felt like allowing his emotions to explode.
“ Quickly!” Morrell shouted.
Singleton shot passed Scott and raced up onto the runner. He saw five of his crewmen trying to push a gun cannon off of Maury Japps. This was one of those captain’s decisions he didn’t want to be involved in. One of his men was trapped beneath a cannon gun, and he simply froze for a moment. It was a bad moment, and he knew it. However, he had to play through it, and display the sense of leadership.
“ He’s trapped pretty damn good sir,” said Goose as he released his hold on the cannon.
Singleton nodded.
Goose was a very large man. He was barrel chested, and not very strong. In fact, he wasn’t very strong at all. He was sloppily overweight, and certainly he fell short of Britain’s expectations. He was a noncompliance officer in every standard written. Yet, he was a member of the Constant’s crew. It simply had to do with taste. Captain Miles Aragues loved his cooking, and that gave him special passage onto the Constant.
“ A damn queer thing sir, if you ask me,” Goose Continued. “ The bloody thing came off the hinges and fell on the poor bastard. It was almost as if it had a life of it’s own. Very queer sir, very queer indeed.”
Singleton nodded again.
“ A damn freak thing, captain,” Goose added. “ Never seen such an oddity in all my born days.”
Like the storm, Singleton thought. Like that freak storm.
Many of the Constant’s crew were warriors, their success depended on that fact. However, many of them will be etched permanently on the mind of Donald Singleton as they sunk into their watery graves.
Was Japps to follow the same fate? He thought.
Standing next to Goose was Harry McCann. He was a gunner, and once considered by Captain Aragues as the best in the fleet. He had an odd habit. He would keep his head shaved, and did it no matter where he was. He just liked shaving his head bald. Sometimes he’d go a little bit too far and cut into it.
“ Step aside men,” Singleton barked. “ Let me through to him.”
They all complied.
“ At ease,” said Singleton as he noticed that the crewmen were trying to respect the title. “ Please, at ease.”
Singleton looked down at Maury Japps, and almost lost his composure. He saw the face of one of his crewmen trying to smile. It flexed, but couldn’t hold the smile of respect in place. It was what a true warrior would do. It was what Captain Miles Aragues thrived for. It was what made Singleton gain the composure he needed to continue addressing the situation.
“ Captain on deck,” Japps muscled out as he pointed to Singleton while trying to move his crooked hand to salute. “ Hi Donald.”
Singleton smiled.
“ You make a great captain Donald,” he continued. “ It’s what this ship needs.”
Singleton was deeply moved by the respect, and loyalty he was receiving from Japps.
Felix and Tremont Hastings were brothers. They had concerned expressions written across their faces. They signed on simply because they wanted to see the new land. America was a place they envisioned as paradise, and they had to see it for themselves. Captain Aragues knew this and allowed them to serve aboard the Constant because of their excellent, untarnished military background. The captain realized that the exchange was in the Constant’s favor. The brothers were thin, but wiry. They were very capable soldiers, and a credit to the crew. Felix had light brown hair and had a thin well kept mustache. Tremont on the other hand looked nothing like his brother. He had dark brown hair, and heavy eyebrows. At times they appeared as one. Depending on the angle.
Maury Japps was trapped beneath the cannon gun. Singleton knew it weighed nearly a ton, and that saving him would be impossible. There were no medical personnel left on the ship. He waved the men away from the cannon as he lowered himself closer to the trapped soldier.
“ Captain,” Japps called. “ I can’t feel my legs. I can’t move them.”
Singleton drew a breath to regain control. He couldn’t help but to inhale the rotten smell of blood, and sweat. He knelt immediately beside Japps, and lowered himself even closer. He knew the soldier was going to die, and he certainly wasn’t trained for these types of situations. He had to use his best judgement, whatever that was.
“ Hang on Japps,” whispered Dana Skills.
Crewman Dana Skills had a very heavy English accent. At times it appeared to be too heavy to be authentic. Everyone realized it, but never questioned the authenticity. They simply shrugged it off. He was a bit darker then the rest of the crew, but there was no doubt in anyone’s mind. He was the strongest man to board the Constant. He was a natural fist fighter, and he had cannon arms to back up his claim.
“ Donald,” whispered Japps. “ I can’t feel my legs.”
“ I’m sorry Maury,” Singleton whispered back. “ I’m so sorry.”
“ What’s going to happen to me?”
Singleton sighed.
“ Am I going to die?”
Singleton did not reply.
“ Captain,” he half shouted. “ What’s happening to me?”
Tell him the damn truth! Were the only words ringing through the mind of Singleton. He had to be true to his men, so he decided to take his own advice. He was going to be true to the trapped soldier. “ We are going to throw your legs overboard Maury, because they are no longer attached to your body.”
“ My legs, I can’t feel my legs!” he shouted.
“ I know Maury, I know you cannot feel your legs,” Singleton said truthfully.
“ Help me Donald,” Japps begged.
“ I will, my friend,” he said as he tried his best not to breathe in the rotten smell of blood.
“ Thank you,” Japps muscled out. “ Thank you.”
“ I’m here for you.”
“ Captain,” Japps continued. “ Did we beat those bloody Americans? Did we win the war?”
The truth?
Singleton knew that his soldier couldn’t take the truth with him to the great beyond. He gave the trapped soldier a pat on the shoulder and said,” yes, we beat those bloody Americans. We beat them to hell, where they belong!
“ He’s delirious captain,” said Goose.
The captain nodded.
“ I knew it Miles, I knew it!” Japps said not realizing he was talking to Singleton. “ Captain Miles Aragues, the man who will go down in history as the victorious leader.”
“ You were a big help to me,” Singleton whispered.
“ Thank you, Miles.”
Singleton nodded.
Goose handed Singleton a loaded pistol. He took the pistol and held it in the crooks of his arm for a moment. He was trying to regain his composure again. He was trying to build strength in his heart for the task he was about to do.
“ It’s the right thing, captain,” said Goose.
Singleton slowly covered the trapped soldier’s eyes with his left hand, and shot him in the chest.
The suffering ends, my friend. He thought.
Singleton stood up and dropped the gun all in one motion. He looked around the deck and saw that the Constant was littered with debris, and bodies. One more dead body was going to make a difference.
“ Lets salvage what we can, men,” he looked down at Japps for a moment. “ Lets get rid of all these bodies. Throw them into the sea, God will handle the rest.”
“ I don’t understand!” shouted Scott.
“ Leave it alone,” Goose suggested.
“ No, I won’t leave it alone!” he snapped back. “ I want to know why you didn’t try to help Maury? He was one of us for the love of God!”
“ It was indeed for the love of God,” whispered Singleton.
“ Damn you!” shouted Scott.
“ Scott Morrell! Let it be!” shouted Goose.
“ You don’t get it cook! You don’t see what I see!” shouted Scott. “ He killed one of us own. He didn’t even try to help him. He wasn’t killed by the Americans. He was killed by his commanding officer. I don’t understand why!”
“ Scott!” Goose shouted.
“ Why sir,” he asked Singleton. “ Why did you kill a wounded soldier? A soldier that served aboard the Constant for many years. I ask again, why?”
Singleton stood still for a moment, but did not answer. He turned toward the cook and waved him away. He then glanced at the bodies littered around him and the pangs of sorrow filled his heart. He knew he once worked and ate with most of those men. They were his family at sea. It was his new duties that dictated his decisions, and it was his new duties that required him to tell the families what had happened. He really did not want to be the acting captain, but he simply had to follow the chain of command. It was what Captain Miles Aragues would have wanted.
“ God help us,” he whispered.
2
Several hours had passed and the deck was cleared of all the littered bodies, and debris. The small fires were distinguished, and the cannons were set and ready for future battles. The crew worked diligently for Captain Donald Singleton. His orders were carried out without a hitch. They worked short handed, but it didn’t stop them for following the chains of command.
Singleton came out of the captain’s quarters wearing a uniform jacket. It was bright red, and very clean. It was tucked away for special occasions. It was the captain’s best jacket, and Singleton knew it. He had seen the captain admire it many times before. He wore the jacket, because he felt that the next few days were going to be challenging, and special. Wearing it now was the only appropriate thing to do.
The skeleton crew of six watched their new captain intently, but only for a few moments. They then hurried toward him and stood at attention.
“ At ease,” he said as he sniffed on the sleeves of the new jacket. “ At ease men.”
“ Sir,” said Scott as he stepped toward the captain. “ I’m sorry for my outburst.”
“ Okay,” he smiled.
“ I really am so sorry,” he added.
“ Well, those of us who have had our emotions, and adrenaline drain from the war, and the freak storm can’t possibly have anchorage to sanity.” said Singleton. “ We’re doing the best we can, so I understand.”
“ Thank you, sir.”
Singleton nodded.
“ Ship is clear of debris,” shouted Tremont.
“ The waters are calm now, but we do not know what to expect in the travels ahead,” started Singleton. “ I urge us all to work as a team. We must count on each other more than ever before. Know that it is crucial to our survival.”
“ What about the prisoners of war?” Goose asked.
“ What about them?” shouted Felix. “ We must bring something back home.”
“ We can really use the manpower,” Goose continued as he ignored Felix’s remark. “ They are able bodies.”
“ You’re kidding?” shouted Felix. “ Please tell me you’re just putting us on.”
“ No,” Goose replied. “ I know we’re short handed, and in order to run this ship properly, we need to fill vacancies.”
“ You trader!” shouted Felix. “ I can’t believe what I’m hearing. We can run this ship with what we got. We don’t need those animals helping us out. Team work must come from us, not the Americans!”
“ Shut your pie hole!” shouted Goose. “ Donald, we are very short handed. I think it would be in the best interest of the Constant if we employ the help of the Americans.”
“ I agree with Felix!” shouted Scott. “ Let those bastards rot in the brig!”
“ Enough!” shouted the captain. “ I must take Felix’s side on this, Goose. At the moment I cannot discharge them for duty purposes. We must keep them locked up until duty requires them to be released. I think we can manage for now.”
“ Donald!”
“ For now,” he emphasized.
“ But..” Goose tried to get the last word in, but Singleton dismissed the conversation with the wave of his hand.
“ Okay, captain,” Goose added in defeat.
“ Thanks captain,” said Felix with a smirk on his face.
Singleton just glanced at him for a moment, but did not acknowledge the thanks.
“ The Constant is wounded, but we cannot take the proper care of her here. At least not just yet. We have no skilled carpenters to patch up the holes, but that is not my main concern. My main concern is to get us back home safely. There, at home we can address her needs.” Singleton paused. “ Although I would like you men to continue scrubbing the blood of your shipmates off the deck. I really don’t want to be reminded of what took place. I don’t want to think of the many men we lost.”
“ How about prisoner work details,” shouted Tremont.
Singleton looked confused.
“ We should get the Americans to scrub the blood off of the decks. They should see firsthand the damages they inflicted to this fine vessel. They should witness the blood that stains our decks, and maybe they can go back home and tell their charges that the Constant still lives!” Tremont said. The Constant will return and defeat them.”
“ I agree!” shouted Felix.
“ Donald,” said Dana Skills. “ I don’t want to be part of this bickering party, but I don’t think the Americans should be allowed to touch the blood of our fallen comrades.”
There was a sudden grind of wood against the Constant. The crew glanced at one another hoping to find answers. It was Scott who first hurried over to see what was causing the grind. The others followed quickly.
“ Man overboard!” shouted Goose.
“ Get the lines out!” Dana snapped.
Felix and Tremont Hastings were working almost as a single unit as they tossed a line toward a man in a small fishing boat. The line landed directly in front of the man, but he did not move. The man in the small boat made no attempt to grab the life line.
“ Grab the bloody line!” shouted Dana. “ Grab the line before you drown! Can’t you see your boat is sinking?”
The man did not respond.
“ Come on,” Goose added. “ Just grab the line so we can pull you up.”
Looking overboard Singleton discovered how much damage the Colonists had done to the Constant. There was far more damage than he first imagined.
The strange man in the small boat was very pale, and looked very much close to death. The sun must have eaten away at his skin because it was noticeably flaky, and patchy.
The captain gazed at the open waters, memorized the haunting beauty, and then looked away. Chills ate at him, and he knew death was lingering. But for who?
“ Why doesn’t that idiot grab the lifeline?” shouted Dana.
Harry McCann decided to jump into the ocean and rescue the poor soul. He did it because he thought that the old man was just too weak to grab the life line. He took off his shirt and jumped in feet first.
Singleton froze for a moment. There was something strange that began racing through his body. He couldn’t understand it, but it was certainly taking hold of him. He thought about fatigue, but he knew it was much too strange to be that.
He heard laughter and music coming from the captain’s quarters. It was music he heard before, but couldn’t remember when.
Suddenly, there was a moment of darkness that seemed to overshadow the situation. He couldn’t see anything in front of him. He tried adjusting his eyes to the darkness, but that failed. It was as if the darkness blinded him momentarily.
Goose was shouting something at him, but he couldn’t understand the words. The words were foreign to him. He cocked his head to one side as if confusion was the state of mind. He reached out for the cook, but couldn’t grab him.
“ Captain!” Goose continued.
Singleton’s knees buckled and he fell to the deck. Felix and Scott quickly rushed to his aide. His vision became blurry, and he couldn’t understand a word anyone was saying. He felt as if his body just wanted to shut down and die.
“ Captain!” Felix shouted.
Singleton was finally coming to. Everything around him became familiar, even the words that were spoken. He hungered for the light as he saw Goose staring into his eyes.
“ Are you okay, captain?” asked Goose.
“ What the hell just happened to me?” he asked.
“ You fainted, sir,” replied Felix.
He looked quizzically at Felix.
“ Weird sir,” added Goose.
Harry was several feet away being helped by Tremont and Dana. They quickly helped him back onto the ship and he fell quickly to the decking right on his back.
“ What happened to Harry?” asked Singleton.
“ You won’t believe me if I had my hand on a Bible, sir,” replied Goose.
Singleton paused for a moment to listen for the music and laughter coming from the captain’s quarters. He listened intently, but did not hear a thing. The music and laughter had stopped.
“ How do you feel, Donald?” asked Goose.
“ Good, err good,” he replied. “ Now, lets get to Harry McCann.”
“ He’s helped, sir.”
“ Now what wouldn’t I believe?” he asked.
“ What just happened,” replied the cook.
“ Try me.”
“ Queer thing, sir,” Goose said. “ Too many queer things happening.”
“ What!” Singleton half shouted.
“ When McCann jumped into the ocean, the bloody boat just vanished,” Goose started. “ It was an odd thing. I never witnessed anything like this before.”
“ Sunk?”
“ Vanished.”
“ I don’t understand,” said the captain.
“ The damn bloody boat vanished into thin air!” Goose raised his voice. “ It vanished right before our eyes.”
“ He’s telling you the truth, captain,” added Scott. “ Poof!”
The dizziness has completely subsided as the crew hauled him up to his feet. Singleton did not know what to say. He believed his men, but he didn’t respond to their story. He didn’t dismiss it either.
“ Strange events, captain,” said Goose.
“ How is McCann?” he asked.
“ He’s okay.” shouted Tremont. “ But the jitters got to him.”
“ I think the shock of the vanishing boat spooked him,” Dana mused. “ But he’s a big boy, give him a razor, and some soap and let him continue shaving his head. He’ll be back to normal.”
“ Make him comfortable,” ordered Singleton.
“ And you?” asked Goose.
“ I’m okay.”
Goose nodded.
3
The prisoners of war who had declared themselves independent from England sat in the brig. They knew something was happening to the Constant, but they were not informed of what was going on. They had just finished eating a tasty meal prepared by the ship’s cook. The three prisoners were farmers turned soldiers, and when the fighting began, they knew it was their jobs to protect their land. They were willing to die for freedom. They had no military uniforms, just overalls, and gray sweatshirts.
Ken Bryant was in charge of the bunch. He was the man who lead a group of tireless men into battle against the Redcoats. He was a robust man, and it seemed as if his cheeks were permanently rosy. His men said that his red cheeks gave him character. And Ken believed it.
Douglas Pervis was the oldest of the three. He was in his early sixties, but he knew that freedom did not discriminate. He wanted to fight for it, and they welcomed him with open arms.
Bill White was built like a ship. He was a strong man, and he too wanted to fight for freedom. His arms were almost twice the size of Dana’s arms. He hauled hay, and he slaughtered cattle, so he had no problem killing for freedom. In fact, some say he rather enjoyed the killing.
Goose sat down next to Douglas, and patted the old man’s knee. “ How was the food?”
“ Take your hands off him!” shouted Bill White from across the room.
“ Mr. White, please,” Ken said.
“ Kenny, let the animal talk,” Goose added.
“ When I get out of these chains, I’m going to kill you first!” shouted Bill.
Bill White was too much to handle, so the crew of the Constant had his arms and legs shackled. It was either that, or kill him.
“ Mr. White! Stand down!” shouted Ken. “ That’s an order!”
“ Come on Kenny boy,” Goose joked. “ Let him have his say. If I were tied up, I’d want my captives to allow me free voice. It’s the only thing we couldn’t chain.”
“ No,” said the leader. “ He will stand down!”
“ The food was good as usual,” said Douglas while looking over toward Bill White. “ In fact, it was damn good.”
The cook smiled.
“ Hey Goose,” Ken started. “ I gotta know what was happening out there. I know something was happening, you gotta tell me.”
“ You know, I really don’t know what was happening,” he replied. “ A great deal of queer things were going on. I can’t even say I believe it myself.”
“ What are you talking about?” asked Pervis.
Goose stood up and stared briefly at the ceiling. He was thinking about the experiences and the months of training that the men went through before they were assigned to the Constant. He knew the best served aboard this ship, yet he couldn’t understand why the Colonist almost had her beached.
“ Goose,” Ken interrupted.
“ I’m sorry,” he said. “ Lost my train of thought.”
“ Are you okay?”
“ Yes Kenny,” he said.
“ So get back to the queer things,” added Douglas.
“ We were lost in this freak storm for days,” he started. “ It was a weird storm, never saw one like it before. It was crazy.”
“ We heard the winds,” said Ken. “ It sounded like wounded soldiers.”
Goose nodded.
“ We thought you were torturing soldiers.”
“ No, it was the freak storm,” said Goose. “ We then lost Japps to a gun cannon.”
“ How?” asked Douglas.
“ It fell on him and crushed his legs. He lost so much blood, the captain had to shoot him.”
“ Shoot one of his own crew?” asked Ken with a hint of shock. “ That doesn’t sound like something Captain Aragues would do.”
“ Miles is dead,” said Goose. “ Killed by you people.”
“ Great!” shouted Bill. “ Too bad it wasn’t you.”
“ Stand down!” shouted Ken with an annoyed tone. “ I will not say it again.”
“ Yes, command leader.” Bill White shook himself from his surprise. He couldn’t understand why Ken and Goose were sharing friendship conversations, and trusting each other like allies. He didn’t understand, and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like it at all.
“ I’m sorry for your loss,” said Ken. “ Really, I am.”
“ Come on Kenny,” shouted Bill. “ How the hell can you feel for his loss? Those people are trying to take away our freedom. Those people are your enemies. You should be glad that Japps got crushed. That means we only have seven idiots to capture.”
“ I had about enough from you Mr. White!” Ken shouted. “ I’m telling you, I don’t want to hear another word come out of your mouth until you are instructed to do so. Am I understood?”
“ Come on Kenny.”
“ Am I understood?”
Bill nodded reluctantly.
“ Good,” Ken said. “ I’m sorry on his behalf Goose.”
“ He’s bitter,” Goose joked, “ Oh, and one other thing happened that we found strange.”
“ What was it?” asked Ken.
“ A fishing boat and an old man came toward the ship, “ he started. “ It was odd, because we tried pulling him to safety, but he and the small boat just vanished.”
“ Maybe the small boat and the old man were merely mirages,” said Douglas. “ You know stuff like that happens out here in the great North Atlantic Ocean.”
Goose nodded. “ Perhaps, but it sure scared the hell out of me. I just never witnessed anything more freaky. I’ll tell you, if it was a mirage, damn thing seemed too clear.”
Ken nodded and threw a gesture to Douglas and Bill as he turned his attention back to the cook.
“ The freak storm also had me worried,” added Goose.
“ I could imagine,” said Ken as he turned his attention back to Bill anticipating a comment. However, Bill did not make a comment as he bowed his head and closed his eyes. He looked like a defeated animal trapped in chains.
Leaning toward Ken a bit, Douglas whispered something into his commander’s ear.
“ Sure Douglas,” Ken answered. “ If you gotta go, you gotta go.”
Douglas stood up and walked over to a small room. The room had a cloth fabric strung up and held in place by rusty nails. The fabric gave the prisoners privacy when they had to use the bathroom. He pinched his nose once before entering the small room. He knew the smell of rotten urine would hit him. He thought he’d be use to it by now, but that wasn’t the case. That wasn’t the case at all. The room had such a foul smell, he gasped while trying to stay behind the fabric.
“ It’s your urine,” Goose called out. “ It’s your smell.”
Douglas did not comment as he stared into a broken mirror nailed to the wall. He probably looked into that mirror several times before, but somehow it was different. For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why.
Douglas tried to light the lantern next to the mirror, but it had run out of fuel. “ Damn it!”
“ Is everything okay?” Ken asked.
“ No fuel for the light,” Douglas replied.
“ Go in the dark,” shouted Goose. “ You aim isn’t that good anyhow.”
Douglas peered into the mirror and saw an image looking back. At first he thought it was his own reflection, but it wasn’t, and he knew it. A strange feeling challenged him, and he was startled for a moment. The feeling went away when he realized that it was a young woman looking back at him. He gritted his yellow stained teeth, but didn’t know what to say. He felt a strange calm rushing through his body when he realized that the young woman was looking at him, and acknowledged that he was there.
“ What the...”
The young woman was in the mirror, but she wasn’t standing behind him. She was an image without substance.
“ What the hell are you?” he whispered. “ Am I seeing a mirage too?”
“ Douglas Pervis,” the woman mouthed.
“ Huh?”
The young woman had milky white skin that was completely clean and free of blemishes. She had her light brown hair twisted several times and pulled behind her. It was held in place by a light pink bow. Douglas stared at her beauty intently. Her beauty was almost mesmerizing.
“ Who are you,” he whispered.
“ You tell me,” she replied softly.
“ You can’t be real,” he insisted. “ You’re probably just like that man who vanished in the small boat. Or did you have something to do with that?”
She smiled.
“ I heard sailors speak of women like you during their travels on the high seas,” he said.
“ Just know this,” she started. “ I am as real as you want me to be. It is all up to you Douglas Pervis.”
“ But how?” he asked. “ And how do you know my name?”
“ You tell me,” she replied.
“ If I close my eyes, I’m sure you’ll just disappear,” said Douglas. “ Because I know that this really can’t be happening.”
“ Maybe,” she replied. “ I’ll just leave it up to you.”
“ No,” he paused with great uncertainty. “ I don’t think that’s what I want. I am curious, and curiosity will get the best of me.”
“ I’m sure it will,” she said.
Douglas tilted his head slightly indicating confusion.
The young woman smiled.
“ So tell me,” he said. “ Who are you, and why are you invading this looking glass?”
“ I am here for you, Douglas Pervis,” she answered. “ Do you want to join with me?”
“ Join with you?” Douglas repeated. “ In what?”
Glancing around the small area, Douglas realized that the smelly bathroom was no place to meet a beautiful young woman. Peering through the small openings of the cloth fabric, he saw the other men sitting around talking. He thought about making a swift, soundless flee from the bathroom. However, it wasn’t going to happen. He was just too curious to leave the woman in the mirror. He was oddly enough attracted to the woman. She had a strange hold on him. A hold he would never dare to challenge. Not just yet.
“ Being together, Douglas Pervis,” she replied. “ Forever.”
“ You can’t be serious?”
She nodded.
“ Why would I?”
“ Look around you Douglas Pervis,” she said. “ You are riding in a floating grave. You have no chance to beat this phenomenon.”
No crew this small had ever successfully piloted a ship like the Constant before. The ship was a heavy fighter, and it needed a full compliment to sail successfully. There just wasn’t enough people to take her back home safely. He knew it, and he also knew that Singleton knew it.
“ You’re probably correct in your assumption,” he said. “ But I don’t think you really exist. I think you’re just a mirage, and that my mind is playing tricks on me.”
“ I do exist,” she said while tapping his forehead softly. “ I exist in here, only if you let me.”
He looked confused.
“ Will you allow me to exist?”
He nodded slowly.
“ Hey Douglas!” Ken shouted from behind the cloth fabric. “ What the hell are you doing in there so long? You know, if you shake it more than three times, you’re playing with it.”
Quickly, Douglas pulled the cloth fabric completely together so there’ll be no light coming in from the other room. He closed his eyes and turned back to the mirror. He stood face to face with his own image, and suddenly he realized that the young woman was gone.
“ Hey Doug!” Ken shouted.
“ I’m coming, I’m coming,” he shouted back. “ For the love of it, can’t a man take a decent piss?”
Ken chuckled.
Douglas looked back at the mirror for the last time, hoping to catch another glimpse of the young woman. He relaxed himself and closed his eyes as he walked out of the bathroom. Leaving only a slight doubt that he had actually seen that woman.
4
Guilt... Escaping the guilt...call it failure... call it creation...but guilt s guilt.
The Constant provided safety and confidence for her crew. She provided a safe haven for the men in her care. However, there was a need for patrols because of the strange person vanishing into thin air. Singleton knew that having guards stand alert was a duty that must be exercised.
Felix and Tremont Hastings were the men elected to stand guard. It wasn’t a duty that they willingly volunteered for, but they understood the need. They stood guard as the midnight salty air kept them fully awake. It was the type of ocean air that had the power of ten cups of black coffee. It was exactly what these men needed.
Those waiting hours for dawn were almost nerve racking. For some strange reason, the brothers did not feel safe. Perhaps it was guilt. Perhaps the guilt was not protecting the Constant from the Colonists or the freak storm.
“ Goose cooked baby cod,” said Felix. “ I must admit, it was damn good. I didn’t think that fat boy really had it in him. I thought Captain Aragues just had bad taste for food.”
Tremont smiled.
“ I’m only talking about food because I have this strange feeling eating away at me,” said Felix. “ I don’t know if you feel the same.”
“ I know what you mean brother,” Tremont replied. “ I’ve been thinking the same thing. Damn, I think it started when the freak storm took this ship and pulled us into this strange void.”
“ Void?”
Tremont nodded.
“ We are on the Atlantic Ocean, right?”
“ I don’t know.”
“ Maybe it’s the old man who just vanished,” added Felix.” I mean that could creep anybody out, even Dana Skills.”
“ Oh yeah,” Tremont agreed.
The Hastings were sitting in front of a wooden bridge that held up a small scout boat. They were afraid, but nevertheless defiant, and willing to die to protect the lives of their shipmates. It was something Captain Miles Argues expected from each and everyone aboard the Constant.
“ Maybe we should walk around the deck again,” suggested Felix.
“ Nah, maybe later,” Tremont replied. “ Much later.”
Felix smiled.
“ Besides, I think I’ll feel better just sitting here and thinking of everything that happened,” he continued. “ It won’t help, but it’ll make me feel much better.”
“ I guess,” Felix said. “ Hey, I was meaning to ask you about Kimberly.”
“ What about her?”
“ You never mentioned her while we were coming to America,” Felix answered. “ Do you miss her?”
Tremont gazed around the ship, and sighed. There really hadn’t been enough time to talk about the loved ones you left behind. Of course, he thought of Kimberly, but speaking of her would have made him miss her even more.
Despite the sudden sad moment, Tremont added zip to his reply. “ She’ll be their when I get back.”
“ It must really be nice to have a girl waiting for you when you get back home,” said Felix. “ I’ll give anything to have someone waiting for me.”
“ My condolences, brother.”
“ What for?”
“ Felix, you just killed the evening wishing to be me.”
Felix laughed.
“ You’ll find that special lady,” Tremont assured his brother. “ It’ll just take time.”
“ And girls,” Felix joked. “ Did you see the ugly dogs on this ship.”
Tremont laughed.
“ Hey, didn’t Kimberly want to make the trip of to America some time ago?”
“ She did,” he replied. “ Her father tried to open several linen factories in America, but that proposal was shot down. Too much competition there. Besides, she wouldn’t have liked it over there. Nothing beats our home.”
Felix nodded.
“ Those people are fighting for freedom,” Tremont continued. “ It’ll never happen.”
“ They put up a good fight,” Felix added. “ In fact they almost beached this beautiful ship.”
“ Lucky,” said Tremont. “ Those freedom fighters are foolish. They’re trying to fight a war that they can’t win. Foolish I tell you.”
“ Can’t they just accept the fact that they are our seeds, and we planted them so we can expand,” said Felix. “ They need us to help them grow, we’re like the watering can, and they’re trying to run us dry. How foolish can those people be?”
“ You know brother,” Tremont started. “ When you plant seeds in a garden and you cannot take care of it, you’ll get weeds. Wild weeds just continue to grow everywhere. Soon the weeds will take over and consume the garden. This will just mean that the garden will become diseased and die.”
“ Bravo brother,” Felix added.
Tremont smiled.
“ But you know,” Felix added. “ Their winning this war is just impossible.”
“ Nothing is really that impossible Felix. Wouldn’t you agree?” Tremont suggested.
“ I guess you’re right,” he agreed. “ I just can’t believe those people almost captured the Constant. I’m still trying to shake that out of my head.”
“ I still have to say, and believe it was pure luck,” said Tremont. “ They just got lucky. But I know this ship, when she’s cornered, she would show her true colors.”
Felix nodded.
The Constant’s sails fluttered and the ship swayed. The odd thing about it was that there was no wind. The air was just still, and the ocean calm.
There were faint screams of wounded soldiers coming from the darkness. The angry cries of the enemy spilled into the night. It was a haunting, chilling moment that wrapped fear around the Hastings brothers.
Tremont,” Felix half whispered. “ Should we sound the alarms?”
“ Not yet,” he replied as he looked around the deck. “ Lets not get too jumpy. It might be nothing.”
“ You think those sounds and those cries are nothing?” Felix shot back. “ It’s something brother, I know it is.”
“ I hear them,” Tremont said.
“ And we do nothing?”
Tremont nodded.
“ The screams,” said Felix. “ I think I’m frightened.”
“ I hear the sounds, and the screams too,” said Tremont. “ I just don’t think it’s enough to sound the alarms. We are the guards on duty, and we must make sure we have something tangible. I don’t want to wake Singleton up, and we discover that it’s nothing. It just isn’t what guards do.”
“ Come on!” shouted Felix.
“ Please relax,” Tremont said. “ I need your mind clear, just in case.”
Felix cleared his throat and uttered, “ I can’t get them out of my head.”
Tremont stood up quickly and took one step forward. “ Lets not get worked up.”
“ Easy enough to say,” Felix replied.
“ But try.”
Felix shook his head slowly, and his mind was churning with questions and thoughts. He was wondering what his brother was thinking too. He wanted to know why his brother was acting so calm.
“ Shhh,” Tremont whispered.
“ What is it brother?” Felix nervously asked as he stood up to stand next to Tremont. “ Do you hear something else?”
He waved to his brother requesting silence. Grimly, the Hastings watched the decks and tried to figure out where the noise was coming from. They were true guards, but fear was trapped in their hearts waiting to explode.
“ I think someone’s coming,” said Tremont.
“ Yes, I hear it too brother,” replied Felix. “ Lets sound the alarms!”
“ Felix, be still!”
Felix frowned.
“ Maybe you’re right,” said Tremont. “ Maybe we should get ready to sound the alarms.”
“ Of course!”
“ Not just yet, Felix.”
“ Tremont!” Felix shouted.
“ What, what?”
“ Do you smell that?” he asked. “ Do you?”
A strong stench of rotting blood filled the air. Tremont was trying to hold his composure, but that was a difficult task to complete. He had to put up a front, and not show his fear in front of his brother.
Clinging to his brothers lower arm without realizing it made Felix a bit uneasy. That was the moment when Tremont’s superiority and bravery felt tested. Felix had always looked up to his brother for leadership, and guidance. He now shared his fears.
“ Tremont, look!” shouted Felix in total animation.
“ Oh my God,” Tremont mouthed.
There faces dimmed at the image they saw before them. It was a vision that had no logical explanation. It was an image that grabbed hold of them and didn’t want to let go. It was an image of over a thousand dead soldiers littering the ocean surface. They were mutilated in ways the Hastings brothers couldn’t comprehend. It was as if their bodies imploded all over the Atlantic Ocean. Felix’s mouth curved upward as he tried to spill out words. However, nothing came out as he just simply pointed toward the floating corpses.
Tremont yelped and threw both arms into the air. He tried to move back, but he staggered as he almost lost his footing. Clasping the rails of the Constant he got a better look at the mutilated bodies. It appeared that they were in the salty water for so long that they became squashy, and slimy.
Felix blinked several times and immediately grabbed his brother as if he too needed to be braced.
“ What are we witnessing,” he asked Tremont.
“ Death,” Tremont replied.
“ How?”
“ I don’t know,” he said. “ But what ever happened to those soldiers I pray it doesn’t happen to us.”
“ I think they were the losers from a battle fought on the seas,” said Felix.
Tremont continued staring into the ocean trying to make sense of the tragedy before him. He slowly shook his head from side to side in total disbelief. It was a tragedy he wanted no part of. He wished he hadn’t been on guard duty.
“ How can God let something like that happen?” asked Felix. “ It’s so merciless.”
“ War is merciless,” whispered Tremont.
“ I don’t think they’re from England, or America,” Felix added.
“ Nonetheless, they are men,” said Tremont. “ Soldiers of war, and we must say a prayer for their souls to be saved.”
Felix agreed as the Hastings brothers bowed their heads in silence for a moment. It was something that they wanted to do. It was the right thing to do.
“ Now we have to wake up the captain,” said Felix.
“ Wait!” Tremont shouted.
“ What?”
“ Look!” he pointed.
Felix grabbed the rails of the Constant. He tried to keep the nausea down because the smell of death invaded his nostrils. He looked over into the ocean darkness and quizzically turned back to face his brother. “ I don’t understand.”
“ They’re gone,” whispered Tremont. “ They’re all gone.”
“ Where did they go?”
“ Heaven,” whispered Tremont. “ I hope.”
Felix nodded.
Tremont held his breath as he tried to slow his heart rate. He felt his blood rushing through his body without heart control. He couldn’t regain full composure as his stomach twisted, and his nerves grinding against his head. He had to actually force himself to take deep breaths. It was almost impossible to catch his breath, but he succeeded. He gnawed at his lower lip almost causing it to draw blood.
“ Tremont, you okay?”
“ Okay,” he replied as if he just snapped out of it. “ The excitement is over.”
“ Tremont, look!”
“ Not again,” said Tremont as he looked toward the direction of his brother’s pointing finger. “ What the...”
It wasn’t a mass of dead soldiers staring the brothers in the face, and it wasn’t a vanishing man in a fishing boat. The vision they’ve encountered was walking toward them from the rear deck of the Constant. Maury Japps came halfway toward them and quickly turned into his assigned cabin.
Fear crushed the Hastings up against the wall. They stood firmly against it contemplating their next move. They had no idea what was going on, and they couldn’t explain the visit from their dead shipmate.
“ Follow him?” asked Felix.
“ What choice do we have.”
Felix agreed.
They ran toward the cabin and opened the door. Felix really didn’t want to see the walking dead, but he had no choice. He was one of the guards on duty. His job was to investigate everything, and anything. This incident was both.
Standing in the open doorway they saw nothing, but an empty cabin. There was no Maury Japps. There was nothing but emptiness.
“ What’s happening to us,” whispered Tremont. “ Where did he go?”
“ Maybe the ocean air is playing tricks on us,” said Felix. “ Maybe we really didn’t see all those dead bodies, or Maury Japps. Maybe we’re just having a trying night. I don’t know Tremont, I don’t know.”
“ Maybe you’re right,” Tremont agreed. “ Maybe we’re just experiencing delusions. That has to be it. There is no other logical explanation.”
“ Come on brother,” Felix said. “ Lets go back to guarding this ship. I don’t want to think of what just happened to us anymore.”
“ Of course,” he replied. “ Duty to the Constant is our first priority.”
Felix smiled crookedly as he wrapped his arm around his brother’s shoulder. “ It is.”
5
Scott Morrell was tossing and turning in his bunk. He couldn’t get to sleep. His mind was totally blanketed with strange thoughts. He kept hearing battle station calls. It was the same type of sleeplessness he suffered through the freak storm.
Captain Miles Aragues was yelling to his crew, But Scott was busy in the lower deck. He was fascinated by a young female prisoner known as one of The Lady Liberties. The Constant picked her up when her small boat capsized. She was caught amongst fallen soldiers, but Scott was able to rescue her and make her a prisoner.
“ Are you going to kill me,” she nervously asked.
“ No,” he softly replied with a sheepish look. “ You’re going to be my private prisoner. If you know what I mean.”
“ Private prisoner?” she looked confused. “ I don’t know what you mean.”
“ Every man to their post!” he heard Aragues bellow out.
“ My dear freedom fighter,” he replied sheepishly. “ You’‘ll understand soon enough.”
The Constant bobbled on the rough waters holding its buoyancy as The Revolutionary War was in full swing. It was that type of war that needed ships like the Constant. A ship that was designed to put an end to these types of wars. A ship with muscle.
“ Adjust the sails!” Aragues continued.
The woman standing before Scott Morrell was the same haunting image that appeared before Douglas Pervis. She was a vision of loveliness, and Scott wanted her for himself.
“ Please don’t hurt me,” she begged.
“ You fight for a cause and lose,” he started as he looked at her with lustful eyes. “ You have to pay dearly.”
“ Please,” she begged.
He slowly walked around her as though he was sizing her up for the kill. “ Hurt you?? Now why would I do a foolish thing like that?”
She shivered.
“ I don’t think I’ll hurt you little lady,” he said. “ I’ll need you to stick around for a little while. I have plans for you.”
The nightmare felt so real to Scott as he shimmed in bed. He was actually reliving the events that happened before the Constant was swept away by the freak storm. The nightmare took hold of his night, and continued replaying in his mind. He tried to shake himself awake, but he was not successful.
He stood in before her as he felt the power overcome him. He then slapped her with the back of his hand across her face. It was a solid slap that wrung in her ears. The force behind the slap was so intense that it shook a few of her teeth loose.
“ Cry now freedom fighter,” he said through gritted teeth. “ Cry now, maybe your friends could hear you. Maybe they’ll come to rescue you.”
The blood was spurting out of her mouth, but she kept it in with the palm of her hand. She knew the pain was biting at her and she wanted to scream, but she didn’t. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
“ Take off your clothes,” he demanded.
She just stared at him.
“ Take off your clothes,” he almost whispered. “ Take them off now or I’ll cut you like an animal. Don’t make me repeat myself again, freedom fighter.”
“ Please don’t make me do this,” she begged as the blood came out of her mouth with every spoken word. “ Please.”
He slapped her again, and this time with an opened hand which left the imprint on her redden cheek. “ I will not ask you again. Do as I say and take off your clothes!”
“ I am a prisoner of war, I should be treated accordingly,” she said with fight in her voice. “ I demand to speak to your commanding officer!”
Scott Morrell’s thundering laugh filled the cabin as he felt entertained by his prisoner. He couldn’t believe she had the audacity to demand when she knew he could easily kill her. What bravado and courage she displayed. It was very entertaining.
“ I should kill you because you’re filth,” he shouted. “ But your display of courage is intriguing. I think I’ll let you live after I have my way with you. But I’m ordering you one more time. Remove your clothes quickly or I will send this dagger into your heart. Do I make myself clear?”
She nodded.
“ Do it!”
The freedom fighter remembered working in her father’s garden as a small child. She would carry the fruits of their labor into the kitchen so her mother could wash and prepare them for dinner. She would arrange the colorful vegetables in order and wait for her mother’s approval. She thought of all her childhood memories as she slowly removed her clothing.
“ Faster,” he demanded. “ Or I’ll rip them off myself, and take some skin with it!”
Clinging to what’s left of her dignity, she tried to make a fruitless break for it. There simply was no where to run as he grabbed her. He picked her up by the neck and slammed her down. The thump was loud, but nothing broke. She hit the floor with such impact blood quickly shot out of her already damaged mouth.
“ Don’t,” she mumbled.
Scott Morrell kicked her face completely in the opposite direction. The pain was intensified as it shot through her body like a penetrating bullet. Her scream pierced Scott’s ears as he covered them with the palms of his hands.
“ Don’t worry,” he said. “ I won’t kill you, not just yet.”
She sobbed.
“ You can either submit, or take it rough,” he added. “ The choice is yours.
His superiority was indeed wicked, and that made her want to die.
“ Now stay still,” he grumbled, irritated that she was putting up a struggle. “ This will hurt you much more than my urges hurt me.”
She continued sobbing.
Scott tried to remove his pants, but she mustered enough strength to kick him in the groin area. It was such a direct hit that the pain raced through his body almost making him lose his balance. However, as much as the pain tackled him he wasn’t going to give up. He pounded his fist into her face knocking her out of consciousness.
On the upper deck he kept hearing the captain barking out orders. He knew that they were too busy to know what he was doing. It was his best opportunity, and he wasn’t going to miss it.
“ Don’t die on me yet!” he shouted. “ I haven’t begun!”
“ Mr. Morrell!” shouted the captain from the upper deck. “ You’re need up here now!”
“ Damn!”
“ I mean now mister!” the captain barked.
He gathered himself and rushed out of the cabin without acknowledging the prisoner who just laid there. He was a cruel man as he left her on the floor covered in blood, and completely naked.
“ Coming captain!” he shouted.
Several hours later he returned to an empty cabin. He looked for his prisoner and she was no where to be found. It appeared that she had crawled out of a small hole punched into the hull of the Constant by enemy fire. He knew she could never have survived his beating, and add on top of that, the hungry ocean. However, she did escape his rape, but it didn’t bother him. Death was certain for her, and that made him chuckle.
Scott Morrell couldn’t see a thing because of the strange night. He did feel something touching his face. He couldn’t tell what it was, but he knew it was there. He shot straight up as he snapped himself awake. He couldn’t help but to feel his nightmare following him into his reality. It was a strange moment, and he couldn’t settle himself.
“ Don’t hurt me,” a woman whispered into his ear.
“ Who the hell is here?” he shouted.
“ Don’t hurt me,” she repeated. “ Please don’t hurt me.”
He shot glances around the cabin, but there was no one with him. He was alone, but the voice was crystal clear.
“ Get out of my cabin!” he demanded. “ I don’t care who you are, I want you out!”
“ Please don’t hurt me,” she whispered. “ I will submit.”
“ Who are you!”
“ Your private prisoner,” she replied softly.
The Freedom Fighter? He thought.
“ This can’t be!” he shouted.
“ I can’t believe you forgot about me,” she said. “ I thought you wanted to finish what you started. Isn’t that your goal?”
“ Get out of here,” he shouted.
“ Take me Scott,” she whispered.
“ Intruder in my cabin!” He shouted. “ Come quick!”
Even though the Hastings brothers were preoccupied with their own troubles, they did not fail to respond to Scott’s call. They rushed into the cabin moving from side to side to cover as much positioning as possible.
“ Where?” shouted Felix.
“ Here,” replied Scott. “ In my cabin.”
“ There’s no one here but you,” said Tremont. “ There is no intruder.”
“ She’s here!”
“ Stop it!” shouted Felix. “ Get a hold of yourself, there is no one in your cabin!”
“ I felt a presence,” he murmured. “ I did, really.”
Why was he so startled? Tremont thought.