Ocean Nursery
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The morning of the fifth day after their arrival at the port, Captain O’Leary and his party were shown into the presence of a young man who appeared to be the mayor. He was tall and thin with a narrow face and an expressionless blue eye that looked like it had been cut from glass.
His hair was cropped close against his skull. As he listened to the captain’s explanation of events in the harbor he seemed not to hear him but stared off into space. When the captain finished speaking, he sat motionless for some time without saying anything, then nodded once, very slightly. The captain took this as approval. ‘I can only say,’ said the captain, ‘that we did nothing wrong.’
The mayor leaned forward and spoke quietly so that no one else could overhear. ‘You have taken on board my son?’ he asked.
O’Leary glanced over his shoulder towards where the boy slept soundly in a hammock by the stern rail. ‘We did.’
‘And you intend to sail soon?’
‘Yes, sir.’
The mayor frowned. ‘It is customary here to give notice of departure. There will be many boats going out to sea today, and they may collide if you leave without giving a warning.’
The captain shrugged. ‘That is all right, I understand. We shall wait until tomorrow.’
The mayor nodded. ‘Tomorrow, then. You should know that there are rumors about you, though none have yet reached me. It seems your ship is called the Mary Celeste—a ghost ship. No one has ever seen her before she arrived in our waters; now, suddenly, she appears again.
And her crew does not appear to be human. But these things have never stopped other ships sailing.’ He smiled thinly. ‘In fact, we would welcome such visitors, because they bring trade and profit.’ He stood up and bowed. ‘Goodbye, Mr. O’Leary. We hope to see you back in port shortly.’
Captain O’Leary returned to his cabin and told the first mate what the mayor had said. ‘He thinks we’re ghosts,’ said the first mate.
‘Or monsters,’ added the second mate. They laughed.
The third mate came down the ladder from the main deck. ‘What’s going on? What happened?’
‘Oh, nothing much,’ said the first mate, ‘just that we’ve got to stay another night here.’
The third mate rolled his eyes. ‘Why?’
The captain ignored him. ‘The mayor wants us to wait until tomorrow to set sail. Apparently, he’s heard stories about us being… well, not quite human.’
‘How do you know that?’ asked the first mate.
‘Well, just look at the boy!’ said the third mate. ‘I’m sure he’s not human either.’
They continued to laugh until the third mate said, ‘No, really. Why don’t we tell them that the crew is made up entirely of giants?’
‘But how do they know about us?’ asked the first mate. ‘There must be dozens of ships in these waters! How come they’re the only ones who know about us?’
‘Maybe they found something when they went ashore,’ suggested the third mate. ‘Perhaps they saw the wreck of a big boat.’
‘Or maybe they caught a glimpse of us in the water,’ added the first mate. ‘They probably thought it was a whale or something.’
‘Couldn’t it be someone fishing?’ asked the third mate.
‘If they’d seen us in the water,’ replied the first mate, ‘they’d have shot us by now. Wouldn’t they?’
The three men fell silent. None of them liked the idea that someone knew about Mary Celeste – and even less liked the idea of being shot by people who might know what they were.
At dawn the following morning, two boats rowed out to meet the Mary Celeste. In each of them were twenty fishermen armed with muskets, swords, and axes. The fishermen wore white wigs and black clothing which gave them a bizarre appearance.
At first sight, they resembled a band of pirates, except for their strange faces, which gave the impression that their expressions were constantly changing. Their faces were wide, flat, and heavily lidded and they moved slowly.
As the Mary Celeste approached, the boats drifted alongside until they were almost touching. Two sailors stepped onto the deck and waved. The fishermen lowered their weapons and began to talk together in a language that sounded harsh and guttural. One of the sailors translated:
‘Are you the captain of this ship?’
‘Yes, I am,’ answered the captain.
‘Did you bring us any fish?’
‘We brought plenty, but most of it we threw overboard,’ explained the captain.
‘Then why didn’t you throw some more away?’
The captain shrugged. ‘It seemed wasteful.’
One of the fishermen spat into the sea. ‘That doesn’t matter now. This time tomorrow you will go to sea again and we want you to take us aboard as passengers.’
‘As passengers?’ repeated Captain O’Leary. ‘What for?’
‘Because we have decided that we wish to live in your world. We have no wish to return home.’
‘You mean you want to become part of my crew?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why?’
‘Because we are tired of living in our own world. It is cold and wet and there is too little food and water. Nowhere is safe. All we need is somewhere warm and dry where there is enough food for everyone.’
The captain considered what they had said. He could see no reason to refuse. After all, he already had a dozen passengers aboard the Mary Celeste so he did not really need anymore. Besides, if the fishermen stayed on board, then it would save him from having to hire new hands.
He looked at his watch. There wasn’t much time left before sunset; he should get underway immediately. But then he remembered the mayor’s warning about the storms coming in from the southwest.
If the wind changed direction and strengthened, he wouldn’t be able to make headway against the current. He would have to stay put for another day. And the fishermen were going to complain.
Captain O’Leary turned back to the fisherman who had spoken earlier. ‘What name should I call you by?’
‘We are called the People of the Sea.’
‘People of the Sea? That sounds like a good name.’
‘Very good,’ replied the man.
The fishermen lowered their weapons and boarded the Mary Celeste. Then, one after another, they climbed into the rigging and clambered over the side to swim towards the shore. When they reached land they disappeared into the trees and bushes, leaving only footprints behind in the soft mud.
Soon afterward the sun sank below the horizon and night came upon the island. The fishermen returned to the Mary Celeste. They settled down to sleep and soon their snoring filled the air around the ship.
***
After dinner Captain O’Leary took a walk along the beach. On the far side of the bay lay an expanse of sand dunes covered with tall grasses. Beyond the dunes, he could see the mouth of a small river. A few lights twinkled among the buildings of the village and the sound of laughter floated across the water.
From the hill above the town, he watched as the fishermen sat talking with the mayor, while other members of the community gathered in groups and talked amongst themselves. Some of these people carried bundles wrapped in oilskin cloths. Others held torches, which they used to light the way through the forest. He guessed that they were preparing to leave the next morning.
Ahead of him, a group of children ran up and down the beach. They were laughing and playing games. A couple of women followed them, carrying buckets of water. Behind them walked two men carrying large sacks on their shoulders.
Each of them was dressed in white clothes that hung loosely off their bodies. The men stopped and handed the water containers to the women. As the women passed the containers to the children they spoke to them in a language that sounded foreign.
When he returned to the cabin Captain O’Leary found his wife sitting by the fireplace. She was staring into the flames and her face was pale. He went to stand beside her.
‘I’ve been thinking,’ she whispered.
He nodded. ‘About what?’
She hesitated. ‘How can we possibly stop them? What do you think they’ll do when they find out how many of us are still here?’
‘There isn’t anything we can do about it now.’
‘But they might try something. They may even attack us! How will you protect yourself?’
‘Don’t worry,’ he told her. ‘I won’t let them harm you. You’re my wife and I love you.’
She smiled at him. ‘Thank you.’
In the early hours of the morning, Captain O’Leary woke to hear the sound of voices outside. He rose silently and pulled on his dressing gown before opening the door. Standing on the deck was the fisherman who had come aboard the previous evening.
He wore a wide-brimmed hat and carried a long rifle slung across his back. The rifle bore a brass plate inscribed with the words: ‘Rifleman, Royal Irish Constabulary.’ At his side was another man wearing the same uniform. His right hand rested lightly on the butt of a pistol. Both men carried a lantern.
Captain O’Leary stepped inside the cabin and closed the door.
‘Good morning,’ said the constable. ‘We just wanted to ask you some questions. Do you mind if we sit down?’
The captain shook his head. ‘No problem.’
‘That’s fine. Thank you.’
One of the men removed a pair of wooden stools from under the table and placed them alongside each other. He then lit a lamp and set it on the table between them. It illuminated a pile of papers, which lay scattered across its surface. The constables began leafing through them.
‘What is all this?’ asked the captain. ‘Where did you get these documents?’
‘It’s nothing important,’ said the constable. ‘Just a collection of records I’ve collected over the years. I thought I’d bring them back home for safekeeping. But it looks like I’m going to need them again sooner than expected.’
‘Why is that?’
‘Well, there has been some trouble lately.’
‘Trouble? What sort of trouble?’
‘You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Would you?’
‘No, but I’d be very interested to know.’
‘Very well.’
The constable turned back to the papers. He picked up the first document and started reading.
‘Who wrote this?’ he asked.
‘Dr Michael Jansen,’ said the captain.
‘Really!’
‘Yes.’
The constable glanced around the room. ‘So where is he?’
‘I don’t know,’ answered the captain. ‘He hasn’t been seen since last night.’
The constable frowned. ‘Do you mean to tell me that Dr Jansen hasn’t arrived yet?’
‘Not yet,’ replied Captain O’Leary. ‘I assumed he would be here by now.’
‘Maybe he got delayed somehow. That happens sometimes. People forget things or lose track of time.’
‘I suppose so.’
‘If he doesn’t arrive soon, we’ll have to go ahead without him. We can’t afford any further delays. There aren’t many days left.’
‘Is that so?’
The captain stared at the constable. ‘And how do you feel about that?’
‘Oh, I don’t know.’
‘Of course, you do. Tell me honestly. If you knew there wasn’t much time remaining before the end, how would you spend your final hours?’
‘Hmm. I suppose…I’d want to make sure everything was ready.’
‘Preparations?’
‘Exactly.’
‘Such as?’
‘I suppose it would depend upon the circumstances. Perhaps I’d visit old friends I haven’t seen in ages. Or maybe I’d take the family out somewhere special one last time.’
‘Would you?’
‘Perhaps. Maybe not.’
‘Mmm. Yes. Of course.’
‘And after that?’
‘After that, I guess I’d simply try to enjoy myself. Take life easy, you know? Live every moment like it could be your last. Make the most of every opportunity. Enjoy yourself.’
‘I see.’
The constable paused, looking at the captain. ‘Are you asking me what I would do, or telling me?’
‘I’m just trying to understand your position.’
The constable took another look around the cabin. ‘You really expect us to believe that you were waiting for a friend? And why didn’t you tell anyone about this until now? You should have mentioned it when we met yesterday afternoon. It might have saved us a lot of time.’
The captain hesitated. Then he spoke carefully. ‘I don’t think you’re taking this seriously enough.’
‘Am I being serious enough?’
‘Yes, you are! Now, please tell us where Dr. Jansen is staying. Or better still, let’s meet him ourselves and find out where he is staying.’
The constable sighed. ‘Okay, okay. Let’s go talk to him together. It shouldn’t take long.’
The End