The Emerald Key - By Christopher Dinsdale Page 0,17
Soon after, Jamie was high up in the ocean breeze, climbing the masts and yardarms of the ship. He was taught how to trim and reef the sails at the captain’s command. He also learned how to secure the sails by lashing them down with ropes if the winds became too strong.
Jamie would never admit it to his new friend Officer Keates, but he was actually starting to enjoy himself high above the swells of the North Atlantic. Up on the mast, the deep blue horizon stretched out before him in all directions, giving Jamie a feeling of vastness that he had never experienced back on land. He also enjoyed how the fresh ocean air invigorated his exhausted mind.
Nighttime was even more spectacular. During his short breaks, he would simply lie back on the thick yardarm and take in the spectacular view of the starry sky above, counting the shooting stars and wondering if Ryan was staring up into the same sky with him at that very moment.
One night, as Jamie looked up to the black canopy of the night sky, his thoughts were suddenly shattered by a grief-stricken wail. He rolled into a sitting position and watched six crewmen carry out a wooden platform. On top of the platform were the outlines of two bodies covered in a single white cloth. Following behind was a distraught woman, a young girl, and the ship’s chaplain. The strong ocean breeze rippled the thin, white cloth as the crew lined up the two bodies with the edge of the ship’s rail. The young chaplain said a few quiet words, then nodded to the sailors. The woman collapsed to her knees as the sailors tipped their load, and two bodies, most likely a father and son, fell away and disappeared into the inky darkness of the waves.
Jamie closed his eyes and said a prayer for the family, both living and deceased. He had already lost count of the number of bodies he had witnessed go over the side of the ship. How many more would die before they reached Canada? He looked west, beyond the bow of the mighty sailing ship. The unending darkness made it feel as if they were sailing toward a dream, never in view and always just beyond their reach.
A sharp whistle caught his attention. Officer Keates was waving for him to come down. It was the end of his shift.
Jamie crawled along the yardarm and then slid down the ropes to the deck below. Officer Keates waited for him as a lad even younger than Jamie scurried up the opposite side of the mast to take his place among the sails.
“That’s good work you’re doing up there, Jamie,” said the officer. “If you’re ever in need of employment, we’ll always have a place for you on board the Independence.”
Jamie smiled. “Thank you, sir, but I still prefer my feet to be on solid ground.”
“Now that your shift is over, why don’t you head to the officer’s mess and grab a bite to eat? Cook has whipped up a decent stew.”
Jamie nodded, although his appetite disappeared as another covered body was brought up on deck, followed by the sobs of another tortured family. The ashen-faced young mother, with her young son in hand, followed the procession to the railing. Officer Keates and Jamie moved aside to allow the body to pass. A gust of wind caught hold of the fluttering white sheet and blew it sideways, exposing the face of the latest typhoid victim. Jamie shook his head in dismay.
“Not Brendan too … ”
“Did you know him?” asked Officer Keates.
“We boarded the ship together. He was the one who waved to us below decks.”
“Well then, you should know that their older son and daughter also passed away earlier this week.”
Jamie looked at the officer, stunned, then to the wife at the railing. “And Erin, the mother, how is she?”
They stared at the young mother gently touching her husband’s cheek one last time. “She’s sick, as well, but not as bad as some. With a bit of luck, she might make it across to Canada.”
Jamie looked at the officer, and then back to Erin. “I need to ask a favour.”
“Anything. We owe you more than you know.”
“I want Erin and her remaining child to have my berth in second class. It must be unbearable for her to remain in the same berth that has taken the lives of her husband and two other children.”