The full grown oak 4/9

Jennifer Jane woke up feeling awful. Her head hurt and she had a nasty taste in her mouth. Her bed wasn’t very comfortable either; in fact she could swear that it was heaving up and down. She tried to sit up and banged her head on the ceiling.

Something strange had happened to her since she’d left the George and Dragons. Come to that she didn’t remember leaving the pub at all. She lay back quietly and had a good look round.

She was lying in a shallow wooden box with a roof only about a foot above her head. Looking to one side she could see a slightly curving wooden wall and turning her head carefully the other way she saw similar wooden boxes on the other side of a small room.

She recognised them all right! She was lying in a bunk in the crew’s quarters of a fairly large sailing boat and she had the feeling that once again she’d been kidnapped.

The friendly sailor hadn’t been quite so friendly after all. She tried a quick twiddle, but as she suspected, nothing happened. Whatever boat she was on, had already passed through a travel fog and was sailing in a world where magic didn’t work.

Just then the door flew open with a crash and a rather tough looking goblin sailor came in, suggestively waving a knotted rope’s end in his hand.

“Now then you little layabout, let’s see what you’re made of. Up aloft on the foremast and overhaul the buntlines and clewlines on the lower topsail, if nothing else the breeze will clear your head. You’re in my watch and I don’t take kindly to scrimshankers. A good rope’s ending or a helping of belaying pin soup’ll soon sort you out if there’s any trouble!”

Jennifer Jane rolled out of the bunk and went out on deck. She knew enough about goblins to realise that she was no match for one in her present condition. Fortunately she remembered what Fern had taught her during her voyage on the Mary Belle and went to the foremast as quickly as she could.

The goblin sailor followed her to the shrouds and watched her carefully as she began climbing the rigging. She held the shrouds in her hands in the correct way, as she climbed up to the yardarm.

It was a bit scary as she moved out along the footrope, but the ship had been designed for use by goblin sized sailors, so she was able to shuffle sideways without too much difficulty.

As she worked her way along the yard she pulled up the ropes which lead from the spar to the bottom edge and corners of the sail, so that there was plenty of slack. She knew this was to help prevent the ropes chafing the sail during the voyage.

Once again she felt grateful to Fern for teaching her the way in which square sails were worked on sailing ships.

She finished her task and then carefully made her way back to the deck. The goblin was waiting for her as she arrived and she was very glad to see that the rope’s end was now safely tucked into his belt.

“You’ve been aloft on a sailing ship before, haven’t you?” he asked in a comparatively friendly tone.

“I’ve sailed on the schooner Black Cat and I was also on the maiden voyage of the brig Mary Belle.”

“They’re both Davy Jones boats aren’t they.” Then he suddenly burst out laughing. “Wasn’t it that Mary Belle trip when they found Barnacle Bill walking round and round an island looking for someone to help him? I guess you must be that young witch apprentice Jennifer Jane.”

Jennifer Jane nodded; perhaps now that he knew who she was he might put her ashore as soon as he reached port. Her hopes were soon dashed!

“Well I’m blowed, you don’t look tall enough to me, still as you probably realise, you’ve been shanghaied aboard this vessel and we’ve strict orders not to let you go ashore, or even visit any world where magic will work. You carry on working the way you’ve just shown me and you shouldn’t have any trouble. I’ve kicked the third mate out of his bunk, because you obviously can’t live for’ard with the other sailors, but otherwise you’ll be treated the same as them. Follow me and I’ll show you to your quarters.”