Bottled

“Set the mainsail!”

A flurry of organized chaos erupted on the deck and yardarms, as the half-clothed crew obeyed the orders. The Captain felt the stiff wind on his face. We will soon be around the horn and arrive in China a week in advance. The Boatswain bustled towards him and shouted over the noise of the crew and the bell overhead.

“Ernest, dinner is ready and Wheel of Fortune is about to start.”

Ernest dropped the mainsail and his tweezers to the bottom of the bottle where a miniature tea merchant ship sat.

“Coming, Doris.”

In the dark basement, a naked bulb dimly illuminated dozens of magnificent ships locked inside bottles. There was a time when Ernest dreamt of joining a commercial vessel and sailing the open seas. But the pregnancy of his then young wife compelled him to find work selling insurance in his hometown. He had no complaints; he loved his wife and three children. But still…

He looked at a glossy pamphlet taped to the wall: “Sailing Adventure to China,” it declared. A few years ago, he had given it to his wife and proposed a romantic voyage. “What kind of old fool, would want to do that?” she had responded, “Now throw that away. Jeopardy is about to start.”

He stared back at his ship as the bulb burnt his eyes like the eastern sun. The crew was now somber. The Boatswain gave orders, and a half-dozen sailors eased a body wrapped in white canvass into the sea. Ernest felt a sickening chill, as though accelerating into the dark depths.

“Ernest, the ‘Bonus Puzzle’ is starting. Honestly!”

Ernest took the pamphlet into his hands.

“I’m coming, Doris, but I want us to talk first.”

And the Captain climbed the stairs to the kitchen table.

299 words