The Shellie

"Leah? Eli? Eli, come back here.  We need to get your Sunday shoes on,” my mother shouted, exasperated. We were preparing to go to Port Connecticut and board The Shellie, bound for Scotland to visit my Aunt Audrey. My mother was frantically waving my little brother’s shiny dress shoes in the air as he slid around in his socks. I sat in an overstuffed, ornate chair that, although it was not the ideal reading spot, allowed me to watch my brother speed across the hardwood floor without a chance of collision.
"Leah! Get off of that seat right now! If there is a single crease in that dress, Leah, I swear I don’t know what I’ll do," she yelled again.
I stood up quickly and smoothed the front of my pale blue dress. It was brand-new and my mother’s prize. Of course, such ruffles and frills made it awfully impractical for a girl of twelve.
"Eli, come to Lee!" I said to my brother, my voice soothing and inviting.  Eli's pudgy red face lit up when he heard me call his name.
Eli squealed his special nickname for me.  “Lee!“  He scurried toward me, eyes bright and excited.  “Lee have sweeties? Eli like sweeties."
"Yes, Eli, Lee has sweeties. Mama will let you have them if you put on your shoes." I enticed him toward Mother with the candy, swinging it in front of his face as if he were a dog. "Yes, there we go, Eli," I said. Mother's face held a relieved expression.
"Thank you, Leah," she said. "Eli, there is my sweet little boy.” She shoved the shoes onto his sock-covered feet before he grabbed the sweeties and ran toward the carriage.
Father was sitting at the reins, waiting for us impatiently. Once we had settled in the back few seats, he turned to face us and make sure everyone was securely inside.
“Finally, is everyone ready?” Father asked rhetorically.  We gave a tentative nod.  ”Good. Giyup!" He called to the two dun-colored horses in the front of the buggy. They started briskly trotting, kicking up dust as we sped along.
The Shellie stood before us, looming like a huge black storm cloud in the harbor. It was amazing, how big and beautiful it was.  We took a moment to stare, awestruck, and then Father shooed us along, up the gangplank and onto the gigantic ship.
We had not gone two steps when suddenly a jolly-looking man approached us.  Eli giggled and said, “Santa.”  Father coughed uncomfortably and the man spoke.
"Well, hello! How you fine people doing? Just a beautiful day, isn't it? It is, it is. Ah well, I should probably go on, then. Hope to see you soon! By the by, good people, I'm Captain Jennings!" He laughed and then strolled away, leaving us in a shocked silence.
"Who was that strange man?" I wondered aloud. Mother and Father laughed.
"He was the captain. Didn’t you hear him?" Father said, and I nodded my head in embarrassment.  “Anyway, we must get to our rooms. I’m ready to relax." And he pushed us gently along. We strolled toward the section of the ship where the rooms were located, observing all of the action taking place on the deck.
Mother scanned the gold plates with the room numbers as we searched for our quarters.
"Where is it? This couldn’t be more unorganized!” Mother’s temper was short because she’d had to deal with an uncooperative Eli all day. “There is 242, but 308 is after that.  What sense does that make? Oh, wait, 309, here it is. Let's get settled." 
We entered the room and quickly all three beds were claimed. I received the one closest to the left wall at the back of the room. I set my favorite blue teddy bear, Steffie, against my pillow.
“Leah, we are going to take Eli and go for a walk around the deck. Stay here and read or comb your hair or something, alright?” Father said over his shoulder on his way out the door.
I didn’t reply, instead I just stayed facing the opposite wall, rearranging Steffie on the bed.
"Mama, do you suppose that-" I stopped mid-sentence and remembered that I was just speaking to air. I turned around and discovered a beautiful tabby cat meowing on Mother's bed.
How could I have missed her when we came in? I thought, Was she here the whole time? I stroked her under her chin and a low, peaceful purr resonated from her throat.
"I'll bet you want something to eat, don't you?  Umm...I wonder what your name is?" I checked around her neck for an identification tag.
"Hmm, Adrienne. What a pretty name! You want something to eat, don't you Adrienne! I'll find the kitchen and ask for some milk!" As if responding to me, the cat jumped off the bed and padded through the door.
I followed Adrienne out and down a long, narrow corridor. Women in beautiful, stiff-looking dresses hurried along as silly men trailed after them. I nearly knocked one lady in the stomach as I struggled to keep sight of Adrienne. She looked down her nose at me and walked away in a huff.
Near the stern of the ship, the cat continued through another door with a gold plate stating that the room was the kitchen. I noticed a plump woman standing next to a basin full of water, scrubbing a serving dish.
I spoke softly, trying to prevent the dish in her hand from becoming a sea of splinters on the floor. "Uh, excuse me, ma'am?"
"Yes, dear? Do you need something? My name is Margaret, I'm the cook," she replied. Her voice was as smooth and as silky as honey.
"Oh, I was just wondering if my cat could have a little something to drink," I said tentatively. "you know, if it isn't too much trouble..."
Margaret laughed and said, "No, no, of course not, dear. That's my job."
She bustled around the small kitchen, searching for a small saucer. She found a suitable one, relatively small with chips on the edge of the china. After pouring a bit of water in the saucer, she handed it to me.
"Thank you again." I said and scurried through the door, Adrienne under my arm and the water in my hand.
Back in the cabin, Adrienne lapped up the water greedily, only pausing to enjoy a few scratches under her chin. The door to our room opened suddenly and Mother entered with Eli in her arms, Father trailing behind her.
"Whose cat is that?" Mother asked sternly, coming over to inspect it.
I evaded the question and instead asked, “How was your walk?”
Father gave me a look and I quickly said, "I think she is abandoned, Mother. There’s no mention of an owner on her tags. Can I take care of her until we get to Scotland?  Please?" I asked, looking up at Mother hopefully.
"I don’t know, Leah. A cat is a handful, and Eli will pull her tail and cause all sorts of problems…”
“Mama, please?” I said, my eyes wide and pleading.
“Well, I suppose so. But if someone asks about her, you must give her up. Do you understand that?" she told me.
"Yes, Mother, thank you!” I said. “Can I go play with her, please?" Mother nodded, and after making sure that Adrienne was finished with the water, I scooped her up and headed down the corridor again.
I emerged from the cabin out onto the deck to find that a dark cloud had formed overhead and nobody, except for a crewmember or two, was there. The chilly air hinted of an approaching storm and sent shivers down my spine. The strong winds threatened to push me overboard, and the wind flung my hair about; each strand was like a whip being cracked upon my face. I couldn't see a thing. Clutching Adrienne close to my chest, I ran up to a man who I thought was Captain Jennings and screamed when he turned around.
"Who are you? Where is Captain Jennings, a-and everybody else? What is going on?" I yelled at the stranger.
"I'm Jack, the first mate! Captain Jennings is at the wheel! Everybody else is in his or her room, where you should be, young miss! A storm's coming quickly, and a nasty one at that," He shouted over the howling winds. I followed his directions and sprinted off towards my room, Adrienne bouncing along in my arms.
The wind howled as I cowered with my family, Adrienne in my arms, under the three beds which we had pushed against the door as a makeshift barricade. The ship rocked.  Frantic, booming yells came from the deck. I could hear heavy objects, tossed about by the wind.  They slammed against the jammed door, threatening to break it down. Lightning flashed and the thunder roared like a thousand cannons being shot off at once, and the rain splattered against the window with a terrible force as though a single raindrop would smash it to pieces.
Then, all was silent.  A silence like death that seemed to tell you all you would ever hear again was the lonely hush of eternity.
Mother and Father went out to see what had happened, and if everyone was all right. They were going to leave Eli with me until they saw the way I was scrunched in the corner, crying. They scooped Eli up and disappeared out the door. I sat there with my eyes closed, silently crying and waiting, scared, for Mother to reappear in the room. The silence scared me. I was hoping for something--anything--to break the silence when, as if answering my prayers, there was an ear piercing scream. It lasted only a few seconds and then the silence ensued again.
I brought Adrienne close to me, scooted out from under the bed, then pushed the beds away from the door.  Cautiously, I turned the knob and stepped out.
I went down the corridor, then emerged into the bright sunlight.  I opened my squinted eyes and screamed. Nobody was on the deck. At least, nobody alive. The bodies of the crew, Mother, Father, Eli, and others were scattered about. I dropped Adrienne in pure shock, screamed again and fell to the deck, wailing and sobbing out of fear and sorrow. I didn't think I could ever stand again until a soft voice comforted me.
"Don't worry, child. Everything will be all right. We will be okay. Everything is okay," the voice said. I looked up but saw nothing but Adrienne.
"Stop crying, darling,” I heard her say, “everything is all right."
"But--but how--why are you talking?" I questioned through my tears.
"This is the only instance that I see fit to speak," she replied simply. "Now, look, stop crying. Look up, Leah!"
I followed her instructions and looked up to see a few cautious heads poke out from various places. I recognized one girl because I had seen her on my way to the kitchen. She was probably only eight or so. I recognized Margaret, the cook, and Jack, the first mate, and a boy I didn’t recognize of about fifteen.
"What happened?" the boy asked.
"Where is everyone" the girl asked in a squeaking voice. "Are they hiding?"
"No, baby, they aren't hiding." Margaret said. She looked over at Jack, who gave a knowing nod. "They--Jack, I can't tell them. You'll have to do it."
"Well," he began slowly, "we were robbed. Robbed of everything we have and stuck here with no captain to guide us."
"But who did it?" the boy asked.
"Pirates. We were blown so far off course by that storm that we were vulnerable to anything." said Jack remorsefully. He tried desperately to change the subject.  “So, Jennie, that’s a mighty nice doll you’ve got there.” Margaret rolled her eyes.
"My daddy bought it for me before we left," said the little girl. 
Adrienne coughed loudly and spoke. "Well, if we can all stay focused-" She looked at Jack. "-we can figure out what we shall do."  Jaws dropped throughout the group. 
“Did that cat just talk?” Ben asked.
“Yes.  A talking cat, a big shock, yes, I know.  Can we focus on the problem at hand now, please?”  Adrienne said.
"Right, right. Focus, what will we do." Jack laughed, embarrassed. "I guess it would only be fitting for me to take over as captain, seeing as how I'm first mate."
"Yes, that will be wonderful.”  Adrienne looked to the boy.  “You, there. Ben, I think is your name?"
"Yes, yes ma'am. Ben." he said, looking scared.
"Right, well then. You look strong. You can act as first mate and help Jack navigate." 
Ben nodded, excited.
"And you, Jennie," Adrienne continued, "you are only a little girl, so I suppose you will be the one to tend to me.”  She turned to the cook.  “Margaret, dear, of course you will be the one to cook whatever food we have left. And Leah," she smiled at me. "you will help Margaret in the kitchen. All right, everyone have a job? Go ahead."
I chuckled in spite of my fears and followed Margaret into the kitchen.