“Are you afraid of the dark?” he asked kindly. “Or of being below deck?”
“It’s tiny spaces, I’m afraid.”
“Not to worry. The galley area is wide enough that you’ll have plenty of room. When the sun is up, there’s enough light down there that you’ll be fine. Cookie is there now, just holler for him.”
“Thank you.”
Walking carefully over a few ropes on the polished wooden slats, I went to the edge of the steps. Holding the railing firmly, I moved downstairs into the dark.
Once my eyes adjusted from the bright morning light, I saw that Dobbs was right. It wasn’t dark or gloomy at all, just a bit dim in places. The sounds of frying and a tea kettle about to boil were unmistakable.
“Hello, Cookie?” I said softly as I came closer, so as not to startle him.
“G’mornin’ Maggie,” he grinned. “Can I fix you some tea?”
“Well, yes, thank you. But I was hoping that I could help you?”
His eyes grew even rounder in his already round face. “Really? Well, blimey, it’s my lucky day indeed.”
He set me up at the end of the counter to peel and chop potatoes, and I got straight to work.
At first, I felt a bit awkward being in a stranger’s kitchen. I’d only ever worked in my family kitchen that my mother had set up a certain way. It was fascinating to see an entirely different arrangement.
Instead of being arranged in bowls or glass jars, the larger vegetables were simply left in their wooden crates, stacked neatly against the wall. At first I wondered if someone had just been too lazy to put them away, but then I realized it was safer that way. Things wouldn’t roll around should there be heavier waves.
Things like soup ladles and large spoons all had holes in the ends, so they could be hung across the wall on a series of hooks. Pots and pans hung from
the ceiling in the corner. Everything swayed gently from side to side along with the lilt of the ship’s motion.
“If there’s a storm,” I asked, “Don’t the pots and pans clang against each other?”
“Aye, they do.”
“Isn’t it hard to sleep?”
Cookie chuckled, a deep rolling belly laugh. “Yes, miss. It’s a good warning bell – all hands on deck. It means we all need to get topside to handle the sails.”
Nodding to myself, I continued chopping carefully, stopping for a moment as a slight roll of the ship made me question my balance.
“That’s it, be careful,” Cookie said. “It will take you a solid week to get your sea legs.”
“How long have you all been on this ship?” I asked.
“Well, now,” he said, scratching his head with the wooden handle of the bread knife. “That’s a fair question. I believe Cap’n has had this ship for at least ten years. I think Willy was with him at the beginning. Dwyer and Dobbs replaced the Cullip brothers four years ago. And I’ve been aboard for around seven years now.”
“Goodness,” I said. It seemed like a good sign if a man’s crew stayed with him for many years. He must be a fair leader. And this must be a relatively safe place to live.
“So you all sail from port to port, trading and delivering goods?”
Cookie looked at me strangely. “Miss, we don’t discuss business at breakfast.”
“Oh. I see. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to everything around here.” He was silent for a second, as if listening, before adding in a quieter tone, “The Captain has taken a real shine to you. I’m sure he’ll take you under his wing and help you become accustomed to our ways.”
I wasn’t even sure what that meant, but Dobbs and Dwyer came down to sit at the large, chunky wooden table. I helped Cookie prepare the tea, which was the most delicious drink I’d ever tasted in my life.
“This is wonderful!” I exclaimed.