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@@ -2726,12 +2726,117 @@ Birdie leaped up and rushed to the window. Her father lifted her up so she could Her father chuckled. "You're young Birdie." -She didn't like this answer. She didn't *want* moments of terror while sailing. She tried to imagine the scariest thing she could, but a storm was all she could come up with, and that didn't seem that bad. In the worst case you drowned. Every sailor drowns eventually, no need to fear that. Birdie wasn't in a hurry, but she wasn't afraid of drowning or the sea or a storm. And she didn't think that was going to change even when she was her father's age. +She didn't like this answer. She didn't *want* moments of terror while sailing. She tried to imagine the scariest thing she could, but a storm was all she could come up with, and that didn't seem so bad. I mean storms on land were bad anyway. In the worst case at sea you drowned. Every sailor drowns eventually, no need to fear that. Birdie wasn't in a hurry to drown, but she wasn't afraid of drowning or the sea or a storm. And she didn't think that was going to change even when she was her father's age. She wasn't sure what a battle at sea would be like, but she knew those were relatively easy to avoid. Just have the fastest boat on the sea and you should be fine. +The sound of hooves pounding along the dry streets broke her thoughts and reminded her that she was in jail still. Her father craned his neck out the window. "Looks like something has people galloping." He chuckled. "I wonder what Edward will ask for besides us." +"What do you mean?" +"I mean he has control of this city right now. He could decided to fire sixty cannon broadsides into this city all morning until it was nothing but ruins. And every smart person in this city understands that and most of them will give him damn near anything he wants to get him to not do that. I am curious what it is that he'll ask for, assuming he does ask for more than us." +Birdie considered this. What would she ask for in Charlestown? Some paper and ink would be nice. A new doll for Lilah and her. Maybe some sail cloth for Delos. Peppermint sticks for every child. "What would you ask for Papa?" +Her father laughed. "I wouldn't ask for anything, I'd just leave." He looked outside again. "What would you ask for Birdie?" + +"I'd ask for new sails for Delos. And peppermint sticks for every child." + +"Every child? That's kind of you Birdie." + +Her father stepped back from the windows and quickly sat down beside her. "Lay in my lap, it looks like Edward asked for us at least." + +There was a rattling of keys and the heavy oak door they had walked through less than twenty-four hours before swung open and two men entered. One was the sherriff, the other was McPhail. + +"Well, Mr tk father's name, it seems you have some friends who have come for you. Pirate friends." + +"I don't know what you mean?" + +McPhail snorted. "Don't worry, you'll walk out of here today, but this is no longer about fine and money. You're a pirate now. You'll hang like one some day." + +"Is there some charge to filed here? Am I accused of piracy?" + +Her father looked to the Sheriff who shook his head. "No sir. You are being released." + +"Well then," Her father helped her up, then stood and brushed off his pants. "Let's go then." + +The sun was well up in the sky when they stepped out onto the street. A wagon was waiting. In the back of it was a chest and very frightened looking man sitting on top of it." Her father glanced at the sheriff. "What's this?" + +"Something else your friends asked for," answered McPhail. + +Her father looked again at the man in the wagon, who seemed to shrink back as everyone stared at him. Her father shrugged and lifted Birdie into the wagon. He sat on the rear and driver shook the reins and they lurched off down the street toward the wharf. + +The road lead through the main square where Birdie saw a yellow wall in ruins and behind it the shattered courtyard and collapsed inner wall of a house. Wisps of smoke still trailed up. Two men were heavy stones and trying to clean up the mess, but their movements seemed ineffectual and tiny next to the casual violence of the wreckage around them. Birdie watched the man sitting on the chest in the wagon practically start shaking at the site of the cannon damage. Her father had turned around to look at her and noticed the man's expression. + +"Who are you friend?" + +"James Seward." stammered the man. + +"What do you do Mr. Seward?" + +"I'm a doctor." + +"Ah," her father sighed. Her turned to her. "Well, now we know what Edward asked for in addition to us." + +Birdie glanced at Mr. Seward. She said nothing. It made sense. More sense than peppermint sticks for every child anyway. She wished she had thought of that. Of course they would need a doctor. After gold doctors were the most sought after thing on the sea. Sometimes before gold. After all you couldn't find gold if half your ship was sick. She'd heard Anne and Jack tell stories of captured doctors who'd eventually joined their crews, not so much because they wanted to be pirates, but because they were no longer able to convince anyone they weren't already pirates. + +The wagon turned up Meeting street, headed for the shoreline. Near the end the road became too muddy for the wagon and Birdie and her father climbed down and helped Mr Seward with his chest, which was full of medicine Edward had asked for. Her father and Mr. Seward struggled through the mud to a long boat where Birdie saw Tambo standing among a number of other sailors, all holding guns, all with swords at their wastes. She wanted to rush into his arms, but she did not. She waited why the chest was loaded in and then Mr Seward climbed in. Her father lifted Bridie over the gunwale and sat her next to Tambo and then she threw her arms around him, and he his around her. Her father pushed them out, mucking his was through the sucking marsh mud until he was up to his chest in the water and then he heaved himself up and into the boat in a wet, muddy, stinking heap. + +"Way to make an entrance" muttered one of the sailors who was rowing them back toward Queen Anne's Revenge. + +### Back together on Delos. + +The long boat hadn't even touch Delos when Birdie leaped off and onto Delos' webbing. She felt her father and Tambo climbing up behind her, but she raced on up and over the gunwale in such a hurry she knocked Lulu and Henri over and all three of the sprawled in a heap on the deck. Birdie quickly gathered them up and they all squeezed each other until the could not breath and burst out laughing and rolled apart. + +Birdie rolled over and kissed the smooth oak boards of Delos' deck. "Thank gods." She looked at Lulu and Henri and it felt a little like someone was punching her in the gut, an unaccountable welling started in her gut, moved up her chest and began to slowly leak out her eyes in silent tears. Lulu rolled over toward her and they lay side by side, hands squeezed together, tears rolling down their cheeks as they stared up at the mast and the sun beyond it. + +And then the sun disappeared and Lulu and Henri were yanked away from her as her father caught them both up in his arms. Birdie wiped her eyes and stood up. The first thing she noticed was how ruined the deck looked. Delos was in rough shape. No one had scrubbed her since they slipped off in the night. She glanced at her father. She was surprised to see the streak of tears down his cheeks, disappearing into his beard. It was only then she realized that just because he acted like everything was going to be fine, didn't mean the world was going to do as he wanted. + +But here they were, now it was time to go. "Let's raise anchor." + +Tambo chuckled. "Good to have you back Birdie." + +Kobayashi came up from below and scooped her up for a hug. "My dried fish thief is back at last." + +Last was Aunt Māra who stood off to the side watching the family. She held out her arms to Birdie and she raw over to her and buried her face in the softness of her dress. "My sweet girl," she said stroking Birdie's hair. + +Aunt Māra stared at the city lights. Birdie stood beside her at the gunwale watching Charlestown's lanterns being lit up. She thought of earlier when Aunt Māra had stood to the side crying. She wanted to say something to her, to make her feel better, but she knew there was nothing to be said. Her family would never come climbing back up over the gunwale. There were no reunions in her Aunt's future, just eternal reminders of what had been and would never be. Birdie aqueezed her hand. She turned toward Birdie. + +I will miss you Birdie. + +Birdie did not say anything, but she understood at once. Aunt Māra was never going to be at home with them. She could not. They would always be a reminder of what she had lost. She needed to go away. Birdie understood. Whatever lay down her path, it was not Delos, not her family, not the sea. + +The color had faded out of the night she heard the oars of the long boat dipping quietly in the water as it made its way toward Delos. "Does my father know?" + +Māra nodded. Birdie could see she was biting her lip. She slipped her hand out of Birdie's and went over to the hammocks where lulu and Henri had already fallen asleep. She bent to kiss each of them, and then lifted some canvas that had been piled against the mizzen mast and pulled out a small trunk that contained what things she'd had on Delos. + +Birdie lowered the webbing and two men climbed up it and aboard Delos. They gathered up the trunk, tied a line to it and gently lowered it down into the long boat. Aunt Māra caught her up in her arms and squeezed her tight. Forgive me Birdie, but I just. She never finished. She set Birdie down and quickly climbed down into the boat. The two men went down after her and boat pushed off, headed for shore. Birdie raised the webbing back up and stashed it in its place against the gunwale. + +She watch the boat disappear into the night. + +"She's gone then?" Her father's voice startled her, she had not heard him come up beside her. + +"You scared me." + +"Sorry." + +"Yes, she left." + +"Are you okay?" + +Birdie nodded. "Papa, will we see Kadiatu and her family before we leave for whereever we're going?" + +Her father put his arm around her. "Yes my dear, I believe we will. My plan is to go back down and gather all out things before we head out. I told Edward he could have all our remaining tar, so Queen Anne will be following up down to Edisto. Then..." Her father's voice trailed off. "Well then we'll have to convene the crew won't we?" He smiled at her. + +"I want to go to Nassau." Birdie said this so quickly it startled her. Did she want to go Nassau? Apparently she did. + +"Nassau?" Her father frowned. "I'm not sure Nassau is a good place for us. We're not pirates Birdie." + +"McPhail thinks we are." + +Her father grunted and rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "That's true, but McPhail isn't the British Empire. We're Alban, not pirates." + +"Maybe it's time the Alban brought some order to Nassau then." + +Her father narrowed his eyes at her. "Now you're talking Birdie. Now you're talking. We'll bring this to rest of the crew and see what they think." ### following your path campfire talk |