Random challenge: signs ~ Rosemerta, role reversal of sorts Options

[Guest_Rosemerta_*]

His world had been over packed with troubles and a sense of loosing control. A thousand thoughts were racing through his mind as he walked briskly down the tree lined street. The sweet scent of the roses lining the sidewalk did not arouse his senses from their caged prison. Nor did the beauty of the sunlit afternoon bring his eyes to see past the misery he was focused on. So centered were his thoughts on each painful step he took that he did not see the group of children until he bumbled into one of them.

He quickly helped the small boy to his feet and brushed him off. “I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” His eyes widened as he noticed the child’s apparel. The lad was barefoot, which wasn’t uncommon on such a warm day. He was dressed in short legged pants which were held up by a frayed piece of rope that sported a small leather pouch which he held close to him as he stood up. The child also wore a red and white stripped shirt and a black bandana tied around his head. Jeremy wondered if he had missed Halloween when he noticed the boy was also wearing a fake eye patch and held a plastic sword in his left hand.

The boy nodded to Jeremy shyly then quickly moved in closer to the others. Yes, there were others, a good three dozen or so. They were all moving slowly, yet with some anticipation as one by one they entered the old brownstone building. They were a colorful lot and all but a handful of adults amongst them were dressed as pirates. There were a number of oversized three corner hats and dozens of heads covered in bright colored bandanas. A few wore knee-hi leather boots and others scuffed along in simple styled shoes. There were more stripped shirts, many with puffy sleeves and a few donning lace cuffs. There were even a few girls mixed in with the lads. Some wore the lace dressings of the time but most of them were dressed as the boys were.

There was much creativity thrown into their costuming. A few wore fake beards or had painted on stubble with a marking pen. One lad had a stuffed parrot on his shoulder and another had a toy monkey hanging about his neck. Many wore gold medallions or sported wide straps that held a weapon of some sort. A few wore vests or tattered coats with rows of buttons down the front. A smile even came to Jeremy’s face as he spotted a child who had painted a wooden leg on the front of his pant leg.

The young man’s eyes had been dulled by the strain of his life but began to resume to a piercing green as he abandoned his previous thoughts and took in the joyfulness the was passing before him. He noted that the adults were all male and assumed this must be the special of the day, a father-son event. But then he spied a young woman with black hair near the back of the group. She was not so much beautiful but radiated a glow that when she looked at him and smiled his face flushed from the warm feeling that ran through him. He seemed entranced as he watched her follow the last child into the building and the door closed behind her.

He was about to resume his journey when a man rushed passed him pulling a boy behind him and spouting out his disgruntlements. “I told you we would be late! Now stop fighting me and get your butt into that building before I take the strap to you again.” The man took no notice of Jeremy even though he had struck his shoulder and set him off balance as he passed. “There may be a prize at this one and I want you to act the part so buck up and fly right, mister.

The man let go his son’s hand as he opened the door and hastened in. But the boy turned before entering and starred back at Jeremy for a moment. He was more finely dressed than the others and wore a long, curly, black wig and a fancy firearm in his belt that almost looked real. His eyes were an ominous black that sent a chill through Jeremy as he looked into him. A quirky smile crossed the boys face before the boy slowly closed the door to leave the young man standing in an eerie silence.

Jeremy stood there as his mind reeled with mentations that left him motionless. He knew that Halloween was a week away as that was when his final proposal for a company takeover was due. His curiosity was aroused and something within him tempted him to abandon his duties and follow the others, if only to find out what the event was. ‘This is my day off. There’s no law that says I can’t stop working for a moment or two. Why shouldn’t I spare a few minutes to satisfy my curio thoughts?’

The young man bounded up the stairs with mid-length blonde hair bouncing with each step. Inside he started to follow the last munchkin pirate through two large doors and was stopped by a large steel blade pressed against his chest.

“What say you mate, can’t ye read?” A toothless man in pirate garb smiled back at him as he pointed to a sign that read “appropriate dress required”. He chortled then pointed to an area of the large room in which dressing screens had been set up. The fathers from earlier were hastily putting on pirate garb and he joined their ranks, letting a teenage boy dress him as he saw fit. The young male had a glint in his eye and seemed more than pleased to be let loose to gather Jeremy’s wardrobe. His choice was a more noble style than the others yet not enough to warrant wearing a wig or laced sleeves. His vest was finely tailored and all fit like a glove, including the fashionable adornments of leather straps and an intricately engraved sword. Jeremy felt a change come over him that seemed to admonish those feelings of self-worth that had troubled him of late.

Again he was frozen in place as the charming woman he saw earlier emerged from one of the screens and moved past him with an intriguing grace. And when she turned to flash another smile at him he urged the teen to hurry and hastened to follow her. Before entering the next room he turned to the man who had formerly blocked him. “What is going on here anyway?”

“We seek treasures from India. Ye need follow the others to know more, mate.” The seedy looking man bowed jokingly and pointed the way.

Jeremy searched the crowd of pirate munchkins for the lady of mystery but she was lost to him. The sea of make believe pirates before him looked like a pint-sized scene from “Pirates of the Caribbean”. He was tempted to cover his ears from the shrills of exhilaration that issued from the excited children.

Suddenly two men opened twin doors that were barely tall enough for the children to pass through. An odd silence fell over the room as one by one the children disappeared into the dark entrance. Jeremy spotted the women stroking a young boy’s hair just before they disappeared into the opening. He followed and had to crouch down to allow his lengthy body to move through the entrance.

It became pitch black as the doors closed behind him. There was a slow rise in whispered murmurings as he followed them forward. Foreign sensations ran through him as he moved through the darkness. A faint green haze appeared at what must be the exit and Jeremy paused before following the last child through this alien portal.

The bright light of day blinded him for a moment as he stepped into it. As his sight returned he could see that the children had disappeared and their adult counterpart had taken their place. Likewise the adults had changed into children. He looked at his own hands and felt his body to find he had also been changed into the form of his youth.

His eyes followed the others as they traveled down a winding path that ended on a white beach. Looking higher he spotted a large ship that would lend envy to any sea captain of the times. Several small boats were transporting the cast of transformed players to the well equipped vessel. He had to rush down the slope to join the last group in transport.

Once on board he was quickly pushed and grabbed by several men until he found himself in a small circle with the other children who were once adults. He spotted the woman he had followed who now gazed at him, more knowingly than he, from her girlish form.

“Make room for the captain!” Quickly the men moved to one side of the ship and a small group of women appeared on the opposite end of the deck from where he stood. Jeremy’s eyes soon fell upon the man descending the steps from the wheel and knew it was the boy from the street that had been drug by his father to participate. He heard a whimpering behind him and turned to see the boys changed father cowering behind him.

The captain moved to the center of the ship, his dark eyes penetrating any who looked into them and instilling fear. He moved to the group of women, studying them carefully. He nodded towards a beautiful woman dressed in red and white. “Her”. Quickly two men dragged the quivering woman below. He then stepped back and waited as two other men pulled out a long plank and attached it to the side of the ship. One by one the women were dragged to its end and thrown overboard. All stood in silence as he paced up and down the deck until the last of their cries could be heard.

Jeremy felt his heart in his throat as the captain moved to stand before the small group of children. Roughly he pulled three of them from the group into the arms of his crew who swiftly picked them up and carried them kicking and screaming. From the edge of the plank they were cast into the watery depths of the sea. A man stepped forward with a look of fear and Jeremy knew it had been the shy boy he had knocked over in the street. He instinctively placed his hands on the Captain’s and then felt the fear of his life as the man looked deep into his eyes. The captain pulled the boy away and pushed him towards another corner of the ship where the first man moved to keep the child silent.

The captain faced Jeremy with an odd expression that he hadn’t anticipated. “Who be you to be so bold as to touch my person?”

Jeremy forced himself to speak. “Jeremy Todd James. I didn’t ...”

One of the pirates cut him off with a slap to his face. “Ye don’t speak to Captain Black lessen ye be told to.”

The captain raised his hand and moved the edge of Jeremy’s vest through his fingers. “This one is bold and reeks of noble birth. Such disgusts me and I feel he needs tempering. Strip him of his finery and give him to Ruby.”

Jeremy was quickly pulled from the others and thrown at the feet of a young woman who reeked of onions. She looked to have been beautiful at one time but a hard life had left her face just as coarse. She quickly put a laced boot on his chest that prevented him from rising.

Captain Black moved on to the other children. There were only four left and all but the girl stood in fear. He reached out and took her chin in his hands to examine her more closely. It was then he noticed a fifth child cowering behind her. Reaching down he pulled the boy from his hiding place and flung him into the middle of the deck. His eyes seemed to glow red with anger as he stood over the boy, and it was with great restraint that he held back from pounding him fiercely. “Strap this one to the mast and no one touch or speak to him until I say otherwise.”

He turned to storm towards the opening that led to the belly of the ship. “Give the rest of them to Pippin. I want them kept alive for now.”

No one moved until the captain was out of sight then with great speed the others were thrown in with the first boy and carted away. Ruby pulled Jeremy up by his collar. “Well, Mr. James, you be mine now. We’ll knock the mister out of you soon enough. Follow me.”

From a corner of the deck Jeremy spotted the teen who had dressed him. He was the only member of the party who had not changed at all. The boy looked at him with a gentle smile and lifted his own chin with his finger as if to say ‘chin up’.

Jeremy followed the abrasive woman below deck and into the galley. She pulled out a scruffy looking shirt and a pair of tattered trousers and threw them at him. “Change and do it quickly.” Jeremy did as he was told but was embarrassed as she watched and threw in a few rude comments in the process.

For the next three months he saw no daylight, nor anything of the other children. He scrubbed floors, carried slop, scoured dishes, and tended to the needs of any who demanded his service. He endured Ruby’s abuse, consumed whatever scraps she gave him, and kept track of the days on the wall of the corner he slept in. Each night he would carry an extravagant meal to the captain who never looked at him as he carried in the tray but he could feel those evil eyes burning into the back of his head as he left his chambers. He couldn’t understand how ruby knew but whenever he had tried to steal a taste from the captain’s tray he was thoroughly beaten.

Then one day his routine changed. “Boy, you reek!” Jeremy suddenly was aware that he no longer could smell the foul scent of his new mistress as his own scent masked that of everything else. She banged on the side wall and one of the commuted pirates appeared. “Remove the stench from this one and make it quick.”

Jeremy was dragged on deck and thrown to its center. His eyes stung from the light as he heard the bustling of feet and clanging of wooden buckets. Suddenly he was pounded from all directions with salt water that burned his bruises and nearly chocked him as his mouth had been open at the time of the assault.

The laughter of the men rang in his ears as he regained his breath and looked up. There before him was the boy who had been bound to the mast. His skin clung to his bones and defined his skeleton. His body was brown from the constant exposure to the sun, his lips cracked and blistered. Parts of his body were raw and bleeding from his ties and rubbing against the post. His body hung as if he were already dead, his hair covering his face. Jeremy watched as one of the pirates slapped his face with a wooden spoon. The boy raised his head slowly, revealing eyes that were matted shut. The man dipped the spoon into a bowl of foul smelling broth and raised it to the boy’s lips. “Come on Master Perry. Keep from spilling it this time.” As the mixture touched his tongue the boys head strained as would a calf trying to drink his mother’s milk. Half the fluid ran down his chin and he was only given three spoons of nourishment in all. “That’s enough, worm. You’ll have to wait two days for more.

Jeremy felt a boot strike his side. “What you looking at!” He started to face his aggressor when he spotted the captain descending onto the deck. He looked to Jeremy and then to his former father. “Call Fifer and have him help Mr. James take Perry below. I want his wounds tended to and made healthy by the end of the week. I have more in store for him and want him very much alive.”

Captain Black walked slowly past Jeremy and when Fifer appeared he gently patted him on the head as he passed. Fifer turned out to be the teenager who had now created great curiosity in Jeremy. He bent down to help Jeremy up. “Say nothing, Mr. James. Just help me untie Perry and get him below.”

Perry fell into Jeremy’s arms as Fifer cut the ropes. He was no lighter than a small tree branch and his body just as rough as bark. They carried the boy below and laid him out on a table in a small storage room next to the galley. Fifer said nothing as he handed a bowl of water and poured some sort of medicine into it. He began cleaning the boys wounds with the proficiency of a nurse and sewed up his cuts with the same skill as a doctor. Jeremy watched as the lad washed down the rest of the limp form before them and was in awe of the gentle way he cared for this helpless creature.

“Fifer, that is your name isn’t it?”

“Not really. I was christened Robert Corbin. They call me Fifer because I am the ship’s musician and the captain likes my flute playing best.” Fifer didn’t look up as he spoke but continued his task diligently and with great tenderness.

“I don’t understand what is happening.” Jeremy’s voice was strained as he was finally allowed to speak for the first time during his restraint.

“Don’t try to understand. It’s too complicated for now. Just continue as you have and all will come to you soon enough.” He unfolded a sheet from one of the shelves and gently covered his patient. He then took the bowl and medicine bottle from Jeremy. “You best sit down before you fall down.”

Jeremy was feeling a little light-headed. Though his bath had been painful it freed him from the weight of grim that had built up and allowed his sense of smell to return. The odor of the medicine was affecting him. He spotted a cushioned chair in the corner and sat in it, sinking into the luxury of it’s soft surface.

“No parking your carcass there, Mr. James. There will be the devil to pay if Ruby catches you.” Fifer pointed to a wooden crate. “I’m afraid that will have to do for now.

Jeremy switched his seating and watched his companion as he completed his task and took position on another crate nearby.

“No doubt you are wondering why I have not changed yet everyone else has. I’ve never understood that either other than that I am between the age of a child and adulthood. I think that is why I am the only one allowed into the outer world.” He spoke candidly as Jeremy’s eyes searched his for answers.

There was a sudden pounding on the door. “You finished in there yet?”

“Almost, Mistress Ruby”. Both boys remained silent until her footsteps led her away.

“Have you a son here to protect you?” Fifer pulled a flask of fresh water from his purse and offered Jeremy a drink.

“No. I was just following a charming face.”

“Ahhh, the black haired girl the captain has taken a liking to.”

“He hasn’t harmed her has he? I mean he hasn’t…”

“Have no fear Mr. James. The captain may be twisted in many ways but he holds no fetish for the young. She has a way of calming the spirit and I am glad the captain has taken an interest in her.”

“Why is that?”

“For one, it keeps her safe under his protection. For another, her presence seems to have softened the man’s heart. He can be fiercely cruel but I have seen a great change in him since his arrival.”

“I saw him before… before this place. He didn’t seem to want to come. How is it he is captain?”

Fifer returned the flask to his purse then leaned down to rest his arms on his knees. “I don’t know and that sometimes baffles me. Every twenty years or so there is a change in the air I can’t explain. The captain of the time mysteriously disappears and I am suddenly summoned to return to the outer realm. When I return, the new shipmen instinctively replace the old and one of the group appears as the new captain. They all seem to know his name and what to do. “

“Was it the same for you?”

“No. I had been working at a country club. One of the patrons was called on urgent business and offered me a huge sum of money to take his son to this father-son charity event. Too much money to pass down, thus I was an ‘innocent’, so to speak, just as you were.”

“What happened to the boy you were with?”

“Strangely enough he was the new captain that time and spared me from impending danger because of my kindness to him on his many visits to the country club. He wasn’t as cruel as most of the captains but a sad creature just the same.”

“Are there others like you?”

“If you mean a teenager trapped in the same body for eternity, I would have to say yes. There is a girl on the island we visit often who I’ve grown quite fond of. My only joy in this life is when I am with her and for a brief time we can shut the rest of them far away from us.”

“Tell me about her.”

Fifer stood up and smiled at his new friend. “Another time perhaps, Ruby will be back and she would not be happy seeing us converse as we have been.”

“But I have so much I need to ask you.”

“I know but now is not the time. The fact that you were allowed above deck says that she feels she has broken you enough to keep you in check. You’ll see that Ruby will lighten up on you a little more each day and eventually you won’t see her as harshly as you now do. In fact there is something about the old girl you’ll come to like.”

“I can’t imagine that.” Jeremy stood to follow his new mentor.

“Trust me. Her own story will bring tears to your eyes. Just treat her with a little more respect than she seems to deserve and you’ll find a real lady hidden under those layers of worn skirts.”

--------

So as not to write an entire book I have ended my tale here after all the signs have been used. I was surprised how quickly a simple thought from the stimuli expanded into a nearly complete story in my mind. This is more like opening chapters to a book. Perhaps I'll complete it someday if it proves to be of any interest.

[Cleo_Serapis]

Hi Jackie.

Thanks for responmding to the signs challenge! I will print this out to read and comment on later.

Just wanted to let you know I was here and will be back again soon.

Cheers
~Cleo

[AMETHYST]

Hi Jackie,

Wow, you sure have a why with the pen! This is great. I just finished reading it, (and that is usually a task in itself for me) But found it easy to keep focused on. The subject is unique and the characters are well drawn. Perhaps I might print and return later as well with some specifics. Usually for prose, because it exhausts me too easily I don't post replies, but this really was an ease and a pleasure to sink my teeth into.

Hugs, Liz
GREAT TO SEE YOU WRITING AGAIN!

[Guest_Rosemerta_*]

Hi Jackie.

Thanks for responmding to the signs challenge! I will print this out to read and comment on later.

Just wanted to let you know I was here and will be back again soon.

Cheers
~Cleo

Thanks Lori,

I look forward to reading your thoughts.

Jackie

[Guest_Rosemerta_*]

Hi Jackie,

Wow, you sure have a why with the pen! This is great. I just finished reading it, (and that is usually a task in itself for me) But found it easy to keep focused on. The subject is unique and the characters are well drawn. Perhaps I might print and return later as well with some specifics. Usually for prose, because it exhausts me too easily I don't post replies, but this really was an ease and a pleasure to sink my teeth into.

Hugs, Liz
GREAT TO SEE YOU WRITING AGAIN!

(((((Liz)))))

You made my day. I may bring myself to post this for critiq some day.

Jackie