Yeah, only one chapter this week. I have started another story and spent a lot of time on it. I promise to keep this one going. We are just getting close to where we go overseas: Dawn

Stone

Chapter 55 – Waiting for repairs

The next morning Jason found Kookla waiting on his porch. The pair walked down to the shipyard and inspected the repairs. Something had been done to lift the ship part way out of the water, and they could see workers putting new boards on the leak that Jason had repaired. The gerry-rigged main mast had been removed, making the vessel look odd with only two masts.

On the way back, they stopped again at the bakery. As well as sweets for his family, Kookla bought two loaves of bread. “Mamma always used to bake our bread, getting up early in the morning. Now that we have the money, she said she will sleep in and we can eat store-bought bread.”

“Look,” Jason said, pointing to the boy’s house. “You have an audience.” Three of the other children were on the porch, jumping up and down when they saw their brother, anticipating the treats he had in one bag. Kookla’s younger brother ran down from the porch and begged to get the bag of treats.

“You take the bread to mamma,” Kookla said showing some leadership in spite of his tender years. “If you take the treats you will probably smash them. Come back out to the porch and you’ll get yours, I promise.”

Jason left Kookla, now the hero of his younger siblings, and headed back to the house. He had treats for his family, but only Sissy was waiting for him. She took his hand with one of hers, holding a tart in the other. It felt odd to Jason to have a sister who was six or seven years younger physically, but who was mentally still only four or five. Even so he loved her almost as much as Emily, who he had cared for his entire life, and now was starting to act like an adult. At times. She was nine now, not so interested in dolls, but starting to pay attention to boys, Jason noted. She was inside helping Cass make bread, although she and the big black woman gladly took a break to nibble at the pastries.

“Good, you’re here,” Rayla said as she entered the room, snatching one of the tarts. “We need to work out how your school will work. Are they coming today?”

“At four,” Jason replied. “Dad said he would pay a living wage to the sailors who show up, and half that for any others who want to learn sailing. Most of those live with parents, although there are a few who are coming in after finishing another job.”

“So, what will we do today?” Rayla asked.

“I’d like to start with reading and writing. And math if you have a teacher, although I can do that. We will break at eight for a bite. Can Cass have sandwiches? Man-sized, not the ones that the kids got.”

“That’s why we are on our third batch of bread today,” Rayla said with a smile.

“After we eat, a quick lesson on money. Most of the men are pretty good with that, especially the smaller denominations,” the boy continued. “And then when it gets dark, we should have a couple hours to look at the stars. I will have to take the entire bunch together for that. The stars won’t wait for a second group. The sky is clear now. I hope that will last after dark.”

“All right, what about day two?” Rayla asked.

“Reading and writing for the class that did Math on day one, and math for the others. After lunch, if I can call it that, I want Kalosun to give some lessons on first aid. It will depend on the skies if we can do stars again. If not, then some Kithren fighting lessons. The men are particularly interested in learning how to do that.”

The pair had sketched out the first two weeks by the time lunch came, and Stone came in from the shipyard. He estimated that the repairs would be done in eight weeks, thanks to having the second ship under construction. Normally it would take twelve weeks, but by using parts from the Moon Goddess, they would save a month. Of course, that was going to delay the new ship by months, since little work would be done on it while the Sun Goddess was repaired. Stone didn’t say so, but the two vessels would be eating into his gold reserves during that time, not to mention the men being paid to go to school.

School went well the first day, with some of the men being surprised by the free meal. There were 37 sailors from the Sun Goddess, and over a dozen others wanting to learn the trade. Not all of the latter took well to being taught by a 12-year-old. One in particular seemed to object to Jason telling him what to do and had soon gained three buddies who also griped.

So, on the second day, Jason decided he had enough of the snide comments and verbal abuse. “Today, since the skies are cloudy and the stars won’t be out, we will start on Kithren fighting,” the boy told the assembled group. The men from the ship were eager and avid, having been wanting to learn this since seeing Jason throw Kilmer in their scuffle on the ship over the mate’s position. “Kendrel, you seem to have a lot to say in the other classes. Perhaps you would like to help out in this class. I want you to attack me and try to bring me down.”

The men from the ship snickered. They knew what was coming. The others, including Kendrel’s buddies, just prepared for the big man to quickly subdue the smaller boy.

“No ‘try’ about it,” Kendrel said as he ran at the boy. Then, suddenly, he discovered himself flying through the air and landing on his back. Luckily his head hit the soft sod of the lawn, instead of a hard, oak deck, but he was still groggy when he got back to his feet. He ran again and flew again. Then three more times. He finally was forced to admit defeat, but still sneered at the boy and promised revenge.

“Okay,” Jason said. “I teach you lessons, and you do not hear. I don’t think you are suited to a life at sea. Off with you. You are expelled from this school.”

The others gasped. They hadn’t realized how much power the boy had. His shipmates just smiled. This was the Jason they knew and loved. The boy turned to the three mates of Kendrel. “Do you three want to start to learn now, or do you want to leave with this fellow?”

“Look out,” several of the class called out. Jason was already aware that Kendrel had turned and was charging at him: his knife had hummed out a warning. At the last second the boy just took three quick steps back and watched the older man smash into the big oak tree in the front yard. He hit the wood with such force that a dozen acorns fell as he slumped to the ground, totally unconscious.

“I think we will break off the Kithren fighting class for tonight and let Kalosun teach you the basics of first aid, since Mr. Kendrel has also volunteered to help in that demonstration,” Jason said as he turned and walked away. Kalosun immediately stepped forward and began to explain how to lay out an unconscious man and had some of the crew give artificial respiration to the fallen man.

On the Friday of that week there were no classes. Instead, Stone ordered a side of beef from the butcher and it was delivered just before lunch. Stone had set up a long grill in the back yard and filled it with 24 feet of charcoal, which he lit in several places. He told Jason and Emily that there was a party that evening, which he called a ‘tail-gate’.

Jason helped in cutting up the side of beef: his magic knife sliced through the meet quicker than any of Cass’s blades. Soon he was doing all the cutting according to her specifications. Steaks were cut and Cass went off with the chuck, cutting it to small pieces and grinding it to make hamburger. Earlier in the week Rayla had gone to the butcher and taught him how to make small sausages she called ‘hot dogs’ and he had several dozen ready for the party.

The guests started coming around two p.m. All the students from the nautical school, most of the teachers from the kids’ school, and all their families were invited. There were eventually over 100 people in the three adjoining yards. Sissy had the youngest girls among the guests playing dolls, while Emily looked after the older girls, mainly watching the boys.

Jason and Kookla organized games and races for the boys, who were more competitive. Finally, the charcoal was deemed ready by Chef Stone, and meat was placed down. It was soon sizzling away, causing an enticing aroma that lured all guests, children and adults, to the grill where Stone, Kalosun, and Captain Keenstone were busy flipping and plating the meat. The invited women had all been asked to bring a side. The Kithren gardens in WestPort were still over-producing, so vegetable-based sides were in abundance, including corn on the cob, at no cost to the gardeners.

The hotdogs were a hit with the kids. Rayla had ordered two types of buns: one round type for what she was calling hamburgers, and a thin roll that was perfect for hot dogs. Condiments varied a bit from those common on earth, although relish, onions and a tomato sauce were common. Mustard did not exist on this world, but there was an orange Kithren sauce that replaced it. Hamburgers were popular with the adult women, and some of the older boys, while the men enjoyed steaks.

Everyone was busy eating for just over an hour, and then the stuffed people just grazed on the leftover sides. Eventually, between nine and ten folks started to leave, with almost everyone helping in the final clean-up.

Stone was pleased with the party. It had brought together his crew, the prospective crew of the Moon Goddess, and Rayla’s teachers. Those with families were glad to see their kids having such fun, and everyone was happy to have one less meal to pay for.

The party was repeated two weeks later, with the addition of the swimming pool as an attraction. The pool opening kept the kids of all ages busy, with three lifeguards on duty. They were also expected to work the pool during the day, when kids flocked to it, and in the evenings they gave swimming lessons to the sailors.

There were two more parties while the repairs to the ship were underway, each as pleasant as the last. These didn’t have the teachers involved, but half of the crew from the shipyard each time, making them slightly larger. Stone knew that after entertaining those men he would get nothing but quality work on his ships.

Finally, the Sun Goddess was made ready. There would be 46 men on it: the original crew and the best of the students from the sailor’s school. Most of the ones who didn’t get picked for the Sun Goddess were told that they would have jobs on the Moon Goddess when it was finished in a few months. The two ships would sail together for two weeks in convoy, and then would move to a schedule where each ship sailed out one week, and back the next, crossing halfway out.

Stone planned to follow this schedule for a few months, and then take the Sun Goddess across the ocean. This was expected to take a year each way, so the crews were largely divided so the men with families would take the Moon Goddess route, and single men would man the Sun Goddess. The exception would be Captain Keenstone, who was eager to see the new worlds and was willing to leave his family, who would draw money from the little jeweler to survive the two years. Of course, his son Kookla would be the cabin boy/monkey on the ship.

And Stone’s entire family, except for Cass, would be on the longer voyage. Cass and Keeper, the man who survived the old Captain’s abandoning ship, were also paid weekly by the jeweler. Those two had started to jell as a couple, and Rayla wanted him around to maintain the houses and keep Cass company.