Читать книгу The Bee Keeper's Daughter. Kingdom of Meridian. Vol 1. - Shian Serei - Страница 11

Things moved slowly the next morning; Maria awoke in Sveta’s bed to see she was already up and getting dressed. Sveta seemed late for getting to the galley and said very little before quickly slipping her shoes on and heading for the door.

Maria felt guilty for not having a task to perform, she could hear people all over the ship working, moving things about and shouting for help with this or that. She got dressed and headed for the top deck to see what the ship looked like after the storm.

At first glance, everything seemed normal until she noticed a few barrels were missing from where they had been lashed the day before. Then she turned and saw several members of the crew looking at the sail, it had a large tear at the base where it had been pulled hard against the grommets and was split completely open from the breeze running through it. Her eyes grew big at the idea the wind could be so violent.

«We didn’t get it down in time.» The quartermaster said as he saw her looking at the damage. «That storm caught everyone by surprise.» He added as he rubbed his hand over the back of his neck in frustration.

«Can you fix it?» Maria asked.

«In the next port we can, but that’s bad news for the oarsmen, they have to push upstream against this current.» He said gritting his teeth in anger.

«Well get it down before it rips sideways as well!» he shouted at the crew.

Maria stood in a trance, as she watched the breeze flickering through the loose threads of the torn sail. She instantly remembered her mother teaching her how to make blankets on a loom. Each winter the snow would cover the doors and windows, burying the family inside for days at a time. They always had a fire, food, and tasks to keep their mind off the harsh cold that imprisoned them.

Maria’s mind immersed her in the scene of her mother guiding Maria’s hands across the loom, teaching her how to stretch the main threads in the loom before completing the piece with a shuttle and fill thread. The process took days to complete as they wove blankets and sewed quilts from scraps of cloth.

Maria slowly blinked, staring determined at the sail as she walked toward it. «I can fix this!» Maria said excitedly.

The quartermaster looked up from his tools, feeling annoyed by Maria’s interjection. He searched for a reason to excuse her from the task. «Oh, I couldn’t impose on you miss, you’re our passenger, and mending a sale is a very dangerous job, the weight of it alone is…» he continued in a patronizing voice.

Maria could sense she had to prove her abilities and felt the school teacher voice of her mother emerge in complete authority, interrupting the quartermaster before he could finish speaking.

«Look right there! See how the tear is perfectly straight?» She asked insistently.

The quartermaster sighed and nodded, hoping she would stop talking.

«Those are weft threads, they just the fill the sail, the stronger ones… the warp threads that go up and down are fine! I can patch on both sides through the warp threads, all I need is a needle, thread and a piece of canvas.…do you have that on board?» Maria said looking up from the sail at the stunned quartermaster.

The quartermaster stood speechless as the young lady spoke in a language he had only heard among shipwrights and riggers.

«You have the tools, yes?» Maria said confidently.

The quartermaster turned and shouted at one of the crew, «Fetch me the sail gear in the tackle box and the old sail from down below!»

A member of the crew rushed down the stairs, returning moments later with the items.

The quartermaster placed his hand on Maria’s back gently and spoke quietly in her ear, «If it’s not done right, the sail will be ruined. You’re sure about this?» The quartermaster said as he handed the tackle box to Maria.

Maria nodded confidently and walked toward the sail rigging. She felt she was being taken seriously for the first time, rather than a helpless kitten with no value to those around her. The crew unleashed the base of the sail and lowered it for her. They laid the old sail out on the deck and stood like an audience, watching a performance. Maria immediately went to work measuring the tear and size of the patch she would need to cut from the old sail.

The quartermaster watched from his post with a smile as she had all the deck hands helping her. Each man seemed eager to be her hands and teased each other in the process.

«Those are weft threads there.» said one crewmember to another, as if he knew it already.

Maria giggled and corrected him, «Actually weft threads go up and down, those are the fill threads that go across, they are the weaker of the two.» Maria said as the man nodded in embarrassment.

She walked out the length of patches to be cut and looked around for a knife. The quartermaster stepped down from his post and pulled a blade from his belt, working it along the sail where Maria pointed.

He cut a large set of patches and placed them over and under the main sail to be sewn together. The men held the weight of the sail as Maria set out to stitch the patches in place, ignoring the attention she drew from each man watching her. Her long blonde hair dancing in the breeze as she knelt and turned over and under the sail.

She looked up and saw their blank faces, all looking at her. «Sorry gentleman, I know it’s heavy, I’ll go as quickly as I can.» She said keeping her eyes on the sail.

«It’s not heavy to me!» One man said, «Nor I!» said another, as each of them wanted to boast of their strength in hopes of impressing her.

After two hours, the stitching was complete, and the quartermaster returned. «Well I’ll be!» he said as he inspected the work, pulling at the edges to test the strength. «That’s excellent work!»

«Thanks, we still need a grommet.» She said still focused on the task.

«Now that I can do!» said the quartermaster as he motioned to one of the men to cut a whole and clamp a ring around it for reinforcement.

Moments later, the sail was lashed to the cross arm and hoisted up as it caught the wind, and the ship made a familiar pull forward. The patch held and took the weight of the breeze as before.

Suddenly the oarsmen, covered in sweat, began to appear on deck, one after another in a long line. It was evident they had been told the news and were all looking at the sail with an inspired smile. Then the quartermaster began to clap as he walked toward Maria acknowledging her with a big smile, the entire deck began to cheer with applause as the men felt relieved to have their sail back.

Maria didn’t understand how important her contribution was to the ship, the southern currents of the Volga routinely made hard work for the oarsmen, but without a sail to help propel the ship it would have been almost impossible to travel North. She was their hero.

The captain also joined in and patted Maria on the back,

«U Nas Kupala!» he shouted, «U-ra!»

«U-ra» the crew responded in unison.

Each member of the crew looked Maria in the eye, thanking her and nodding their head in appreciation before returning below.

The captain remained to speak with Maria. «You’ve done us a great service young lady, and saved me a substantial amount of money in repairs.» He said in a grateful tone.

«Normally we give some money to each of the merchants if we are late getting in but we’ll back on schedule now.» Added the quartermaster who listened in as he packed up the repair gear and old sail.

«Ay, and that as well.» The captain continued, «I’m returning your fare for the trip and hope you’ll continue with us to Neva, but of course you are free to pick another ship at the next port if you wish.» He said as he handed Maria a small bag with gold coins.

Maria’s eyes grew wide with astonishment as she held the coin purse in her hand. «Thank you! I just wanted to help, I didn’t expect all this!» She chirped.

The captain nodded and continued on his way, returning to his duties and shouting at the crew, «Back to work! We’re underway and making time to Cheropovets!» he said in a boastful voice.

The men scattered like ants devouring a piece of bread, all with a destination of haste and purpose.

«That was really sweet of you,» Maria said to the quartermaster, knowing he had spoken to the captain and brought the men on deck.

«Miss, you never asked what the benefit was to you, and on the river, everyone looks for their reward before the work. The captain and I both appreciate that.» He said as he rolled the remains of the old sail. «Thanks again.» He said as he turned to complete his tasks.

Maria stood on the main deck in astonishment. She felt truly valued and respected from people who had every reason to ignore or dismiss her. There was a lesson in the experience she wanted to hold on to, she had asserted and proven herself when she would have normally backed down. At that moment a small part of the shy farm girl faded away, and the woman inside her began to emerge.

She headed below eager to share the news of her adventure and reward with Sveta. It was as if the entire experience had not happened until she told it in full detail to her new dear friend. She stopped in her room to store her gold, packing it in her sack and storing it under her bed before making her way toward the kitchen.

She could already smell the scent of something sweet in the air, there was no mistaking it, Sveta was making blini, her favorite! She rushed down the stairs and raced into the kitchen before the crowd had formed.

Sveta saw her and immediately waved for her to come inside the cooking area. Maria smiled and came around the other side of the wall separating the crew mess and cook space.

«Blinchiki!» Maria shouted excitedly.

Sveta laughed, «Da, my favorite.» She said as Maria agreed on the same.

The two ladies nibbled at their Russian-style pancakes covered with berries and honey as Maria shared the story of mending the sail and the captain’s generosity. Maria detected a hint of jealousy in Sveta’s eyes but quickly dismissed it. She knew Sveta had been the only woman on board, and this meant Maria presented a competition even if it was not intentional.

Sveta sounded genuinely happy for Maria, even though her eyes were a bit far away.

Then Sveta surprised Maria in response, «Well that’s good news, now you can pick a better ship with your own cabin!» She said half laughing.

Maria’s eyes filled with tears, «You want me to go?», She said in horror. «I thought you liked having me there, but yes, of course, I should respect that it’s your home, and I’m imposing…» Maria said trying not to be offended even though she was clearly hurt.

Sveta quickly put her plate down and moved next to Maria, wrapping her arms around her. «Ignore me!» She said apologetically, «I’m a stupid jealous woman.» She said as her voice softened, «I don’t want you to go!» Sveta said as she squeezed Maria tightly.

It was the first time Maria saw Sveta’s softer side, she was not as tough as life on the ship had forced her to be. «I want to stay on board until we reach Neva,» Maria said assuredly.

They wiped each other’s tears and quickly finished their meal as the sounds of the men came into the crew mess looking for their meal. Stools slid across the floor as utensils, bowls and plates began their routine distribution among the hungry shipmates. «Davai Blini!» the men shouted in a playful manner. It was wonderful to feel the positive mood of all after a hard night and exhausting recovery from the storm.