Quicklinks:
|
Great Writing - Home > For Kids > Johnny D - Chapter Five
| READING ROOM | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| COMMUNITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
| ABOUT GREAT WRITING | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| WORK AWAITING REVIEW |
|---|
|
| GW IS... |
|---|
|
Great Writing creative writing community is designed to prompt ideas
and provide inspiration and motivation within aspiring and amateur
authors. Whatever your topic; from love poetry to Doctor Who or Harry
Potter fan fiction, Great Writing's online writing group is where you
can make new friends and improve your creative writing. |
| WHO'S ONLINE |
|---|
| We have 1072 guests online and 2 members online |
For Children
| print friendly version | |
| Johnny D - Chapter Five | |
| By Bagheera | ||||||
| 02 March 2006 | ||||||
|
How do I bribe someone to give me some feedback? Pretty please ................. !! Chapter Five Later that same day Jake had a visit from Captain Johnny himself, resplendent in full “Number Ones”dress uniform complete with Zeiss binoculars. He raised these as he entered the room, pretending that he needed them to locate the hero of the day. “I’ve been hearing astonishing stories about you, young Jake!” he said as he approached. “It was just lucky I was there and free to go in after him” mumbled Jake, embarrassed. “Matter of opinion!” sniffed Johnny. “Anyway, it’s shore-leave time for you: Dr. Kennedy says you’re fit to be moved, and you’ll transfer to our land-side hospital today. As he’s made a good job of it so far, I’ve arranged for Dr. Kennedy to go with you and continue your treatment: his shore-leave is long overdue anyway, he works too hard!” Jake had to think fast: he decided to take the chance straight away, in case he didn’t get a second chance. “Sir, could you ask Mr. Quiggins if Tigertail can come with me? He’s become sort of a ... a special friend over the last few days, and I’d really like some company?” Johnny laughed at Jake’s half-fearful expression as he made his request. “Jake, you could ask for many things at this moment and be sure nobody would begrudge you any of them! What you ask for is a simple request, and I’m only too happy to grant it as long as Janxy ... sorry, Tigertail! ... doesn’t mind.” “ In fact,” he added, looking askance at the subject of their discussions “ ... in fact, I doubt anyone would be able to keep him away even if they tried: he was a real spitting hellcat when you were hauled on deck! He sat on your chest, hissing wildly at anyone who tried to get near enough even to help, jumping up and down as if he thought he could pump air into your lungs or force your heart to start pumping. I swear you had no pulse when you were pulled out, and you were starting to turn blue around the lips: I really thought we’d lost you, for sure!” Tigertail appeared from under the bed, hopped up, and rubbed affectionately against Johnny Dupl’eau’s sleeve as if to thank him for this favour. Johnny melted immediately. “Alright, Tigertail, that’s enough! If you only understood just how much this dress uniform cost me, you’d realise there are several hundred good reasons – most of them have pound sterling signs in front of them! – why I don’t put it on very often!” “Sir, I .... ” “ ..... don’t like hospitals? Is that what you’re about to say, lad? Few people do, few indeed!” Johnny nodded, as in agreeing with himself: Jake had not spoken, nor even attempted to reply. “However!” he continued, briskly “ ... however: you risked your own life to save a crewmate, and that deserves a spot of R ‘n’ R in my book! You and Pete will transfer to the hospital – our own private hospital, mind! – as soon as the tide is favourable and I can detail a few crew members to row you over!” “Sir, I’ve no savings for .... !” “ ... for private treatment? Fiddlesticks! Every member of the Stormsong is covered by our private health scheme, one of the ‘perks’ (as you might call it) of being a privateer. I mean, you saw the state of the so-called Doctor the Harbourmaster managed to find under some godforsaken stone when you woke up and I had to have someone in a hurry .... !” “Mwrraw! Accept what’s good for you, Jake!” “See? Even the cat agrees with me!” Jake stared, unsure if Johnny Dupl’eau had suddenly acquired the knack of understanding Tigertail. Johnny was polishing the lenses of his binoculars, blissfully unaware of Jake’s attention. Reassured that this had been no more than a lucky guess, Jake relaxed. “Thank you, Sir, from both of us – I promise, I’ll be back on duty as quick as I can!” Tigertail settled on the bed, with a loud and possessive purr which was further amplified by the way he lay on the hollow of Jake’s stomach. Johnny finished inspecting his binoculars and without turning rapped sharply on the cabin door with the silver head of his cane. The door opened immediately, and while two ’prentices removed the remnants of Jake’s meal tray, six burly members of the crew went about lifting Jake plus mattress from the bedframe and negotiating him out on deck and into a waiting jollyboat. It was but a short trip to the private hospital facilities on Vannin Isle, just visible three or four miles off Formby Point. Jake had to argue long and hard before he got his way, but he was eventually allowed to walk the few steps from the quayside and travel to hospital sitting upright, dressed in a warm terry robe and borrowed sandals. The fresh air revived him, and the warm sun on his face also made him feel much better after several days enforced inactivity. Arriving at the jetty he insisted that he was fit enough to walk the short distance to the hospital reception area. As he was carrying Tigertail, he accepted an offer from one of the boat crew to carry his bag containing a change of clothes and a few personal effects. “This can’t be my room!” he protested, as a young nurse opened a door for him. She smiled. “All the rooms in this hospital are like this one!” she said. “Nobody has to share – unless they ask for company; we have a few larger rooms with two and three beds, as some of our patients like to play cards as they recover their strength!” Jake had a sudden thought. “Do you have a basket or something Tigertail can sleep in?” A sleepy purr indicated approval. The nurse looked at the cat and nodded. “I’ll see what I can do: he’s not the first pet to visit us here ........ !” “That was smart thinking!” purred Tigertail, as soon as the nurse had brought a large, comfortably padded wicker basket and a mountain of blankets and cushions to go with it. He padded round a few times, moulding the fittings to the precise contours he wished. “Tigertail, there’s something I don’t understand – well, lots of things, but this one seems to involve you, somehow” Jake said – or thought: it didn’t seem to be quite such a strange idea any more. Hopping onto the bed, Tigertail licked all too casually at each of his paws in turn and then turned his thoughtful, deep yellow eyes on Jake. “I can’t decide if it really was the last trace of a dream, or .... or a memory, maybe: or maybe it was something that happened. I almost felt like you were sitting on my chest, pushing at my chest with your paws, rubbing your nose against my face .... ?” ***** Jake enjoyed his evening meal in the company of half a dozen other patients, one of whom he recognised as a member of the Stormsong’s crew, recovering from a leg injury. He was surprised that they all knew of his heroics, until someone pointed out to him that he had lain unconscious for some time, and it was now a full sevenday since he had saved a shipmate’s life. Embarrassed, he made his escape as soon as dessert had been served, saying that he did not wish to prevent them from enjoying a smoke after the meal. Back in his room, he experimented with the controls of what he had identified as a shower until he found a temperature he could bear. As he crawled into bed, he wondered sleepily how he knew what to call it: no such luxury was to be found on the Stormsong. Vaguely, he sensed that Tigertail had picked up his stray thought, and was also curious for an answer, but as his head hit the pillow he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. Jake was roused by Tigertail sitting on his chest, pumping furiously with his front paws. “Shhhhh! Don’t say anything just yet!” Tigertail’s warning sounded loud and clear, though Jake knew somehow that he was ‘hearing’ the cat on a sub-audible level. “Wassermatter?” Not fully awake, but alert enough to ask the question silently. “I heard something ... or someone! ... outside.” Tigertail nodded towards the window rather than the hospial corridor. Jake held his breath and listened. “There it is again!” A tiny scrape, followed by a stifled curse, then silence. Jake glanced at the bedside clock: it was long after midnight. The lights in the room were dim: a swift glance passed between boy and cat, and they made for the door. Easing it part-open they slid through it and stole silently towards the nearest fire door. Close to the door, a small fanlight window stood ajar to let in fresh air. Seeing this, Jake picked up Tigertail and helped him to balance on the widow frame, where he had a chance to see whoever might be approaching. He tensed, tail flickering with anticipation, and as he launched himself at whoever it was Jake flung the door wide and grabbed the startled intruder with both arms, wrestling him to the ground. He hadn’t thought about what he might do next if he found himself either overpowered or outnumbered, but luckily his opponent was more or less of his own size and build. “Mmmmmmmpphh! Gerroff me ’ead!” Shocked at hearing a familiar voice, Jake did exactly as he’d been asked. “Blimey, Rufe! What’re you doin’ here?” Rufe sat back on his heels, rubbed his head and gave a low whistle. Several other figures materialised silently from the shadows: everybody seemed to be carrying something or other in a bag or a gunny sack. “Not sure it was such a good idea, if that’s how you greet us: but we thought we’d arrange a surprise ‘Get Well’ party for you ..... ” The ’prentices had ‘liberated’ an impressive range of cold meats, cheeses, preserves and drinks – presumably from the Stormsong’s galley – which they quickly spread across Jake’s bed as it was the largest clear surface in the room. At first, Jake was concerned that they might make enough noise to attract unwelcome attention from a nurse, or possibly disturbing other patients, but his unexpected visitors were canny enough to appreciate that a certain amount of caution regarding noise was a sensible precaution, and the giggles and laughter were suitably restrained. “I suppose this was your idea, Rufe?” said Jake, once they had settled themselves around the midnight picnic table. Rufe nodded as he tore a large mouthful of chicken from the nearest drumstick. “Most of this is ‘spoils of war’ from a raid on the Pig!” he added, once he could breathe again without inhaling meat. “It wouldn’t surprise me if that dozy lot haven’t even found out about it yet: they certainly never saw us enter or leave their leaky tub!” Several grins and sniggers greeted this remark, and several ’prentices would have spoken all at once but for a word from Rufe, who glowered them to silence. “Jake’s already warned you to keep the noise down: d’ye want to be discovered, and thrown out of here to swim back?” He turned to address one who sported a bandage, and a number of cuts and bruises. “Pete, you stood Dixie while we were all below deck: you probably had the best view of what happened, and how long it took: why don’t you tell the tale – I’ve noticed before that you’ve a way with words!” Pete blushed, but related graphically and in a very entertaining fashion how the raiding party had put alongside the Pig shortly after sunset and scaled aboard unseen via the stern anchor chain. “ ....... They must have been below deck about a quarter of an hour – twenty minutes, tops” he concluded “ ..... when all of a sudden, the first sack of plunder was lowered to me in the skiff. Five minutes later, we were on our way, and nobody any the wiser, as far as I could tell! There was certainly no reaction while we were in earshot: we just melted into the river traffic and headed this way.” Jake listened with amusement, tinged with a growing respect for the narrator’s ability to remain calm under pressure, and remember details with such clarity. “Pete: would I be right in thinking that your ... injuries... are fairly recent, and were not earned fighting the scum from the Pig?” Pete nodded mutely, flushed an angry pink, and looked to Rufe for salvation. Rufe grinned again. “Yes, Jake: Pete has you to thank for the fact he’s still living and breathing! Pity he can’t tell us something of his rescue, though: from all accounts he was unconscious before you even found him, and only just made it!” “And you sculled out here to share your plunder with me?” “Well, there’s more than enough of it, after all! Plus, we had to make sure they weren’t going to starve you: we’d heard about people not getting enough to eat in hospitals!” ********************************** A comfortable silence settled briefly over the midnight feasters, punctuated by the soft chimes of a clock somewhere not too far away. Jake looked around at his unexpected guests. “Time for you guys to start making your way back to Stormsong, I’m thinking: I don’t know what time the nurses here start their day, but it’s four bells already and your luck won’t last forever! There’ll be all sorts of trouble if somebody finds you here in the middle of the night, I’ll bet!” “Any idea how long before they turf you out of here, you old faker?” asked Rufe as they carefully tidied away all evidence of their clandestine visit. Jake good-naturedly threw a pillow in his general direction as his immediate response to the implied insult. “If it’s down to me I’ll try to get myself written out today, but I don’t really know. Doc Kennedy’s easy enough to talk around, but I don’t know if he’s got the final say. It may be a day or two, I suppose. Still, it gives you lot the chance to polish all the brasses and scrub the decks while Stormsong’s in port: I bet you’re all chuffed about that!” Muttered retorts mixed with theatrical sighs greeted this riposte, and were quickly stifled as Jake and Rufe both raised cautionary hands to remind the other ’prentices to keep the noise to a minimum. With a last whispered round of farewells, Jake cracked open the door of his room and made sure the corridor was clear before leading his junior shipmates back to the same side door they had used to gain entrance. Once outside they melted into the shrubbery with the practiced stealth of habitual curfew-breakers and were gone.
Only registered users can rate and write comments. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
||||||
 Previous item
|
Next item
|
|---|