The surge of the ocean was soothing, with gentle swells coaxing the ship into a peaceful motion. Ship hands quietly went about their duties, trying not to wake Captain Oscar. Oscar slept below deck in his quarters. His moods, subject to change like the turn of a whirlpool, were the reason the sailors were sneaking about.
With a loud “look sharp” from the first mate, the sailors knew the Captain was awake. They leapt to action, holystoning the deck and checking the lines.
Captain Oscar made his rounds, his manicured fingers twirling the ends of his mustache as he inspected the sailors’ work. He glanced at his reflection in each port light he passed. Strutting to the wheel he motioned the sailing master to move aside and give him control.
Striking a pose with one hand on the wheel and the other on his hip, he tilted his head back to scent the wind. With alarm his eyes shot open and he stared at the steering master as if he knew just by the clouds in the sky that they were not on course.
“I thought I told you south by southeast,” he yelled. As his mood darkened, clouds began to flow in. Waves started to roll harder and toss the ship about.
The sailing master quickly replied, “a Naval ship was spotted in that direction, so we adjusted course to avoid being sighted.”
Inhaling sharply, the Captain gave a brisk nod of his head, acknowledging the remark. With a snap of the wrist he adjusted the wheel slightly and indicated for the sailing master to take over again.
As his mood improved, the ocean started to calm. Sailors began to breathe easy and relax. Captain Oscar stopped in front of the double glass doors leading to the main galley. Preening in the mirrored reflection he adjusted the tilt of his hat.
He slipped on white gloves and began his rounds. His hands explored every surface in search of the slightest hint of grime. Finding none, he whistled merrily while making his way down to the galley.
Popping his head into the kitchen he yelled. “Cookie, what’s for dinner?”
Cookie yelled back. “Biscuits, dried beans, and salted beef. Same as yesterday. Same tomorrow.”
The Captain stormed into the kitchen, his mood darkening. “I’m sick of biscuits, dried beans, and salted beef. Give me something different for a change.”
“I’d love to, but we need to stop at port for that to happen.”
Storming up to the deck, the Captain burst on board. It was hailing now, and the wind was blowing. Sailors were dashing around, bringing down sails and tying up lines. The Captain yelled at them. “Move faster, get that rigging tied tighter. What are you doing? Run, sailor, run.”
The wind howled harder and sleet blew in sideways. The temperature dropped as the Captain bellowed orders at his men.
Finally, the Captain had had enough and made his way back to his quarters. Muttering under his breath he pulled out his logbook.
Another day of rough seas. Tired of the ship’s tiresome menu. Must make toward port.
After puffing on his pipe, he nodded off to sleep. Above deck, the weather started to calm and the storm blew over.
I enjoyed this a lot. The sea growing angry along with the captain. This is a great description of the vain captain, it made me picture him so clearly: “Striking a pose with one hand on the wheel and the other on his hip, he tilted his head back to scent the wind.”
I like the concept of a sea captain who influences the weather with his moods. Nice use of subtle magic. I enjoyed your descriptions throughout. This is a fun story!
I’ve had bosses like this. I like how the mood of this pieced bobbed up and down as if it were a ship on an ocean.
Your descriptions of the ship and the actions of the crew sounded like you had really been on an old sailing ship. When the cook crabbed back at the captain, I thought, Uh oh!
Tying the captain’s moods to the vanity prompt and the magical weather was really clever and I think came together beautifully. The captain’s mannerisms combined with the crew’s reactions to him tells us everything we need to know about both without hitting us over the head with exposition. Nicely done!
This was a great snapshot of a sea captain without feeling like a caricature. I also liked how the sea reflected his mood.