Frederick and Geraldine
Chapter 6- The Fire

Fortunately, there were five modern toilets having

Lavatory flushing cisterns like those invented by

Sir Harrington in one thousand five hundred ninety-six, being

Built near the kitchen because the air in this room was dry.

This cook-room was constructed in a place where it was deemed safe

To have a cooking fire; it had a good layer of lime

With an air space to insulate the brickwork from the unsafe

Adjacent timber; the brick walls were expensive at that time.

The room had two brick fireplaces and boiling was the method

Of cooking while three coppers with lids were set in the brickwork.

With some funnels passing through the deck head, they were connected

To protect the kitchen full of steam by providing a perk,

Firing on the upper deck could mean a shot going into

The rigging; the sailors and the passengers took the pumps

To extinguish this fire, doing all they had to do.

The pumps made of leather were assembled from the dumps

And coupled every fifty feet with brass fittings; their length

Was about twenty-three meters; this sucking warm engine

Was made by John Lofting in 1690; its strength

Was pumped by a team of men working to relieve the tension.

The fire was small, but it could extend to the cabin cruisers,

Which were nearby; while the men were working hard to escape

The danger, the strange man was one of the fast movers

And deliberately entered the gun room; Cruz saw his shape

Entering and descended the stairs in a hurry

To stop him; he entered the gun room and took a gun.

The stranger turned to Cruz and shut him, but his eyes got blurry,

When the room was suddenly filled with the rays of the sun.

(Cruz shut this man in the face. Both of them fell down. The women were in a boat and Fargo made efforts to bring them to the shore.)

A big wave hit the boat, causing Geraldine to go

Overboard; she fell off the boat into the water.

Fargo jumped into the sea to save her and started to swim below

The water; she screamed for help; the waves rose up to scatter.

She could not remember how she had fallen; her head and arms

Were barely visible above the waves; Fargo swam

Toward her scream and brought her aboard, '' you're safe from harms.''

She vomited, ''I want to be far away from where I am.''

Meanwhile, Bella lost her balance, and within a split second,

She fell off the boat and tried in vain to hold onto

Chiara's hands while asking for help, but her fate beckoned

When a giant jellyfish stung her arm on back to 'fronto'.

Chiara saw how she trod the water and moved her head,

But she lost the sight of this, after a few seconds ''She's gone, '

Said Chiara; after saving Geraldine, Fargo said ''she's not dead, ''He turned around the boat, ''Look, that jellyfish is coming on! ''

(Fargo jumped into the sea to rescue Bella. He brought her aboard, but she had been underwater much more than she could resist. His resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. All along the ragged shore, there were a lot of stones under the water. They got down out of the boat and walked in the water while bringing the boat to the shore. Meanwhile, ten pirates, after swimming in the water, climbed on the carrack to kill everyone on the board. Fortunately, they didn't see the boat.)

(Fargo put the body of Bella in a mantle and took her on his shoulders. He left Chiara, Francesca, Rosa and Pedra ashore and went together with Geraldine, Maya, Carla, Erica and Naimah's son to find a village. The name of Naimah’s son was Surak.)

It looked like a long beach with a rocky shore and a hidden

Cove; they turned right walking along the sandy beach; at the far

End of the beach, they saw a galley, but it was forbidden

To follow the path leading to the shore, ''I'll ask where we are, ''

Said Fargo, while looking through a telescope, ''What do you see? ''

''There's one man standing on the deck; he's the companion

Of that pirate following us and traveling for free.''

''How do you know this thing? '' ''I worked for him in the devil's canyon.

The flag has a boom skull, '' ''Let's go, '' said Geraldine, ''The pirates

Are coming from this ship, '' said Fargo, ''I must set it on fire.''

While sneaking to that deck, he killed one by one the pilots

And the third sailor; he thought, ’’ Frederick is caught in a snare.’’

Fargo took the little treasure from that ship and those two maps

Showing the place from where the treasure had been taken

And the island where they intended to hide it; perhaps

It was a known place, which has been visited and forsaken.

He did not set the ship on fire because he was afraid

That its flames could be seen by the pirates; he did not sink it,

'Cause they could dive to the sea's bottom to find the treasure's shade.

To make them think that one of them betrayed was in a fit.

Fargo took one of their boats and returned to the shore.

Then, they continued to go while avoiding the main path.

They stopped walking to look at the seagulls starting to soar.

They entered an old olive grove shining in the daylight bath.

Following their narrow route to the right, they found a fragrant

Grove of tall eucalyptus trees; they saw the shepherds' trail,

Which was cobbled and flanked by some stonewalls, '' Our life became vagrant, ''

Said Carla; Erica replied, '' my strength begins to fail.''

'' Look at these flowers of asphodel! They are beautiful, ''

Said Maya; Erica replied, '' these dark cypress trees are

An inviting resting place; '' you must be powerful, ''

Said Fargo, '' because to find a village, we have to go far.''

At the top of this rocky land, they turned left and entered

A small, agricultural zone that was planted with

Cereals and had some plots of chickpeas in its center.

Some goats were drinking water from a reservoir, ''It's a myth, ''

Said Surak; they drank water together with the goats

And washed their faces; after crossing the road, they saw

The church tower of the village near the plots of the oats.

They bought an old stone manor house when the night started to draw.

(Fargo went to find a priest for the funeral of Bella. He came back with a promise for the next day. They started to eat in silence.)

(Chiara, Francesca, Rosa, and Pedra remained on the beach.)

Chiara and Pedra decided to take a look along

The coast to search for some food; Francesca and Rosa carried

The boat across the beach to hide it, 'How can you be so strong? ''

Asked Rosa; ''I listened to Chiara when I got married.

We depleted a fortune and Lucca was very rich.''

''So, this strength of yours comes from your tristesse, '' replied Rosa.

''My inner emptiness became only affection, '' 'She's a witch, ''

'She's a good soul, but inside her, she keeps some thorns of mimosa.''

They had to undergo that difficult time and to

Organize their lunch; Rosa stopped to sip some drops of water

From the canteen she carried, '' it's entirely up to you

To leave him now, ' ''My father is ill; I'm his unique daughter.''

They were tired after the grim events of the previous

Hours; meanwhile, Chiara and Pedra were sifting through the salty

Air of the beach; Chiara said, '' I don't trust Fargo, he's devious.''

''We have no other chance, '' replied Pedra. ''His logic is faulty, ''

Continued Chiara, ''they should remain here with us.''

Pedra stayed for a few minutes being caught by the sparkle

Of the broken waves; she said, ''we have something to discuss.

Don't you think that your ideas are too matriarchal? ''

They enjoyed the salty stink of the seaweeds and the clicking

Of the living shells that they had tossed together for the meal.

While eating, they cut off the mollusks from their sticking

Shells; dozens of gulls were wheeling over the waves. ''Pleasant peal! ''

Said Francesca, '' the chance of meeting another person while

Staying here is very slim.'' '' I really grasp the scale of our

Surroundings, '' said Chiara while giving her seaweeds with a smile.

Rosa said, '' eat some kumquats, figs, and pears; you need power.''

(Rosa brought some fruits to complete the meal.)

Sᴇarch the FindNovel.net website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.