Date: Sat, 08 May 2010 22:04:13 +0100 From: paxos@hushmail.com Subject: Ash Cloud - Chapter Three Ash Cloud - Chapter Three "Jack?..." Captain Bob scans the Aurora, shielding his eyes from the glare. A tousled head appears from the main hatch. "There you are. Can you come and help us with the shopping?" Jack climbs up on deck. A man follows up the steps behind him. "Hi, Captain Bobs!" "Fabio! Hi. Can you give us a hand? There's a lot of stuff." Toby has heavy carrier bags in both hands and is struggling towards the boat, waddling like a duck. "No problem." Fabio wipes his mouth and puts his hand on Jack's shoulder. "Watch feet." Jack wiggles his toes into flip flops and hurries down the gangplank. A small supermarket van is parked at the end of the jetty, back open. "Where do you want this Mr. Hemsley?" "Just put everything in the galley for now, Toby. We'll sort it out later." Fabio smiles as he passes, laden with a clutch of bags. "Hi, my name Fabio." "I'm Toby." "Nice to meet you." Captain Bob looks at Fabio then returns to unload the van. --- By lunchtime, the provisions are packed away. A light wind has picked up. Boats leave the small port and make their way out onto the summer sea. Towards the beach of Positano holiday makers swim in waters that slide from pale green to space blue. Shutters shade the shop fronts. Beach parasols flutter. In the cool of an awning, the boys, Captain Bob and Fabio are in the cockpit making lunch from fresh bread and cheese. Jack is plucking grapes from a thick red bunch. Fabio, bare-chested, is lounging, arms along the seat backs. "You look like brothers." Fabio flashes a smile at Jack. "Leave it out. He's ugly!" Toby ignores it and smears soft cheese on warm bread. He opens his mouth and pushes it in. "You think they brothers, Captain Bobs?" "No, I can see the difference, Fabio." "When you leave?" "This afternoon, if this wind keeps up." "You want me come with you?" Captain Bob laughs and reaches for the bread. He takes a knife from Toby's plate and hooks some butter. "I might spend a couple of weeks in England. Don't you have work here?" "My brother's business not busy Captain Bobs. Where tourists gone? Ash cloud!" Fabio holds out his hand and Jack carefully passes him a grape. Captain Bob studies Toby. His hairless legs. The flip flop dangling from his toes. The curve of his firm thigh, pale against the swim shorts. His bare chest and thin arms. His soft neck. His freckled face. And Jack. Eyes down. Hunched over. Pulling slowly at a grape. The wind is sighing through the lines. A sail flutters and slaps on a neighbouring boat. "I don't know Fabio." --- "Do we really have to wear these life-vests?" "For now you do, while you are getting the hang of being on a sailing boat." Captain Bob clips the fasteners and looks down into Jack's eyes. "Anyway, orange suits you. Your colour." Jack rolls his eyes. "Okay boys. Let's get you seated in the cockpit." He cuts the engine, and silently the Aurora slips through the water. "Toby, take the wheel. That's it. Keep her steady as she goes." Captain Bob scrambles forward and stands at the mast. Despite the slight swell he is steady. Planted. He pulls on a line and tidies a coil of rope before moving aft again, to rejoin the boys in the cockpit. "This raises the main sail." He presses a button on the dashboard and, with a whir of a motor, the main sail unfurls and rises up the mast. "You point the boat into the wind to take pressure off the sail as it goes up. Toby you press it, the green one, until it is all the way to the top.... That's it. You can let go." The sail flaps impatiently. "See the boom? Here's the most important rule for this voyage. As we turn the boom swings from one side of the boat to the other. If you're not paying attention it can sweep you clean off the boat and into the sea. So, every time we turn, the person at the wheel calls `Ready about!'. When you have made sure you are out of the way of the boom, you call out `Ready!', I say `Lee oh' and then we turn. Got it?" "Yeah." says Jack, itching inside the vest. "Aye, Aye Captain!" says Toby, rewarded by a grin from Captain Bob. The Aurora turns into the wind. The boom swings to port sharply. The sail billows, catches, and the boat starts to sail. And lean. "Whoah!" Jack is scrabbling to stand up. The lean continues. The boys are holding themselves up against the cockpit table. The boat races through the water. Captain Bob eases up a little. "You like that?" The boys look at each other, beaming, and say in unison "Mint!" >From the galley below comes a voice. "Warn me when you gonna do that, Captain Bobs!" --- Behind the boat the wake points back towards the Amalfi coast. Positano is lost to sight. The bow cuts through the flem-flecked waves as the Aurora settles into a fast clip. The sea is calm and the boat stable. Fabio is at the helm. Captain Bob goes forward to join the boys who are sitting at the bow, their legs over the side, watching the water tear past below them. "Having fun?" "We saw a shark." "A shark? Probably a dolphin." "Looked like a shark. It looked mean." Bob smiles. "You can take your life-vests off if you want. Just don't go and fall into the sea or your mum will kill me." The boys shrug off the oversized vests. He collects them and returns carefully to the cockpit to stow them. "How are you doing, Fabio?" "Bene, bene!" "Thanks for helping out. Will be easier with the two of us." Sea spray flecks against their skin as they both turn to watch the boys. --- "It has auto-pilot? No way!" "Yes, and an alarm triggered by radar. So, at night, we can sleep - but if a boat comes too close an alarm goes off and we deal with it. We're on autopilot right now, in fact." The sun is low on the horizon. The heat has gone and Jack has pulled on a fleece. He rubs his bare knees against the chill. Below, Toby is helping Fabio with the cooking. Bob is laying the table. "Open this will you?" Bob hands Jack a bottle of wine and a corkscrew. He watches the boy picking at the foil. Screwing into the cork. "It's stuck." "Try harder." He watches the boy put the bottle on the deck to hold it with his bare feet as he tugs. He sees the ankles and the insteps. The toes. "Okay, hang on." He takes the bottle and eases the cork out. The pop elicits a "Bravo!" from down below. He slides onto the seat next to Jack and pours himself a glass. "Do your parents let you drink?" "My mum? Not really." "Want to try some?" "Okay." He pours a little in a glass. Jack sips and grimaces. "Nah, it's okay. I'll have coke." Bob smiles and pops open a can. In the galley, Toby is watching the pasta boil. Fabio has melted butter in a frying pan and is sweating onions. Ham, fresh peas and cream follow and sizzle. He twists in some pepper and a pinch of salt. "Can get me wine, Toby?" Toby climbs halfway up the steps to poke his head into the cockpit above. "Can Fabio have some wine please?" He returns carefully with the glass. "Grazie mille." With one hand he stirs the pot. The other he rests on the boy's shoulder. "You handsome boy, Toby. You girlfriend?" "Not really." He cups the boy's chin in his hand and turns him. He strokes his thumb along the soft cheek and watches the blush. The boy's earlobes are red. "Molto bella. How is the pasta?" He enjoy's the boy's confusion as Toby fishes out a strand of pasta with a fork and offers it to him. Fabio takes the end of the strand of pasta in his teeth. Looking into the eyes of Toby, he sucks the pasta from the fork like a quick wriggling snake. He smiles. "Al dente!" --- Two empty bottles of wine stand among the jumble of plates and breadcrumbs. Bob and Fabio have given up on the game of cards. But the boys continue to play. Bob levers himself up from the table and makes his way carefully down the hatch. They can hear him below making for the head. Fabio reaches under the table and grabs Toby's ankle. He pulls one, then the other onto his lap. Toby is clutching his cards in one hand. Fabio places his big brown hand over the boy's pale skin. The boy's shin slides through his hand as he stokes up to the knee. Jack's heel comes down hard on his other thigh. Two feet, complete with flip-flops, are in his lap. "You can do that to me, not to him, okay?" Toby's feet are sliding off him. He turns his attention to the flip flops. Picks them off Jack's toes and drops them under the table. He grips Jack's knees. He shuffles closer to the boy on the seat. His hand roams along and between thighs. Jack is playing his cards. Toby is not paying attention. "Come on, Toby, your turn." Toby is looking at his friend. "Spades are trumps." "Yes." Toby looks down at his hand. Then at Jack, who's back is arched. He plays a card. Jack is holding his cards above his head. He picks one and plays it. He lurches forward. His arms stretch out along the back of the seat. He is crushing his cards. Toby looks at his hand. Focusses on hearts and diamonds. Jack gasps. Toby has the queen of spades. Jack's knees hit the underside of the table and the plates jump. He also has the five of clubs. Fabio's head is below the table. Playing the queen might be a better option. Jack's free hand is gripping the edge of the table. He is looking down. But throwing the five of clubs means he will have no more of that suit. The toilet below is flushing. There is movement. Jack is hunched over. He plays the queen. "Your turn." "You want another bottle, Fabio?" Fabio hits his head hard on the underside of the table. Jack reaches down and wriggles. Fabio comes upright, rubbing the back of his head. "Yes please. Captain Bobs." --- Toby cannot sleep. The boat is under sail, with no one at the helm. Just the autopilot and the silently rotating radar. He wants to go on deck to check. But Fabio has made the table and seats in the galley into his bed. To get on deck he would have to pass him. The earlier snoring has stopped. The only sound is the rippling fast water and the whistle of the rigging above. Then he hears it. Whispering. His ears strain. Barely audible. He tries not to breathe. He listens hard. He swings his feet out of the bunk and slides down to stand on bare feet. His hand is shaking as he feels for the door handle. He presses down and feels the click. He pulls the door open a tiny fraction. There is a light on in the galley. Fabio's bed is empty. He inches the door open and steps out. Carefully, slowly, he closes his cabin door behind him. Like an astronaut he takes exaggerated careful steps towards the door to Jack's cabin. He presses his ear to the wood. As he listens, he adjusts his boxer-shorts. His hand remains there. A knocking sound from inside Jack's cabin sends him scampering back. He quickly slips back into this own room, shuts the door and slides back between his sheets. The knocking sound turns to a dull thumping. Muffled. Toby raises his knees and takes off his boxers. He pushes the sheet to one side and lays flat on his back, sweating. --- comments very welcome: paxos@hushmail.com