Date: Sun, 09 May 2010 17:03:44 +0100 From: paxos@hushmail.com Subject: Ash Cloud - Chapter Four Ash Cloud - Chapter Four --- Captain Bob wakes with a start. A loud pulsing alarm. He snaps on the light above his bed. He finds his shorts and pulls them on. He opens the door to his cabin and steps out. He notices that Fabio's bunk is empty. He looks towards the door to Jack's cabin to see Fabio, bleary-eyed, step out. Fabio is holding a towel around his waist. The door to Toby's cabin opens. "What is it Mr. Hemsley?" "Nothing to worry about Toby. Just an alarm. Go back to bed." Toby is looking at Fabio. He looks back at Captain Bob. "Can I come on deck with you?" "If you want, Toby." He climbs the ladder into the darkness. The alarm switch is flashing red. He presses it and the noise shuts off. He looks at the green dial of the radar. There is a blip to starboard ahead. Perhaps a mile off. His eyes adjust to the dark. Toby's head appears through the hatch. "Its freezing!" The head disappears again. Bob rubs his bare arms as he switches off auto-pilot and takes the wheel. He steers to port. Eyes on the blip. The moon scatters silver on the waves. Deep inky black below the boat. The sail towering overhead, pale against the moon. The sound of water scything past the bow. Toby resurfaces in a fleece with a lined hooded jacket in his hands. "Is this one yours?" "Thanks." He pulls it on over his head, glad for the instant warmth. "Are we going to crash?" Toby's shoulders are hunched around his ears. "No." Bob smiles. "See the radar? That blip is another boat. But it is way off, and we are already heading away from it." "What time is it?" He looks at the dashboard. "Just after 4:30am. It will start getting light in another half hour or so." "My legs are freezing." "Put some trousers on." "It's okay." He sits hunched at the wheel. Toby standing beside him. He reaches out an arm and hugs Toby to his side. Rubbing the boy's arm. "It is chilly isn't it." He feels the boy lean into him. "Time to turn. What do you say?" "Ready about!" "Ready." "Lee oh!" "Good boy." The boom swings with a loud clapping from the sail as it passes, then snaps across and the sail fills. "Your legs are cold aren't they." "Yup." The boy's head leans onto his shoulder. --- They drop anchor outside the harbour of Ustica. Fabio lowers the small Zodiac inflatable from the back of the Aurora and starts up the Yamaha engine. The boys in their life-vests sit up front, the men behind, as the boat picks up speed and carves a course around the low harbour wall. The boat bounces, punching spray. Fabio throttles back as they approach the fishing boats. A diving party are loading cylinders and checking equipment. At the jetty Jack slips on the wet side of the Zodiac as he scrambles up, line in hand. "Jack! You're tipping the boat!" Toby is hanging on tightly. "Don't be such a baby." Fabio cuts the engine. He swings easily onto the jetty and stands up. He offers a hand to Captain Bob while Jack ties off. Toby tries to stand. Sits down again. Fabio reaches out a hand. Toby picks his moment and makes a lunge. Fabio swings him up. Jack is smiling. "What?" "Didn't say anything...." "Okay boys, now would you grab a couple of baskets in the mini- supermarket over there and load up on fruit you like. And bread, please.... Oh, and milk!" he calls after them. "Fabio, we need to talk." --- "Where's Fabio?" Asks Toby. "Pass the bags down, Jack." The shopping is lowered into the Zodiac. Toby sits in the middle of the boat with the plastic bags and a small crate of fruit. "Okay, now you." Jack sits on the edge of the jetty and lowers himself down. Bob has hold of his life-vest. "That's it." Toby looks ashen as Captain Bob clambers around him to get to the engine, but asks again: "Where's Fabio?" "Fabio isn't coming the rest of the way. He has to get home. He can take a ferry from here." Toby looks at Jack, who is avoiding his gaze. "But...." The engine roars to life. Captain Bob twists the throttle and pushes over hard to turn the boat about. As they leave the harbour, Toby scans the port. Fabio is nowhere in sight. --- Captain Bob sails the Aurora to the sheltered side of the island and drops anchor. It is late afternoon. The sea is turquoise and clear beneath the boat. Rock caves dot the cliffs that drop sheer into the water. The sun has lost some of its midday fierceness. He is coiling rope and lashing down the sail. Jack comes on deck in bare feet, just his swim shorts on. He is trying to scratch his own back. One arm holds the other at the elbow. "Thanks, for you know what, Captain Bob." "That's quite okay Jack." "Did I get him into trouble?" "No." He pauses. "You should make friends with your own age, Jack." he looks at him. "Toby, for example... He's nice." Jack mumbles and looks away. Captain Bob goes back to his chores. "What are you doing? Can I help?" "No it's done. You can help cook tonight. Why don't you two go for a swim?" "Can we?" "Of course." "Can we dive?" "I don't see why not." "Toby!" he calls below. "Can we strip off?" Captain Bob raises an eyebrow. "Fabio's not around is he?" "Well, I guess so...." The boy has already dropped his shorts to the deck. As Toby appears on deck he yells "Get em off Toby!" and steps over the safety rail. He leaps and twists and hits the water like a cannonball. Toby waves at Captain Bob and ties a careful knot in his swim- shorts. He steps to the edge of the boat. "Is it okay?" "Yes go on." "How deep is it?" "Come on you pussy!" It is Jack from the water, kicking his legs to stay upright. "Is it really cold?" "No, its boiling. Take those off" Toby ignores him. He tries to reach the water with his toes, but he can't stretch far enough. With one more look at Captain Bob, he shrugs and leaps, arms flailing. Jack whoops. Bob goes down to the Galley and finds a cold beer. As he climbs the ladder back to the cockpit a pair of naked buttocks flash past. A screech and an almighty splash. A wet Toby clambers back on board from the stern ladder. He drips and wet footprints follow him to the bow. He dives. Captain Bob goes toward the bow and sits with his legs over the side. He watches the boys swim towards the caves, doing a crawl, but with their heads above water and with much splashing. He cracks open the beer and takes a swig. Jack's naked body rolls and slides, his pink heels breaking the water. The squeals from the boys echo off the cliffs as the sun slowly sinks lower. --- Jack is lying next to him on the warm deck, shielding his eyes. His stomach heaving as he pants. He is red in the face. "I'm knackered.... Made it all the way to the caves though." "I saw." Toby, his swim-shorts dripping has returned with two cans of coke. Jack presses one to his cheeks then pops it open and swigs. Bob watches the boy's throat as the drink slides down. Notices the condensation on the can and a streak of seaweed in Jack's hair. He picks it off and flicks it back to the sea. Toby sits down on the other side of him, his feet, like his, dangling off the edge of the boat. Captain Bob runs his hand down Toby's warm spine and up again. "We did good!" "Who's faster?" "Me!" they answer in unison. Then Jack flops back on the deck. "Actually, Toby is pretty quick. Quicker than all the boys in our year." "Is that true, Toby?" He shrugs. Bob looks down at the sun-kissed nakedness beside him. Jack's arm is bent with his hand open to cover his eyes. The hairless armpit. The slender arms. The soft hips. Buttocks pressed against the wood of the deck. Firm thighs. Tan-line. The brown shriveled cock. Walnut scrotum. He puts his hand back onto the warmth of Toby's shoulder. The boy scoots closer to him. He folds him into his arm, his hand resting now on the boy's thigh. The swim shorts damp against his forearm. He feels a flutter of eyelashes against his arm, then wet hair against his shoulder. The sun is licking gold along Jack's body. He swigs the beer with his free hand and watches sunlight penetrate the sea caves in the cliff. A handful of dark birds dart low across the waves chasing insects. The mast chimes in the light breeze. He looks at Jack. Toby snuggles closer. Jack's cock has rolled slightly. Toby sits forward to look at his friend. Then leans back into the warmth of Captain Bob. --- comments appreciated - hope someone's reading this! paxos@hushmail.com