She awoke, much to her chagrin, wrapped in a thin blanket on the Captain’s bed. She was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, the bandage still tied to her head. Even without a mirror, she knew she looked ridiculous. She made her way to the main cabin, where she found remnants of breakfast made from salted pork meat and bread. It was obvious that what was left was her portion, and she wolfed it down. She brought the watered down beer to her lips to drink, and she felt the liquid fill her body with warmth.
As if on cue, the Captain walked in, fully clothed in all his finery. If he had any opinions about what happened yesterday, he did not voice them out loud. “I hope you found your breakfast to be agreeable,” he said rather pleasantly.
Not knowing what else to say, Alice politely replied, “It was very enjoyable.” If the Captain thought the atmosphere awkward, he didn't reveal it.
“That is good to hear,” he commented, grabbing a few papers. He started toward the exit, but Alice stopped him.
“Wait,” she stammered out, “could I please have a change of clothing, or maybe a basin to wash my face in, Mr….?” She trailed off, not knowing his name.
“Augustus,” he said, tipping his cap, “and I doubt any of the others would be inclined to share any of their clothing, but you are welcome to look through the old captains closet and see if he has any garments that fit you. As for the water basin, it has already been filled for your use.” With that he turned and left.
Alice walked to the adjacent room once again. True to his word, the basin was filled with fresh water, the old soapy water discarded in the waste-bucket below. It dawned on he that Augustus washed here in the morning, and she was happy that she hadn’t awakened to see that. She doubted that man had any shame.
She gingerly removed the bandage from her head. The wound had fully scabbed over, and she began the difficult task of removing the clotted blood from her hair. Working the soap into it, she felt clumps pulling out, only held to her scalp by the thick crust that formed over it. This was most likely the result of Mr. Brody’s harsh treatment the other day. She closed the door and took off her shirt, her stomach now a deep purple. This too, was another one of Mr. Brody’s gifts to her.
With a heavy sigh she realized that it was going to be impossible to preserve the hair’s length. Too much of it had fallen out, and too much of it had matted to her head. Even the best handmaidens could not save her hair. Alice looked to the corner of the room. The knife still lay there, strewn aside, unmoved. A sharp pain cut through her chest. She had hoped yesterday had been a dream, but the knife in the corner proved the gravity and reality of what she considered to do last night. Would she have really taken that man’s life so easily had he not awoken? She reminded herself he had been awake the whole time, so she had never really been given the opportunity to answer the question.
Knife in hand, she began to saw away at what she couldn't salvage. Whole chunks of hair fell into the waste bucket, hacked away by the knife’s edge. When she was finally done, Alice worked more soap into her hair and gave it a final rinse. It was surprisingly even, grazing her shoulders, and she was pleased with her handiwork. After finding suitable shirt and pants, Alice washed her body and got dressed. Although both the pant legs and sleeves were of suitable length due to the previous captain’s short stature, the pants fell at the waist and the shirt billowed like a sail. Placing a knot here and there, Alice was able to more or less make the clothes fit, making a note to get her own as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
Freshly washed, Alice disposed of the dirty water. She stretched out her hands before her, displaying ten delicate digits. Not a spec of dirt lay underneath her fingernails, and her palms finally rid of the filth that had covered them. She combed through her hair once more, feeling it pass through her hands much quicker than before. Satisfied, she picked up her soiled clothing and walked back to the leather sofa, where she returned to the book she had been reading the night before. It was a charming novel, painting its scenes illustriously and revealing its characters to be ever more dynamic with each new scene than the last. When she finished it, she hugged it tightly to her chest, her mind filed with wonder, delight, and longing.
After a short period of reflection, Alice found herself once again bored. It was not the lazing in the sunshine kind of bored. Instead it was a new emotion, a sort of fear of inaction. She tapped her foot, a nervous tick she had developed in childhood.
Unable to sit still, she found herself standing and walking over once again to the adjoining room, the book still in hand. The stack of novels still lay at the foot of the bed. Cautiously, she grabbed another volume from the top of the pile replacing it with the one in her hand. Peaking inside, she found that the text was in a language she was not familiar with. The one underneath it was also undecipherable, and so was the one below that one. Weary with defeat, she returned back to her perch on the couch.
After some time, Augustus returned once again with a tray of stale bread and something resembling stew. He paused as he entered, looking at Alice with a hint of surprise, before returning his face to a pleasant expression. She graciously accepted the food and drink, and brought the tray to her lap, turning her attention to the meal. Augustus lowered himself into a seat across from her, staring intently, not even having the decency to look away when she glanced up and met his eyes.
Alice was beginning to get irritated. She looked at him, her brow furrowed, a question trying to escape her mouth. Finally, she could no longer politely ignore him. “Why are you staring at me?” she asked, her voice on edge.
“So you really are a girl,” the Captain said with a laugh. “Before you washed-up I wasn’t even sure you were human.”
He obviously enjoyed teasing Alice, but she did not like being pestered. Angrily, she stabbed at the stew with her bread, now fuming.
After a short pause, he said, “I see the works of Tolstoy and Dumas do not interest you?” he raised his eyebrows quizzically, observing the disheveled pile.
“They do,” Alice stammered, “but I cannot read them in their native tongue.” She expected more laughter, but none came. Instead, Augustus pulled a small novel from the lapel of his coat.
“I found this in what I assumed was your previous cabin, and I thought you’d might like to finish it,” he said, handing her it. Another pause, “Anyway, how do you feel?”
His concern threw her a bit off balance, but she regained her composure. “I feel fine, thank you.” She simply replied.
He took a deep breath in. “Good,” he said, like he really meant it. “On this ship, everyone has to earn their daily bread. Unfortunately, this is your last free meal.” The words hung in the air, and Alice was unsure what he meant by them. Observing her concerned expression, Augustus let out another laugh. “Don’t worry,” he said with a smile, “I’m not going to throw you overboard.” Leaning in, he asked, “What is your knowledge of medicine?”
And that is how Alice ended up in the dark underbelly of the ship, attending to wounded pirates.
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