The clinic felt glum and empty, its last patient having departed a week ago. Alice had tried to keep busy by washing the floors, the sheets, the mattresses, trying desperately to get rid of the stench of death. But no matter how hard she scrubbed, the smell lingered, inhabiting every dark corner. Finally, it overwhelmed her, and she knew she could not take it anymore. She needed to leave.
That afternoon, she asked for an audience with the Captain, intent on pleading her cause. “I need to get out of the infirmary,” she said firmly.
Sitting across from her on at his desk, the Captain looked like some twisted mimicry of a prince. His clothes were beautifully embroidered, and white lacing spilled out of his sleeves. He placed his elbows on the desk and leaned in, hands folded under his chin. She felt like an ant under a magnifying glass.
“And how do you expect to earn your daily bread?” he asked plainly.
“The space is free of patients at the moment,” she explained, “and I think I would be of more use elsewhere.”
He raised his eyebrows, but remained otherwise unmoved.
“I believe I would best serve the ship working on deck, tying knots and doing other forms of manual labor,” she said earnestly.
This drew a long hearty laugh from the Captain. “At first I thought you were proposing something entirely different, but this idea is even more ridiculous.”
“It is not at all ridiculous!” Alice stammered, her faced flushed at the idea of what he implied. "I know how to work knots, and although I may look feeble, I can pound in a nail or two.”
The Captain eyed her, obviously not taking her seriously. “It is one thing to read about knots in a book, it is another to tie them in real life.” His eyes narrowed, “During a storm, your ability to do so may determine the outcome of not just your life, but that of a crew member.”
“You don’t understand,” Alice spluttered, “I have experience from-”
He pushed back the chair, cutting her off. Getting up, he placed his wide-brimmed hat back on his head, and started walking out the door.
Alice faltered, sinking into the chair. She had tried all she could, and despite her actual skill she was dismissed. She looked at the Captains back in contempt as he exited. Briefly he paused at the doorway.
“If you so greatly need to get out of that space, I suppose you could sweep the deck. But don't blame me if something happens to you,” and with that final remark he left, leaving Alice smiling for the first time.
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