Grimm Tales

The Little Sailor

"The whole world is a series of miracles, but we're so used to them we call them ordinary things." Hans Christian Andersen.

Once upon a time, in a sea far away...

For thousands of years monsters and other forces of evil roamed the land destroying everything in their path. Hero's rose to defeat the evil, allowing the people to prosper and grow again. Starting a golden age for merchants; ships sailed the seas their hauls load with goods and treasures from around the world.

One clear day a single merchant ship sailed the seas. Sound clearly passed over the waters, the ships crew were singing. From a distance it was a soft hum, closer it was an un-orchestrated chorus of voices, some off key, others were distracted by their work on the ship.

However, they all sung with joyous voices, a sea shanty.

Yo ho, yo ho, a sailor's life for me.
Bye Ma, I'm going out to sea.
Bottom's up me mateys, yo ho.
We'll see all the sea's and all the lands.
Bottom's up me mateys, yo ho.

Yo ho, yo ho, a sailor's life for me.
We'll loud the hulls to the gunwales with spice and silks.
Bottom's up me mateys, yo ho.
Spend weeks at sea, eat biscuits and worms, maybe a turtle or two.
Bottom's up me mateys, yo ho.

Yo ho, yo ho, a sailor's life for me.
We'll pull in at distant ports and empty the hauls
Bottom's up me mateys, yo ho.
We'll eat and drink and find love and paint the town red.
Bottom's up me mateys, yo ho.

We're sailors and mariners, we're sea dogs and squids
Bottom's up me mateys, yo ho.
We're fortune hunters and adventurers, we work for a living.
Bottom's up me mateys, yo ho.

We'll cram the hauls with silver and gold, and head back home.
Bottom's up me mateys, yo ho.
We'll fight pirates and sea beasties, to make it back home to our ma's.
Bottom's up me mateys, yo ho.
Yo ho, yo ho, a sailor's life for me.

A little girl danced and spun on the deck singing along with the tone-deaf crew. Her long red hair and her baggy navy-blue dress whirled as she danced. When she stopped her little dance, the crew applauded.

"Alright you lugs! Quit singing and get to work!" the Captain shouted.

He was a large burly man, with a large mustache. His shirt and pants barely holding in a large jolly belly, his rolled up sleaves revealed arms covered in hair and muscles.

As captain, he has to be firm task master. Despite that he still works as hard as the rest of the crew. Coming from the streets, he joined a ship as a young man, he worked his way up from a cabin boy to captain and owner of his own ship.

The crew feared and respected him. But behind his back they hid smiles, when he was being a doubting father.

"Jeannie!" the Captain waved his daughter up to the helm.

Jeanne smiled and ran up to her father at the helm.

"Miss Jeanne take the helm," the Captain mock ordered.

He stepped aside to let Jeanne to take the helm. She jumped with glee at her father let her take the post. He remained in reach, just in case she needs help, but he was so proud of his daughter.

The sea is in their blood; as a child he dreamed of being a sailor, when he set sail for the first time he fell in love with the sea. But Jeanne was born on the sea; she learned to swim before she learned to walk. At age ten, she'd seen all of the great nations. Like her father she wants nothing but to travel the seas.

"Look captain, I'm steering the ship," Jeanne giggled.

"Aye, your doing fine Miss Jeanne," the fatherly captain encouraged.