Coral Sailor Boy

Fantasy and Sailor Tales

The gentle croak of the little vermin in my boat broke the silence that I sat in for about three minutes at a time. In the beginning of listening to my unexpected partner, I was surely the most annoyed by his constant nature but now I have come to terms. A sigh breaks the silence right after the frog in my boat croaks  again. "Why can't I catch anything today?" I mumble to myself and stretch out my legs in the small boat. Knowing it was pointless, for today at least, I get ready to make my way back to the shed. The little trip back to land on this little sail boat seems to last shorter and shorter each time. I get back to my grandfathers docks and I tie up the boat properly. After I tied it down, I decide to get back on and find my little froggy friend. I've named this frog Dumpster or stumpy for short. I found him by the dumpster one morning when I was taking out the trash and decided to make the hike down to the water easier for him. After I carried him down here he seems to follow me around every time he sees me. I don't really mind him at all, it's interesting having him by my side as I walk but this is the first time he's joined me while I was fishing. I place him down on the grass near the water so he wouldn't get lost. After I put Dumpster down I went to the shed looking for grandpa who was making fishing bait. "Hey Grandpa." I greet my Grandfather as patiently as I can, cause I know he's working hard to focus on making small knots. "Welcome back Corey how was the fishing trip."

He flashes a gentle smile in my direction which is a hearty sight. His gray hair is still thick and lively though he is getting older by the day. Actually he isn't that incredibly old considering I was a quick baby. "There wasn't anything on the north east side of the reef gramps, not even a single fish."

"Oh that's fine Corey, I have some left over food from yesterday that we can eat instead."

I involuntarily start laughing at my grandfathers joke and he smiles at me. "You still got such a sense of humor Gramps."

He stands up proudly as he stretches out his muscles. My grandfather was a huge man, in height and size. He always told me about stories of being in the Navy and that's why he is so muscular. He's about six foot five and extremely well kept. Though he's strong I know that he gets tired after long days of work like this. Tedious work to do with his hands. "Hey Grandpa I'm gonna go make some food ok? What do you want."

"Well I'd like some more of that Korean chicken from the other day. It's only been two days I'm pretty sure it's still good."

He straightens up and looks down at me, like a lion looking down at a lamb. Me being only five foot six doesn't help either. I feel extremely short all the time around him. "Don't you mean you want some fish? Cause you know we only eat fish here. We're fisherman after all."

I heard my grandfather chuckle as he walked out of the shed followed by me. Looking out over the docks I wondered what type of creatures I could see out there. Terrible creatures no doubt, terrible and interesting. "Don't you dare go out on that boat tonight Corey, tonight's story night an' you better not be trying to get out of that."

"Why would I ever try to run away from your story time Grandpa. Your stories are the best."

He let out a strong chuckle as we made our way back to the house. Together we made more Korean chicken while listening to loud symphony music. My Grandfather had a close attachment to that type of music and I don't have any reason to oppose. While we waited I eagerly listened to my Grandfather tell me about his experience going to a symphony and dancing around while listening to the music. He said he got kicked right out for fooling around in the auditorium. My grandmother used to tell us that she had to hold back laughter while grandpa was being dragged off cause she'd get in trouble too. That story never gets old, though I never know if it really happened or not. After that we got the food out and ready as we ate together. Eating sloppily and singing badly together like our usual dinners together go. It was traditional for us to do this, like a happy routine. Grandfather reluctantly took his medicine and followed me to my room trying not to fall from the dizziness his pills make him. Grandpa has troubles falling asleep so I have him take his pills so he can fall asleep at a decent hour. He sat down at the chair of my desk and had a hearty smile on his face. "So laddy, what is it you wanna do wen' ye grow up?"

"Grandpa I'm twenty years old, I don't want you to patronize me like this."

Grandpa looked at me with a silly look and I laughed along with him. "Yea yea whatever. Well the story isn't any fun unless you wanna know about it. You can't use knowledge that you don't think you need."

Argumentative as I've always been I try to correct him. "Just 'cause someone doesn't know they need it doesn't mean they can't use it and learn."

"A stubborn and corrupt soul is a hard one to bargain with Laddy, I feel'ike you bein' as stubborn as ye are you'd have first hand experience."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Grandpa sat up straight and cleared his throat loudly. "Well if you'd like to be a sailor that's so things ye need to know. All the slippits and crooks of the oceans red barring. First of my cautionary tales is about a young sailor lost twice on his boat-"

I looked at him scolding and his smiled turned into a silly puppy dog face. "What'Eva ye staring at it better not be me. Laddy I haven't told you this story in foooooooorevvver-"

He dramatically threw his arms in the air. "Grandpa you just told me that one last week! You act like it was forever ago."

"Same difference"

Collectively we laugh at my grandfathers childish nature. "Well if ye don't wanna hear that story which one ye wanna hear?"

"The reef barrier has to be one of the ones you haven't told me in a long while. And I don't mean only a week ago. I think we haven't heard that one in a couple months."

"Well ye ain't wrong. That story I save for the real smoothe nights. When the breeze is only humming and the water is careful. I guess we had a few rough days for a while and I haven't gotta tell ye the tale. Well than this be yer lucky day."

I smile and get ready for him to over dramatically tell a made up story about why not to sail on the reefs end. But i don't care much about the stories, I care about him. My grandfather tells these stories as if he lived them, as if he really believes them with all his heart. As if the adventures with mermaids  and sailing with pirates was all childhood memories.

"There was a lad who lived by the sea, wee lad he was, loved to sail around in the big boy boats. One day he snuck onto one hiding under the seat where the bait usually be hidden-" Drastically he pretended as if he was hiding in the bait box himself. "Young lad he was, never really had a feeling he wanted to be on land. The life on the sea was all he needed to keep his spirit alive forever. The lad hid quietly waitin for his papa to go back into the house. Heart racin and head pounding the boy took to the sea. He sailed and sailed and sailed but couldn't get too far before he got 'ungry and wanted to get food. Sadly enough he couldn't find any bait in the box."

My grandpa sighs heavily and loudly as if he had just remembered something. "Well of course there was no bait!! He'd been sittin' waitin' there to go sailing so he forgot completely about the bait! He turned into a miserable lad real quick and his father quickly sailed out and got the lil' sucker. He told that boy 'If you ever go sailing without me again my gonna hang ye by yer feet boy!!' So the boy went home and was in trouble fer a while. But finally after a few weeks he was allowed to go. He was so hearty, he ran into the boat and sailed right over to the boarder where his papa told him to not go pass-"

My grandfather looked around as if someone could be listening in on our conversation. "But the truth is the border to the other world lies on that reefs end. And when the poor lad sat out for days on the reef line he found it. Taken by a sense of wonder and adventure, he sailed out into the ocean of monsters and crooks. He was never seen again by his mother and father and they say he was still sailing in the boat his father gave him. Even through the fires of hell."

My grandfather makes a dramatic scowl turn into a gentle smile. "The end, Good night Corey. Sleep well little sailor boy."

"Grandpa I'm not five years old anymore." I joked.

"Oh Corey I know that, I promise you, that is something I know very well."

I lay down and drift of to sleep and my grandpa slowly walks out of the room. Well I'm glad to see him happy before bed at least but I do wish, sometimes, his stories were true. For now I have to go to bed so I can get up early and feed the dear.