Circle Sea 1: The Pirate Maze

Chapter Four: A Room full of Treasures

Jim woke when the morning sun shone through the open window. The branches of the twisted tree were moving gently in the breeze, and the shadows of leaves flickered across the pale and broken plaster of his bedroom wall. He stretched and climbed out of bed. He had slept in the clothes he had been wearing the night before so he changed his underwear and put on a new shirt.

As expected, his mother didn’t stir as he climbed down the stairs. He found a few leftovers for breakfast and ate quietly. He shoved some bread and a couple of apples in his old school bag and slipped outside.

It was a beautiful summer morning and the village looked very different in the sunlight. He could hear the sound of cocks crowing and people beginning their working days. A couple of carts came trundling down the road, bearing vegetables or grain to sell in the market or to load onto ships.

Jim enjoyed the walk and he waved to familiar faces as he made his way down the path. The Jenkins family had their doors and windows wide open and were enjoying a family breakfast as they prepared for their day. Mrs Jenkins waved at him as she served large plates of steaming porridge to her three huge sons. The Jenkins were coopers and wheelwrights which meant they made barrels and wheels. It was highly specialised and physical work but they earned a good living between them.

The Jennersons were a Viking family who lived two doors further down the road. Old Mother Jennerson often stopped Jim on his school walk and gave him some pickled fish. She was there as usual waiting for him with a little plate in her hand. He thanked her and popped some in his mouth. It was a tasty treat that made up for the leftover breakfast. He guessed she must feel a bit sorry for him but she never said anything about his mother or their difficulties. He smiled a thank you with a mouth full of fish and waved goodbye as he continued his morning journey.

The schoolhouse was set on a broad loop in the road which overlooked the harbour. Jim was usually one of the first of the village children to arrive and he would often sit and look down on the ships and boats in the water below.

Not much had changed since last night and he recognised most of the trawlers and freighters that were in port. They ranged from tiny local skiffs to larger vessels from distant islands. A couple of big sailing ships had just arrived and were being tied up as their crews prepared to buy or sell in the harbour.

Jim watched for a while until Polly came skipping round the corner and sat on the stone wall next to him.

Unlike last night she was dressed in a simple white cotton dress and her hair was tied into neat plaits. She looked positively girly. Her mother had clearly managed to dress her this morning, but they both knew the dress would not be white by the end of the day.

She had a whicker basket which contained her lunch and school books and she dropped it to the ground next to him.

‘Did you get back alright?’ she asked.

‘Yeah, mum was asleep when I got home so I don’t think she noticed. What about you?’

‘I think my brother heard me hit the floor but he won’t tell. I’m more worried about Darnell.’

‘You’re sure he spotted us?’

‘Pretty sure, but we’ll soon know won’t we?’

Jim nodded and they spent their last few moments of freedom looking out over the harbour. Polly had a good memory and recognised many of the boats including the two larger ships that had just arrived. She announced that one was the Mary-Jane and would be carrying grain for her father.

It was a pleasant sunny morning and they quickly forgot to be worried about their teacher. The rest of the children arrived and there were soon a dozen of them waiting for the day to begin. A couple of younger boys had brought an old leather ball and they kicked it around for a while. Polly jumped up and joined in, leaving Jim to look out over the harbour.