This is a collection of short stories and one shots I have written, mostly for contests.
The characters, names and situations in this story are fictional. Any similarities with real people or situations are entirely coincidental.
Ⓒ Thane Aerwell Col...
"Without dreams, there can be no courage. And without courage, there can be no action." - Win Wenders
Written for the Dream Shots 2019 Contest by TeamOfDreams ~ 3rd place in the Dream Shots 2019 Contest (yay!) ~
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It had been a while since I had worn a dress. I grabbed the soft silk fabric and held the blue dress in front of me. At home I had many more dresses, but dresses were a bit pathetic on a ship. Now, I wore crewman's clothes. I had to blend in, in order to be allowed to sail to Indonesia. As a lady, I wouldn't be allowed to even set foot on a ship, let alone sail with it.
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I never wanted to be a lady of any sorts. It was incredibly boring. Having to sit still all day was tiring. My father would often invite important people to visit us, as was his duty as a successful captain of the Dutch East India Company, or Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, or VOC. The . Then, I and my sister would sit next to each other, smiling stupidly and pretending we didn't understand anything the grown men were talking about. I'm quite sure Maria didn't understand anyways, but I did. Ships and their cargo were no Latin or anything.
I shouldn't have been on this ship at all. I should have stayed at home. I should never have boarded my brother's ship.
That evening, in May 1687, I had gone to his room. He had only been home for four days, but the company had already sent him on another mission. Hendrik was a successful captain, and the high figures of the company liked money very much. They trades spices, mostly, that were extremely valuable. Hendrik had once brought me a Japanese doll from one of his travels, one I really liked.
'I hate life here,' I had told him, begging him to take me with him. 'You know what it's like. Sit still, smile, embroider, sew... I can't keep doing that for my entire life. I want to go to the sea. Come on, Hendrik, take me with you.'
Hendrik was much taller than me. He always had been, even though he was only three years older than me. 'Catharina,' he had said with a crooked smile. 'You know Father would kill me if I brought you to Japan or India.'
I kept my mouth shut as he gathered the rest of his things.
'And by the way,' he continued, 'it's not even fun at sea. Certainly not for... you know.'
'A girl,' I finished his sentence, sighing. 'Yes, yes, I know, I am a girl and therefore not allowed to sail. What am I supposed to do for the rest of my life? Sewing and hoping that you and Berend and Father come back from your journeys? Hoping you won't be attacked by pirates or the English?' Hendrik was the only one of my six brothers who really understood me. He couldn't leave me here.
He sat down next to me on the bed and put his hand on my shoulder. 'It'll be okay,' he said reassuringly. 'Your brother knows how to sail, and so do Father and I. We know how to avoid the Spanish traders and English war galleys. After all, we have Michiel de Ruijter, don't we? I'll bring you a present on my return. Don't worry, I'll come back. Will you wait at the docks for me?'
