Chapter 47. Consequences and Truths

  The barges had been beached this time. It had taken longer and was quite a bit more work, towing them in close, unhooking and nudging them up the rocky beach. Again it seemed the entire town had shown up to watch them work. They hadn’t bothered to anchor the barges this time, the water was calmer here in the small bay that Newton was nestled in. There was no danger of a runaway barge doing any damage today. After each had been successfully dropped off the Rose was tied up at the quay and prepared to drop off the teens. The families were gathered at lands end, eagerly awaiting the return of the kids. “All hands on deck.”, Will bellowed out, standing at the stern of the boat. Most were on deck anyway, but now the rest that had been relaxing below came scampering up top. They formed a rough line and the crew stood in front of them. “And here we are, another successful trip. Well done all well done. I’m sure that we will travel together in the future, but I think William and Greta have done their last trip on the Rose. Three cheers for them and thanks for everything you did for us all.”, Will led them all in the cheering. Naomi called out for everyone to go below and get their gear, and went down with them to make sure that was all that went.

  Minnie was talking with William and Greta, letting them know how much fun they had together and how much she would miss them. “One day your little ones will come voyaging with us, I’ll tell them all about these days.”, she brushed a tear away. Greta knelt and hugged the little first mate, “They’ll love you like I do.”. Seeing the others were ready Minnie got herself together and called them all down onto the quay. She and Naomi started toward the crowds with the teens, except for three, they were walking with Will. “Travelling on the lake isn’t for everyone, you all know that..”, he said. “But willfully ignoring safety rules, and not just once, cannot be forgiven. If you had fallen in Minnie or Naomi would have risked their own lives to go after you.”. There was no reply, they just marched on without a word of reply. When reaching the end of the quay Will stopped and waited to see who met these three. An older couple had rushed forward to greet the children, who ran to meet them. “Ah captain, so glad everyone returned safely, thank you for looking after our brood.”, the mother said happily. Now Will had a problem, let the parents know their children were not welcome back or…what to do? These three had put the others at risk by their actions, he had no choice. He beckoned the parents to one side, the three children too. “Things were not all smooth sailing. I’m afraid your children cause us quite a bit of trouble.”, he held a hand up as they started to ask questions, the children still not saying a word. “We have certain rules aboard, they wouldn’t follow them. As a result they can no longer come with us on gathering trips. The other children know and will probably tell their parents, I will let the council know as well.”. He turned and left the family there, feeling bad for their predicament but not as bad as would be feeling if someone had drowned. Minnie had noticed what was going on and came over to meet him, “All done, you told them?”, she asked. Will nodded sadly, “I wish I hadn’t needed to, it might be rough when others find out.”. Naomi had also joined them “I think that’s already the case.”, she pointed at the crowd. Several people were talking with their children and looking over at the people Will had words with. She saw he was a bit uneasy about having to tell, “You had to, they were being willful for no reason. No one got hurt this time, but what about next time?”. “I know, I know, it’s just going to be hard.”, Will sighed.

  The rest of the crew had been reunited with family and were leaving for home, the councillors had been waiting patiently. They were all present this time, however John was staying back from the water. Now, as the crowed cleared a bit they came forward to add their thanks as well. “Beaching the barges is a wonderful idea captain, so much easier to empty now.”, enthused Gemma. “That’s right, no more tying ropes to workers and pulling them back.” added Evelyn. “Glad we could help.”, Will said with a laugh. “The usual credit will be added Will, to the Roses and your own, crews that is, not just yours.”, Samantha told them. Minnie cheered heading that, “Great, I want to go shopping.”, “Me too.”, added Naomi. “Oh yeah, but not today, we have a boat to clean up first.” Will said. “Well, I have had two briskets smoking for six hours and they’ll be ready in a couple more. Does dinner on the beach tonight sound good?”, Dave asked. “Oh do say yes, we love visiting with you, it’s nearly like having family again.”, John said. How could they say no after that? “The usual time, a while after dark?”, Will replied. Everyone agreed that would be fine and the council departed with a clatter of wheels and neighing of horses.

  Knowing the crews habits a couple of shop owners had sent carts down to the dock. The one from the dairy was most welcome, as was the bakers wagon. Minnie chose a gallon of fresh milk to take back to the boat, as well as some tasty looking cheese buns. Will looked everything over but didn’t see anything that leaped out at him, Naomi opted to get some fresh fruit. They walked back up the dove to the Rose and as they got there and climbed aboard Will said “To heck with cleaning, I’m taking a nap.”. Minnie apparently agreed as she cheered and went below immediately, Naomi followed. Heading to his cabin Will found Minnie had already climbed into bed and had gotten comfortable with a book, propped up on pillows. Will hadn’t been able to read in bed for years, an eye problem, and simply undressed and climbed in. With the thick curtains drawn over the porthole and the door closed the room was very dark. And after the bustle of the last ten days the quiet was very welcome. “Night Min, a few hours and then off to dinner huh.”, he half mumbled. She patted his shoulder as he fell asleep, her own eyes starting to droop.

  A while later the sun was beginning to set, Will woke up needing a drink. His mouth was so dry it felt like sand. Must be the time of year he thought, taking a drink from his flask. Ever since he found it in his bedroom cupboard it was always near. It had probably always had some kind of whiskey in it but now the contents were usually water or tea. Poking the sleeping Minnie beside him, “Time to wakey wakey, we have a dinner to get to.”. The only answer was a low growl, he didn’t know if she did this without thinking. Poking her again, “Come on now, they’re probably doing ribs or steaks too, along with Dave’s brisket.”. That did the trick, she pulled her head out of the covers. “Oh hi, did you say dinner time?”. There was a knock on the door and Naomi called through “You guys up, we gotta get ready for dinner.”. Minnie answered before Will could “Yeah, just trying to get dad up, he’s being lazy.”. He could imagine her shaking her head, “Well hurry him up, we got things to do and places to be.”.

  A short while later they met up on deck, it was early dusk on a fine evening. The sun had dropped behind the horizon and the clouds to the west were still lit up. No wind here and the lake was just gently heaving a foot or so. Will had stopped in the galley and made tea before going on deck. He was wearing his usual shorts and shirt, Minnie had matched him, just not the same colours. That would have been weird she had said. But they were wearing matching hats, boaters with yellow bands. Naomi was decidedly not wearing the same. Will had asked her what the style was, a high hem in the front and low at the back. “A high low, funnily enough, or a dip hem. Very comfortable and it’s not confined like my others were.”, she had answered. This had been a while ago though, and now he was more familiar with it. Todays was black with some kind of red highlights throughout, high black boots and a black hat of some kind. Not like his and Minnie’s, just different somehow. He was definitely not up with the latest fashions.

  Sitting at the bow they had a fine view of the town and beach. There was not much activity in the town, “I guess they’re rolling up the streets again.”, laughed Minnie. “One day we’ll have to wander around after dark, visit a couple of taverns, see what the nightlife is like here.”, Will said. Naomi was still a bit standoffish with Newton, she hadn’t liked the pressure to relocate their base here. Will had made it clear that wouldn’t be happening but the council had let them know the offer was still there. It was an odd thing, but there were two sides to the councillors. The growing friendship between crew and Dave, Samantha and Ed, the others to a lesser amount, but becoming friends. And the other side of them, the strong willed governors of Newton and the surrounding territory. Will had never asked it this was an inherited position or a vote was held. It didn’t really matter he supposed, they didn’t live here, but it was interesting to him.

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  The evening wore on until it was nearly full dark, lamps had been lit at the far end of the quay. Will looked up from the crib board as he heard a bit of a commotion, the council had arrived in a flurry of hoofbeats. Looking at the board Minnie proclaimed she was the winner, hotly contested by Naomi. They argued the entire length of the quay about who had what, who was going to peg the most and so on. Finally decided to have a rematch when dinner was over as they reached the end and met the council.

  “Evening everyone, hope you’re hungry.”, called Dave, “I’ve been smoking all day, that brisket is perfect. I sure had some bad ones though, tough as my boots and about as tasty.”. Will laughed at that, he remembered learning the ways as well. As usual there were two carriages full of tables and chairs, portable stoves, containers of food, everything needed for a fine cookout. Even a wagon carrying Dave’s smokers, still cooking away. He saw Will looking at the setup, “I made this rig for picnics, haven’t used it til today though.”. The wagon had a smoker and a grill on each side, supplies in the middle, very well made. Of course it had to be examined in every detail, notes made. Tables set up nearer the water, but not too close. Lanterns hung near gave plenty of light and there was a festive feeling. “A very good trip captain, so much coal.”, John stated while they were waiting to eat. Will nodded, “Yes it was very productive, we gathered at the same place as before, a days north of here…”. The tale was told, not everything. Just enough so the council could understand how hard the kids had worked and how much the crew appreciated them. “They sure worked hard, I think it’s for the food, like popcorn and burgers, but maybe some of them think it’s fun, definitely not the three jerks.”, Minnie added. That statement opened up a few eyes. Between the three of them the story of the trip was regaled, including the incident with the three teens. “To be honest I’ve never heard the like.”, said Samantha. The others were equally gobsmacked, going gathering was a privilege, to act up was unknown. Will shrugged “From what I’ve seen on the other runs I would agree, but there it is.”. John had been mostly listening “I know the family, a older couple with three children, all come to them at the same time, later in life.”. Gemma spoke up then “My uncles brother, the one on my mothers side, his daughters cousin is related to their best friends sister.”. Minnie looked totally confused, Naomi was trying to work out what she meant. “My point is that the three children, Lil, Phil and Rupert, can be a handful.”, Gemma said. “We noticed.”, Will said dryly.

  They were interrupted by the clanging a dinner bell, one that was mounted on Dave’s food wagon. “Yeah, he has one of those too.”, laughed Samantha. The amount of food was staggering but the crew did their Herculean best. Between the brisket, which was amazing, beef and pork ribs, baked and fried potatoes and to Will’s delight, fresh coleslaw. Setup buffet style everyone loaded up a plate and set to. Will was reminded of earlier days going to all you could eat buffets with family. His personal record was nine plates, but he wasn’t even close tonight. Minnie had managed three and was chatting sleepily with John. Naomi had been a bit more reserved but had still polished off two highly loaded plates. Will hadn’t been able to resist the brisket, Dave had done a masterful job. Between that, both ribs and the coleslaw he was a happy man. When Evelyn had announced dessert, from a bakery she had a partial interest in, everyone’s evening was complete.

  And as usual, the talk turned to business. The coal brought would serve their needs for the next three month or so. Some slight amount could be gleaned from the erratic shore deposits near the town, but not enough. “It was a pity the other barges weren’t quite ready yet.”, Gemma said, “But they should be next time.”. Will nodded, “We’ll have to work out some logistics, about how to get all six there. But we will figure it out.”. “From here your going to Laketown yes?”. Evelyn asked. Will nodded “Yes, a gathering trip for them, then we’re heading south. To a place called FarHarbour.”. John started at that name, “Really! Oh captain I would counsel you to think on that. There’s monsters that way, on the lake and on land.”.

  That statement had been a bit startling and begged for an explanation. John had been a bit light on details, and only knew what his partner had told him. Matt had been on several gathering trips with captain Eric, oh so many years ago. The tale had been that the Rose, under sail at that time, had been attacked by vicious sea monsters. Then when they had finally landed at the far southern village, they had been attacked by the inhabitants. Now John had no reason to doubt his deceased partners story, told to him many times over in their years together. Will had his reservations, he kept them to himself. Minnie had asked many questions. “What kind of sea monster, cause we’ve seen a few, sharps and whales too, but they’re nice, the whales not the sharps, I hates those, we saw a little sea monster over by Laketown it whacked our boat but ran off.”, she ran out of breath. “Umm, er, well, I’m not sure, I wish I knew “, John stammered a bit.

  The good times waned as the hour got later. Things were being packed up, Dave took care of his wagon himself, Will gave him a hand. As he admired the craftsmanship that had gone into every detail Dave said, in a low voice, “William showed me the plans you all made for a railroad. What a marvellous word for a marvellous idea. I’ll bring this up at the next meeting and I’m sure it will pass.”. Will was still a bit conflicted but didn’t let it show, he answered all of Dave’s enthusiastic questions as best he could. Before he knew it everything had been packed up, the helpful aides had done their usual job of tidying and packing. Evenly and Gemma had bid the crew goodnight and left with John. Samantha was riding back with Dave and the crew walked beside the slow moving wagon. Will was walking hand in hand with Minnie, who was very tired at this point. She could push through when she needed to, work for days without stop or rest if required. But not now, it was the end to a busy day, a great meal with friends and now off home.

  In Laketown the plot thickens

  Regina had finally cleared out the taverns basement, where the casks of beer and barrels of ale were kept cool. There had been a few months worth of spiles, just tossed aside when a new barrel or cask had been spiked. The hard dirt floor had been raked and scraped then a layer of fresh dirt to sweeten the smell. Many years of spills have given the place quite the unique odour. “Much better than before.”, Stephen called down from the main floor. “I notice you showed up after everything was done.”, she answered. He laughed “Sorry, I had a bread emergency. My new assistant forgot to add yeast to a batch early this morning, then panicked when it didn’t rise. A real mess.”. He came down the narrow ladder, “Remember playing in here when we were young? Lots of memories here.”. He peered around the dark room, it was bigger than it looked. He could see where Regina and her helper had been toiling all day. “How about a cool one?”, Reginas voice drifted down the stairs. He started a bit then called his assent and started up the stairs.

  Throughout the small town there was a feeling of excitement, of expectation that something special was coming. The cheesery was busy, Lorenzo and family were hard at work, just like Stephen had been before quaffing a few at the tavern. They had experimented with a few different ingredients in the past weeks and it was time to see how those worked out. Cheeses with raisins, or smoked sausage, some smoked, some baked. Lorenzo was quite chuffed to see how they turned out, and he promised himself, to leave a few small carefully wrapped gifts outside, he had even made a covered box for that purpose. The butcher had taken to putting some jerky out twice a week as well. If some member of their village, or a visitor from a farm, had food insecurity, well that very thought was horrible.

  After conferring with his fellow council member on important town business, or having a couple of brews with a friend, Stephen returned home. The bakeries work was usually done by late morning, for some reason his family had always done the days baking early. It might have been a heat issue, he thought, get things done before it gets too hot. And Laketown did have some scorching hot summers. Good for the crops. “Not so good for the bakers”, he mumbled. Those very hot days were behind them now and wouldn’t be seen for a long while. Business was good today, well it was good everyday but today was excellent. He had made several creek cakes earlier and all had been sold, he had decided to leave one outside for the needy. He too had a container that he put his offerings into, to keep scavengers away. Biding his staff good day he left out the back and sat in his covered garden enjoying the day, his wife’s voice called out. “Stephen, Stephen are you there? Stephen!”. Oh dear, he though, what’s happened now. “What’s this I hear, drinking at this time of day, and not even bringing me a taste, mother was right, I should have married Lorenzo.” she continued. Sighing he looked at the package he was carrying, a bottle of her favourite blackberry wine, “Coming dear.”.

  The sounds of the busy village carried only slightly to where the former pilferers were. An effort had been made to tidy up their home but the sheer size of the place made that difficult. “I tell you brother, it’s hard to see what’s our mess and what was here before.”. There was an inaudible response and then “Well maybe, but they might have had a sausage or two before they left.”. The sounds of a broom sweeping hard wood then splashing. “We should try fishing again, I do like fish.”, the small voice said…”Yes your right, raw might make us sick. We’ll wait, they always shared when they made it before.”. A whispered answer then, “Soon, it will be soon.”.