HOME | DD

Description
The boy with the Scarf hurried down the cobblestone street, looking over his shoulder now and then hoping his father hadn’t seen him slip away. He couldn’t be gone for long or he would be missed. It seemed to take forever to reach the docks and the tired old pub that hung at the edge of the harbor. The door creaked on rusty hinges as he pushed it open, praying that his friend would be there.

"Where in the name of Neptune’s knickers have you been?” Said a voice from behind.

He let out a relived breath and turned around. Thank goodness he was here.

The boy with the wavy red hair was known to most of the townsfolk as ‘The Captain’, a pet name given to him by the patrons of the little harbor pub where he did his best to help his mother wait tables. He shoved both hands on his hips and did his best to look put out. “I’ve been throwing rocks at your window for a week. I was about ready to storm the house and break you out. I even had the gunpowder ready and all."

“I was grounded.” The boy with the scarf explained hurriedly. “I don’t have much time. I have to tell—“

"Ah. Grounded. I’ve heard of it before. Sounds dreadful. So how was Kingdom Come?"

The younger boy looked puzzled.

"You remember. After our our Adventure With the Fireworks your father said if he ever saw you near me again he would tan your hide from here to Kingdom Come. I’m beginning to think he’s not particularly fond of me. Was it a good trip?"

The scarf-wearing boy rolled his eyes and sighed. "Not particularly. But listen--"

"Pity." And with that he instantly changed subjects. "Now I was thinking if we could borrow Mrs. Miller's cat, a bottle of cod liver oil and your mother's dressing gown--"

"I can't." The boy with the Scarf said quietly.

"Well, if not your mother's dressing gown we could do with your father's underpants. You see--"

“I’m going away.” The boy with the scarf interrupted he had to explain before he ran out of time.

"Well, be back before next Wednesday." The Captain said, completely unconcerned. "The fellow who owns the Flownder Inn is due to shave his beard and you can't miss that."

"I'm not coming back.”

The young redhead stiffened, eyeing his friend suspiciously as if not quite sure he was being serious. "You can give people indigestion by saying things like that."

"My father's sending me to boarding school. I tried to talk him out of it. But after what happened he wouldn’t listen to me.” For years his parents would warn him to watch his friends. ‘Play with the nice boys’ they would say. ‘And stay away from that mongrel son of a barmaid’. His cousin may have been the part of the family that no one ever claimed but he was the most adventurous person the boy with the scarf had ever seen and from the moment they met they had been the best of friends. They had tried to keep their escapades low whenever the scarf-wearing boy’s father was home on leave. But this time they had been careless and it had ended in disaster. Father had discovered their long-time friendship and had taken immediate and drastic measures.

The Captain blinked. "Boarding school? You mean that terminally boring place where they teach you to be a gentleman or some such nonsense?"

The boy with the Scarf nodded slowly.

"Well we can't let you endure that! I heard of a lad who went to boarding school once and came out a lawyer! I hear they don’t even have ham there!" The Captain grabbed his friend by the scarf and started for the harbor. "We'll stow away on one of the ships and become pirates. They'll never find you!"

The boy with the Scarf dug his feet in and held his ground causing the Captain to be yanked back. "I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" The Captain shoved his hands on his hips, clearly not taking his friend's refusal seriously. "You don't want to be turned into a plucked popinjay do you? Come on!"

The boy pulled his scarf back. "I...I just can't." He swallowed hard as his throat tightened he felt as if he were being torn in two. “Please understand.”

The young Captain looked as if he had been slapped. The gravity of the situation finally began to sink in. "You're not really going to leave?” After a long moment of silence his ginger eyebrows lowered accusingly. “You’re doing that tiresome ‘responsible’ thing again aren’t you? Now listen here, you can’t go.” His voice quickly became pleading. “There’s far too many important adventures we haven’t had yet! Maybe your father would change his mind if we gave him a big ham!”

The younger boy sighed and shook his head at his friend’s last-ditch suggestion. “As vital as it is…ham doesn’t solve everything.” He turned sharply as a voice called him from somewhere down the street. “It’s father. He must have the carriage ready. I’m sorry. I have to go. I will miss you.” He held out a hand and gave his friend a teary smile.

The Captain could feel something hot coming into his eyes and his chest tightened. He slapped the younger boy’s had away. “Traitor! If I had a real live ship I’d throw you overboard into a school of guppies!”

The boy with the scarf backed up a step, startled at the sudden anger. His father’s voice called again. He couldn’t leave now. Not with the Captain like this. But his father called again and he turned and ran.

The Captain continued shouting as the younger boy disappeared around the corner. “And you’d be nibbled to death and live the rest of your life inside a thousand little fish! Which is not fun!” Soon he found himself standing in the middle of the street shouting at no one. “Some crew you turned out to be! Defector! Sea slug! SISSY!” He kicked at the pub’s rain barrel as hard as he could and threw a discarded whisky bottle at the street where it exploded, scattering broken glass in all directions. He let out a distressed sob and leaned heavily against the pub wall.

He had lost his only friend. Sure a few of the pub’s customers were friendly to him, and he had his mother. But it wasn’t the same. Who would he go on adventures with? Who would sit on the old dock with him eating ham sandwiches and watching the boats come in? Who was going to be his first mate when he got a ship of his own? Who was he going to…talk to?

His head snapped up at the sound of a carriage in the distance. And he ran. His ragged boots pounded the cobblestones and his patched red jacket waved behind him as he flew through the streets, barely noticing the horse he sent rearing or the gentleman he toppled over as he rounded a corner. He reached the edge of town and kept running, his feet finding the one road that lead inland. At the top of a rise he staggered to a stop.

The carriage clip-clopped away at a swift pace. He would never catch it.

The boy with the scarf turned in his seat, looking over his shoulder and their eyes met for one brief moment. Then the carriage turned a corner and was gone.

~~

It seems to me that Scarf and the Captain have known each other for a very long time.
My theory is they were friends as boys and while still fairly young were seperated. They met again after the Captain has become a pirate and Scarf is in the Navy.

Here's the story that comes before this one: [link]

Description
The boy with the Scarf hurried down the cobblestone street, looking over his shoulder now and then hoping his father hadn’t seen him slip away. He couldn’t be gone for long or he would be missed. It seemed to take forever to reach the docks and the tired old pub that hung at the edge of the harbor. The door creaked on rusty hinges as he pushed it open, praying that his friend would be there.

"Where in the name of Neptune’s knickers have you been?” Said a voice from behind.

He let out a relived breath and turned around. Thank goodness he was here.

The boy with the wavy red hair was known to most of the townsfolk as ‘The Captain’, a pet name given to him by the patrons of the little harbor pub where he did his best to help his mother wait tables. He shoved both hands on his hips and did his best to look put out. “I’ve been throwing rocks at your window for a week. I was about ready to storm the house and break you out. I even had the gunpowder ready and all."

“I was grounded.” The boy with the scarf explained hurriedly. “I don’t have much time. I have to tell—“

"Ah. Grounded. I’ve heard of it before. Sounds dreadful. So how was Kingdom Come?"

The younger boy looked puzzled.

"You remember. After our our Adventure With the Fireworks your father said if he ever saw you near me again he would tan your hide from here to Kingdom Come. I’m beginning to think he’s not particularly fond of me. Was it a good trip?"

The scarf-wearing boy rolled his eyes and sighed. "Not particularly. But listen--"

"Pity." And with that he instantly changed subjects. "Now I was thinking if we could borrow Mrs. Miller's cat, a bottle of cod liver oil and your mother's dressing gown--"

"I can't." The boy with the Scarf said quietly.

"Well, if not your mother's dressing gown we could do with your father's underpants. You see--"

“I’m going away.” The boy with the scarf interrupted he had to explain before he ran out of time.

"Well, be back before next Wednesday." The Captain said, completely unconcerned. "The fellow who owns the Flownder Inn is due to shave his beard and you can't miss that."

"I'm not coming back.”

The young redhead stiffened, eyeing his friend suspiciously as if not quite sure he was being serious. "You can give people indigestion by saying things like that."

"My father's sending me to boarding school. I tried to talk him out of it. But after what happened he wouldn’t listen to me.” For years his parents would warn him to watch his friends. ‘Play with the nice boys’ they would say. ‘And stay away from that mongrel son of a barmaid’. His cousin may have been the part of the family that no one ever claimed but he was the most adventurous person the boy with the scarf had ever seen and from the moment they met they had been the best of friends. They had tried to keep their escapades low whenever the scarf-wearing boy’s father was home on leave. But this time they had been careless and it had ended in disaster. Father had discovered their long-time friendship and had taken immediate and drastic measures.

The Captain blinked. "Boarding school? You mean that terminally boring place where they teach you to be a gentleman or some such nonsense?"

The boy with the Scarf nodded slowly.

"Well we can't let you endure that! I heard of a lad who went to boarding school once and came out a lawyer! I hear they don’t even have ham there!" The Captain grabbed his friend by the scarf and started for the harbor. "We'll stow away on one of the ships and become pirates. They'll never find you!"

The boy with the Scarf dug his feet in and held his ground causing the Captain to be yanked back. "I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" The Captain shoved his hands on his hips, clearly not taking his friend's refusal seriously. "You don't want to be turned into a plucked popinjay do you? Come on!"

The boy pulled his scarf back. "I...I just can't." He swallowed hard as his throat tightened he felt as if he were being torn in two. “Please understand.”

The young Captain looked as if he had been slapped. The gravity of the situation finally began to sink in. "You're not really going to leave?” After a long moment of silence his ginger eyebrows lowered accusingly. “You’re doing that tiresome ‘responsible’ thing again aren’t you? Now listen here, you can’t go.” His voice quickly became pleading. “There’s far too many important adventures we haven’t had yet! Maybe your father would change his mind if we gave him a big ham!”

The younger boy sighed and shook his head at his friend’s last-ditch suggestion. “As vital as it is…ham doesn’t solve everything.” He turned sharply as a voice called him from somewhere down the street. “It’s father. He must have the carriage ready. I’m sorry. I have to go. I will miss you.” He held out a hand and gave his friend a teary smile.

The Captain could feel something hot coming into his eyes and his chest tightened. He slapped the younger boy’s had away. “Traitor! If I had a real live ship I’d throw you overboard into a school of guppies!”

The boy with the scarf backed up a step, startled at the sudden anger. His father’s voice called again. He couldn’t leave now. Not with the Captain like this. But his father called again and he turned and ran.

The Captain continued shouting as the younger boy disappeared around the corner. “And you’d be nibbled to death and live the rest of your life inside a thousand little fish! Which is not fun!” Soon he found himself standing in the middle of the street shouting at no one. “Some crew you turned out to be! Defector! Sea slug! SISSY!” He kicked at the pub’s rain barrel as hard as he could and threw a discarded whisky bottle at the street where it exploded, scattering broken glass in all directions. He let out a distressed sob and leaned heavily against the pub wall.

He had lost his only friend. Sure a few of the pub’s customers were friendly to him, and he had his mother. But it wasn’t the same. Who would he go on adventures with? Who would sit on the old dock with him eating ham sandwiches and watching the boats come in? Who was going to be his first mate when he got a ship of his own? Who was he going to…talk to?

His head snapped up at the sound of a carriage in the distance. And he ran. His ragged boots pounded the cobblestones and his patched red jacket waved behind him as he flew through the streets, barely noticing the horse he sent rearing or the gentleman he toppled over as he rounded a corner. He reached the edge of town and kept running, his feet finding the one road that lead inland. At the top of a rise he staggered to a stop.

The carriage clip-clopped away at a swift pace. He would never catch it.

The boy with the scarf turned in his seat, looking over his shoulder and their eyes met for one brief moment. Then the carriage turned a corner and was gone.

~~

It seems to me that Scarf and the Captain have known each other for a very long time.
My theory is they were friends as boys and while still fairly young were seperated. They met again after the Captain has become a pirate and Scarf is in the Navy.

Here's the story that comes before this one: [link]