The Widow Sabishane - Part III, Page 2

Holding fast to the brass handrails, the Widow hummed pleasantly as the elevator shook with speed.  It was always a quick ride to the deck but it was never a smooth one.  Only moments later the gate slid upwards and the doors slowly opened.  Bright sunlight poured into the elevator and the Widow Sabishane shouted with surprise.  "Mr. Klemmens!" she squawked.  "You've got hold of the wheel!  That's absolutely marvelous!"

 Mr. Klemmens had, in fact, been forced to jump up onto the great wooden helm in a desperate attempt to divert the Victorian houseboat from crashing headlong into a tiny island.  Which incredibly, he had just missed it by inches. "I KNOW that Sabishane!  If I would have waited for you to get here, we'd be stuck on those rocks to the East, breathing our last breath!" shouted Mr. Klemmens, as he strained to keep hold of a wheel that was twice his size.  The widow looked to her right and saw a tiny island with black beaches, a lush jungle, and a rocky outcrop that ended about a quarter mile out into the sea.  Running to the starboard side, she took a glance downward and saw that the bottom of the house was just barely scrapping against the beginnings of a long jetty.

"Oh bugger Mr. Klemmens.  You are such a worry wart." said the Widow.  The large cat twisted his face in agitation before retracting his claws from the dark wood of the helm and dropping down onto the deck.  Mr. Klemmens glared at her with disdain.  "Fine.  Have it your way!  It's not like you've ever thanked me for saving our lives countless times before either.  No need to thank me for such trivial actions is there?"  The Widow Sabishane smiled warmly at Mr. Klemmens as she bent down and ruffled his fur.  "Oh hush, I'm only joking." she said, as she reached into the pocket of her robe and produced a small dried fish.  "Not fair Sabishane." said Mr. Klemmens reproachfully, licking his lips and twitching his whiskers.  "You can't bribe me into..." but it was already too late.  As soon as the smell of fish had hit his tiny nose, Mr. Klemmens was purring like a kitten.  The old Widow giggled as she fed him, scratching behind his ears for a job well done.

Once her companion was full and they had slowed the boat enough, the Widow walked over to the ship's bow roller and tightly grabbed onto the cool chain of the Anchor rode and tossed the majority of it overboard.  Running the line with one hand, she signaled Mr. Klemmens at the helm to hold steady as she continued to let it drop.  Slowly she let the rode slip between her fingers, careful to keep pressure to the nylon line until she was sure the anchor had dug into the seabed.  When she was satisfied, she snubbed the line around the closest deck cleat and knotted it.  The Widow checked a final time for tension, just to be sure the anchor was set.  "Alright Mr. Klemmens.  Now, let's get off this rickety old thing and check out that gorgeous little island."

After he had released the mainsheet from the mast and dutifully rolled it up, Mr. Klemmens walked to the starboard side of the roof and peaked out over the edge.  Below him sitting in its mount, was a small rowboat.  Turning around casually, he walked over to a small chest that was lying on the deck against the mast with a rusty old key sticking out.  Upon reaching it Mr. Klemmens turned the key in its iron lock at the center and flipped open the lid.  Inside were the jackline and several tethers neatly rolled up into a pile.  There was also a grappling hook, a few coils of utility rope, several various old swords in their tarnished scabbards, and a flintlock pistol with a small pouch of gunpowder and ammo tied to the trigger.  Mr. Klemmens grabbed the jackline and tethers, a medium coil of rope and the grappling hook, hesitated, and then picked out an old scimitar.  "You never know." He shrugged.

The sword was sheathed in a purple scabbard and had a hilt of woven gold.  Briefly he recalled the Widow's tale of the sword, how it had been given to the late Dr. Sabishane as a parting gift from Captain Nemo of the famous Nautilus.  He smiled to himself as he placed the hilt over his left shoulder and the coil of rope over the other, crisscrossing them across his chest like a make-shift bandoleer.  With the sword resting on his back and the grappling hook hung at his side from one end of the rope, Mr. Klemmens took one end of the jackline and ran it to the bow of the boathouse, looping it around a deck cleat quickly and neatly.  Taking the other end, he ran to the stern and did the same, creating a tight and secure line of rope from the front to the rear of the boat.

Once the jackline was in place, Mr. Klemmens clipped one end of his tether to it and wrapped the other around his waist.  Then, in one quick sprint to the starboard side of the boathouse the large cat leapt up onto the wall and launched himself out over the edge.  Using his amazing feline agility, Mr. Klemmens turned midair, exposing his back to the sea.  The tether snapped taught with a loud, "THIP!"  as he kicked both of his hind legs out, straight as a board.  The force of the swing brought him flying down towards the side of the boathouse.  Wind rushed through his fur and whistled past his ears as he picked up speed, grinning like a wildcat.  Just before he smacked against the side of the house Mr. Klemmens quickly untied the tether from his waist in one deft motion, bounced off of the hull and into the rowboat below him, landing on all fours with barely a sound.

In the meantime, the Widow Sabishane had visited the kitchen, gotten a basket of supplies for their island expedition, and was now just coming back out of the elevator.  While below, the Widow had taken the time to change out of her bathrobe and into a beautiful white dress which was covered in red, pink, and purple hyacinths.  Her long white hair flew out behind her like the silken sails on the old boathouse.  The old Widow hurriedly rounded the mast and headed towards the spot where the tether disappeared over the edge.  Sticking her head out over the wooden banister she saw Mr. Klemmens below and smiled before grabbing the tether with one hand and climbing over the side.  Hand over hand she carefully lowered herself down to the rowboat, keeping the basket in the crook of her elbow.  When she was close enough she let go of the tether and landed on the deck with a soft thud.  Mr. Klemmens flashed his white teeth in a smile that brought his whiskers up and his eyelids together.  "I jumped." He said snobbishly, beaming with self-approval.  "Fantastically done I'm sure!  Now, let's begin today's adventure, shall we?" said the Widow, as she sat down and took up an oar.