The smell of newly printed pages, the feel of gliding paper, the door to another world–books are amazing! And guess what, it’s National Book Lovers Day! I’m so excited to celebrate with you. (:
Let’s start the party, shall we? Overview of fun:
- Outtake of Captain She 1: Her Revolution
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- Booking the Shelf
- Get a FREE short story
- Shout-out challenge and 25% off the Captain She collection by Simply Perfect
Outtake of Captain She 1: Her Revolution
My fingers searched my pocket for Mr. Franklin’s note. I pulled out the crinkled 2×4 paper.
“Could you pass me that hammer?” A gruffy voice asked.
I quickly stuffed the note into my pocket and scanned the area. Was he talking to me? I supposed. Walking forward to retrieve the hammer on the stairs, another sailor quickly grabbed the hammer and handed it to the gruffy man. So, apparently, he wasn’t talking to me.
I scurried up the steps to appear as if I didn’t misinterpret.
“Can I help?” I asked the Master under the wheel of the ship. With my father gone again and Tomas busy—and there was no way I was hanging out with Peter—why not make myself useful?
“Well, I appreciate it, my lady, but this isn’t quite the job that would suite you.”
“Then can you teach me?” I sat on my legs.
“Ahh. Well, couldn’t hurt.” The Master laughed. “Hand me that oil and cloth, would you?” He pointed to a piled of tools with a cloth and bottle next to them.
My hands felt the smooth oil and wet cloth beneath my palms. Once I handed the supplies to the Master, I wiped my shiny hands on my skirt and watched the Master soak the cloth.
“What is that for?” I asked.
“Your father made this ship with a secret delivery inside the post of the wheel. Keep the door open.” The Master stuck the cloth inside the wooden post as I held the small door. “There are pulleys on the top of this post and in the bottom of the ship. So, whatever deck you’re on, you can send an urgent message to another deck. All it needs is a little oil once and a while.” He sat up and tossed the cloth next to the bottle of oil. Under the wheel, I peeked down the chute.
“How deep does this ship go?” All I knew what that I was glad I couldn’t fit in the chute, or I’d faint, fall, and die.
“Probably over two hundred feet deep.” The Master shrugged. I shook my head and closed the secret door. “Stay there. Take this and hammer it into the wheel while I prepare these other tools.”
I grabbed the chisel he handed me and embedded it into the wheel. The bang pulsed my ears every time the hammer punched the chisel’s handle. At first, I assumed that the Master just wanted another handle on his wheel, but maybe the chisel was his secret weapon. “You guys really think outside of the box, don’t you?” The Master just smiled. “What are you working on?”
“The wheel of the ship doesn’t need much repair. So, I’m preparing some additions to the wheel.” He polished a compass. “The wheel of the ship is one of the most important parts, you know? Just think if we couldn’t direct this beast.” He shook my head and waved the compass up and down. “Never allow the controls to be out of control.”
I licked my lips. “But if the wheel is so important, why isn’t it more protected?”
The Master shrugged and stood up, holding the compass to the wheel. “Nice work.” He tested his new “handle”. A smile of satisfaction cut across my lips. “Now, next thing, we’re going to do is-.”
“Miss Rodgers.” A voice called from the main deck, a few feet below me. I took a step passed the wheel and gazed over the deck to see the owner of the voice. “Miss Rodgers, Mr. Rodgers requests your presences.” Moses.
“Coming. Thank you.” I turned back to the Master. “Thank you, Sir.”
“No, thank you, Madam.” The Master bobbed his head in a bow. With that, I scurried down the stairs to meet Moses.
“Is that your new friend?” Moses’ gaze was locked on my hand. I took the hammer with me.
Silly me.
Wrist flinging back, I lost grip on the hammer. I didn’t dare breathe. It flew onto the deck above and tumbled onto the floor with a clash. “We . . . can . . . go . . . now?”
“Yeah. Remind me not to get in a fight with you.” Moses turned and led the way through the decks below to my father.
“Ahh.” My father noticed me trekking behind Moses through the sweaty sailors. He murmured a few words to a young man next to him and then walked toward me. He quickly thanked Moses, but his eyes never left me. “Dear, I need to speak to you before the meeting.” His voice was so quiet that I wasn’t sure if I heard him right, but I knew something serious was going on when he led me through the crowd and up to my room. I stood in front of the fireplace as my dad peered out into the hall, shut the door, and faced me. “There’s not enough time.”
“You don’t trust Phillips?”
“No. Of course, I trust him. General Washington chose him. Surely, you can’t think that after he has taken you under his wing that he would betray us.” My father shook the thought off. “I don’t have enough time to protect you.” That’s when the worse idea ever came into play.
That’s where I ended my memories.
And this is where my worst nightmare began.
Boom!
The ship all most flipped upside down. Tomas and I both looked through the grime of our faces with that same dreading look. We both ran up to the main deck and leaned on the ship’s rail. Not far behind us was a British ship firing at us.
“We’re surrounded.” I realized another ship to our port, just a little bit ahead of us.
“Get back!”
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Ever wonder about nautical terms or military signals? Ever need a little inspiration for your own story? You’re in the right place! On Michala Woodruff’s Author Board, you can see things she uses in her writing and tips for writing as well as an occasional meme. (; Join the Author Board crew today and stay up-to-date with her research!
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Share this trailer with 20 of your friends/followers to receive 25% the Captain She Collection! (: One discount per person who shares to 20 different times/people. Can only use 25% off the Captain She Collection once. Discount is good thru August 31, 2024. To receive discount, contact me or Simply Perfect LLC. Thank you!
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