Dirty night. Had to send out an SXX. Water rising, ship listing, gangway blown to hell. No tin hat for me. I was sick with the rolling and shivering like blazes. Had to get a brew on to calm us down. Ask men to find blankets for the survivors. Requested assistance to get them off the bridge floor. Hoped for a mine-sweeper.
Hid in the wheelhouse for a bit until things got quieter. Kept away from the trouble. So cold, I started to rattle. Thought I’d better have a walk about. Assess the situation. See what was required and if I could be of assistance. Get the ship on an even keel and head for home.
But then I saw these kids. What the hell were they doing on the ship? A woman was trying to cheer them up and they were singing:
Oh, what a glorious thing to be
A healthy grown-up busy, busy bee
Whiling away the passing hours
Pinching all the pollen from the cauliflow’rs.
The children looked too tired for playtime. I told them they should get out. This was no place for a bunch of kiddies. But people said I should leave them alone. They didn’t know where their parents were. Perhaps we were taking them somewhere. Evacuees. That must have been it. But what a night. Two enemies. Gerry and the weather. Could do with some whale oil. Makes you smell of fish but keeps the cold out.
Soon be home, though. Have a bit of a dance with Vi and that nice sister of hers: Lily, the shy one. I always liked her. I wondered where she’d gone.