Children's Story

Callie's New Friend (cont)
She began to smile. Callie knew where Captain Forsyth was. Someone must have upset him. May be she could solve the problem Callie turned to walk toward the side of the ship to then, make her way up the ladder to the deck.

'Come back, Callie. You could get hurt,' called her father, but she kept walking to her destination.

Landing on the deck Callie waved to her father to let him know she had made it safely. She turned to make her way across to the companion way, which led below deck. Walking along a passage way Callie followed the sound until she found the cabin of the captain.

Callie knocked on the locked door. She had tried the handle but it would not turn.

'Go away! Get off my ship!' bellowed Captain Forsyth. 'Or I'll run you through with my sword.'

Callie knocked again. She stood there waiting for Captain Forsyth to open the door. She placed her hands over her ears.

The Captain turned the key before pulling open the door cursing as he did.

'Captain! You should have your mouth washed out with soap for using such bad language where there are children.' Callie pushed her way into the cabin.

'I didn't know it was you,' Captain Forsyth pleaded his case. 'I thought you went home.'

'Well, I'm back.' Callie went on to berate him for frightening the citizens of Western Bay. They had only been doing their job. Had to search for injured sailors.

'But they didn't find any. Too many years have passed since I last set eyes on a sailor.'

Captain Forsyth stormed across his cabin to stand behind his desk. He closed the ship's log book on the desk with a loud thump. Never again would there be any more entries written on the pages. No more voyages across the seas. No more new countries to sail to. The Falcon Flyer was forever in dry dock. The tall ship would never unfurl all her sails to the winds. Would never glide over the seas.

The citizens, who had been chased away from the ship cheered when Callie approached the side of the ship to climb down the ladder. Her father was happy to see his daughter had returned unscathed.

'You are allowed to board the ship, but...you can not enter Captain Forsyth's cabin,' Callie warned her father.

Callie felt the eyes of the citizens of Western Bay staring at her as the silence grew around her.

'How do you know the name of the Captain?' asked her father.

'He...' Callie felt a hand on her arm, a reminder for her not to spill the beans. 'It's written in the ship's log book. The last entry was entered in 1822.'

The citizens went back to work unloading the cargo from the ship. No more incidents happened as they worked. People tip toed along the passage way past the cabin of the Captain. They didn't want to upset Captain Forsyth.

Wagons were brought to the beach to take the unloaded cargo to store it in a warehouse. Every one worked until the sun began to slip beyond the horizon. Exhausted bodies with weary legs, the town's citizens made their way home to rest, and sleep, before they would have to begin work again the next morning.

The people worked hard to clean the ship. Made stays to hold the ship upright, and in place. Cement was poured around the bottom to kept it from washing back into the sea on the next fierce storm. Steps were built up to a platform to help the visitors step down to the deck.

A "Do No Disturb" sign was placed on the door of the Captain's cabin. 'You enter that cabin at your own risk,' people were told, as they visited the ship.

'Can't you read?' a gruff voice echoed through the door, to reach anyone who tried to sneak into the cabin, followed by a childish giggle.

Callie and her new friend enjoyed their time together to frighten the sightseers. Out of this grew the story of the ghost who haunted the ship. People from many places visited trying to catch a glimpse of Captain Forsyth.
The End