5

TRWD5

My Journal
By Harriman Nelson
5
“I suppose they have a lot to talk about,” Jiggs said as Seaview continued to be pelted with torrential downpours, hail, and heavy chop on the surface.
“Not too much further to blue water, sir,” O’Brien reported. “Then he’ll have to dive.”
“There’s no ‘have to’ about it,” I laughed. “As captain, he can keep us on the surface all the way to Scotland if he wants.”
“Heaven forbid!” Jiggs said, petting Winston who had been ordered by Lee to sit and stay with us. It didn’t hurt that I’d ordered some sausages from the galley for him.
“Prepare to dive!” Chip ordered as he slid down the topside ladder. The men on watch began to check all of their consoles, and the ‘Christmas Tree’, waiting for its last red light to change to green.
“C’mon, Skipper,” Chip muttered to himself, “move your ass.”
“Sir,” Sharkey said handing him a towel for his wet face as he helped Chip to divest himself of his foul weather gear.
Suddenly, the next to last light turned green, and we could hear the top hatch close and seal. Lee practically leapt off the middle of the ladder to the deck.
“All green?” Lee asked automatically.
“All green,” O’Brien confirmed when the last light blinked on.
“Mr. Morton, dive the boat.”
“Dive, dive, dive!” Chip ordered, the klaxon blaring, as Lee stepped up onto the periscope island, barely managing to keep himself from slipping and falling from the boots on his wader like garb. Fortunately, O’Brien had already pressed the button to raise the periscope, the handles of which Lee had managed to grab. Sharkey handed him a towel to dry the now wet handles, and of course his face, as Lee pulled his hood back.

Despite the spectacular view from the view ports as Seaview began to dive, Jiggs had Sparks split the monitor screen to the periscope cam, and of course, the current news broadcast, which was about us.

“…And there she goes into the depths,” the reporter in was saying, “sorry about the poor visibility.”
“…The Nelson Crane Institute of Marine Research has no comment about the impromptu expedition,” the anchor at the news desk said, “but Mrs. Crane, at the White House did…”
“…Well,” Mrs. C. was saying, “I think it’s rather foolish, but Lee was with the institute and Seaview for so long, I guess he just absorbed all that scientific mumbo jumbo and couldn’t help himself.”
“…I think it’s an utter waste of time,” President Abernathy, sitting next to her, added.

“Down scope,” Lee ordered. Sharkey lent a hand as Lee stepped down from the island, and helped him to divest himself of his cumbersome gear.
“Take her down to two hundred, Chip,” Lee ordered. I’ll be in the nose.”
“Aye, sir.”

“To the prodigal’s return,” Jiggs called out, popping open the waiting bottle of champagne.
“Many happy voyages ahead, Lee,” I said, “even the silly ones.”
God, how saying that hurt as I began my ‘performance’.
“Harry, I told you…” Lee began but let it go as he joined Chip at the plot table.

“Problem in the ranks?” Jiggs asked me.
“Lee believes in the damn creature,” I said. “I don’t. End of discussion.”
“Ouch. But you’re going along on the cruise anyway.”
“Don’t get me wrong, Jiggs. I’m happy that Lee’s come home and resumed command, but I l think this kelpie business is utter nonsense.”
“You called it asinine, actually,” Lee calmly interrupted, returning, and giving Winston a pat, who ran circles around his master.
Jiggs poured out some of the bubbly into glasses for Lee, me, and Joe. A fourth waited for Chip for when he wasn’t quite so busy.
“Well, isn’t it?” I asked. “nonsense?”
“Perhaps,” Lee replied, setting the glass down without taking a sip, “but perhaps not. If you’ll both excuse me, I have some matters to attend to. Joe, if I didn’t say it before, I’ll say it again. You have the freedom of the boat. Enjoy your leave. Keep an eye on Winston?”
“You got it, bro.”
“Shouldn’t you have left Winston and Missy with your mother?” Jiggs asked.
“I had my reasons. Look, Harry, I’m sorry if we’ve gotten off on a bad start. Love me anyway?” he added, reaching down and squeezing my shoulder.
“Unconditionally. But…I really would rather we didn’t go to Scotland on this hair-brained idea of yours that a mer-horse can be in any way real.”
“Nobody thought the Giant Squid was still around, but it was.”
“Vastly different. We had fossilized evidence first.”
“Live with it the idea,” Lee said and headed up the spiral ladder.
It wasn’t long before Chip turned the conn over to O’Brien and headed aft.

Harriman,” Jiggs asked, hesitantly, “asinine? You could have called this cruise a lot of things but that was a bit harsh. He’s your business partner, your son…”
“Yes, he is, and I love him. I respect him too, but it’s one thing to enjoy reading about legends and fairy tales, quite another to waste time, effort, and money trying to prove them to be real.”

My stomach rumbled. Nerves or hunger, or the champagne I wasn’t sure. I only knew that by the next watch that my words would be all over the boat, courtesy of the men on watch.

I was sure that without a doubt, they believed I was displeased with the mission and with Lee. The fact that I’d also said I loved him wouldn’t even be noticed.

My Journal 6