Ahab's Daughter

by Ron Vitale

  At midship, a man stood by the railing with smoke streaming from his mouth. Nathan stopped his approach and clenched his jaw, unsure of what he saw. Visions of fire demons and creatures swirled in his imagination until the man raised his right arm and inhaled from a pipe. In the dark, the white smoke wafted toward him, and he caught the fragrance of tobacco. Still he could see no sign of Pahukumaa or Zeke, so he walked on toward the man smoking the pipe.

  “Hallo.” The older man greeted him in his low voice, and Nathan recognized him as Roderick.

  “I’m having trouble sleeping and thought I’d come up to see the beautiful sky.” Nathan glanced up and spied the constellation Cassiopeia that resembled a large W splayed across the heavens.

  Pointing up with his lit pipe, Roderick said, “The moon is about to rise, and you won’t have much time left to enjoy all the stars. Its light will wash a lot of them away. Best to enjoy it while you can.”

  “Is the moon full tonight?” Nathan knew the answer, but being so late in the night, his conversational skills left much to be desired.

  “Yes, it’s the first of a blue moon this month. We’ll have tonight’s full moon and then a second one late this month.” Taking a drag on the pipe, Nathan caught a glimpse of the lit tobacco in the pipe. The fiery red circle increased in brightness for a moment and then faded as Roderick exhaled.

  “I do not think I have ever seen so many stars at once. Even back at home, our dark skies had trees that would obstruct the horizon. We almost seem to be floating in the sky.” Nathan tilted his head back and then followed the sky all the way to the far horizon. The immensity of all the stars impressed him to silence.

  And, as if on cue, he noticed a fat, off-white globe appear on the eastern horizon. Nathan turned his head toward the rising moon and watched it in silence, wondering if its rays could hold the magic that could transform Pahukumaa into the sea beast that he and Zeke sought. Together, standing side by side, Nathan and Roderick watched the moon rise. At first, a tiny spot on the water turned an odd orange shade, and then the tip of the moon rose up out of the water, casting its light across the ocean toward them.

  “Almost looks like a waterfall of light, doesn’t it?” Roderick leaned heavy on a wooden railing, staring out at the moon.

  “You said it would be a blue moon later this month. Will it really look blue?” Nathan asked, but glanced toward the bow of the ship, searching still for Pahukumaa and Zeke.

  Roderick laughed, shaking his head. “It’s only called a blue moon in jest since it happens so infrequently. It won’t change color.” He pointed out across the sea with his pipe. The white smoke streamed out of it, and a light breeze drew it off like magic. “The orange color is something I’ve seen from time to time. Doesn’t happen often, but I’ve been told it’s from the dust that’s in the air. The light travels through and reflects off the particles high up in the sky. When the moon is higher, it’ll look its normal color.”

  More than a third of the moon had risen up, seemingly out of the water on the horizon. “But it looks so big and fat. It’s huge!” Nathan could see the pockmarks on the moon, and he lost his train of thought. The silence between the two of them stretched out over the seconds until Nathan turned away and followed the light on the sea. It came toward the ship and appeared to intersect with it, bathing the ship in its light. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so beautiful before.”

  Roderick remained quiet, staring out at the horizon. Already the moon’s color had started to change with the top portion becoming more eggshell white. “Looks like the moon is already changing. Watching her whole face rise up out of the ocean isn’t something you see every day. It’s a sight to behold.” He took a drag on his pipe, held the smoke within his lungs for a bit and then exhaled slowly, streaming the smoke out into the night.

  Nathan closed his eyes and listened for a moment to the sound of the waves lapping gently against the boat as the wind propelled it through the ocean. And the light ruffling of the sails calmed him. The moon had risen up in all its beauty, full and true, but there had been no creature that attacked them. When Nathan mulled over the thoughts through his head, he could now admit how stupid the idea seemed.

  “What are you two looking at?” Pahukumaa came up behind them and leaned on the railing next to Nathan. He pretended for a moment to block the moon out with his outstretched hand. “Look, I can catch the moon.”

  Roderick chuckled and shook his head. “We’re only enjoying nature’s beauty. And she put on a good show for us tonight.”

  Nathan watched Pahukuma’s face and hands and checked him out, worried initially that he would spring forth as a creature ruled by the moon. But no such change occurred as the three of them stood there watching the sky.

  “I’m going to go back to bed. I just came out for a quick stroll and to see the beautiful stars. Now that the moon has risen, its light has already started to wash out most of the sky.” Pahukumaa waved to the two of them and headed back down below deck.

  Nathan stayed a bit longer until the moon rose far up off the water and its light almost hurt to stare at its brightness. “I think I’ll head back to bed as well. I had my fill of the night sky. I need my rest if I want to do some more whale sighting for us.”

  “Goodnight and I hope you get some rest. At my age, once I’m up, I have a difficult time going back to sleep. It’s easier for me to stay awake.” Roderick finished his pipe and then tipped out the remaining bits of tobacco into the ocean.

  Nathan waved and headed back down to his quarters. When he arrived, he was surprised to see Zeke asleep in his hammock and Pahukumaa resting peacefully with his eyes closed. Settling himself back into his hammock, the makeshift bed creaked as he shifted his weight into a comfortable position and he rocked back and forth with his eyes closed, listening to Josep’s snores that still had not changed in their magnitude. He sighed and covered his ears with his hands and held his breath to silence all around him. Placing his fingers in his ears, he could feel the thumping of his heart as it raced. The moonlight streamed in through the port window, and he rolled over on his side, trying to block out the light and the sound of Josep’s snoring.

  The light faded as he brought himself deeper into a state of relaxation. Being a sailor on a ship of men, he had learned how to tune out those who talked in their sleep and the snores of others. Preparing to settle down into a deep sleep, Nathan allowed himself to relax, opening his mind, and the world went awash in the sound of his own heartbeat. He could hear his heartbeat slowing, relaxing as his fatigue won, and he drifted off into the night, ready to give himself over to sleep.

  A call from deep within the ship broke his calm. Low and deep at first, the sound rose up strong into the night and then washed itself over him like water. He opened his eyes and sat up in his hammock. Josep still snored, and Zeke and Pahukumaa were both asleep, but he knew he had heard the sound. He placed his right foot down on the deck to stop him swaying, and then again the sound rose up through the bowels of the ship, and he knew the creature had returned. The great monster swam underneath the ship and bellowed its call through the very wooden frame. All could hear its call. How could they not?

  Nathan jumped out of his hammock and threw himself at Zeke. He shook the older man awake. “Wake up, wake up!”

  Zeke came to quickly and sat up. “There’s nothing to worry about. I followed Pahukumaa, and he didn’t change, so I went to sleep…”

  The whale call reverberated through Nathan’s skull, and its piercing call shook him to his core. “Do you hear that? Listen…”

  He held Zeke’s hammock still and pointed at the deck below, imagining the huge beast coming up from the depths, mouth wide-open, ready to swallow the ship whole. Zeke sat up and listened, head turned toward the deck, and remained calm. “I don’t hear anything. Describe it to me.”

  Nathan closed his eyes and leaned over to put the palm of his hand on the deck. The noise rose up again, washing over him. “It’s so loud. I cannot
believe that you cannot hear it.”

  Zeke shook his head and watched Nathan’s face in the moonlight. Sweat had formed on the brow of the young man’s head, and a look of dread descended on him. “What do you hear? Tell me!”

  Nathan shook in fear and held tight onto Zeke’s hammock. “It’s like a whale, but louder, and there’s this anger to it that is subtly underneath like a crash of thunder that’s about to break overhead.”

  “I don’t hear anything.” Zeke placed his hand down on the ground to feel for vibrations on the deck but felt nothing. Across the small room, Josep let out another snore, but Pahukumaa remained asleep in his hammock.

  “The noise is now changing tone, it’s deeper and more guttural, almost like the sound of—” A man’s scream from up on deck broke Nathan’s concentration. He opened his eyes, and the scream grew louder, more desperate, as though he fought for his life.

  Zeke jumped out of his hammock and ran out of the small cabin headed to the upper deck. Nathan followed along and saw that both Pahukumaa and Josep still remained asleep. The screams had not wakened them, drowned out as they were by Josep’s snoring.

  Zeke reached the upper level deck first, and he ran toward the screams but could not see anything unusual up ahead. Two other sailors ran on the starboard side headed toward the bow of the ship, and Nathan watched them run past with pistols drawn. A piercing scream ahead turned into a mortal death gurgling followed by a loud splash in the water.

  “Man overboard!” A sailor rushed past Nathan pointing toward the port side.

  Someone blew a whistle and called for the ship to stop, but in the dark, even with the moon, the chances of finding anyone who had fallen overboard were slim. Zeke hung over the side of the railing and searched the bubbling deep sea that foamed up as the ship cut through the ocean.

  “Do you see who fell?” Zeke asked.

  Nathan rushed to Zeke’s side, out of breath, and stared down into the massive ocean below. “I can’t see anyone.”

  Zeke stared into the black water, searching, but found nothing. “Neither do I.”

  Nathan listened for a moment, the whale sound from the deep faded to an uneasy silence. “I don’t hear the creature any longer. It must have gotten what it wanted.”

  The two sailors joined them, and the man closest to Zeke asked, “Was it Roderick who fell over?”

  A lump rose in Nathan’s throat, but he kept quiet. Zeke kept his eyes on the sea and replied, “I didn’t see who it was who fell over.”

  “It was Roderick. I saw him smoking his pipe earlier.” The sailor shook his head sadly. “He must have had too much to drink and fell over.”

  Nathan glanced over at Zeke, making eye contact. The older man only shook his head. “Are we turning the ship around to search for him? If he’s out there, we’d be able to hear him.”

  “Captain’s turning the ship around now.” The sailor pointed and the ship slowed, turning slightly back the way they had come.

  The second sailor shook his head and sighed. “If he fell headfirst into the water, he’s gone, and we’ll never find him. Probably sunk like a rock with all that whiskey he had earlier.”

  “Didn’t you hear—” Nathan started to speak.

  “That he chortled when he fell over into the water? He must have been pretty drunk to pull that off.” Zeke gave Nathan a serious stare down, commanding him to remain quiet on what he had heard.

  “We’ll probably not be able to find his body to bring it back for his family.” The sailor pulled away from the railing. “Keep looking for him. If you see him, we’ll pull him back in.”

  “I doubt we’ll find him, but I’ll keep trying.” The second sailor waved the first off and kept his eyes focused on the water below.

  Nathan leaned back from the railing and turned to Zeke. “We’ll never find him. He’s gone. Gone forever.”

  The finality of his words settled on them like a curse that pulled him down with them until the only way to move forward was to accept the truth no matter how hard it was to swallow. Nathan pulled himself away and looked up at the fat moon in the sky, listening for a telltale sign of the truth but now only hearing the water as the ship cut through it.

  ***

  Ishmael stood by my side and made eye contact with me, but I did not know how I would answer the question.

  Levi, the first mate of the Jeroboam, smashed his hand down on the desk in front of us. “I’ll ask you again. Where were you headed?”

  The two sailors who had brought us over to the Jeroboam kept their pistols pointed at us. Ishmael spoke and garnered their attention. “We were out on a whaling voyage looking to bring back a good haul to port. Captain Amos planned on our being out on the ocean for four to six months, stopping in port when needed. I have no more information than that.”

  Their first mate leaned forward on the desk in front of him an imposing figure. Tall, but of solid build, he had a shaggy head of blond hair with tattoos covering both his arms and right shoulder. A skull tattoo on his neck completed the art on his skin. “I want that map to the island. I know you have it, and if you don’t tell me where you hid it, I’ll be sure to find other ways to get you both to talk.”

  Nodding to the two sailors, they grabbed Ishmael and forced him against a wall. Levi lifted up a heavy wooden baton from the table and weighed it in the palm of his hand.

  “I’m not going to ask you again. Tell me where the map is!” He smashed the wooden baton down on the table and I jumped.

  Clarence came into the room with an air of authority. “Sir, may I speak with you?”

  Their first mate backed down and went over to the corner of the room, speaking in low tones with Clarence. I did not know how we would survive and looked to Ishmael. I went to speak, but anticipating me, he stared at me with a fierce intenseness and slowly shook his head. He was right. Now was not the time for words. Either Clarence would cover for us or we would be dead. Our choices were pretty clear though I favored neither.

  “Take them both to the brig. Looks like some new information has come to light. We’re going to get on our way, and I’ll talk with them later.” Levi dropped the baton on the desk and crossed his arms over his broad chest.

  The two sailors pulled Ishmael away, and when they led him out of the room, I turned away quickly to hide my surprise. The tattoo map on his chest was gone.

  Clarence distracted Levi again, and the two of them spoke, but I heard none of their words. The sailors dragged us down below and threw us both into the brig.

  After we were alone, I reached out and touched Ishmael’s chest. “What happened?”

  “I can’t say for sure, but a part of the island is within me. I don’t think I’ll ever be free of it.” He buttoned his shirt, covering his chest. “The map hid deep within me. It’ll come back when we need it again.”

  “Does it do that often?” I asked not sure how to broach the subject.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” Ishmael sat on a stool in the corner and closed his eyes deep in thought.

  “If Clarence rats on us, we’ll be dead.” I went to the door and then turned back to face Ishmael. “So you’re not going to tell me anything else?”

  He opened an eye and shook his head. “There are some things that should remain unsaid and be buried deep. This is one of them.”

  I kept my voice low and pointed at his chest. “You speak of forgetting, but you still have the island’s mark on you. You can’t let it go no matter what you say. Why won’t you tell what you saw when you were on the island?

  He paused before he responded, and a flurry of emotions traveled across his face. Whatever the full effect of his experience there, I could not know because he bottled them up tight.

  Folding his hands before him, he said, “The land came to me. I did not find it or see it on the horizon. I floated on a shipmate’s coffin for a long time and had much to do, watching for sharks who preyed on the wounded and dead in the water. How I survived, I do not know, but I clung to
life and kicked and punched my way to survival.

  “That night, when I thought all lost, I stared up at the stars and drank in of all of nature’s beauty. The great beast, the sea, the sky, all of it came to surround me with a feeling of helplessness. Too tired to keep fighting, I surrendered myself to the soul of the world. I gave up and at my deepest despair, I suddenly felt land beneath my feet. It was as though the island had come up to meet me. Somehow the sand still felt warm to the touch, and in the darkness, I at first only saw water around me still. But I could stand on solid land.”

  “You experienced the birth of an island.” I tried to keep my enthusiasm as restrained as I could. “The rumors of such things are true though they are rare events.”

  Ishmael nodded. “Yes, I believe that is what happened. That first night, the water was to my ankles and I fell asleep on the coffin with my feet still in shallow water. But by the rising of the sun, the water had disappeared, and the coffin rested on solid ground.”

  I wanted to ask him more questions but held firm in my quest to be quiet. He had the answers I sought, and if I were patient, I could finally learn what truly happened to him, and that would help me get Nathan back home.

  “I woke to the warmth of the sun, and all around me was dry, but I did not stay there long. Out beyond the sea, I saw palm trees across the water. I realized another island was within swimming distance.” He touched his chest with his callused hand. “When I looked down at my chest, I noticed that I had the map of all those islands, along with the stars overhead, drawn on to me. I don’t know what power put the map on me, but I know that it’s a place that no woman should ever go…” His words trailed off and he shook his head. “I’ve told you enough. When we get to the island, I’ll go on land, you’ll stay on this ship, and I’ll find your brother, and we head home. That’s what we agreed to.”