The Ascension (Book One): Toss the Dice

Chapter Eight

I soon discovered throughout our stay in Jalk that the cobblestone streets were a lot slicker than I thought they were. I discovered this the hard way. One day young Harold had challenged me to a race. I was taller than him, most definitely faster than him and had no worry for even a second that I might lose. So I accepted and soon learned that the cobblestones were a lot more slippery than I thought. I almost fell going around the first corner and I was constantly slipping and sliding over nothing. Harold beat me easily and I came sliding across the finish line on my stomach, having fallen at the top of the hill and kept sliding. Dentrow was waiting at the finish line to call the winner and he had to catch me. He started laughing as he helped me stand and wipe the dirt from the shirt and trousers. Over the next couple weeks Dentrow and Harold taught me how to walk and even run across the cobblestones while wearing the slippery landlubber shoes. I caught on quickly and was soon one of the fastest runners out of anyone who I raced. I was soon faster than even Dentrow and his older friends. One day, Mary caught us running about, me in my trousers covered in mud, and gave out an exclamatory shriek.

Mary dragged me back to Jonathan's house and dressed me in what she considered to be, 'proper clothes' and made me sit in the most uncomfortable position for the longest time. My back had to be straight so that I could balance a book on my head while sitting. For a while as I sat in that uncomfortable position, Mary tried to teach me how to do something she called embroidery. I didn't like it to much. It looked to delicate for me to try and do it. The stitches were so small and it seemed totally useless to know how to do. I asked Mary if it would help me to fix a sail and she rolled her eyes, exclaiming that, no, it wouldn't help me fix a sail. I asked her what the point in doing it was if it didn't help me to fix a sail. She simply rolled her eyes and instructed me to continue trying to make a flower on the small piece of fabric in my lap. Instead I ended up grabbing another needle and enacting a miniature battle with the two sewing tools as swords. When I later got up to go to the bathroom I discovered just how cumbersome and annoying the skirts were. I ended up ripping the fabric away at my knees to be able to walk properly. When I got back to Mary she shrieked something about unmentionables and petticoats and ushered me back to her room.

She soon had me dressed in another dress, similar to the last one although with a lot less layers. She said it was a compromise. I said I'd rather wear my trousers. She sat me down again in the annoyingly small room just to the right of the front door. She told me that if I wouldn't sit still for embroidery then she would teach me how to read. This I was suddenly interested in. I had seen the Captain, Scar and Cook write letters a couple times and I knew that Slatt knew how to read, but only a little. When she first opened her book I simply stare in astonishment. It was filled with strange wiggly lines. Some of the wiggly lines were straight and some were curved. I recognized a few circles mixed in with the wiggly lines. I was amazed when Mary began reading and within 10 minutes time she turned the page. She had read the whole two pages in 10 minutes. I watched, openmouthed as she continued to read a story to me about a lady who was kidnapped by a wicked rogue. I young street urchin that she had protected in the street one day went to rescue her and the lady fell in love with the street urchin and they got married, moving away to the countryside.

When she finished reading the story she smiled at me. I realized that the sun had gone down and it was dark outside. The torches had been lit a while ago. Dentrow, Harold and Carmine were sitting around us, listening to the story. Dentrow had brought a candle for Mary to read by when it had gotten darker.

"Did you like that story Scurry." She asked.

"Yes." I said. "I wanna read too."

"Well it has gotten dark. You should head back to your ship and go to sleep. You can change into your trousers and shirt but tomorrow when I teach you to read you'll be wearing a proper dress understand?" I nodded. If wearing one of the unbearable garments was what it took get her to teach me how to read, I would make the sacrifice. "Wonderful. When you finish changing Dentrow will walk you back. Is that alright Dentrow?"