The Atlantic Via Bathtub CH 2

'That's your boat?' asked John in bewilderment.1

'Aye, that's her, beauty ain't she?' said Pete, pride radiating his voice, 'Bootle, the best tub on the seas.'2

John stared in horror at what he saw. It was a bathtub. Albeit a large one, at about 4 metres long, and 1.5 wide. It was quite frankly a huge bathtub, but a bathtub nonetheless. 'How are we going to cross the Atlantic ocean in that? It'll sink!'3

'Sink? Naw, it's never sunk yet. She's a good ship.' His smile of pride steadily growing.4

'But, but, that's not a ship! It's tiny, it doesn't even have a cabin, no covering, if it rains, or you get hit my a wave it'd be flooded!'5

Pete stared at the tub, then a John, then back to the tub, and then for good measure back at John. 'Ya know, I think you has a point. But, that's why it's got a plug you sees? When it gets filled with water, you just pull the plug and out it all goes. Clever ain't it?' 6

John stared at him in disbelief. 'That's crazy! You can't pull the plug and let the water out like that! It wouldn't work.'7

'Yeah it does, when you pulls a plug out of a bath when it's in a house the water goes out, same here.'8

'It doesn't work like that!' John yelled, now getting rather exasperated.9

Pete stared at him, then shook his head sadly. 'Kids these days, thinks they knows everythin'.' He sighed, then continued, 'Well, do you want to come or not?'10

John chewed his lip as he stood staring at the tub. It was a very nice tub he had to admit, it's fancy scrollwork round the sides, the well shaped sides, looked like it'd be nice to have a bath in. He sighed. 'Alright, I'll come.'11

'Ah-ha, that's the spirit lad! It'll be fun, real fun.' He grinned heartily and slapped John on the back before clambering down into the waiting tub. 12

John somewhat reluctantly followed suit, and soon found him self standing in the middle of the tub. He looked around in surprise. 'this is huge, it's, it's, it's grown! It wasn't this big when up there!' 13

Pete stared around him. 'It wasn't? Oh, well, things always look smaller from a distant.' 14

'No, I mean, this looks a dozen times the size!' It was true, it now looked about 4 metres wide, and a 10 long. And had a cabin one end.15

'Maybe the docks is real high?' suggested Pete cheerfully. Not in the slightest put out by the fact that the tub had grown somewhat. 'Anyway, we best be off now. So would you be so kind as to cast of first matey!' 16

'Umm... Yeah. Right... Cast off.' John looked around, still somewhat bewildered, for the rope to cast off. He spotted it, near the bow, he plodded forward, somewhat carefully, due to the tub rocking, and he wasn't entirely sure that it wouldn't suddenly shrink and he'd find himself no longer in the tub, but in the water. But, to said tub's credit, it didn't shrink, and John made it to the rope with out incident. Though he did almost slip over on a banana peal, but that's another story. He untied the rope from the pillar to which it had been attached, and looped it up and shoved it in a convenient looking shelf in the side of the tub. He then shoved off from the the pillar, sending the tub clear of it.17

'Aye, yer gettin' tha swing of this real quite lad, you'll make a good first mate methinks.' Pete then ducked his head back into the cabin in which he had been standing, which was also new to the tub since they had boarded. Soon there was a bang, a series of unhealthy sounding putt putts, a curse, a thud, sounding very much like a spanner hitting metal, then a much healthier, and steady series of putt putts. Pete's head popped out of the cabin. 'There we go, all she needs is a boot in the right place and she's as right as rain.' He climbed out of the cabin, and stood in front of the helm, which was also a new edition to the tub. 18

John stared at it puzzled, things kept popping up here, he couldn't make sense of it. They weren't there last he looked, but he couldn't remember when they weren't there. He shook his head and sighed. 'Umm, do you think I could go below, I need a rest, the stress is making me tired.' 19

'Sure thing, there's a bunk you can use. And I put the kettle on, so you can have a nice hot cuppa tea if ya likes.20

'Mmm, thanks,' mumbled John as he staggered toward to the cabin.21

No sooner was Bootle out of sight round the side of a ship, two men came and stood where the bathtub had been moments before.22

'No sign of the kid anywhere,' said the first.23

'Yeah. Hey, Pete's gone, wonder if the old geezer had seen him.'24

'Nah, doubt it, probably wouldn't remember even if he had. Crazy old sod.'25

'Mmm.' 26

They stood staring at the water for a moment in silence.27

'So, Doupree is going to kill us, 'cause we didn't find the kid,' said the second man.28

'Aye, but as he's not here right now, I figures we got awhile before he finds out.'29

'Yeah.'30

The waves lapped softly against the dock.31

'So, wanna go grab a beer?' asked the second.32

'Sure, why not.'33

11 hours later.34

Dark clouds boiled ominously on the horizon. Well the waves lapping at Bootle's side were getting larger by the minute.35

'Umm, that storm looks really nasty,' John said, a note of concern in his voice.36

'Aye, yer right lad, that it does,' agreed Pete, also looking somewhat concerned. Which John didn't like, he'd have rather Pete showed no signs of worry. 37

'So are we going to be alright in this tub?' asked John.38

Pete stared at him. 'Heck yeah, she'll go through any storm you care to throw at 'er. But, it would be a good idea to tie some stuff down.' 39

'Mmm,' mmmd John. He picked up a rope that was coiled in one of the side lockers, and commenced to tie the lose objects down. 'Do you think my parents will be alright through it?'40

'Aye, I'd think so lad, they're in a bigger tub, and they should be ahead of it enough that it doesn't get 'em,' said Pete as he shut the hatches to the cabin, and grabbed a rope to lash the tiller in place with, once the storm hit. 'I think you should head below once the storm hits lad.' 41

'Why? I want to be up here and help.'42

'No. I've got to look after ya, and I'm not gonna let you stay on deck during a storm. Besides, I can work better if I don't have to worry about you.'43

'Bu–'44

'No buts laddy. You are going below when the storm hits,' said Pete, his tone matching his words, final.45

John glowered at him a moment, before sullenly returning to lashing any lose objects down. 46

Half an hour later the storm struck. To John safe in the cabin, it didn't seem like much, the boat rocked a bit, but it seemed pretty calm. He sat on one of the two bunks and stared around him, bored. The cabin was fairly small, big enough to hold two people fairly comfortably, but no more. It had fold down table at the back, with a chest next to the wall besides it, which acted as a chair. On the other side was a stove, big enough to hold a small pan, or kettle. Both of which were in the chest on the other side, so they didn't fly around the room. The stove was off, so nothing caught fire. At the front end of the cabin was the door and the steps leading up to the deck. They were shut, but Pete stood just out side them wrestling with the helm. On the floor in front of the steps was a trap door. John wasn't sure what was under it, but he thought it must be the engine. Judging by the fact that he couldn't see it anywhere else.47

John wondered idly what the engine ran on, he couldn't recall seeing any fuel or such like. He suspected it was a steam engine of some sort, but wasn't sure...48

Oh stuff this, he thought, I've got nothing better to do, I might as well have a look. So thinking, he stood up, a move which he instantly regretted. His face said hello to the wall on the other side of the cabin. 49

'Oww! Dangit, that hurt!' he exclaimed as he rubbed his nose, which had taken rather a beating and was feeling about twice its normal side. He sat a moment on the floor, letting his noise stop throbbing.50

After it felt a bit closer to it's ordinary size, he decided to try have a look at the engine again, this time though, he crawled. A move which he was thankful for, as his face didn't say hello to anything more. But he did get slammed against the wall once. 51

Maybe this storm is worse then I thought, he mused. John reached the trapdoor, and pulled on the handle, it didn't budge. He tugged again, but it was not going to move. Frowning John stared at the trapdoor. Why wouldn't it open? It looked fairly ordinary, a piece of metal, attached with hinges to the floor at one end, and a hole cut in the other end for a handle. Nothing fancy at all. So why didn't it open? He sat back and stared thoughtfully off into space for a moment.52

His face lit up, ah-hah! John saw it, a small indent in the wooden planking by the handle. Leaning over it again, he pushed his thumb into the indent, in moved down slightly and there was a very faint click, almost unable to be heard above the noise of the storm, and the door popped up slightly. John stuck his fingers through the hole serving as handle, and pulled. The door came up easily.53

He whistled. 'Whoa, this is incredible,' he muttered to himself. The engine was like nothing he had ever seen before. It looked like a steam engine, but it lacked the boiler and fire that was standard with them. It looked like it was just a row of six cylinders, two thins pipes came out the top of each cylinder. They each travelled down one side of the engine, attaching to a long tube which ran length ways down the cylinders. John figured that their must be pistons or something like that inside the cylinders, and something must go through those tubes to move them up and down. But he couldn't see what, the light was to poor. But he knew something was going into the cylinders, 'cause it was vibrating, and he could hear it.54

He sat staring at it for a few minutes more before closing the trapdoor. He'd have to asked Pete about it. Till then, he'd have no clue. He returned to his bunk, crawling, he wasn't going to risk banging his nose like that again.55

Laying down on the bunk, John stared at the roof and thought, I wonder if I could get outside and help Pete? Nah, he would probably get annoyed. Despite his best efforts to stay awake, the events of the last week, packing, getting ready to move to a new home, getting left behind, and now floating across the Atlantic in a bathtub, had left him very tired. He drifted off.56

27 miles away, aboard a ship holding a couple of rather forgetful parents, the ships captain, Captain Doupree turns to his first mate. 'The storm is getting closer, fast, I think it might just pass behind us, but just in case, get everyone indoors, and make sure everything is secure.'57

'Yes Cap'n.' The man turned his heel and strode out of the bridge.58

In a cabin on the same ship. Douglas sits on his bunk with his arm around Mary's shoulder. Her calm demure had broken and she had been weeping uncontrollably for the last two hours. Douglas didn't feel to great either, but he had to remain strong for Mary, if he broke down to, who knows where it would end. So he sat there silently, just rocking back and forth, offering comfort with his presence. 59

There was a quite knock on the door. Douglas carefully got up, and went to the door, he opened it a crack. 'Yes?' 60

'Sorry to disturb you sir, but the captain wants everything secured, just incase the storm hits.'61

'Thank you.' Douglas shut the door as the steward left.62

'Who was that?' asked Mary, her voice now somewhat steadier then it had been for awhile.63

'Douglas turn, she was sitting on the bed, delicately wiping her tear stained face with her handkerchief. 'It was a steward, he says that we're to make sure everything is secure, just incase the storm hit.' 64

'Oh.' She stood up and went to put their bags away.65

Douglas stepped forward quickly and placed a hand on her shoulder. 'No you don't, you're resting, I'll take care of that,' he said as he guided her back to the bed. 66

'But I–'67

'You are resting, I'll put them away.68

Somewhat reluctantly she lay back down on the bed, and watched as he put everything loss into the bags, and shoved them below the bed, and set the netting in front of it, so they didn't slide out.69

After he finished he squatted down beside the bed which Mary lay on. 'You want something to eat? You've not eaten since you left, and you must be famished.'70

Mary smiled slightly at the concern on his face. 'You do worry about me a lot don't you?'71

Douglas rubbed his chin slowly. 'Aye, I do, and John.'72

Mary's smile faded at the mention of John's name. 73

Douglas patted her shoulder. 'Don't worry, he'll be fine, he always is.'74

Mary smiled at him. 'I know honey, I know. Now, lets go find something to eat, I'm hungry.'75

Douglas looked somewhat relieved that she hadn't started crying again. 'Mmm, I could do with a nice cup of tea to.'76

Mary shook her head. 'Is tea all you can think about at a time like this?' she asked playfully.77

Grinning he stood up, and offered his hand to her. 'Nothing will ever get in the way of me and my tea.'78

Mary laughed. 'Yes, but first, I must clean up, I must look a mess!'