Survivor: LJ Idol, Week 2
Nov. 2nd, 2020 12:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
megatronix“Now, listen here, lad. We need this whole thing swabbed today, ya hear?” I say to the young man in front of me.
“Aye, Cap’n,” he says, his voice as sincere as could be. As it always is.
“OK, so, I hear ye saying ‘aye.’ And I feel like ye mean ‘aye.’ But I really, REALLY need ye to work with me here. This ship’s a team effort here, son. Savvy?”
“Aye! It is! Yes, Madame Captain, I’ll do my best!”
“Ok. Because... I mean, last time, I asked ye, and yet, the deck still looked dull as my ol’ Auntie Edith, bless her heart. That is, i' t’weren’t clean at all, if you recollect...” I say. I put my leg upon the wooden crate next to me and lean in against the sway of the boat as it bobs over the waves.
The young lad looks down at his boots. Then his soft brown eyes dare to look up, to meet my own. “Aye, Captain. ‘Tis true. This time, I promise. Naught can stop me!”
“That’s the spirit!” I say with a grin and clap the boy on the shoulder heartily.
The lad beams at me.
“Right, then. I’ll be below deck, fussing with my maps, and doing other such captainly pursuits. You, though? You’re in charge of swabbing this deck.” I grab the mop handle, and thrust it forth.
He takes it into his hand and beams at me. “Aye-aye, Cap’n!”
“That’s a good lad!” I say and pat his shoulder once more before retreating down the narrow staircase to the quarters below.
After a time, I hear scuffling and scrambling overhead. I look at the hourglass I’d set, and the last grain of sand tumbles down. More scrambling overhead. A light crack in the air, and something scratch-scurries its way across the ceiling. Whatever that is on the deck, it is most certainly NOT the sound of steady moppin’ and tidyin’!
I march away from the table. I can feel my face muscles pull into a scowl as I stomp up the steps. “What in Neptune’s great kingdom is going on up here?!” I shout.
“Captain! I’m sorry!” says the lad as he runs over, holdin’ his hat to his head with one hand, other hand flappin’ as he tries to stay upright, slippin’ and slidin’ all the way over to me.
I take stock o’ the ship. There’s dots an’ streaks of black sludge slathered all over the deck, astern to bow. My jaw drops. I gesticulate wildly with my hands, while only sputtering noises escape me.
He cowers. “I- ... I... I don’t rightly know what happened, Madame Captain, sir. It’s... It’s the oddest thing. These kittens. They just... appeared!”
I stare at him, deadpan. “Kittens.”
“Aye, Captain! I know, it sounds crazy, but-”
I cut him off by holding a hand up.
He quietly holds his hat in his hands and trembles.
“This is a right mess. It’s worse than when I left ye! I’m so far past the line of cross I can’t even be seein’ it no more, and I don’t need any fibs about KITTENS.”
“I swear it, Madame Captain!” he cries.
As he speaks, a kind of crack sounds in the distance. A black speck appears in the sky. What is that? A bird? It grows before me eyes! It’s a right large crow, flying straight at us. I duck, but it’s too late. The bird smacks right into my chest. And I feel a pain like I been hammered with a club of sharp nails!
“Mew,” the crow says.
“This is no crow,” I say, pulling the clump away from me, eyeing the teensy cutlasses at the end of its wee paws. I drop it on the deck, where it skitter-scrambles away. “WHY is there a KITTEN covered in TAR on my SHIP?!” I screech.
“This is what I’m sayin’, I don’t understand it, I started moppin’, and next thing I know, these landed, and I been trying to grab ‘em, and there’s not just one, Cap’n, there’s loads...”
“Stop! STOP! Lemme think and stop runnin’ yer mouth, lad!”
Another crack sounds in the air.
“Cap’n, watch out!” the lad cries.
I duck again, and another mass of black hits the deck with a squelch, then gives a tiny, happy, “mew,” and that mass scrambles off too. “Huh, they do just land on their feet,” I mutter.
The lad chases after it.
“STOP chasing them!” I command.
“But I’ve almost got them! I can'na' stop now, Cap’n!” he shouts, not even looking back once. He runs straight through the tar, dragging it across the deck, eyes glued to the newest kitten.
“Mew!” I hear from the left. Another, “MEW!” answers in response on my right.
I glower into the distance, and on the horizon, I see it. The outline of... well, of something headed straight for us. It comes closer and closer, at great speed, and as it does, I see a mess o’ mirrors wound up in knotted rope hanging from the mast. Both masts. Wait. Each of three masts?! What am I even lookin’ at here?
Bright colored ribbons of various lengths whip wildly in the wind. A cannon on this odd skipper makes a crack in the air, and suddenly – SPLICK. “Mew!” the black blob announces happily. And that one scuttles off, too. “Mew! Mew! Mew!” the kittens cry, echoes coming from every direction as they sprint around the ship.
I ROAR with all my might – “STOPPPPP!” but it is no use.
“Aah!” I cry and cover my eyes, as the glare of one of the incoming ship’s mirrors throws sunbeams directly into my face. “CURSES!” I cry.
“Is that any way to greet a friend?” a deep voice bellows out. I look up again, and the ship with three masts, a sprinklin’ of mirrors, and a herd of kittens running in all directions, has pulled up just next to ours.
“FRIEND?” I ask, incredulous. “What kind of friend pelts someone with tar covered kittens?”
“Here, kitty, kitty,” cries the lad as he runs past me. *stick stick stick* His tar covered footsteps are destroying my current patience AND any spare wells I might’ve had for at least the next fortnight!
“LAD! STOP!” I cry, to no avail. He doesn’t even hear me. Sometimes I think I’d’ve tossed him overboard ages ago if he weren’t me own kin!
The tall man on the other ship chuckles to himself. “He won’t stop,” he says, and strokes his long black beard.
“Why are you doing this to us?” I ask.
“I am Captain Aydee, Hinderus Distractora, ruler of these seas. I need no reason to do as I please!” He set his hands on his hips, proud as a peacock. “You can call me Captain Aydee, H.D., if you please.”
“You... You must have a reason for launching these kittens over here, surely?” I pry.
He smiles widely at me. “I don’t always launch them from a cannon. See?” He picks up a kitten, dunks it in a bucket of tar at his feet, and tosses it toward me. It lands on the edge of the ship’s railings. “Mew!” it announces and jumps aboard.
“That doesn’t answer me question at all!”
Cap’n Aydee laughs heartily. “What? Anyway! I just do what I want. And right now, I want to do this!”
“You right bastard,” I sneer.
“I know, right?” he says, with a pompous air about him.
“GO AWAY!” I shout.
“Oh, ALL RIGHT, I will. But... I’ll be back. And you’ll never guess when. I just come and go as I please.”
“Just GO!” I shout.
He shrugs. “Fine, fine,” he says. And he calls to someone to steer the ship a different direction. Is that-? Is that a monkey at the helm?? Before I can rightly tell, the ship pulls away, and I watch him go, rainbow ribbons, shiny mirrors, and sails pointed every which way.
I shake my head. I survey the damage, then take a deep breath. I call out to the lad.
“Yes, Cap’n?” he asks. He’s holding 4 sticky kittens in his arms as he runs up to me.
“Wash these kittens. There’s a good soap should do it downstairs.”
“By myself?”
“Nay,” I say. I reach out and ruffle his hair and give him a wee smile. “I’m afraid to leave ye alone after that. Weird things like this always seem to occur around ye, lad.”
“That weird Captain guy, I maybe’ve seen him before? I reckon he follows me.”
“Aye,” I say with a nod. “Methinks ye may be right about that, lad. Come, let’s wash up these kittens.”
We scrub and wash and scrub some more, and it’s hours that go by before we’re through. But at last, the kittens are all clean, and all tuckered out. It’s time to turn in, but I don’t know that I can. Not just yet. I tell the lad to turn in while I go to the deck to throw down soapy water mixed with the ol’ deck shinin’ oil, and scrub heartily to clean up the footprints of so many kittens and one excitable lad. I do what I can under the light of the moon before heading back below deck.
I feel the ache in my bones. I make sure the young lad is tucked into his bed, soft quilt wrapped around him. His rosy cheeks and long lashes give him the look of angel. It’s been a long day. A pile of kittens sleeps soundly on the bed with him.
I sigh, and strip down to me skivvies, and crawl into me own bed. I watch the kittens, and me boy, and smile. What adventures will tomorrow bring? For now, it’s quiet, and at least I know whatever may come our way, we’ll face it, and we’ll do just fine, as long as we do it together.
“Aye, Cap’n,” he says, his voice as sincere as could be. As it always is.
“OK, so, I hear ye saying ‘aye.’ And I feel like ye mean ‘aye.’ But I really, REALLY need ye to work with me here. This ship’s a team effort here, son. Savvy?”
“Aye! It is! Yes, Madame Captain, I’ll do my best!”
“Ok. Because... I mean, last time, I asked ye, and yet, the deck still looked dull as my ol’ Auntie Edith, bless her heart. That is, i' t’weren’t clean at all, if you recollect...” I say. I put my leg upon the wooden crate next to me and lean in against the sway of the boat as it bobs over the waves.
The young lad looks down at his boots. Then his soft brown eyes dare to look up, to meet my own. “Aye, Captain. ‘Tis true. This time, I promise. Naught can stop me!”
“That’s the spirit!” I say with a grin and clap the boy on the shoulder heartily.
The lad beams at me.
“Right, then. I’ll be below deck, fussing with my maps, and doing other such captainly pursuits. You, though? You’re in charge of swabbing this deck.” I grab the mop handle, and thrust it forth.
He takes it into his hand and beams at me. “Aye-aye, Cap’n!”
“That’s a good lad!” I say and pat his shoulder once more before retreating down the narrow staircase to the quarters below.
After a time, I hear scuffling and scrambling overhead. I look at the hourglass I’d set, and the last grain of sand tumbles down. More scrambling overhead. A light crack in the air, and something scratch-scurries its way across the ceiling. Whatever that is on the deck, it is most certainly NOT the sound of steady moppin’ and tidyin’!
I march away from the table. I can feel my face muscles pull into a scowl as I stomp up the steps. “What in Neptune’s great kingdom is going on up here?!” I shout.
“Captain! I’m sorry!” says the lad as he runs over, holdin’ his hat to his head with one hand, other hand flappin’ as he tries to stay upright, slippin’ and slidin’ all the way over to me.
I take stock o’ the ship. There’s dots an’ streaks of black sludge slathered all over the deck, astern to bow. My jaw drops. I gesticulate wildly with my hands, while only sputtering noises escape me.
He cowers. “I- ... I... I don’t rightly know what happened, Madame Captain, sir. It’s... It’s the oddest thing. These kittens. They just... appeared!”
I stare at him, deadpan. “Kittens.”
“Aye, Captain! I know, it sounds crazy, but-”
I cut him off by holding a hand up.
He quietly holds his hat in his hands and trembles.
“This is a right mess. It’s worse than when I left ye! I’m so far past the line of cross I can’t even be seein’ it no more, and I don’t need any fibs about KITTENS.”
“I swear it, Madame Captain!” he cries.
As he speaks, a kind of crack sounds in the distance. A black speck appears in the sky. What is that? A bird? It grows before me eyes! It’s a right large crow, flying straight at us. I duck, but it’s too late. The bird smacks right into my chest. And I feel a pain like I been hammered with a club of sharp nails!
“Mew,” the crow says.
“This is no crow,” I say, pulling the clump away from me, eyeing the teensy cutlasses at the end of its wee paws. I drop it on the deck, where it skitter-scrambles away. “WHY is there a KITTEN covered in TAR on my SHIP?!” I screech.
“This is what I’m sayin’, I don’t understand it, I started moppin’, and next thing I know, these landed, and I been trying to grab ‘em, and there’s not just one, Cap’n, there’s loads...”
“Stop! STOP! Lemme think and stop runnin’ yer mouth, lad!”
Another crack sounds in the air.
“Cap’n, watch out!” the lad cries.
I duck again, and another mass of black hits the deck with a squelch, then gives a tiny, happy, “mew,” and that mass scrambles off too. “Huh, they do just land on their feet,” I mutter.
The lad chases after it.
“STOP chasing them!” I command.
“But I’ve almost got them! I can'na' stop now, Cap’n!” he shouts, not even looking back once. He runs straight through the tar, dragging it across the deck, eyes glued to the newest kitten.
“Mew!” I hear from the left. Another, “MEW!” answers in response on my right.
I glower into the distance, and on the horizon, I see it. The outline of... well, of something headed straight for us. It comes closer and closer, at great speed, and as it does, I see a mess o’ mirrors wound up in knotted rope hanging from the mast. Both masts. Wait. Each of three masts?! What am I even lookin’ at here?
Bright colored ribbons of various lengths whip wildly in the wind. A cannon on this odd skipper makes a crack in the air, and suddenly – SPLICK. “Mew!” the black blob announces happily. And that one scuttles off, too. “Mew! Mew! Mew!” the kittens cry, echoes coming from every direction as they sprint around the ship.
I ROAR with all my might – “STOPPPPP!” but it is no use.
“Aah!” I cry and cover my eyes, as the glare of one of the incoming ship’s mirrors throws sunbeams directly into my face. “CURSES!” I cry.
“Is that any way to greet a friend?” a deep voice bellows out. I look up again, and the ship with three masts, a sprinklin’ of mirrors, and a herd of kittens running in all directions, has pulled up just next to ours.
“FRIEND?” I ask, incredulous. “What kind of friend pelts someone with tar covered kittens?”
“Here, kitty, kitty,” cries the lad as he runs past me. *stick stick stick* His tar covered footsteps are destroying my current patience AND any spare wells I might’ve had for at least the next fortnight!
“LAD! STOP!” I cry, to no avail. He doesn’t even hear me. Sometimes I think I’d’ve tossed him overboard ages ago if he weren’t me own kin!
The tall man on the other ship chuckles to himself. “He won’t stop,” he says, and strokes his long black beard.
“Why are you doing this to us?” I ask.
“I am Captain Aydee, Hinderus Distractora, ruler of these seas. I need no reason to do as I please!” He set his hands on his hips, proud as a peacock. “You can call me Captain Aydee, H.D., if you please.”
“You... You must have a reason for launching these kittens over here, surely?” I pry.
He smiles widely at me. “I don’t always launch them from a cannon. See?” He picks up a kitten, dunks it in a bucket of tar at his feet, and tosses it toward me. It lands on the edge of the ship’s railings. “Mew!” it announces and jumps aboard.
“That doesn’t answer me question at all!”
Cap’n Aydee laughs heartily. “What? Anyway! I just do what I want. And right now, I want to do this!”
“You right bastard,” I sneer.
“I know, right?” he says, with a pompous air about him.
“GO AWAY!” I shout.
“Oh, ALL RIGHT, I will. But... I’ll be back. And you’ll never guess when. I just come and go as I please.”
“Just GO!” I shout.
He shrugs. “Fine, fine,” he says. And he calls to someone to steer the ship a different direction. Is that-? Is that a monkey at the helm?? Before I can rightly tell, the ship pulls away, and I watch him go, rainbow ribbons, shiny mirrors, and sails pointed every which way.
I shake my head. I survey the damage, then take a deep breath. I call out to the lad.
“Yes, Cap’n?” he asks. He’s holding 4 sticky kittens in his arms as he runs up to me.
“Wash these kittens. There’s a good soap should do it downstairs.”
“By myself?”
“Nay,” I say. I reach out and ruffle his hair and give him a wee smile. “I’m afraid to leave ye alone after that. Weird things like this always seem to occur around ye, lad.”
“That weird Captain guy, I maybe’ve seen him before? I reckon he follows me.”
“Aye,” I say with a nod. “Methinks ye may be right about that, lad. Come, let’s wash up these kittens.”
We scrub and wash and scrub some more, and it’s hours that go by before we’re through. But at last, the kittens are all clean, and all tuckered out. It’s time to turn in, but I don’t know that I can. Not just yet. I tell the lad to turn in while I go to the deck to throw down soapy water mixed with the ol’ deck shinin’ oil, and scrub heartily to clean up the footprints of so many kittens and one excitable lad. I do what I can under the light of the moon before heading back below deck.
I feel the ache in my bones. I make sure the young lad is tucked into his bed, soft quilt wrapped around him. His rosy cheeks and long lashes give him the look of angel. It’s been a long day. A pile of kittens sleeps soundly on the bed with him.
I sigh, and strip down to me skivvies, and crawl into me own bed. I watch the kittens, and me boy, and smile. What adventures will tomorrow bring? For now, it’s quiet, and at least I know whatever may come our way, we’ll face it, and we’ll do just fine, as long as we do it together.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-03 07:28 pm (UTC)I mean, with inattentive ADHD, this was probably what my mom was going through. And now UselessKid herself has inattentive ADHD and it's TOTALLY TOTALLY like this!! In fact, I had to read her this story just so we could have a laugh about it.
I have to say though, besides how cutely this was written and how enjoyable a read it was, I really-- from my heart-- want to say how much I appreciate that you're a parent who is trying to understand WHY your kid does what he does and that you are supportive and trying to work through this gently. My parents did not. My dad was hella country, so that meant whenever I got kittens e'rywhere, I'd get a beating. And my mom would just get so angry! She'd say I was lazy, not driven, that I wasn't trying, that I was being bad, and so on. Between the two of them, I thought I was SO stupid and worthless and not good at anything!
ADHD can be REALLY hard for young kids who see others able to handle things that feel impossible to them. I've had to learn a lot of patience with myself and am having to cast my mind back to remember what it was like for me in order to be patient with my own kid who seems like SUCH a shit show sometimes! I have to remember that sometimes, even the tiniest success is a BIG success, and that's not easy to do, even for a parent who went through ADHD (lol, is STILL going through it! I ended up sewing a pillow, organizing shoes, and trying on three new shirts in the process of JUST trying to clear off a table!) let alone for one who doesn't know what it's like and how quickly you can really become distracted and forget everything.
It takes so much patience and understanding and empathy and forgiveness to raise a person with ADHD and it can be deeply traumatizing when it's handled poorly. Look at how off track my life got and how useless I thought I was for so long! I'm still trying to recover from the effects of being routinely reacted to poorly over my ADHD!!
I'm sure you won't always get it "right"- I don't even with my own! But you're trying something that's really hard and your kid will remember. I would have remembered if my parents had done that for me. If they'd at least been trying. It'll mean a lot to your lil' sailor one day and I think it'll help him get his feet under him knowing you're a safe person to turn to for help. I can already see mine starting to turn to me when she needs it and I know our kids will have a better start at life because of the willingness to try to understand what it takes to get through a day with that sonovabitch tailing you through the high seas :>
(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-03 07:36 pm (UTC)I like that you were able to come up with something light-hearted and cute out of this prompt. Good work! :D
(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-03 07:40 pm (UTC)I love that you read it to your kid, too, haha! (UselessKid is a super funny spinoff name, btw.)
Seriously, your comment is so awesomely supportive, and I appreciate it more than I can say. I even got a bit misty eyed over here in the best possible way! *hugs*
(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-03 07:59 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-03 10:49 pm (UTC)And then you wrote this, flipped the script, made me chuckle, made me RELATE, and I just think that's fantastic. Captain ADHD is my husband, and my son has high-functioning autism with ADD, so... relatable. This works for me because you put me into your headspace, into the place where you reside, and reminded me of my own life - but with kittens. And kittens always win the day, lol.
This is a GREAT take on being dragged, and on being overwhelmed - in a light, humorous, well-told way. Thank you for this fantastic offering. ASAGA!!! :) <3
(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-03 11:00 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-04 10:27 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-04 03:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-04 05:37 pm (UTC)This is wonderful! I'm grinning from ear to ear. <3
(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-04 06:45 pm (UTC)Thank you so much, Murielle! I'm glad it made you smile!
(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-05 07:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-05 10:34 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-06 03:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-06 10:47 pm (UTC)I began to wonder if the captain was the lad's mother, especially starting with, “OK, so, I hear ye saying ‘aye.’ And I feel like ye mean ‘aye.’ But I really, REALLY need ye to work with me here.
And then this, which was wonderfully vague an parent-like:
fussing with my maps, and doing other such captainly pursuits.
With the kittens and the ship with mirrors, I wondered if the captain was dreaming. But with this,
Captain Aydee, Hinderus Distractora,
I knew exactly what was happening. And the mirrors represent all sorts of shiny "other" that is incredibly distracting compared with the desired task at hand.
"You right bastard"
Indeed, indeed.
You know, our son has ADHD, which we didn't realize until he self-diagnosed himself in college. He was always a high-energy kid, and incredibly smart, so he was able to get good grades and we would send him out to exercise to work some of that energy off. I mean, teachers asked about it again and again, but he would get bored in class (including in the gifted program) up through about middle school, and as long as he was entertained, he didn't tend to be disruptive. I.e., let him read books in class when his work is finished! Everyone will be happier!
College was when his ability to cope with the ADHD hit a wall, and it finally became clear.
But what you're describing here is a much more classic case of it, and yes-- it can be a challenge for the parent as much as for the child. Stay on task, no-- don't look over there, nothing important is happening over there! Eyes on me!
And I feel for you--especially in these pandemic home-schooling times. But you did wonderful things here, applying the prompt to this as a form of humor. ♥
(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-06 10:52 pm (UTC)I often think of him as the soul of Patience, so if he has ADHD, it sounds as if he has a might force of will to persevere anyway. :O
(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-07 12:01 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-07 12:07 am (UTC)Oh wow, that’s interesting about your son and how he figured it out in college.
Yeah things have been very challenging with my little guy. It is verrrrry much like no don’t look over there, stop talking about that other thing, math, my boy! We’re discussing math for gods’ sakes!! Lol. But also - it’s been so hard not to get angry. In a way writing this was cathartic and gives me a nice visual to think about in my brain (kittens!), when things get tough. We’re working on it!
Again thanks so much for this great comment!
(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-07 12:29 am (UTC)He was diagnosed in the mid-80s, when it was a pretty common time to be diagnosed. His mom had him retested in his teens, and he still had it, so he has been on meds ever since. Toby is SUPER bright when it comes to computers/tech/etc., but has very little patience for sitting still with reading, writing, or anything that requires relaxation. Music is our bond; it can be high-energy, so it keeps his mind busy. But between his meds (Vyvanse) and learning strategies over time (since he's now 43), he's a pretty calm person. I think my OCD/DID makes me a bit more high-strung than he is, poor guy. And he is very passive and patient, which balances out my aggressive and impatient nature. We're a good match - and when he needs calming down, I have his back, just as he has mine (and always has).
But he is still a very patient person (not always during parenting, but with work and life - he tries VERY hard not to let nine-year-old antics rile him up, but it's still a challenge, and he is working on it with kindness, fortunately), and he's been through so much with me. I may be the proactive member of our family, but he is most certainly the rock. <3
(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-07 12:48 am (UTC)