Swept to Sea Read Free Page B

all. Oh well, this ship behind her had to be as good as any because she had no idea where any of the vessels were sailing anyway. It wasn't like she necessarily had a choice of which ship she was stowing away on.
    Please, God, she prayed, please let this ship be heading toward the Caribbean. If not, some place that will at least be beneficial to me.
    Eden scurried up the gangplank and landed on the wooden deck with a soft thud. She glanced around, taking in her surroundings. Stairs on either side of her led up to a higher level of the ship, called the forecastle and quarter deck, if she recalled from her brother correctly. On both sides of the main deck rested stacks of barrels, crates, and coils of thick rope. An old gray-haired sailor lounged on a barrel, chin rested on his chest, and a bottle of rum in his right hand. Besides him, no one else was in sight. She was thankful she had thought to wear boots, for she knew her flimsy silk slippers would no doubt catch on the deck’s many splinters.
    Eden tiptoed across the rough wooden deck. The full, white moon illuminated her path as the vessel wobbled over a wavelet. Stifling a startled cry, Eden stumbled and threw her hand to her mouth. As she recovered her balance, she spotted a set of stairs, or a companionway, leading down below the decks. Down was the only way to head if she did not want to be discovered by the entire crew. If not for the noise it would make, Eden would have laughed ruefully. The shrouds certainly were not the place for her to go. Please, Lord, do not let them find me down here. She silently pleaded with God, hoping He would see past the times when she had not called upon His name first.
    Taking a deep breath, she climbed down the steep set of stairs. These led her to another hallway which led to even more stairs. She passed a door. A crack of light escaped from underneath, and the foul stench of urine and rotten food emanated from within. Some deep snores met her ears, but she also heard raucous laughter and shouts. How could some of the men be sleeping through noises like that?
    A terrifying thought occurred to her. Had she boarded a pirate ship? No, surely it was common for sailors to get into a simple brawl now and then. She had probably just arrived during one.
    Eden hurried down another flight of rickety stairs into a section of the ship that was dark and eerily quiet compared to the level above. Good. Although it sent a shiver crawling down her spine, dark and quiet were exactly what she needed to avoid being seen or heard. Her reticule dropped out of her hands, sending her coins clattering to the floor. She quickly gathered its contents and took in her surroundings. A wooden hatch in the floor revealed a ladder that did not look particularly sturdy. She gingerly placed her weight on it, calculating where to step and how hard, terrified it would break and send her plummeting into the bowels of the ship. When she decided the rickety ladder was as safe as anything she would find here, she descended down to what must be the deepest level of the ship. The odor of fish and filth assaulted her nose, and she tried to breathe through only her mouth, but to no avail. There had been unpleasant odors everywhere on the ship, but here she literally could taste the foul stench of it. Black, sludgy bilge clawed up to her ankles, dirtying her clunky boots. Everywhere she looked, nothing but thick darkness met her eyes.
    Should she soil her clothes and sit in the murky bilge? She could sit atop one of the many wooden crates lining one side of the huge room. But what if some brave person ventured all the way down here? Not that it was likely someone would go down to this horrible-smelling hold. What sane person without fear for their life would want to?
    She decided against the risk of discovery and crept behind some of the crates, braving the slimy substance that covered most of the floor. The dark shadows seemed to swallow her completely, and the chill seeped far