Once upon a tide, in the great age of sail, a ship named The Dolphin was due to leave Sailor Town, in Liverpool. A young man, named John Robinson, stood on the quayside with his mother, bidding her farewell. This was his day as a seafarer, and, although nervous, he was excited at the thought of a life of adventure on the high seas.
The Captain was pleasant with a commanding voice, and John was amazed at how busy the crew were on deck. Every man had his role aboard ship, and John soon found himself to be the new Cabin Boy. which seemed to mean he did the bidding of everybody else.
The wind was set fair, and the great ship sailed out to the bay, and the wild Irish Sea beyond. But as the hours passed, the wind grew stronger, as it very often does on the open sea, and the ship started to pitch and roll, and John's face changed its colour from a healthy
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pink, to a grey, to a sort of green. The Captain took one look at him. "Seasickness gets us all at some lad, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise". He ordered John to go below deck to sleep it off. Gratefully, John climbed into his bunk and drifted off to sleep.
The wind grew stronger to a near gale, the waves were swamping the decks, and the crew battled to keep the ship under control. But, below in his bunk, John was already dreaming a wondrous dream, where he found himself alone at the bottom of a black mountain, with a steep path leading to a great marble doorway. He climbed the path, passed through the doorway into a pearl chamber where he saw, on a glittering throne, the most beautiful young woman he had ever seen. Her hair was like fine silver threads, and her eyes, her eyes were as blue as the great ocean.
Storyteller Cathy Roberts,
LITERALLY A BOOKSHOP.
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