The wizard's revenge 2/11

Fern put the last of her tools away and heaved a small sigh of relief. Tomorrow was to be the first day of a week's holiday. If she was careful how she dressed, she could pass for human and she planned to go round some of the local boatyards looking for a small sailing dinghy that she could use for cruising and overnight camping.

Carrying her toolbag, she wandered over to a sailing barge tied up to the boatyard quay. It had arrived earlier in the day to deliver the last of several loads of timber. The yard had won the order to build a new brig for the Davy Jane’s fleet, the new boat was to replace one lost to pirates earlier in the year and she smiled to herself as she remembered her part in their defeat.

"Unusual craft aren't they!" said Norman coming to stand beside her.

"Must be fascinating to sail in one," replied Fern wistfully.

"Well why not!" said Norman, "I can probably arrange it for you. You've got a good reference from Jonah, so I'm sure they'd take you if you'd really like to go."

Fern agreed enthusiastically. She could look for a dinghy any old time but the chance of a trip on a sailing barge was too good an opportunity to miss. Norman hailed the barge and the skipper came up on deck to see what all the noise was about.

The barge crew were both human but the skipper agreed that Fern could come with them provided she could hide her wings when they were in human ports.

"She'll have to make her own way back from Timber Creek," he said, "we've got cargoes to load in several ports in different worlds and I don't know when we'll be sailing this way again."

Fern rushed off to her room to change and get her discharge papers from the Black Cat. She returned carrying her kit bag, dressed in jeans and a thick roll necked pullover. The skipper looked her over critically.

"You'll do," he said at last, "welcome aboard 'Prudence'. You call me Skipper and the other chap is Bob. Come along and I'll show you where you can bunk down."

Fern followed him aft and went down the companionway to the cabin.

"Bob'll have to bunk in with me for the week. You can have this cabin when he's cleared his stuff out. When you're settled in, come up on deck and I'll show you the ropes. You really have to start learning to sail a barge as a boy but I daresay you'll have begun to get the feel of it a bit in a week’s time.”