Through the Porthole

The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room. The small portholes offered a limited view of the boats bobbing up and down in the anchorage. Tia was only twelve when the bombs decimated the levies, and the ocean washed the city away. She opened the door to peek outside and was swept away as the water carried her home into the sea.

Twenty-two-year-old Jason had been at sea fishing on his thirty-five-foot sailboat, The Sailfish when he saw the bombs fall and the city rush into the ocean. He noticed a human clinging to a door, struggling in the swell. He dropped his trawl (a large fishing net) into the water. A small hand grasped it weakly and was wrapped inside it. Jason quickly and carefully pulled the person on board his sailboat. He untangled the girl from his net, wrapped her in blankets, and put her down below deck. He then sailed away from the bombs, deep into the ocean.

As the war raged, he sailed on for many weeks whenever the winds allowed. He tried the best he could to calm the frightened child. If he didn't catch a fish, he fed her peanut butter sandwiches until the bread ran out. She wasn't crazy about the canned goods he had on board, but they filled their tummies. He found crackers in a cupboard and sparingly used them to keep them alive. His water maker gave them clean, desalinated water when the sun shone brightly on the solar panels. He found some old books for her to read during the day.

Eventually, they reached a flotilla of boats that had anchored near a remote island. He anchored in the group and hoped for the best. He discovered that since the island was uninhabited, it was not a target for bombing. Most of the boaters were friendly and shared information and supplies when they could. They called themselves the Nomads. They warned him of the rogue bunch who had declared themselves pirates and were responsible for several murders.

The group who had been scouting the island explained that there was hunting to be done for meat, snakes, wild pigs, and rabbits. The lush growth and palm trees helped with fresh ingredients. Jason harvested some of the plant roots and started his own little garden on the boat to limit the need to go to shore on rough days. He sailed when the winds allowed and shared the fish he caught with the group. He helped with hunting, hauling water, and standing watch.

Tia wanted to go outside, but he refused to let her. He'd heard that even among the peaceful group, some men could be a risk to the few women in the flotilla. No one had ever seen Tia and assumed that Jason was alone. He did most of the cooking; she helped clean up and kept things tidy. Jason did the laundry because she wasn't allowed on deck. He traded books with the others to keep her busy. Tia read each one of them several times. At night, when Jason wasn't on watch, they played card games in the salon with the light of the solar lanterns. She usually beat him and gloated about it. This quiet existence stretched on for six years.

Now eighteen, Tia became increasingly argumentative. She was resentful of only seeing life through a tiny window. Jason was kind and funny, but she was done with the seclusion. She opened the companionway when he left for the island and stepped into the cockpit. The warm air was intoxicating. The sun glinted off the neighboring boats. She walked to the boat's bow, stretched out on the deck, and closed her eyes. The sound of oars slapping the water startled her. She scooted to the cockpit and attempted to slip into the cabin, but Jason spotted her. She could hear him cursing as he cleated the dinghy to the back of the boat.

He came aboard, closed the companionway doors, and glared at her. "Why did you go above? You know that's dangerous. We've talked about what could happen to you."

Tia pounded the galley counter with her fists. "I'm not a child. I'm sick of being captive inside this damn boat. I need to breathe the ocean air; I need to live."

Jason sighed, "That's the point of keeping you in here. I'm trying to keep you safe and alive."

Angry tears filled Tia's eyes. "But I have no life. I need to be able to go outside. I can help you. I can hoist water jugs, wash our clothes, and hang them to dry in the sun. I want to feel land under my feet again. I demand to be treated like a human and not a pampered poodle. It's not fair."

Jason sat at the salon dinette and held his head in his hands. Tia waited for him to start ranting again. It was a long time before he spoke softly. "Fine," he said, sounding defeated. "You win, but there's a condition." He stood up and dropped to one knee. "Marry me."

Tia stared in shock and asked. "Why on earth would I marry you?"

Jason stood, took her hands in his, and looked into her eyes. "It would keep you safe from the other men, except the pirates. There's a code that the men won't break." He cleared his throat and added, "Besides, I'm in love with you!"

Tia sat down. "You love me? Like Allie and Noah from the notebook love?"

Jason groaned. "How many times have you read that book?" He paused, "But yes, I guess so. I can't imagine you not being with me. I'm sorry I've been more like a prison guard to you, so I'm sure you don't feel the same way."

Tia tilted her head. "Who will marry us?"

Jason replied. "There's an ordained minister a few boats over. He'll be shocked that I've kept you a secret for six years, but I'll explain."

Tia took his hands, looked into his eyes, and said, "Kiss me!"

Are you sure? He asked.

"Yes," she replied. "It's kind of necessary."

Jason looked confused but leaned in and kissed her lightly. She held his face and kissed him back.

When they parted, Tia said, "Yup, that was nice. I will marry you, Jason."

They were married a few days later, and the shocked community celebrated, sharing what they could spare. The minister's wife played the violin, and people sang.

From their boats, the pirates jealously eyed the celebrations and plotted.

Six months into their marriage, the couple had a productive partnership. Tia insisted on going to the island and was excellent at spotting and harvesting the edible native plants. Jason admired her monkey-like skills at climbing trees to knock down the coconuts. One day while she was up at the top of a tree, two pirates confronted Jason. They mocked him, and one grabbed the snake Jason had just killed.

The pirates laughed, and one said, "Looks like we have a nice python for dinner tonight. Thanks. Where's the missus today? We're looking forward to getting to know her better."

They laughed until two perfectly thrown coconuts landed on their heads, knocking them out.

Jason motioned for Tia to hurry down. He whispered, "We gotta get out of here. One of them is dead, and the other is bleeding heavily. We are doomed when the other pirates find out this is your fault."

My fault? It wasn't an accident. I intended to do it," Tia said.

"Not helpful. Murdering one of the pirates is not going to go unpunished when the other one talks, Jason responded.

Tia picked up a coconut and smashed the pirate in the head. She checked his pulse. "He's not going to talk. Problem solved."

Horrified, Jason grabbed her hand and pulled her through the jungle. He jumped in the dinghy and started to row as she followed him in. They climbed aboard the boat and went down below. Jason didn't speak; he just paced the galley.

Finally, Tia broke the silence. "I'm not sorry! If everyone stood up to the rogue pirates, they wouldn't have any power over us. There are eighty percent more of us, yet we're afraid of the minority and let them terrorize us. Why do we let this happen?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "Because we're not like them. We don't kill people, or most of us don't."

"Well, that's the problem. They're just typical bullies. The moment they realize there's some resistance, they will back down. Let's form a coalition like in "The Bad Guys."

"Man, I should have thrown all those books overboard. You're crazy. They were fictional animals, not peaceful folks trying to survive together. We can't break our codes."

Tia threw her hands up. "Fine, let them steal, rape the women, and kill people then. Live in fear. I'm done with backing down. I will fight back."

Jason stomped up the companionway stairs and slammed the hatch shut. He got on the dinghy and rowed off to one of the other boats. Before long, a council meeting was called, and dinghies headed for the sixty-five-foot boat to hold a meeting.

When Jason returned, he went into his locker and pulled out two spearguns, a machete, and a big fishhook. After checking that everything was in working order, Jason put it up on his boat's bow and covered it with a tarp. He went down below and, without saying a word, handed Tia a flare gun and six flares. He got his filleting knife out of the nav table, took all the sharp knives out of the galley drawers, and shoved them toward Tia.

"You get your wish. We're fighting back when they come for us. Even if it was an accident, which we know it wasn't, they would still blame us. I hope you are right, and they will back down, or many people will die."

Tia had never seen Jason like this. He was usually so warm and relaxed. Now he looked cold and dangerous. Tia wondered if she had made the right decision, but she had started her own war, and now they all had to live with the consequences no matter the outcome.

They came in the dark. The watchman for the Nomads let out a low whistle to the men waiting in their dinghies. As the pirates approached, the Nomads silently rowed far out on both sides of the boats and fell behind the pirates' ships.

The first shot hit the side of the Nomad's Commander's sixty-five-foot Swan. The Nomads in the dinghies attached oil-soaked rags to the end of their spearguns and fired them into the boats closest to the back.

Flames lit up the water, and pirates stomped around, trying to extinguish the fires. Two boats rapidly burned, and the occupants jumped into the water. Some pirates circled back and scooped up the men in the water. They once again advanced on the Nomad fleet.

Tia heard someone boarding. She loaded the flare gun and waited until she could see who it was. The head pirate, named Bill, stood in the cockpit. "Well, well, well, who do we have here?" He chuckled. "Why, it's the little missus. I've wanted to have some private time with you!"

He was about to step down into the cabin when Tia fired the flare gun hitting him in the groin. Bill crumpled in pain and tumbled into the salon with a thud. Tia bashed him over the head with the cast iron frying pan.

Jason was just about to board one of the pirate boats when he heard the flare gun go off and saw a puff of smoke from his boat. He rowed the dinghy to see if Tia was okay. He rushed into the dark salon, tripped over the pirate's body, and almost impaled himself on the filleting knife Tia held.

Before he got up, he checked out the pirate. "Jesus, Tia! You killed another one?"

"Well, wasn't that the point of giving me weapons?" Tia replied.

"The flare gun shouldn't have killed him," Jason said, puzzled.

"The flare gun just neutralized him, so to speak." Tia shrugged. "Then I hit him in the head with the frying pan."

"What is with you and smashing people's heads in, Lizzie Borden?"

"Ooooh, good point. Where is our axe?" Tia grinned but then became serious. "You need to get back to help the others. I got this!"

Jason rolled his eyes, but he gave her a quick kiss and headed off.

The pirates had fired several more shots, one hit one of the Nomads, and two dinghies sunk. Jason pulled the men from the water and headed to the lead Pirate boat.

Even in the darkness, they were spotted. They slid up beside the boat and were partially out of sight.

Jason said, "Cover me!"

His soggy boatmates shrugged, but one of them picked up a machete. Jason threw a line around a stay and hoisted himself up. He reached down and grabbed a fishhook from the other man in the dinghy. He counted three men on board. One of them spotted the dinghy again and raised his gun. Jason body checked him hard, and the pirate fell into the water. Hearing the splash, the other two pirates charged toward Jason.

Jason stood his ground. He spoke calmly. "We're done with you bullies pretending to be badass pirates. We welcome you into our peaceful family, providing you stop your criminal behavior. Or you can join your leader, Bill, who recently went to hell!"

The pirates looked at each other and laughed. One of them raised a large knife and lunged. Jason's fishhook caught him in the throat. He died with a stunned look on his face. Jason picked up the knife and turned to the remaining pirate, who already had his hands up in surrender.

While he frisked him, Jason noticed he was young. "What's your name, kid?"

"It's Andy, sir," he answered, looking down toward his bare feet.

"Andy, why did you join the pirates instead of our group?"

"I had no choice, sir. Bill is my father. Is he really dead?" After Jason confirmed it with a nod of his head. Andy added, "Good! Now my little brother and I will be safe."

Shocked, Jason asked, "Where is your little brother?"

Andy pointed to one of the boats that had recently caught on fire. Jason quickly freed the dinghy from the ship's davits and lowered it into the water. He told Andy to get in and jumped in after him. He rowed toward the burning boat, tied off to the ladder, and told Andy to go get his brother and anyone else willing to be peaceful.

Then Jason announced over his bullhorn. "Attention: Requesting an immediate ceasefire. Pirate Bill is dead. All hands are required to put out the fire on this burning boat. We're going to save her. Repeat, requesting an immediate ceasefire. Pirate Bill is dead."

There was complete silence as both sides considered what this meant. Then all the vessels headed to the boat on fire. A bucket brigade formed with both the Nomads and the pirates cooperating. Andy and his brother Ian climbed aboard the dinghy. The other men stayed with the boat and hauled water up to douse the fire from above.

The mission was successful, and a loud cheer erupted from the group. One of the pirates said he knew where Bill had all the rum stashed, and all were welcome to a cup.

Meanwhile, aboard The Sailfish, Tia managed to roll up Pirate Bill in an old spare sail. She dragged him up the companionway into the cockpit and rolled him over the starboard side into the water. Tia retrieved the sail, scrubbed it clean, and left it to dry. Then she washed the salon floor, frying pan, and any visible splatter. She heard someone board the boat, and she grabbed her knife.

Having learned from the recent past, Jason paused in the cockpit and announced. "Tia, it's me. There is at least a temporary peace. It turns out even Bill's own kids aren't sorry he's dead.

Tia clapped her hands and shouted. "Great job, love! Now get in here so I can kiss you!"

Jason stepped into the salon. "The kisses will have to wait, we need to deal with Bill," He looked at the floor. "Where did he go?"

Tia grinned and saluted. "Quick burial at sea, Captain!"

Jason rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess no one really wanted a funeral anyway."

He sat down and stared at her. "Little did I know, eight years ago, when I plucked a child out of the sea, I was saving a ruthless killer. You are one scary woman, Tia."

"Firstly, I was not a child; I was almost thirteen. And secondly, I'm more like Dexter Morgan from the book, 'Darkly Dreaming Dexter.' I only kill bad guys."

"Good lord, I'm glad everyone is out of books to trade. Apparently, literature is dangerous in the wrong hands," Jason stated.

Tia winked at him. "Don't be too sure. I bet the pirates have some interesting books."