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Click here"Two pirate ships?"
Joan thrust her chest out as she nodded.
"When we get back from touring the ship," said Emily, "I've found a women's shelter." She held out the Michelin Guide so Joan could see. She looked at the group of women in their matching white cotton dresses. "We can go together. Help get you checked in."
"We're not sailing off for a life of adventure?"
"We're not kidnapping you," said Jade. "We'll get you to the shelter. They'll keep you safe until somebody can come pick you up."
The young woman clinging to Captain Joan sighed. "I... I don't have anybody to pick me up," she said.
"Oh," said Joan. "Oh. Come here." She turned off the holographic parrot on her shoulder and wrapped her arms around the woman.
She fell against Joan, burying her face in Joan's jumpsuit. As she let out a small, hitching sob, Joan responded by pulling her in tight.
Joan looked around at the other young women and their glum faces. After a moment, she looked at the woman clutching her and said, "You know, you look kind of familiar. Doesn't she look familiar, Jamie?"
Jamie shrugged. The woman pressed to Joan's chest sniffled.
Joan fixed her gaze on Jamie's eyes and bored in. She began nodding slowly. "Don't you think she looks familiar? Like... I don't know..."
"Oh," said Jamie, "Oh. Yes. Now that you mention it. She does kind of look like, um... cousin Karolina's kid. Boy, last time I saw her, she was only this high. What was her name...?"
The woman clutching Captain Joan looked up just enough to focus on where Jamie held her hand waist high. She sniffled again and wiped her eye with the back of her hand.
"What's your name, hon?" asked Joan.
"Moira." Moira reached up and wiped her other eye.
Captain Joan nodded. "I thought you looked familiar."
"Moira," said Jamie. "Yep. That's it."
"Moira," said Joan. "That's a nice name. Cousin Moira." She looked over at Jamie. "Karolina's kid."
"Mm-hmm," said Jamie. "And cousin... um..." Jamie looked at the woman clinging to her.
"Alma," whispered the young woman, barely raising her eyes.
"And cousin Alma. Yep. I remember now." Jamie rubbed her hand over Alma's shoulders. "It's good to have you back with us, Alma. It's been too long."
Alma looked into Jamie's eyes. Her lower lip began quivering. Jamie encircled Alma with both arms and pulled her in close. Alma buried her face in Jamie's jumpsuit.
Still clutching Moira to her chest, Captain Joan looked around. "Anyone else here think they might be a cousin?"
Joan looked around the group. Hands started going up all around. She smiled.
"Anyone want to be a pirate?" asked Jade. "A cousin of a pirate is always welcome to sign on as crew to a pirate ship if they want. It's, uh... part of the pirate code."
Jade looked at the faces around her. "Anyone?"
All of the women pushed their hands up a little higher.
"Well, that settles it," said Jade.
Alma and Moira turned and smiled. The others did too.
"Um, Captain?" said Amaliya. "I hate to be a stickler for the rules, but doesn't the pirate code say we have to vote on it?" Amaliya looked at Jade and winked twice.
"Right," said Jade. "A vote. A pirate vote. All those in favor of Joan and Jamie's cousins joining up as crew?"
A chorus of "Aye!" rose from the group. It was loud enough to echo off the glass roof of the waiting area and attract the attention of some of the people milling about.
Atop Jade's shoulder, Reg began tapping with his pincer. Jade nodded. "Mia wants to know how many extra tea cups to put out," she said.
Captain Joan surveyed the group. "Tell her nine."
Jamie caught Joan's eye and showed her a thumbs-up displayed against Alma's back, while still holding the young woman in tight. Captain Joan reached up and tapped the holographic generator on her shoulder. She adjusted it to full brightness.
"Would anyone like another apple?" asked Lúcia, "While we wait?"
The group gathered around Lúcia and Aidoru as they passed out apples. The LED sign overhead read 'Next arrival: 13:06' as Moira bit into her apple.
Afterword
A bit on symbolism...
Yes, the apple represents sin. Though in this case, it's a sin against the Reverend Moberg's new age hippie cult. The crew gives apples to the young women, whispering the sweet nothings of poetry, and they are instantly corrupted and leave the "garden". Not necessarily a bad thing when the garden is a new age hippie cult compound.
There's also a thing with the space elevator arrival time that I decided to have a little fun with.
The 20:12 and 13:06 at the end represent dates. 2012 was when the world was supposed to end, because that's when the Mayan calendar ran out. Remember that? I threw it in, because cults love that end of the world prediction stuff. 1306 is the year Hildegard von Bingen (the patron saint of Lúcia's order) was beatified. The arrival time's transition of 20:12 to 13:06 represents moving from life in the cult, to a new life with Lúcia and her friends.
And, there's the girls' names, Moira and Alma. If you think you know where those came from, write your guess in the comments. Let's see who can figure it out.
Thanks for reading!
WP
- COMMENTS
Anonymous8 months agoNot to argue with Waxphilosophic, but Moira actually means something like 'Fate' and Alma means 'Nurturing.' While those thoughts may not have been intended, they certainly provide an interesting twist to the plot line....
LilyVonSchtuppabout 2 years agoI was expecting them to hand out the apples at the space elevator, thus pushing the reverend and his girls out of business. When they started to give the apples to the girls, I was anticipating them to be poisoned like Snow White. The girls would fall into a deep sleep and can only be awakened by true loves kiss. The reverend would try kissing them but alas, it would not work.
My guess for Moira would be from the X-men comics. Moira McTaggert. Sorty, that's the only answer I've got.
Good story as always Wax. Thank you for sharing.
FranziskaSissyabout 2 years agoThere should be always time and fearless acting saving religious maidens from the white hell of awareness by backside touchings ..... And so a porates life can be sometimes quite very complicated, loke in having enough space for some new crew girls ...... Within the next chapters is a visiting timetable open for an space dealer or an place for trading , like last time trade ...... This crew is fighting for the saphhic church and wins more and more battles ...... Take care "wp" or they will become so dangerous like a sparrow from a black pearl ......lovely , somthing to laugh to smile to touch my heart , soooooo important at time ...... Thank you wp
Anonymousabout 2 years ago.
Yes, the "reverend" contacting a bad case of the Harvester Crabs to ceaselessly torment him until he totally lost it would be a most excellent fate for such a disgusting piece of sub-human garbage. 👍👍👍👍👍
WaxPhilosophicabout 2 years agoAuthorMoira, Alma, Jim Morrison, and the rest...
Thanks everyone who left comments and stars. I'm happy to know you're still enjoying the crew's antics. Congrats to Slurpy29 for picking up on the Airplane! references. And Sastapleton's guess of Moira from Farscape deserves an honorable mention.
I borrowed the names Moira and Alma from The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. It's a very good, though disturbing book. I highly recommend it. Though I'm not entirely sure if Alma was in the book or only the television version. (It's been a while since I've read it.)
The Jim Morrison Memorial Space Elevator happened like this... I needed a name for the space elevator. I named the Nouveau Paris one after Charles DeGaulle airport so I started looking for other airport names. Melbourne, Florida was listed as one that didn't have a name, but should, since it was the birthplace of Jim Morrison.
As for the folks who wanted the reverend to experience a little vigilante justice, I'm thinking a contingent of harvester crabs to let the air out of the van's tires and cause other mayhem would be a good start.
