October 4th 1508
Dear Journal,
I am glad to call my self an explorer. Me Nicolas Banker, age 16 an explorer. I was in my parents shop when two rich men entered. I assumed the men were either tax collectors or merchants so I straitened up and tried to act sophisticated. When the men asked how much two thousand loaves of bread would be I got very interested in what they wanted. Did they actually want two thousand loaves of bread or were they investigating the shop. My father came out of the back at that moment so I let him take it from there. Even though I was taught never to ease drop it was hard not to be interested in what these men were doing here. The man who asked me the price of bread was now talking it over with my father. I was staring at the men when the second man caught my eye and I quickly looked away. The second man walked over to were I was cutting bread in to half’s. “Your thinking, wow what could two good looking men want with two thousand loaves of bread. Aren’t you?” said the second man. I said back to him “not trying to be rude, but yes I was wondering. If you were throwing a very large party and wanted to have bread custard then you would need a large amount of bread.” The second man started to laugh as I wiped my knife on my flower covered apron. My father looked at me strongly like I was falling around instead of working. I looked back at him like I had no clue why this man was laughing. “Ill tells you something, if you tell me some thing,” said the second man controlling himself. I thought that it was a far trade so I agreed. “My name is Gregory Smith, second mate to the shining star and i'm here to get food for our journey to North America.” I gaped at this man, but remembered my manners in time to close my mouth. I had always wanted to be a sailor, but I was always shut in this shop and I told Gregory smith so. “I felt the same way when I was your age. Then a man came into my parents shop and asked me the same question that i’m going to ask you.” My heart did a belly flop I anticipated the question with happiness. Gregory opened his mouth and asked,” Can you cook?” I nearly feel over from sheer shock. Why did he ask me if I could cook instead of asking me to join his crew? I thought he would let me on his crew so I could do something with my life. I told Gregory I could because I made all of the bread this morning. “If you can cook then do you want to be on my crew as a cabin boy?” I really wanted to but my father came over because he had finished his barging. Mt father being the hard headed man he was told Gregory that I was too young to be a sailor and asked me to get back to work. I said good bye to Gregory and went into the back of the shop. I was really mad at my father for I wanted to become a sailor. If my father said that I couldn’t become a sailor I would become one anyway. That night my father lectured me on how dangerous the ocean was and how important it was that I take over the shop. I made up my mind that night as I lay wide awake in bed. I’m leaving home and not returning until i’m a fully fledged sailor. I packed up my cloths, went down stairs in to the shop and left out the back door.
November 15th 1508
Dear Journal,
We finally set sail today after a month of waiting for supplies. I’m so glad to be leaving the England port for I want to forget my boring life and start my new one as an explorer. When I left home I went to the dock looking for the shining star, thinking that I would that I would find Gregory. It took forever to find the shining star and when I did find it I wished I hadn’t. As I stared at the magnificent ship that was the shining star when someone grabbed my shoulder from behind. I jumped and tried to turn around to see who it was, but a knife was placed at my thought. “If you sequel like a pig ten I will kill you like one. What are you doing here boy?” the man whispered harshly. I replied in a squeaky voice that I came to see Gregory the second mate to the ship the shining star. The man removed the knife from my thought and pushed me toward the tavern on the left side of the dock. When h pushed me though the door the smells of the room over powered my nose and I sneezed very loudly. The man pushed me in to the far corner where five men were sitting in a circle discussing something. “Smith this young boy says he knows you. I caught him staring at the ship so I brought him to you.” I was very scared at this point, but I was relived when I say Gregory sitting there. Gregory smiled as me then said to the man holding me,” Fredric, thank you for that bit of information, but let the boy go he’s not going any were.” Fredric let go of me and sat in one of the vacant chairs. Gregory looked at me,” Runaway from home so you can become my cabin boy?” I was felling really shy, but I wanted to be impressive so in a strong voice I told Gregory that I had. The men at the table started laughing; Gregory did not though he just looked me in the eye. Gregory raised his hand and the men at the table went silent as the grave. Gregory smiled at me which made me relaxed. “I told you, you were like me. I ran away from my parents shop when I was your age. Before I accepted you to my crew I should warn you that accepting this means that you would be worked long a hard. You will be bruised, battered, hit, slapped, cut, and probably break a bone or two. You must under stand that you will get hurt and might even die. So Nicolas Baker is you ready to become my cabin boy?” Gregory held out hiss hand to me intending for me to shake it. I paused for a brief moment to think, but my brain was screaming,” this is what you have been waiting for! Go ahead say yes!” I looked Gregory smith in the eyes and shook his hand saying that he had got himself a cabin boy. The men started to cheer a pulled over a chair so I could join them. The night went by in a flash of laughing, drinking, and talking. Because I had run away from home Gregory let me stay with him until we set sail. While the month passed by I learned my ways around the ship, tie knots, clim up to the crows nest, and learn how the kitchen worked. Gregory told me that my parents were looking for me so we had to change my name and appearance. Fredric helped me by bleaching my hair until it was white and gave me the name crow after my favorite place on the ship the crows nest. I also dawned a bandana to help me look the part of a sailor. The night before we sat sail Gregory invited Fredric and recharged, the cook, to his house. Gregory told me to lie down on the table because he was giving me an earring. Fredric and Richard held me down while Gregory heated a sowing needle. Richened held me down with one hand with one hand and placed a slice of apple behind my left ear. He told that it would keep the blood from going all over the table. Gregory told me to close my eyes and my mouth; he also told me that I could not open either until he was finished. I did so trying not to think about the white hot needle in Gregory’s hand. A siring hot pain shot through my body and in to my brain. My first reaction was to scream my lungs out, but Gregory told me not to so I bit my tough instead. I could still feel the pain in my ears I bit my tongue harder. I kept biting until my tough bled. The heat stopped coming from my ear, but the pain did not. I felt something cold go though my ear and some of the pain went away. Fredric and Richard let go of me so I opened my eyes and got up. “Now you look the part of my crew,” said Gregory. I rubbed my ear and felt the earring. I was shocked and horrified at the same time. I was consoled by Fredric ad recharged for they thought that I looked dashing. We were setting sail to marrow and I finally looked and felt the part.
February 27th 1508
Dear Journal,
We have been sailing for three months and still no site of land. I drought we ever will. When I told Gregory this he told me that it would take time. I also told Fredric and Richard who laughed at me, said I was being ridicules, and told me to get back to work. I’m starting to think that I should not have run away from home. The only time I could think about home was when I was in the crows nest. I loved up there, I spent every moment up there that I could. The other men thought that I was crazy or I wanted to learn how to fly like a bird. Gregory got very concerned about my behavior. He caught me alone in the kitchen making the captains lunch. Gregory talked to me about why I was acting like I was all alone. I just listened and didn’t say anything when Gregory asked a question. I didn’t feel like I had to tell him anything. I know that sounds selfish but I blame him for me coming on this voyage. I know I should blame my self but I have such pity for my self that if I pile any more on top then I will go crazy. I felt all alone on the shining star. I know it sounds stupid because there were about fifty-nine other people on board. I know that they could never know how it felt running away from every thing I knew, joking a exploration crew with out even thinking it through, getting my ear pierced by my friend, and being worked until I was too tiered to even eat. I felt like I was dieing inside over and over again and every time I die inside my mood drops down till i’m a gloomy mess. As I sat on the deck a wave of random happiness came over me. I felt all the pressure that had been looming over me float away, I felt like dancing all day and night. I had no clue were these emotions came from and at that minute I didn’t care. Then the happiness faded and a wave of nausea crashed over the ship that was my body. I hobbled to the rail and regurgitated what little breakfast that I had eaten. I was slumped over that rail for five minutes trying to keep my stomic from coming up with every thing else. I heard some one come over to me at the moment that I threw up again. The person ran away at a sprint. My head started to spin and my breath was very shallow. I collapsed on to the deck because I had no strength left in my body. The foot steps came pending closed to me then stopped. I heard some one call my name and then nothing else.
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I am evil and theres nothing you can do but to obey! {motto}
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