Chapter 55. Living the Dream, in Laketown

  Two hours later, as measured by his brand new watch, Will and Minnie were jumping into the water to start on the rudder repairs. Percy had been put in charge of tool running and was now perched on the stern railing making sure they had everything. The large lag bolts holding the rudder in place had been sheared off by the log striking in exactly the wrong place. These needed to be cranked out, easy enough but because of working with wet oily metal the wrench slipped off of the square head bolts easily. After dropping it twice and having to dive for it, Percy had been sent for a length of rawhide to tie the wrench to wrists. As the last bolt came out Minnie hefted the iron hardware in one hand and pulled herself up on deck. Dropping the three hundred pound bracket on the deck with a thud she wiped the water out of her ears. Percy poked at the dripping iron, attempted to move it with no luck. “That looks horribly wet and cold.”, he said with distaste. Will called from below “Get that tar warming, have to seal the new fittings and waterproof the whole area again.”. “Got it dad.”, Minnie replied, “Now don’t touch this unless you wear gloves and have long pants and long sleeves.”. She had lit a small brazier and carefully hung a bucket of thick black tar. “If that gets on you we’ll have to shave the fur off, happened to me. So no touching okay?.”. Percy nodded, the thought of having his fur all black and sticky, then being shaved off, it made him feel faint. Will climbed up the rope ladder on the stern and towelled off. Wearing nothing but shorts and a sleeveless shirt it didn’t take long.

  The old rudder had been brought up from the hold and set on a workbench on the dockside. Unfortunately several cracks ran from one end to the other, it was missing several pieces as well. Will asked Percy if he had seen any wood like this in the many storage racks. He thought for a moment then pointed to the other side, “Second from that side, we sorted all that out by thickness.”. Minnie popped over and retrieved the long thick boards and lay them on the bench besides the old one. The small forge in the corner had been lit and the coal piled high, it would take a while to soften the thick wrought iron bands that held the wood rigid. As Will ripped the braces and different sized bands and corners from the damaged wood Minnie placed them on racks nestled among the coals of the forge. The thick planks of white oak were sawn and then planed into an exact copy of the rudder. When the iron was hot enough Minnie hammered the bent metal straight and true again. As needed the iron was heated white hot and re-wrought to give strength and flexibility again. The wood was treated with many coats of linseed oil to water proof as much as possible and then the coal tar was applied to all the joints. Under the iron as well. A long process but made easier by Will and Minnie’s enhancements. No need to rest while using the blacksmiths hammer and tongs and the wood cut easily under the relentless saw blade. What might have taken two days for two average workers to complete was done in hours. The longest part was waiting on the linseed oil to properly soak into the wood fibres. Percy helped where he could, keeping work areas clean, sharpening tools as needed and the most important job of all…fetching Wills tea. As he did this and that he thought back, before the Rose had returned. How worried they had been, of not having a place, a home. And here they had been given the greatest gift of all, a family. The freedom to do as much or as little as he wanted, in fact Will had taken him aside and asked him to take it easier. “Doesn’t have to be done in one day, and don’t forget to get some of that honey milk you and Ron like, growing boys can never have too much milk.”.

  All that was left to do was a few more soaking coats of the oil and fitting the new rudder in place. “Tomorrow for that though, now we have a much more important task to do.”. Will said as they finished cleaning up. “Oh yeah, my favourite thing of all.”, Minnie cheered. “Eating cheese?”, Will asked.

  “Nope”.

  “Sleeping in?”.

  “Wrong”.

  “Piloting in a storm?”.

  “That’s fun but not it.”.

  “Crazy Eights?”.

  “Wrong again.”.

  “Barbecuing ribs.”.

  “That’s on my list but nope.”.

  “Drinking tea and watching the sunrise ?”.

  “That’s all you dad, not very good at guessing today are you?”

  Naomi came up the stairs “It’s shopping but if you think I’m going to be seen in my hometown with you three messy trolls you have another think coming. All oily and sawdusty and you smell like the lake and tar and coal, and what did you do to poor Percy, his furs all which way. Get below and get cleaned up and clean clothes too.”. Again Will felt about nine years old as he went down to his cabin, followed by Minnie and Percy. A very tidy and clean Ron was heading up to wait with Naomi but took one look at his brother and nearly fell over laughing. Then he picked out clean clothes for him and helped brush his fur until it was sleek and orderly again. In their cabin Will and Minnie were nearly done as well. “It will be a while before I don’t smell like tar, that gets into everything .”, Will sighed as he tied his shoes. Minnie nodded as she finished brushing her ears, she too had clean clothes and looked very fresh again. This time in white shorts, a blue shirt and her yellow boater. Will again in shorts and his usual short sleeve shirt. “Ready pop?”, Minnie asked. Will replied with a nod and up they went.

  Naomi gave them a once over and nodded her approval. Will was reminded by Minnie that they were shopping and needed the carts, so back down he went. Finally ready to be off they went to where Laketowns Main Street started. While nowhere as big as Newton, with all their fancy churches and many wonderful shops, Laketown was not as small as Will thought. But the first stop was the tavern, lunch was needed after the hard working morning. And hopefully a couple of council members would be there but if not they would be here for dinner this evening.

  Will pushed one cart, Naomi the other. Minnie was, of course, riding in Will’s. Ron was asked if he wanted to ride along too but he shook his head, there was too much to see, to explore in the daytime. Percy however did take up Naomi on her offer but didn’t like the bumps as much as Minnie did. The path from the Roses dock was not very travelled, no one would dare to go into a structure actually built over the water. Will stopped for a minute and made a quick note to get the path graded and vegetation cut back. Then, spying a lovely bump ahead, grasped the handles and took off towards it. Minnie saw what was coming but had no choice but to hold on tight, as they hit the cart seemed to leap three feet off the ground and land with a mighty crash and an “Eeeek.”, from Min. “You hit that one on purpose.”, she yelled, “Sure did!”. Will laughed. Naomi avoided the bump as Percy looked at her with pleading eyes. That was the last of them and the Main Street was ahead.

  Fairly busy today, carts and wagons abounded, coming and going from the areas farms. Loaded with late season fruit and vegetables, grains and livestock as well. Busy with people as well, and as soon as the crew was noticed, more people flocked out of homes and businesses to welcome them back. As they were near the tavern Regina came out to see what all the fuss was about . Seeing the crowds around Will and the others she also came over to hear what Will was saying. “We’ve had many the adventure since last docking here and tonight, if you all are agreed, we will meet up at the quay and tell the tale. At the hour before dinner, and thank you all for welcoming us back.”. Minnie had disappeared into the crowd greeting many of her friends, mostly the gather crew members. But a few older people as well, Owen the carter and family and others Will didn’t recognize. As the crowd began to disperse the crew headed to the tavern for a quick meal.

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  Now, Regina hadn’t noticed the two newest crew until now. She actually did a double take after waving Will and the others to their usual table by the fire. “Aha, this explains everything, and who are you two.”, she asked. Will gave a quick explanation and promised more at dinner this evening. Regina seemed satisfied for now, but gave Naomi a look that the young girl knew well. A detailed account was required, sooner rather than later. She sighed “I’ll get sandwiches for lunch, everyone okay with that?”, getting two yes and two what’s a sandwich she went to the kitchen. Regina was waiting, not idly but preparing their meal. Naomi gave her more information quickly and went back out with a tray. Not just the sandwiches but plates of pickles as well. Every fell to with a Will, the mornings work had given everyone a good appetite and the tray emptied quickly. Even though the food was new to them, the idea of bread holding meat and cheese was delightful, and both lads managed to eat a couple each.

  Minnie was tapping her foot, waiting was not her strong point, but finally the last crumbs were gone, the last tangy slice of beetroot, the last slice of cheese gone, all gone. “Can we go shopping now, please please, you’ve eaten all the food, drunk all the tea, even eaten all the horrible purple things, we got stuff to buy.”, Minnie was getting worked up. “All right, all right, let’s go.” Will laughed. Waving to Regina, telling her they would see her for dinner the crew started up Main Street.

  The carts were filling fast as the shops were visited. There was more to Laketown than appeared, not as many shops as Newton but there were enough for their needs. The town was also spread out more, the space between buildings was greater, no dark alleys here.

  The first stop had been a cabinet makers workshop, Will had ordered two single beds, two new easy chairs and two dressers. Those large items would be delivered tomorrow. Now the iron monger was just beside the cabinet store and it was here Will picked out the items for building a head in the boys bedroom. Then it was the tailoring shop. Naomi had the measurements for the sleeping bags for the temporary crew, the tailor, Travis, was enchanted with the idea. He was going to create them out of quilts “I can pick those up from the crafters cottage and sew them up in no time, three days from now sound fair Captain?”. Will agreed and signed the credit slip. It was still a marvel how there was no physical money in this society, like it had been planned. Now that Travis had mentioned a crafters shop that was their next destination. “Dad, I saw a candy store back there, why do we have to go to the boring old crafters, and there’s a nice clothing place too, there’s hats in the window.”, Minnie complained. “I know but Naomi wants more wool and a few bolts of material, we need some strong thread and canvas, lots of things.”, Will answered. The brothers had been quiet, but had gotten some odd looks from people as they walked along the wooden sidewalks , “Father, can I ride in your cart, my feet are sore now.”, Percy asked plaintively. “Of course, hop on up buddy.” Will stopped while the little guy climbed aboard.

  Ron was already riding on the other cart, being pushed by Minnie now. She was being very careful not to hit bumps, and was talking away with the quiet brother. Telling him of their adventures in the far north, how cold it was and how much fun they had. Hunting and fishing, playing in the snow and making snowmen. He was hanging on every word. Percy asked “Was it really that bad, will we be with you when you go back, you are going back to that awful place?”. Naomi answered “Of course, we made friends up there and we have a big project in mind but not for three months.”. “Oh good.”, Percy sighed. The next stop was the bookstore, leaving the carts outside Will could smell that unique odour all bookshops have. Combination of paper, dust and ink, always brought up memories. Today though Minnie and Naomi were talking with the owner, to see if she would be interested in their travel book. Will added a few comments here and there but this was their show. Percy and Ron were leafing through the large tome, in awe of the pictures. But unable to read the descriptions of where, when and so on. “Of course we’re interested.”, Phillipa said. An older person with a non nonsense attitude. “What I would suggest is bring one book out a year, the continuing voyages of the steamship Rose.”. Will covered a laugh with a cough, she actually said that, he thought.

  It took a while to work out the details, payment arrangements and so on but it was done to everyone’s satisfaction. All the credit was for Naomi and Minnie this time and forever. Will had picked up a few simple books, planning to use them to help the lads to read. It seemed so long ago that he had done this with Minnie, her ‘becoming’ helped too. There was knowledge embedded into her while she was changing, sleeping early and waking late as the magic worked. It had been a wonderful thing to see, changing from one day to the next. If the boys experiences were anything similar then the next couple of days would be fun.

  A few other books had been chosen, some historical, some fiction that piqued his interest. Several reams of blank paper, a few dozen notebooks, pens and ink, a binding press and glue. Now it was to the wool store so Naomi could resupply her supplies. A small store, stuck on a residence near the far edge of town. Plain white exterior but full of some of the brightest colours Will had ever seen. Vibrant orange wools, spools of eye-watering blue thread, bolts of rich coloured cloth. Naomi was quite enamoured but seemed taken aback as well, the prices were more than she wanted to pay. “Remember, we have enough credit to buy anything, go wild”. Will whispered to her. The smile on her face was reward enough and the pile on the counter was growing. Oddly enough Ron was also looking at some wools and gently touching the smooth bright colours. “Do you want to get some too? I’m sure Naomi will teach you how, Minnie has no patience for it, and I’m a bit busy to knit.”. The little man was a bit startled but soon was showing Naomi the colours he liked, she in turn was selecting a knitting needle kit for him, all the accessories he would need. Percy seemed unimpressed with the whole store and was sitting in a shopping cart outside with Minnie, talking about screwdrivers. Will shrugged, whatever makes him happy.

  Several bulging shopping bags were on the carts now, packed with all sorts of crafting goodies. Looking at it made Will think of trips to craft stores over the years, all the different projects. One that stuck in his mind was little animals made of pipe cleaners, they just made him happy for some reason. Speaking of happy, as he had gripped the shopping cart handles earlier he noticed they had been improved upon, given a grip pattern so his hands wouldn’t slip. A series of happy faces had been engraved into the hard wood, different shaped eyes, different grins. When he had pointed this out to Minnie she just shrugged “I was bored one night.”. “Well it’s amazingly cute, good job sweetheart.”, he replied.

  A few more stores waited, one of particular interest. It was an offshoot of the physicians office, a drug store on one side and, wonder of wonders, the candy store Minnie had spied earlier, on the other. As they came close the design of the building seemed so familiar from somewhere but it evaded his recall. This store had a special item today, a hard candy stick but hollow and filled with rich nougat. The crew bought a few dozen after tasting a sample from the jolly candy man who was, oddly enough also one of the town dentists. It didn’t seem that any of the crew would ever need his services though. Wills teeth had de-aged when the rest of him had and were in the best shape of his life. In fact, when Minnie had cracked a tooth a few months ago, on a arrowhead left in a game bird, the tooth was repaired the next morning. So the candy held no fear for them. There were marzipan creations and nougat rolls. A few sugar plums and pounds of candied fruit and vegetables, tree nuts baked in salts and syrup, boiled sweets and lollipops, so many lollipops. Reginald, the proprietor mentioned he was look forward to the talk at the dock, Will checked his watch. Yes, that time was coming close.

  Will and Minnie ran the carts back to the dock, the other three headed to the dock. Everything was still so new to Ron and Percy, their heads turned at every new thing, every sight and sound. A group of children spied Naomi and the boys and come over to walk to the quay with them. As they walked nearer and nearer to the lake the sound and the sight of the gathered crowds became clearer. Will and Minnie joined them to the boy’s relief, Naomi was not a tall person and at times she was getting lost in the people. Will set a beeline for her and the crowd cleared out, Minnie in his wake. “Hi there.”, he said, “Miss us?”. Percy nodded, “I thought they were going to crush us, so many of them, everyone looking at us.”. “They’re all just interested, the Rose is a pretty big deal here.”, Minnie told him. The Laketown folk had congregated at the end of the quay, the crew passed through them and set up a few yards in. Will looked around and saw a couple of barrels on the quay, about halfway down. Minnie saw what he was looking at and hopped over to get them. Rolling them to Will down the boards with a rumble, he caught and set them up for a seat. “Well, since we were last here we’ve had many adventures. New friends, freezing weather…cold like you couldn’t imagine, attacked by sharps, a damaged boat.”.