Tantalyzing Tuesday - Shipbound

Sophie took her ease. The men were on deck, likely getting drunk. A luxury, time to herself. Had she worn any clothes, she would doff them. Instead, she used the boiled water to bathe her skin. The water had cooled over the day, but like everything on the ship, it was warm now, tepid. Evaporating, it did help relieve the heat. 

Toweling pooled at her waist while she stretched each toe, flexing her feet and bending to rub them. Sitting back, she picked up a knife and trimmed her toenails. They could wriggle into a chink in a hull, a knot in a line, or the leg of a man, massaging and working each to her end.

Next she applied the knife to her fingers, removing caulking and tar that had built up. Her eyes moved from her hand to the door that was opening when it shouldn’t be. The captain stood on the other side, expectant. Hadn’t she done enough today? Helping hold the ship through a storm after servicing most of his crew had been a herculean task. 

“Be ye available for one more, lass?”

The threw the knife so it caught the wall beside him.

“One, yes.”

As ever, to read the other 200 word teasers, visit http://tantalyzingtuesday.blogspot.com

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