Maria’s thoughts faded into dreams as she laid in her bed. The ship gently rocked and cradled her into a deep sleep where she drifted in images of a man’s bare body and his hands on her. It was the first time she had dreamt of such erotic and powerful sensations. As if a fire had been lit inside her soul that would not easily be controlled or extinguished.
A Storm at Midnight
A rushing sound crashed and knocked at the sides of the ship as Maria awoke in her bed. She felt the room spinning and dropping as she realized something was very wrong. A few seconds later another crash from the opposite side followed by creaking boards and shouting from the deck above.
She quickly got dressed, stumbling about the cabin as she tried to keep her balance. She looked out the small window, but there was no light only the loud crash of waves knocking the ship in all directions. She could hear the oarsman moving things about on the deck below, everyone clamoring and shouting.
The door burst open as Sveta returned. «Good you’re up!» She said quickly.
«What has happened, did we crash into something?» Maria asked.
«It’s a storm; it came in fast before we could get to the port so we will have to ride it out,» Sveta said as she put on her coat.
«I have to get to the kitchen and secure everything, or it will be a mess in the morning! You can stay here or come with me, but it’s dreadful at the front of the ship.» Sveta added as the floor seemed to drop from under them and suddenly boom as it caught the next wave.
«I’ll go with you!» Maria replied as she grabbed her shoes.
The two made their way down to the kitchen where pots and pans were rolling in all directions. It was dark and confusing as people shouted at each other to act quickly.
«Can we light a candle?» Maria asked in frustration as she stumbled over the cookware.
«No it’s too dangerous, no fires are allowed when there is a storm, it turns the ship into a burning prison if it gets out of control!» Sveta replied as she reached and felt around in the kitchen blindly searching for the nearest object. «I know it seems impossible but grab everything that moves!»
Maria felt a large pan rolling towards her and put her hand out to catch it. Her fingers were greeted by a tumbling iron pot that rolled into her grasp. Piece by piece they held on to the walls for balance grabbing the tumbling cookery until the sea of clanging metal was silenced. They sat on the floor of the galley, listening to the ship creaking against the thud of the river’s waves.
Sveta sighed, «I knew I should have locked everything down before I left the kitchen.» She said with a sarcastic laugh. «Thanks for your help, though!»
«You’re welcome.» Maria said, «I think the storm is calming!»
«We’re lower on the ship, it’s not as noticeable down here,» replied Sveta.
The captain shouted orders from above the decks that were repeated by the quartermaster through the hallways down to the oarsman, «Hard port, only port!»
The shuffle of extending and retracting oars drummed through the ships timbers in response to the orders. The crew was in complete unison with every word that came from the captain’s lips.
«What are they doing?» asked Maria.
«The storm is pushing us toward shore, so they drop the sail and steer us into the current to keep us straight.» Said Sveta as she motioned for them to sit against the wall.
Their eyes adjusted to the limited visibility in the dark galley. The clouds moved quickly, letting occasional moonlight work its way through the windows and stairwells.
«Are we safe?» Maria asked nervously.
«Sure, it’s a lot of spinning about but the captain’s good at keeping us away from danger. You realize why he is the captain at times like this.» Sveta said admirably.
Maria listened to her words and began to realize Sveta had feelings for the captain, regardless of her objections to being his servant. She thought to ask about the evening’s meeting but decided this was a question that should wait.
Flashes of lightning silently lit the hallways followed moments later by explosive thunder that shook every part of the ship. Maria had seen many thunderstorms during summers on her farm, but she had never heard one so fierce and close. She moved closer to Sveta feeling safer near her friend.
Sveta put her arm around Maria, «Ladno, just another day on the river» She said as she patted her back.
Maria’s arms wrapped around Sveta, she couldn’t help the fear of such an unknown experience as it shook and terrified her. Sveta realized Maria was still a young girl, tender and easily frightened. Her womanly instincts to nurture took over as she held Maria in the dark.
Lightning flashed again in an almost blinding brightness then absolute silence. Finally, a dark distant roll of thunder echoed across the sky booming and shaking with less intensity. Sveta kissed Maria’s head and patted her back, «It’s moving away from us, we can go back to the cabin soon,» Sveta said reassuringly.
Maria looked up feeling encouraged and felt calmed by Sveta’s words.
«Thanks.» She replied, «I’ve never experienced such a storm in my life.»
The ship began to slow its hard shifting and soon the sounds of the oarsman returned to their normal pace.
«Those poor men, we probably lost half a day’s progress up the river. They will be rowing extra tonight.» Sveta explained.
The ladies soon returned to their cabin, the waves had calmed slightly but continued to batter the ship. Sveta was extremely tired, but Maria wanted to know how it went with the captain.
As Sveta took off her dress, Maria asked, «So, how was it… with him?»
Sveta paused, «I’ll tell you in the morning, I’m exhausted.» She replied.
As Sveta’s clothes dropped to the floor, she fell to her bed, exhausted. Maria looked at her in the dark, she looked cold and didn’t have the strength to pull the blankets beneath her over herself.
Maria went and took the blanket from her own bed and returned to Sveta’s bedside. Without a word, she draped the blanket over Sveta’s body and lay alongside her.
«Such a paradise,» Sveta whispered as she fell asleep instantly.
Maria felt such an appreciation for all Sveta did for her, and wanted to return her kindness in some way. She curled up behind Sveta and let her arm drape over her. Sveta shifted slightly then took Maria’s hand, holding it to her breast.
It was shocking at first, Maria wanted to pull her hand away thinking it was an unconscious mistake. But the sensation of Sveta’s breast, so warm and soft in her hand, felt very different from her own. She dared not to move a single finger, feeling the tender impression of Sveta’s nipple against her palm.
Maria felt awkward, speechless, uncomfortable but also aroused as she had admired Sveta’s breasts since the moment they met.
«Was it wrong?» Maria wondered. «Surely Sveta knew this was not a man beside her.»
Maria searched her mind, trying to find an answer but realized her objection was to the idea of touching a woman, not how it actually felt. In fact, it only felt feminine and natural to touch someone so familiar and kind. Maria let out a deep breath and laid her head on the soft curtain of Sveta’s hair as it spilled across the pillow as they both drifted into sleep.
Weft Threads
Things moved slowly the next morning; Maria awoke in Sveta’s bed to see she was already up and getting dressed. Sveta seemed late for getting to the galley and said very little before quickly slipping her shoes on and heading for the door.
Maria felt guilty for not having a task to perform, she could hear people all over the ship working, moving things about and shouting for help with this or that. She got dressed and headed for the top deck to see what the ship looked like after the storm.
At first glance, everything seemed normal until she noticed a few barrels were missing from where they had been lashed the day before. Then she turned and saw several members of the crew looking at the sail, it had a large tear at the base where it had been pulled hard against the grommets and was split completely open from the breeze running through it. Her eyes grew big at the idea the wind could be so violent.
«We didn’t get it down in time.» The quartermaster said as he saw her looking at the damage. «That storm caught everyone by surprise.» He added as he rubbed his hand over the back of his neck in frustration.
«Can you fix it?» Maria asked.
«In the next port we can, but that’s bad news for the oarsmen, they have to push upstream against this current.» He said gritting his teeth in anger.
«Well get it down before it rips sideways as well!» he shouted at the crew.
Maria stood in a trance, as she watched the breeze flickering through the loose threads of the torn sail. She instantly remembered her mother teaching her how to make blankets on a loom. Each winter the snow would cover the doors and windows, burying the family inside for days at a time. They always had a fire, food, and tasks to keep their mind off the harsh cold that imprisoned them.
Maria’s mind immersed her in the scene of her mother guiding Maria’s hands across the loom, teaching her how to stretch the main threads in the loom before completing the piece with a shuttle and fill thread. The process took days to complete as they wove blankets and sewed quilts from scraps of cloth.
Maria slowly blinked, staring determined at the sail as she walked toward it. «I can fix this!» Maria said excitedly.
The quartermaster looked up from his tools, feeling annoyed by Maria’s interjection. He searched for a reason to excuse her from the task. «Oh, I couldn’t impose on you miss, you’re our passenger, and mending a sale is a very dangerous job, the weight of it alone is…» he continued in a patronizing voice.
Maria could sense she had to prove her abilities and felt the school teacher voice of her mother emerge in complete authority, interrupting the quartermaster before he could finish speaking.
«Look right there! See how the tear is perfectly straight?» She asked insistently.
The quartermaster sighed and nodded, hoping she would stop talking.
«Those are weft threads, they just the fill the sail, the stronger ones… the warp threads that go up and down are fine! I can patch on both sides through the warp threads, all I need is a needle, thread and a piece of canvas.…do you have that on board?» Maria said looking up from the sail at the stunned quartermaster.
The quartermaster stood speechless as the young lady spoke in a language he had only heard among shipwrights and riggers.
«You have the tools, yes?» Maria said confidently.
The quartermaster turned and shouted at one of the crew, «Fetch me the sail gear in the tackle box and the old sail from down below!»
A member of the crew rushed down the stairs, returning moments later with the items.
The quartermaster placed his hand on Maria’s back gently and spoke quietly in her ear, «If it’s not done right, the sail will be ruined. You’re sure about this?» The quartermaster said as he handed the tackle box to Maria.
Maria nodded confidently and walked toward the sail rigging. She felt she was being taken seriously for the first time, rather than a helpless kitten with no value to those around her. The crew unleashed the base of the sail and lowered it for her. They laid the old sail out on the deck and stood like an audience, watching a performance. Maria immediately went to work measuring the tear and size of the patch she would need to cut from the old sail.
The quartermaster watched from his post with a smile as she had all the deck hands helping her. Each man seemed eager to be her hands and teased each other in the process.
«Those are weft threads there.» said one crewmember to another, as if he knew it already.
Maria giggled and corrected him, «Actually weft threads go up and down, those are the fill threads that go across, they are the weaker of the two.» Maria said as the man nodded in embarrassment.
She walked out the length of patches to be cut and looked around for a knife. The quartermaster stepped down from his post and pulled a blade from his belt, working it along the sail where Maria pointed.
He cut a large set of patches and placed them over and under the main sail to be sewn together. The men held the weight of the sail as Maria set out to stitch the patches in place, ignoring the attention she drew from each man watching her. Her long blonde hair dancing in the breeze as she knelt and turned over and under the sail.
She looked up and saw their blank faces, all looking at her. «Sorry gentleman, I know it’s heavy, I’ll go as quickly as I can.» She said keeping her eyes on the sail.
«It’s not heavy to me!» One man said, «Nor I!» said another, as each of them wanted to boast of their strength in hopes of impressing her.
After two hours, the stitching was complete, and the quartermaster returned. «Well I’ll be!» he said as he inspected the work, pulling at the edges to test the strength. «That’s excellent work!»
«Thanks, we still need a grommet.» She said still focused on the task.
«Now that I can do!» said the quartermaster as he motioned to one of the men to cut a whole and clamp a ring around it for reinforcement.
Moments later, the sail was lashed to the cross arm and hoisted up as it caught the wind, and the ship made a familiar pull forward. The patch held and took the weight of the breeze as before.
Suddenly the oarsmen, covered in sweat, began to appear on deck, one after another in a long line. It was evident they had been told the news and were all looking at the sail with an inspired smile. Then the quartermaster began to clap as he walked toward Maria acknowledging her with a big smile, the entire deck began to cheer with applause as the men felt relieved to have their sail back.
Maria didn’t understand how important her contribution was to the ship, the southern currents of the Volga routinely made hard work for the oarsmen, but without a sail to help propel the ship it would have been almost impossible to travel North. She was their hero.
The captain also joined in and patted Maria on the back,
«U Nas Kupala!» he shouted, «U-ra!»
«U-ra» the crew responded in unison.
Each member of the crew looked Maria in the eye, thanking her and nodding their head in appreciation before returning below.
The captain remained to speak with Maria. «You’ve done us a great service young lady, and saved me a substantial amount of money in repairs.» He said in a grateful tone.
«Normally we give some money to each of the merchants if we are late getting in but we’ll back on schedule now.» Added the quartermaster who listened in as he packed up the repair gear and old sail.
«Ay, and that as well.» The captain continued, «I’m returning your fare for the trip and hope you’ll continue with us to Neva, but of course you are free to pick another ship at the next port if you wish.» He said as he handed Maria a small bag with gold coins.
Maria’s eyes grew wide with astonishment as she held the coin purse in her hand. «Thank you! I just wanted to help, I didn’t expect all this!» She chirped.
The captain nodded and continued on his way, returning to his duties and shouting at the crew, «Back to work! We’re underway and making time to Cheropovets!» he said in a boastful voice.
The men scattered like ants devouring a piece of bread, all with a destination of haste and purpose.
«That was really sweet of you,» Maria said to the quartermaster, knowing he had spoken to the captain and brought the men on deck.