Show Notes
[00:00:00] What's up everyone and welcome to a very unorthodox episode 67 of the Promptly Written Podcast
[00:00:23] where every month we usually take a writing prompt provided by you, write stories based
[00:00:27] on it and then break them down for you. My name is Ian Lewis and today I'm following
[00:00:32] solo as you may be aware, Promptly Written is unhiatus and my usual co-host Matt is
[00:00:37] taking a much needed break. However, I decided I would sneak in from time to time with some
[00:00:42] microfiction based on an unused prompt from a past poll. For today's episode the prompt
[00:00:48] I chose is and what if I say no? It was provided by Chris Bednar, thanks Chris. And so
[00:00:55] now, without any further ado, I present to you a 465 word story titled Captain Jack
[00:01:02] and the Good Ship Danger. Captain Merrimack Jack was a fine sailor man,
[00:01:08] stout of will and resolve he was. He wore a fine sailor's cap and a jacket to match.
[00:01:13] He was the deepest blue with big golden buttons. He wore his beard thick and full and polished
[00:01:19] his boots once a week. Now Captain Jack was set to take his commission
[00:01:23] a skipper of the Good Ship Danger. It was a full rigged ship, the grandest in the harbor,
[00:01:28] and those that sought said it was quite daring. A daring ship to sail the lake they
[00:01:33] said. But Captain Jack turned his back on the lake. He
[00:01:37] turned his back and looked out across the shore. He was determined to sail the earth as
[00:01:41] it had never been sailed before. And so he gathered his crew, a motley gaggle of men, those
[00:01:47] as daring as the danger. They caught an oraster in their sails and steered the ship ashore.
[00:01:53] Turn the boat around, the captains in the harbor shouted.
[00:01:57] And what if I say no? Captain Jack said as he ignored them. He ignored their jibes and
[00:02:02] jiers, letting the wind and waves ground him fast. Then Jack took stock of the danger,
[00:02:08] eyeing the angles and proportions. He determined he should strengthen the bow and
[00:02:12] fortify its keel. And this he did with much effort, wearing steel upon wood and then steel upon
[00:02:18] steel. He honed a knife said so that when the wind blew right, the ship would drift across the
[00:02:23] earth, digging a channel to carry him thus. But the wind was slow to come, at least in the right
[00:02:29] direction, and the danger hardly moved only an inch a year. By then the crew grew tired and began
[00:02:35] to wander off. They wandered off and went away, leaving Jack with his daunting task. He's a mad
[00:02:41] lad that one, people would say when they saw Jack at the helm, gazing not at the water but out
[00:02:46] across the earth he wished to sail. And every day he would helm the ship no matter the weather,
[00:02:52] no matter his crew. Years went by with little to show but a grizzled captain Jack waiting for wind.
[00:02:58] Just once while Gustas all that I need he said, and then one night a terrible gale came rushing in.
[00:03:05] Furiously loud and his hopes kindled anew. But the danger creaked in moaned and no one thought
[00:03:11] the ship would last till moan. Off to bed with he, Jack declared, ignoring them all and went on
[00:03:18] manning the helm determined to see it through. And what happened then is anyone's guess,
[00:03:23] for when warning came not he nor the danger were anywhere to be seen. People said he'd finally
[00:03:29] sail across the earth or perhaps was blown to smithereens. The end. Well there it is, a very
[00:03:37] non-sensical tall tale. I hope you enjoyed it, I sure had fun writing it. As always thank you for
[00:03:43] listening and I hope to see you again soon. Don't forget to visit our Facebook group at facebook.com
[00:03:49] slash groups slash pbritten pod. You can also contact us via twitter at pbritten pod or email us at
[00:03:56] promptlybritten pod at gmail.com. Alright until next time.