Discovery

Part 1

Thick smoke rolled all around them, the boys giggling and all of them coughing, the smell of burning dung filling all the space in their noses. Esmerelda knew it was James, he was always getting in trouble with the sisters by pulling pranks, telling stories and making people laugh, but she was pretty sure this time they would break the stick on him. Jack and Agnes, her best friends, grabbed her and they ran from the fire while others ran towards it with buckets of water.

Down by the docks, they looked for a hiding spot, knowing that most of the adults there would not be paying attention. A massive ship on their left was being loaded quickly with a few crates, heavy with cargo, big men were pointing and shouting with one bearded man very much in charge. Quietly, the three of them slipped between the shadows undetected and crouched down, looking at each other. "I vote we hide on a ship right now," Jack said in a hushed voice. "No way!" said Agnes "I'm staying here, those ships leave! You heard our Father John, they go to the new lands!" "New lands," whispered Esmerelda, entranced by the thought. "So," argued Jack "Ain't no worse than living with the nuns." He spat at his feet and looked away. "I'm going." he declared and within seconds was gone, leaping upwards. The two simply looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity, tears building up in their eyes. "You should go Ez, I know how much you want to…" she said while wiping her nose on her sleeve, a habit the nuns despised. Esmerelda had no words, just tears as they hugged each other fiercely. One more long look, then Agnes took off running into the smoke. Esmerelda sniffled and looked into colour-changing sky, and cried silently as she made her way up. There was a low whistle from nearby, she flew over the dark shadows and descended to the decks below, making only the smallest sound when she landed. Letting her eyes adjust, she could smell Jack before she saw him, he was trying to sneak up on her but she turned and jokingly slapped him across the face before he could do anything. They wrestled a bit before Esmerelda had him pinned, and they started giggling and snorting to keep quiet. Finding the darkest corner, they took some straw from the animals and made a place to sleep.

Esmerelda knew they were at sea, having left very early in the morning. Jack somehow slept like the dead, flung out over his coat and moving with the ship. The days melted into each other as they could only move around a little bit when nearly all the crew was asleep. They split bits of crusty bread, dried meat and a small jug of water.

It was only after a violent storm that some of the shocked but impressed crew discovered the two; Esmerelda was viciously seasick and made quite a scene, so a giant laughing man picked her up like she was an apple and brought her to the upper deck for better air. The Captain took a shine to Esmerelda and her inquisitive nature, teaching her about the constellations, how to use a compass and navigation. Both Jack and she helped by scrubbing the decks and cleaning up after meals so the crew shared food with them, told them stories and teased them. Esmerelda would see the Captain sometimes writing in a small, black notebook, then staring out to sea, deep in thought.

One morning, with a low creeping fog over the ocean, they listened to the excited stories of villages with trees that reached the clouds, mountains that cut the sky, endless hunting and fortunes to be made. The ship slowly approached a shore and Esmerelda gasped, the fresh clean air danced all around her, singing in her ears and rushing into her nose from the long flat beach.

Onward they went, often stopping to pull in large fish she had never eaten before and huge, terrifying creatures that tasted delicious after being boiled like potatoes in water. Jack was always right up front, pulling and grunting with every bit of strength that he had, "Esmerelda! Come see!" but she was too entranced by the coast line, listening to the Captain describe what other men on other ships were doing right then, how other places just like home were coming to the new lands to discover and take over what was there.

Sometimes they encountered the gentle people that lived off the land, making trades with animal pelts, salted fish, oddly shaped vegetables, bread and spices, strange carvings, and small items in woven bags. One tribe had made a large fire and dinner for them all, everybody contributed and shared, smiling and laughing. It was all unlike anything she had experienced, beasts she had never heard of, vegetables and plants that came from the land and felt like magic as she kept eating. Both she and Jack were silent as they eagerly, politely accepted every single dish presented to them.

The port they entered was insect-sized compared to the lion of home, the settlement behind was wooden buildings and tents. The air was alive, sparkling and crackling with uncertainty, hunger and fear. Everything was new, or just being built; clanging noises, small fires, horses and carts full of supplies and food, mud and shouting filled every corner.

Jack and Esmerelda followed the Captain and crew up the dock and into a tavern, where the food was different, the ale was crisp and cold, and the ground was solid beneath them. The Captain left to his own private space upstairs after buying a few rounds for his men, Jack and Esmerelda followed, exhausted from everything. Next to the huge roaring fire, there were two enormous black animal hides for them to sleep on, Jack was snoring lightly within seconds as usual. Esmerelda fell asleep but woke to the sound of the door slowly shutting when the Captain left. Laying there, she noticed the noise downstairs getting louder as it got darker outside. She went to the door and crept along the wall heading towards the smoke and music. The air was heavy with sweat and anger, the floor was covered in food and ale; giant men were holding small pieces of paper in their hands, tossing little things into a pile in the middle of a large, round table, drinking, yelling, cheering and slapping each other on the back. Esmerelda glanced up at the half moon in the sky as the anger and noise increased, then the table was pitched, and glass shattered in all directions, ringing like bells in the night. She bolted up the stairs back to her warm fuzzy spot and held her breath, nothing. Jack was snoring a bit louder but did not stir from the racket. Soon, the Captain returned upstairs with a dark wooden box in his arms, and went to his bed; there he took some fabric bags and shut them inside, then placed the box in a large woven sack and hid it under the bed. Both of them fell asleep for a short time, comforted by the warm smoke-free air. He rose quietly in the new dawn, gathered his things, then carefully walked across the room and tenderly looked at each child, tucking the box under Esmerelda's sleeping arm. Gone in an instant, Esmerelda knew he was leaving without them, his rowdy crew getting ruder and drinking too much ale more often.

The next morning Jack stretched out noisily, "Nnnnnrrreeea aaa aaaaggggghhhhh" as he dragged and stretched each leg and arm as far as he could, "That was the best sleep of my life!" looking over to where Esmerelda was finally sleeping peacefully, arms tight around the parcel. "What is that!? Where is the Captain!?" he asked, shaking her awake. "Jaaaaaaaaack, you bugger, I've slept barely a minute." She complained, stretching and rubbing her head, hitting her elbow on the bag. Remembering earlier, with a quick movement the bag was hidden and she drew focus to the fact that the Captain had gone, "he left when the sun was barely up, there was a big fight downstairs and the smell of ale and smoke was terrible!" she told him nearly everything in great detail, while getting ready to go. Jack was still shaking his head in disbelief at what he missed while they stuffed their faces with salted fish, fresh bread, and an incredible mix of meat, eggs and vegetables cooked over a flame in a heavy black pan. The small pieces of paper from the kind lady who ran the place had directions of the safest route to where they should go settle. The lady smiled, handed them a sack of food for the journey and pointed them in the right direction, while continuing to clean up the demolished ground floor. Onward they travelled, one time by boat with some of the gentle-faced locals, who seemed content to quietly move them north among the endless trees and rivers.

Finally, they reached a large settlement, bustling and teeming with energy. Stones were being used in building with noise and so much movement; water was everywhere with boats and ships coming and going.

The fire kept them warm every night, Jack found he had a head for numbers and kept track of the Inn while Esmerelda kept order in the tavern, making a good keep for their children and grandchildren. Business with the ships kept a steady supply of the exciting foods they came to adore along the way. The lovely box held pretty stones and shells and sat peacefully next to her bed, the secret hers alone to share with her daughter.

Part 2

Worst snow storm ever. Ezy really needed to move to the west coast where snow melted immediately but she never had enough money to make the voyage. Staying inside, grouchy and finding herself with nothing to do, she started going through her late grandmother’s things. Armed with a glass of wine, she opened the heaviest box first and found a very old, beautiful solid wood box with detailed carving work that made a strange tinkling sound when she moved it side to side. Bewildered, she carefully looked through it, discovering a hidden drawer containing a deteriorating black leather notebook with a word etched on the cover she couldn’t quite make out. Gently, she pried around and finally found a false bottom in another drawer that revealed the source of the clinking. Ezy must have sat, not moving, for 30 minutes, staring at the tattered woven fabric that used to be a bag. Carefully setting her wine on the table, she slowly got up, walked to the phone, made a call, then sat down and waited, breathing very slowly.

Her best friends Tanya and Heyden were silent for 5 very strange minutes while staring at her coffee table. “Ezy! These..these are 17th Century silver coins, these are gold! They look almost new!” Tanya said in a choked hush while trying not to drop her glass of wine. Worth the walk in the snow for sure. Heyden stared at the writing with a magnifying glass mumbling “...deaus...inimici...hispaniarvm...dios mio! This one has to be worth $20,000 at least!” Finally managing to make an audible sound, he still hadn’t moved from the chair, bent over the table. Stories of her ancestry and the forgotten tales were swirling through Ezy’s mind as she gently thumbed through the book, recognizing some of the drawings, finally making out the word on the front. Discovery.