Thieves of the Black Sea. Joe O'Neill

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ he meant it. The last time he’d seen Aseem, he had been clinging to life—near death from dehydration. To see him healthy and alive brought Tariq a deep kind of relief.

      The two boys stared at one another for a few moments, each grateful for the life of the other, not knowing exactly what to say. Finally, Tariq spoke.

      “Fez? Is he okay?”

      “Look!” Aseem said and pointed upward to the main mast of the boat.

      On the mast, forty feet in the air, Fez dangled, pulling in a slack line. A sailor beneath him was giving him instructions, laughing as Fez pulled until, finally, it was snug.

      “Tariq!” Fez yelled down from his perch on the mast.

      Quickly he and the sailor made their way down until Fez was able to jump onto the deck of the boat.

      Once he landed, he sprinted to Tariq and hugged him.

      “Wow Fez, you were up really high!” Tariq said with a smile.

      “We thought you would sleep forever!” Fez replied.

      “I feel like I could have. I’m still confused as to exactly what happened,” Tariq said and began studying his surroundings more carefully.

      The boat was long, over eighty feet, with three masts. Laundry hung from every available railing and line. The floorboards were warped and scratched from salt. Green paint flaked and peeled from the cabin walls and roof. Many of the lines were aged and looked to be on the verge of shredding. Black mold spread in the corners of the floorboards where moisture had collected. Crewmembers, their shirtless torsos bronzed and rugged, shouted and waved to Tariq and he waved back. An old man with gray stubble on his cheeks, his body skinny and tan, came over and smiled and shook Tariq’s hand. He was missing his two front teeth, and there was a huge scar down his neck.

      Raggedy sails attached to each mast held steady in an eight-knot wind.

      “Where are we?” Tariq asked.

      “We were rescued by Captain Scopas and his clan. They call themselves sea gypsies and travel around the Mediterranean. They are the nicest people, and we owe them our lives!” Fez replied.

      “How long have I been asleep?”

      “Five days! Aseem and I woke up two days ago and have been exploring the boat.”

      Tariq looked over the side and saw a dorsal fin next to the boat. The fin skipped up and under the water and reminded Tariq of a dog running next to a wagon. Sailboats of all different sizes and shapes surrounded theirs, all sailing close together. Most were in equally poor condition as their boat.

      “Was I dreaming, or was I rescued by a boy and a shark?”

      Aseem and Fez looked at each other and started laughing.

      “You weren’t dreaming. There is a boy named Panos and he rides a shark! Apparently, he rescued the shark when it was just a baby, and he and the shark became best friends. The shark’s name is Lako, and he’s kind of a scout for the fleet—that’s how they found us! Lako came upon us, and when he was circling the basket, he was trying to help us! Amazing isn’t it?” Fez explained. He was obviously very excited.

      “So, he wasn’t trying to eat us?” Tariq asked.

      “No, he knew we were in trouble but didn’t know what to do. He stayed with us until the fleet was close enough and he could return with Panos to help us.”

      “I thought I was dead. I thought I saw Aji,” Tariq explained, still half believing that the boy he saw was real and not a dreamlike image of his old friend, Aji.

      His mind was still confused.

      The old woman then appeared with a tray of fresh fruit and more pitchers of water. She opened a large tin of aloe vera, which she applied to their faces and lesions. Immediately their skin felt cooler.

      The boys eagerly shoved pieces of orange and watermelon in their mouths and gulped glass after glass of fresh water.

      “So, you must be Tariq,” came a bold voice from behind them.

      They turned as a big man appeared in front of them—the same man who had been on the mast with Fez. He was large, but not fat—all bone and muscle. His face carried the look of a boxer, while the gleam in his eye gave a hint of a rogue and a gypsy. His posture and voice suggested that he was a man of some authority on the boat. A soft black beard covered his square jaw. His right ear was deformed and resembled a gnarly mushroom.

      “You speak Arabic?” Tariq asked.

      “Yes, of course I speak Arabic. I also speak Greek, English, Turkish, Spanish, French, and a smattering of Russian. It sounds like you’ve all had quite an adventure! Another ten minutes and I don’t think we could have saved you.”

      Tariq approached the man and extended his hand. The man smiled and shook it with massive hands. Tariq thought the man might break his fingers, his grip was so tight.

      “Thank you for saving me and my friends. May I ask your name?”

      The man laughed.

      “Ah, I always appreciate a boy with good manners. I am Captain Scopas and this is my boat—the Osprey! As your friends may have explained to you, this is my clan and we live on the sea, traveling by boat from port to port. That is my mother, Helen, who took care of you. You met my boy Panos and his shark, Lako. Quite a story, eh?”

      “I’ve never heard of a boy swimming with a shark before,” Tariq answered, who was mesmerized by the man’s deformed ear.

      “In the Greek Islands, where I am from, it’s not so uncommon. Many of the village boys would swim with sharks. Ah, the world is a wonderful place, is it not?”

      Captain Scopas laughed and hugged Tariq. Tariq felt like a mouse being squeezed by a python.

      He let go and noticed Tariq staring at his ear.

      “You’re wondering about my ear, eh? I was wrestling with a Russian and this happened—he popped my entire ear and blood went everywhere. This Russian was so afraid of blood he fainted on the spot and I won the match. Ha! That will show those damn Russians, who think they wrestle better than anyone.”

      Tariq was embarrassed for staring.

      “I’m sorry, it’s just…,” he tried to explain

      “No need to explain. Tonight, we will prepare a feast in your honor. I must attend to my duties, but, please, enjoy yourselves. We dock at Constantinople in four days’ time if this wind holds up.”

      “Constantinople?” Tariq asked, suddenly remembering his dream where Melbourne Jack told him to find a panther in Constantinople.

      “Ah, you’re wondering why a proud Greek such as myself would set foot in Constantinople with the dreaded Turks? Well, I have some unpleasant business to attend to, my friend, that’s all I can tell you.”

      Captain Scopas suddenly turned very serious and then disappeared below deck.

      “What СКАЧАТЬ