It didn’t take long. Not an hour later I was being walked up on deck to face the captain.
The sailor, a stocky, moonfaced man, gripped my arm and pushed me ahead of him none too gently. I'd gone over the story I planned to tell the captain so many times there wasn't a chance I'd forget it. No point in rehearsing it one more time. My heart pounded and my stomach rolled, trying to claw its way up my throat. I focused on my feet, taking one step at a time, and stepped up onto the deck and into the sunshine.
I'd been in the dark of the hold for three days. To my dazzled eyes, it seemed an eternity. I blinked at the huge blue sky and the billowing white sails, snapping in a strong wind. My gaze flicked past the ship's flag, and then flew back to it. My stomach turned upside down and my heart
