Patchwork Universe

Yarrow · Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2004 5:00 pm Post subject: Castles in the Sand

On the island of Moahu a piece of driftwood has been tied to a tree stump. Chalked on this in a crabbed hand words read:

The Great Sandcastle Competition
Under 18s only
Fabulous Prizes to be Won!

Hanging from the stump is a yellow plastic bucket shaped like a squat castle with a tower at each of four corners. A plastic spade sits in the bucket.

Scattered on the sand nearby are a collection of stones, polished smooth by the sea; shells of many different colours and a couple of trailing lengths of seaweed. There is also a line of minature flags, paper pasted on to short sharp sticks, each bearing their own device: a red rose, an iron cross, the letter J, the Cross of St George and a Jolly Roger are just a few of the options.

So far no sandcastles have been built, although the fine white sand of the beach looks perfect for the pursuit.

Captain Isobel DeRainault · Good Joined: 20 Jan 2004 Posts: 171 Location: HMS Justice

Coming ashore with the boat crew, Midshipmen Paul Langford and Lily Bayfield were immediately attracted to the two unusual signs, but especially to the latter, announcing the sandcastle competition. "It's most strange - all this signposting - I heard Lieutenant Erickson say that the folk who put them here were quite the pair of characters." At fourteen, Midshipman Bayfield was an earnest and sprightly graduate of one of the more recent classes of female cadets at the Royal Naval Academy. "Alright then - marines, set up a cordon. We'll venture to the interior and gather greenstuff according to the Doctor's list - and keep any eye out for trees that would make good spars."

"Lily, I want to stay here, with the marines. You'll need someone in charge, in any case." Midshipman Langford was a mere boy of eleven - but being male, he had joined the ship at a young age in accordance with naval traditions. Right now, he was doing his best to look serious, and disguise the fact that he had every intention of starting quite a fine sandcastle once his senior had gone inland to gather fruits and greens. "Well, I suppose so - but no larking about, and make sure that the marines stay alert - you know that Lieutenant Staves is concerned that something's happened to the Captain." With that, Lily nodded to the other men and began moving towards the trees. Paul obliglingly helped the marines to array the boats on the beach, watched them take posts, and promptly headed back to the sign to begin planning his sandcastle.

Captain Isobel DeRainault · Good Joined: 20 Jan 2004 Posts: 171 Location: HMS Justice

Midshipman Lily Bayfield had long disappeared into the interior, leading the gathering party. Having assured that the marines would remain guarding the boat, Midshipman Paul Langford had now decamped to begin working on his sandcastle.

For the last hour, he had busied himself recreating the Battle of Janina, shaping up the fine battlements, then applying himself to creating some intricate harbour defenses, all lined with coloured stones. Seeing as there were no flags quite appropriate, he decided to have the iron cross stand for the defenders, and the red rose to decorate the ship he was now building out in the sand harbour. Unlike the battlements, which had been easily created using the oddly shaped bucket, making a ship out of sand is no easy task, and he had now mixed water and sand into a kind of mortar in order to build up little masts on the sand ship. He was just giving thought to what to use for sails, when he heard the steps and calls of the returning gathering party.

Scrambling up, Paul had just enough time to get back over to the boat when Lily and the sailors emerged, laden with fruit and greens. "Mr. Langford!" Midshipman Bayfield sounded displeased. "Just *what* have you been doing?"

Captain Isobel DeRainault · Good Joined: 20 Jan 2004 Posts: 171 Location: HMS Justice

With despair, Paul realized that his uniform coat was disordered, his breeches were covered in sand, and his hat was still sitting next to the sand fortress of Janina, where he'd left it. "I just - I - well, it got *boring* waiting for you to get back, Lily, and there was this sign, and the little flags..."

Lily Bayfield sighed. "I suppose it's not done any harm, Paul, but you must learn to be properly responsible about things. You'd be severely punished for any inattention during a watch on ship, to be sure, and you must not let bad habits develop." As she spoke, she helped him to fix his coat, and bush the sand off him. Paul Langford looked down at his shoes, and their silver buckles. Lily was being generous, he knew, as she could easily report him to the Lieutenant, but she did rather treat him like a bratty younger brother.

"Anyway, we have all the fruit and such we need, and I've identified and marked a few good trees we can just for extra spars. I expect that Lieutenant Staves will send the Carpenter and his mates over directly, so we'd best get back to the ship." With that, the party was clambering back aboard the boat, and it was soon away back to the Justice.