The Sunken Ship

The Untold Story of the Sunken Ship.

It was the forty-eighth day of Nature, and Captain Belingam was climbing up the mast to double-check their position, ignoring the drunken babbles of his first mate who was passed out on the floor of his cabin. Being close to the same state as his first mate, Belingam was very cautious climbing the rigging. He almost fell twice as he clung tightly to the rope and his still warm bottle of ale. Scanning the seas, he blinked rapidly to clear the blur from his eyes. He then noticed a large black box bobbing up and down with the waves. Being in the middle of the Dune sea, a large floating box would make a man wonder. Not Captain Belingam. He quickly dismissed the box, and being satisfied that he is where he should be, climbed back down the rigging. As he reached the deck, the box crashed into the starboard side of the ship, making a very loud . . . scream? Nearly falling over a loop of rope, the captain ran to the side of the ship, expecting to see a crewman smashed to the side. Instead of a crewman, he looked at a half-drowned gnome, sobbing as he looked at a crack in his giant box. As the gnome looked up and saw the captain, he started screaming at the top of his lungs. Youmusthelpmegetthisnewandimprovedpropulsiondeviceonbaord! Obviously in a daze, the captain yelled for all hands on deck, and hauled the gnome and his crate aboard. The gnome, now on firm ground began to calm down and introduce himself to the captain and his crew.

I am Brambus of Tarandue, and you sirs are in luck today! For saving me from certain inconvenience, I shall get you to where you are going, in less then one day. As the crew erupted in laughter, Brambus took the captain aside and explained his revolutionary propulsion device. The captain humoring the gnome, agreed to let Brambus install and activate this "new" device. Squealing with delight, Brambus ran off, beginning the task of disassembling his box and setting to work. Satisfied that all is well, the captain and his crew once again returned to their drunken states.

Sometime before the sun came up, the captain was awakened by a light tap from a small gnome. Adjusting his spectacles, Brambus said only two words, Won't . . . stop. Not quite comprehending what the gnome was saying, the captain decided to venture outside to see where the night had taken them. As he tried to open the door, the gusts of wind quickly slammed the door shut in his face. Befuddled by this strong wind, the captain threw the door open only to be knocked back by the strong wind. Crawling on the floor, the captain yelled to the gnome, What have you done, you meddling fool! Brambus raced to the captain and quickly explained himself. seethenewandimprovedpropultiondevicewasntworkingaswellasiwashopingitw ouldsoiturnedupthepowerabitbutslippedandturnedthenobaliitletoomuch. THENthewindknockedmebackandIspenttherestofthenightcrawlingtogetyou! Not understanding a word, the captain managed to get his back against the wall, only to see a small island in the distance get larger and larger by the second. Helpless to do anything to save his ship, the captain looked down at the deck thinking of his crew that slept below. As he looked back toward the gnome, he saw a large potion, and a grin on Brambus's face as he quaffed his potion and was gone.

This story relayed to me by Brambus