Upon one summer's morning, I carelessly did stray,
Down by the Walls of Wapping, where I met a sailor gay,
Conversing with a bouncing lass, who seem'd to be in pain,
Saying, William, when you go, I fear you will ne'er return again.
His hair it does in ringlets hang, his eyes as black as sloes,
May happiness attend him wherever he goes,
From Tower Hill, down to Blackwall, I will wander, weep and moan,
All for my jolly sailor bold, until he does return.
My father is a merchant—the truth I now will tell,
And in great London City in opulence doth dwell,
His fortune doth exceed ₤300,000 in gold,
And he frowns upon his daughter, 'cause she loves a sailor bold.
A fig for his riches, his merchandize, and gold,
True love is grafted in my heart; give me my sailor bold:
Should he return in poverty, from o'er the ocean far,
To my tender bosom, I'll fondly press my jolly tar.
My sailor is as smiling as the pleasant month of May,
And oft we have wandered through Ratcliffe Highway,
Where many a pretty blooming girl we happy did behold,
Reclining on the bosom of her jolly sailor bold.
Come all you pretty fair maids, whoever you may be
Who love a jolly sailor bold that ploughs the raging sea,
While up aloft, in storm or gale, from me his absence mourn,
And firmly pray, arrive the day, he home will safe return.
My name it is Maria, a merchant's daughter fair,
And I have left my parents and three thousand pounds a year,
My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold,
There is nothing can console me but my jolly sailor bold.
-My Jolly Sailor Bold
Hello, my name is Oonah. I live on the Far Zebraric Islands. My father is the leader of the Mercants Guild in Wapping, a small little bay town that rests on the side of Berg. The third bigest Island in the archepelago nation. This is my story, one of pirates and foren lands.
“Oonah, please tell the dock master about the Meer Stad dignitary that will be showing up about today. He will be here with his son, and I want to marry you off to him. You have been a maden for too long.” Stern as ever my father was. “Oh and Oonah, no funny buisness this time. I don't even want to know what happened to the last five men that I have tried to marry you off to.” My dads wife was married off to him, and his father was the same, and so on. “Oonah, my little zebra, I know that you want to find somebody who loves you. You must understand, love is fake, and is little more than lust compounded over time.” Remember Oonah mother wanted you to be mindful of your father before she passed away.
“Yes father. No funny buisnes, but not everything in life is about money. Or power for that reason.” He glared at me and motioned me away from his desk. Down the hallway I went. It has not changed once since I have been born. The walls a light sand coloured yellow, and the floor a dark wood.
“Morning Oonah! Off on buisness again?” The receptionist for the guild hall asked me. Her name is Quick File.
“Oh yes Mrs. File, Father wants me to talk to the dock master.” she smiles and nods. It is always funny when she nods, her Zebra mane flips back and forth, loose strands trail off like strands of a spiders web in the wind. Just then a young foal walked in.
“Mrs. I am looking for my mom. I have not seen her for two days! She said that she was just going to go fishing, but she only stays out in the morning. When it is nice and cool. Please Mrs. I promised that I would be a good little colt for her!” Poor little thing he was practically in tears. I scooped him up and placed him on my back.
“don't worry. I am heading to the dock to speak with the dockmaster. You can come with me if you want to, okay? And we will ask the dockmaster if your mother boat has come in yet, alright?” he nodded and held on to my neck.
“Oonah you are just like your mother. Don't ever change.” Mrs. File said with a small smile on her face. I left the Merchants entrance of the hall and walked down the streets of Burg. “So little one, what is your name?” I asked the barnical that was now attached to my neck.
“Zafaranta, your name is Oonah? Like the Merchants Guild masters daughter?” He asked back to me. I simply nodded back to him. Not quite sure iff he could tell, but I think that he understood that he was right. The streets of Burg where cobbled, and the houses made of wood and stone. Smoke flowed out of stony chimmnys. Zebras milled about the streets. There hooves and voices echoed about the town, making a great song telling everybodys day. Flowing cloths and colours mixed with each other. The sun was reaching its highest in the sky, and exotic smelles permiated the air. Spices and cooked food enchanted the common Zebra to glance into fast-food stalls. The streets where tight and narrow, so much so that one could not be on the far side of the road without hearing the conversation on the other side. Down both me and Zafaranta went to the Harbor where the wooden dock sat. It was a raised dock, held up by great wooden pillars that where placed into slabs of stone that went deep into the water.
“Zafaranta, what does your mom do for a living? Is she a fish monger? Or does she catch fish for other reasions?” He hopped off my back to look at a stuffed mushroom stall that we where passing.
“Mrs. Oonah, my dad is a griffon footman. He gets off of leave at the end of the week. Mom was just out to catch him some fish. She is a pearl diver, and can hold her breath for a long time. She brings me starfish sometimes or even a sea dollar.” i look at the stall owner. And point to some seawead stuffed mushrooms. Grilled to a light golden brown, and only has the smallest black char marks on its top. I pay the zebra with a princesses gold and hand one to the foal.
“Come Zafaranta, the dock is not far. We have about three more hours before the great sun sets, and the silver moon rises, may the stars lead the way.” he looked at me oddly.
“Mrs. Oonah, you worship the night sky? Why? Isn't the sun the provider of life? Woulden't that make the sun be the thing you worship?” I smile at him.
“The sun may provide life and warmth. But the moon leads the way. Ships are navigated by the stars, and it is those ships that have the ones we love on them. Much like your father. The stars are our guides in life, and the moon keeps us from total darkness on the sea.” he smiles back at me and we trot our way down the wooden deck of the dock.
“Ahhhhhh, Mrs. Oonah you are as pretty as the setting sun, and as lovely as a full moon. Your eyes, blue as the sky, filled with wonder and hope. Your coat softer than the far east silk.Your hips like that of a pend-” I quickly interupted the dock masters soon to be rather bold speach on what he finds pretty about my body. At least he did not start with how well i can use my tonge, to pronounce the most complex word. Such a fithy stallion. Drunk most of the time too.
“Light Banter, can you please remember that the Meer Stad dignitary will be here soon. You might want to stay off of the Root Ale” root ale is a beer made from marshy and sweet roots found in the inland swamps on several islands. This is one such island. “Also if it is not to much trouble, this colts mother, a pearl diver has been missing for abut two days. Can you see if she has checked in?”
“Mr. Banter, her name is Pink Pearl.”Zafaranta told him. With this, Banter walked over to his log book and scaned threw it.
“Nope, Pearl has not come back to port yet. I can ask a few Captains to keep an eye out for her boat though. It is called the Evening Spire. So Oonah do you have some place to be, or do you want to have a sway in the hammock with me.” he even dared to ask. If it where not for the fact that I had Zafaranta with me, i would have cut his tonge out and ripped his stalionhood into a new hole. Then I would break his legs at the hock and-
“Mrs. Oonah said she would take me home. That is okay with you Mr. Banter, right?” smart foal, i will have to ask him about that when we are at his house.
“Come along Little Zaf, you will have to lead the way a bit. I have the navagation abilities of a blind mouse.” he giggles at me.
“Well Oonah I am a Sea Rat, so if you ever want me to come play mousehole with you, just ask.” we quickly left the dock house after that statement. I followed Zaf all the way to his house.
“So Zaf, why did you save me from Banters bantering? Surely that is not the type of words you are used to hearing?” i look at him in the safety of his cold home. The night chill was setting in, and it seeped threw the stones on the floor. He looked down at the cold stone floor and rubbed his left hoof against it.
“Mrs. Oonah, my dad is often away for a long amount of time. Many times stallions like that have had there way with mom. She does it so that we can make a living. Stallions rull and are in charge on the island. So her having a buisness is looked on poorly. Plus dad is seen as a weakling because he is a griffon. Not a Zebra. They see mom as a whore, because she wares the red robes of the water lilly. I have seen what they do to mom, and they threaten her. All because she has a buisness and loves an outsider. Mom wants us to move with dads old family, but we never have the money for it.” I pull him in closer to me.
“I want to leave too, my dad wants to marry me off to the highest bidder. All he sees is wealth. When we find your mom, we will all leave. I promise you that, okay? I have the money, and know the right sailors that will take us. Don't worry little Zaf, I will get us out of here.” he smiles at me. “If you ever need me, you know where to find me. We will leave in three days, if we find your mom by then.” The door opens and in steped a Zebra with a torn Red Robe of the Lilly. She shut the door and then looked at me for a moment.
“Mrs. Oonah, what is the reason as to why you are in my house? Is everything okay? Did you hear something bad about Swift Beak? Is he okay?” she had cuts, small ones, up and down her body. I lead her to her bed. Useing what was left of the robe I bandaged and cleaned her up. Then i brought her up to spead as to what was going on. She cried and held onto me thanking me. “Swift will be home tomorow, with the delegates ship. He works as a guard for the delegate. I will start getting packing, how much can me bring?”
“One chest for each of you, and and extra chest for the family. I do not know what all the rooming arangements will be, but expect them to be small.” with that I left and headed home. It was time that I too packed. I will have to do it without dad knowing, and i will have to take as much money with me as I can.