’Drop the gill nets!’ could be heard from the captain atop the rudder. One large gill net was dumped into the water behind the ship. While the net was being dragged behind the ship, collecting unsuspecting fish, Pi’ve was in his usual post. He was scrubbing the barrels. Absentmindedly, he was thinking about what his father had told him just a couple of days ago. He had met Barna— a real wizard— at the pub by the dock. If there was one thing Pi’ve wanted more than anything in the world, it was to become a wizard. Only yesterday, Pi’ve had been adventuring outside the city gates of Thergiam and met a wizard himself. As rare as that was, chance had a tendency to bless you at the strangest times. He had fallen to the ground in his hurry to get home, scratching his palms badly. The wizard had waved his hand over his, and all the small pebbles lodged inside his skin had vanished. He was basking in the memory still.

  Pi’ve heard a commotion of shouts up top. They hoisted the gill net with the fish onto the boat with a large lifting crane, dumping the fish into a large cargo hold in the middle of the boat. Had the wizard not removed the pebbles from his hands, today’s labour would have hurt him a lot, Pi’ve thought. He had only managed to clean two more barrels as the fish was ready to be sorted. Through small holes with a hatch you could open into the cargo hold, the crew filled barrels upon barrels with fish. Usually. On this trip, which was cut short by the impending storm, they did not expect to fill many barrels, but five barrels was not enough to do the job. Suddenly, Pi’ve felt sick.

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  ’Oy. What’re doin,’ Pi’ve heard from behind, as he was holding himself against the wall. He felt nausea come over him in a hurry.

  ’Billo— Ahh…’

  ’There’s na’time fer slobbin’ about! We know yer the captains’ son’n’all, but ye should pull’yer weight nevertheless, laddie!’ Billo exclaimed in his thick accent. Billo had been on the ship for as long as there had been a ship. He was here even before the current ship, which Pi’ve’s father had bought by taking up a large loan long ago.

  Billo turned around and Pi’ve knew he went to fetch the captain. As the captain came down the stairs, Pi’ve could not hold his stomach any longer, and he puked in a barrel filled with fish. As Pi’ve turned around, he saw his father, Billo and Uro with open mouths. Pi’ve was the only one filling barrels. Pi’ve has just destroyed one-barrel-worth of fish. Pi’ve has not cleaned enough barrels. He was not working fast enough.

  ’Uro. Take position. Go to your cabin. You are not fit to work.’ His father said, shaking his head both embarrassed and disappointed. Pi’ve felt a knot being tied in his throat. He had tried to do his job as well as he could, but once again, he had failed. Could he not do anything right?

  ’There’s one less on’t deck, Captain! We need th’men!’ Billo was shouting from the main deck. Pi’ve could hear everything from his bunk. He was feeling weak, but he wished he could help.

  ’We’ll make do!’ The captain answered back, but Billo retaliated with saying ’Nah, Captain! Peak the storm, Captain!’ and the next thing Pi’ve remembered was him being grabbed by his arm and hoisted up his feet. The storm was closer than they had anticipated.