Download the Book - Islam and Science Fiction

Recompense
Recompense
Pamela Kenza Taylor
Pamela Kenza Taylor says this about herself: “I'm a stay-at-home
mom/freelance writer/author. While I make a living at journalism and
op-ed, my first love is fiction, particularly science fiction. I also write
poetry, mostly of a religious bent.”
Jeremy Hawkins, second mate of the Adeline, stood at the
larboard aft rail of the poop deck, letting the warm August wind ruffle
his hair. The moon, waxing gibbous, reflected on the waves in
glorious tones of pearl and silver, dappling the black water in a
spectacle that surpassed even the beauty of the Celestial River.
“‘Tis a magnificent night,” came the voice of first mate, William
Gossett, as he climbed up from belowdecks to relieve Hawkins of the
watch. “I shouldn’t wonder if your berth seems not so welcoming this
morn.”
“I’d string up a hammock and bed down here with this fair breeze
freshening my slumber, if the captain wouldn’t have my head,”
Hawkins replied. Gossett nodded, his grizzled hair gleaming in the
moonlight, his crooked smirk deepening the lines in his weathered
face.
“Ay, the stench below is something fearsome, but the captain’s
wrath is doubly so.”
“I never suspected they would smell so.”
Gossett guffaw cut Hawkins short.
“Ha! What were you carrying? Tobacco? Cinnamon? You
blasted merchanters! Rosewater sailors all, the accursed lot of you!”
Hawkins bore the banter genially, knowing Gossett meant no true
insult. Even if he did, Hawkins was no match for the old salt, with
fists or cutlass.
“Cotton, mostly. Sometimes lumber.”
“A waste of a good ship.” Gossett spat into the Adeline’s wake.
“Slaves. That’s how you make real money.”
Hawkins remained silent. He’d signed on with Captain Bayonne
three months ago for that very reason. The second mate’s share of the
voyage’s profits would make life quite a bit more comfortable for
some time to come. With his upcoming marriage, wealth had seemed
important at the time, but he’d soon found that he had no stomach for
the trade in human cargo.
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