The Incident at Portsmouth South
by admin
Joseph Litwin stood on the dock and gazed in wonder at the tall ship before him. The sun had just risen in the east and cast golden beams of light across the towering masts and wooden sides of the ship. It was a wonder, and that was to be sure! He watched the mariners working on board, coiling rope and calling to one another in the early morning like jay birds chattering in an oak tree. As he watched, one of the mariner’s lost his cap in the morning breeze. The blue and white head piece fluttered down to the water like a wounded thing, finally dappling the surface where it struck — water prisms of light dancing in a circle around it.
“I’ll fetch it for you, master,” cried Joseph. Before the mariner could respond, the young lad dropped the bindle he had carried far from home and dove from the dock into the icy water.