The captain stands there, shocked. He's never had an entire crew threaten a mutiny, let alone threaten one before they have even embarked on their journey.
"Why must you say these things? Let us embark on our journey as planned," replies the captain.
"Not as long as that Sindbad is traveling on the ship. That man is bad luck," retorts the crew, "Every single voyage he embarks on, nearly the entire crew ends up perishing!"
"I can understand your trepidation, but fear not. This voyage is not a dangerous one, you are the most experienced and talented crew that I have been around, and I promise that we will make it out alive," assured the captain. After all, they did have a vast amount of experience traveling the seas with him. But he could see in their eyes that they did not expect to return alive.
Dejected, Sindbad rose from his seated position. He could not bear to see the hatred that these sailors had for him, some of whom even traveled with him on his previous voyages, rescuing him when they found him stranded. Hearing them say they wished he did not travel with them, he felt compelled to finally speak up.
"Fellow sailors," said Sindbad, "I am pained to know that you do not wish for me to join you on your journey. It is not my fault that I have been through these experiences. In many cases, it was the others with me who caused such chaos that led to my adventures."
One of the sailors scoffs at Sindbad and exclaims, "So because of that, you expect us to be ready to die and become just another chapter in your book? What kind of man has every other crew he's sailed with perish on their journey? If I hazard a guess, I would say that you were responsible for all of their deaths!"
"I handpicked him for his experience and expertise on the waters and I believe he is a capable mariner. Why would I risk my own life by bringing him aboard if I did not believe we would survive?" questions the captain.
"The Caliph demanded you bring him along! That's what happened on his seventh voyage, and I assume it's the same story this time around. I doubt a man with your experience would be so asinine as to bring along someone as reckless and cursed as Sindbad," cries the crew.
"One way or another, there will be a crew on that ship within the hour. If you do not board with myself and Sindbad, I will make sure you never set foot on any vessel again. I do not have time to waste with you and your trivial fears," remarks the captain.
Sindbad looks towards the ground, noticing how weathered his feet have become from all of his adventures. Escaping along the river, flying with the Roc, surviving the Old Man of the Sea. Defeated, he whispers, "I must stay so as not to threaten the ship and its survival. If the crew does not wish for me to join them, I shall stay and tend to my home. All I wanted was one voyage that did not result in disaster."
Sindbad leading a caravan on one of his voyages
Source: Wikipedia
The captain looks towards Sindbad, then back at the crew. "We're not leaving this man behind. We will be the voyage that breaks the spell of luck that Sindbad has experienced on the sea. We don't sail without all of you, nor without Sindbad. Anyone who does not want to give this man his one wish in life is less of a man than anyone."
The crew looks at each other, contemplating their next move. After a few moments, their decision has been made. "We shall sail with Sindbad, just this one voyage. However, if it does threaten the same ending as his previous seven, all we ask is that Sindbad ensures we survive in exchange for volunteering for this mission."
Sindbad quickly agrees, excited that he is able to make one last voyage. The crew piles onto the ship, and sails off into the horizon.
Author's Note: Each of Sindbad's seven voyages are stories of near peril for Sindbad, and on many of these voyages, Sindbad found himself as the only sailor to survive, having watched many die in front of him, leaving him as the only one who can recount their deaths. I wanted to write a story looking at how the crew might react to the possibility of sailing with Sindbad, having read about his perils and the threat of imminent harm they might face when sailing with him. While the stories might have been exaggerated, the sailors still would likely want no part of his presence.
The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H.J. Ford (1898)
I've spent some time reading the stories of Sindbad as well and you are absolutely right. Each of his stories involves members of his crew, if not the whole crew, perishing. I like the point of view you wrote from, I had always thought about how other sailors might feel about Sindbad in the world of that tale since he never mentions it himself. I think this story has a lot of potential to have a part 2, is that something you've considered? I'd be very interested in reading the follow-up and seeing how Sindbad manages to save the crew for once instead of using them as human shields. Maybe the next trip could be based off of the story involving the cyclops, where they encounter some sort of fairy tale creature trying to kill them off except this time Sindbad reacts in time to save the crew. Or maybe you could portray him as an intellectual that solves a deadly puzzle instead of forcing him to be a brave character. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed your writing style and this point of view of Sindbad. Great work!
ReplyDeleteHey Sam! I liked that narrative you wrote. It gives perspective on how all the other sailors felt about Sindbad. It actually makes you have a bit of pity on Sindbad. It was likely that not many people wanted anything to do with him. I wonder how the crew would feel if they went through a voyage without dying. It would be a big accomplishment and worthy of celebration.
ReplyDeleteHi Sam! I really like this story. I can definitely see that after that many tragic voyages, it would be hard to get anyone to sail with him. I can understand him feeling bad, but honestly I wouldn't want to get on that ship with him either.
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