En Bateau - Simon Bookish

En bateau

On Board

A luxury yacht or a cruise liner

Out in the sun

Cheerful

With rails all around

Enclosing the deck

Walls so high

So the sea is not visible

The Captain comes out onto the deck

White beard, uniform

Faux-pirate 'Ah-ha, me hearties!'

Steps out from a flimsy pair of French windows

«There is no need for alarm, everyone must go inside urgently.»

Everyone files in

We mill about

In a large, low ceiling-ed 'observation deck'

It seems to be made

From cardboard

It might even be a film set

You demand to know what’s going on

The Captain explains, for what seems like hours

With diagrams, flip-charts: a lecture with overhead projections

«We are about to perform a common nautical proceedure known as 'Pairs'»

«As we submerge a smaller vessel hitches a ride… piggy-back style»

As the explanation ends the windows begin to fill up with a bright blue liquid.

You stand up in the middle of the crowded room and shout at the top of your

voice…