The Trip to Egypt
The morning sun rays of Springtime fell over the city port of old Plymouth making it warm and bright. The Castle One ship was ready for its trip to Egypt, the land of many kings. The port’s many merchants around offered their goods with loud voices for those travelers sailing to Egypt. It was a long, long voyage on the Mediterranean ocean a trip to the far land of ancient mummies of Pharaohs. A million and one sounds filled the port when the carriage arrived at the seaport of Plymouth. Peter jumped from the carriage before Sarah and his mom and stood in wonder looking at the Castle One. The ship waited for all its passengers to come aboard; its two tall smokestacks rose high. His eyes explored everything around him and then, he looked up at the ship again. It was anchored just a few yards from the edge of the waters; it looked taller and larger than Saint Paul's cathedral in London.
The ship’s smokestack, taller than any of the tallest columns outside at the portal of the church, Peter thought as men carrying sacs and luggage went up the ramp to the deck. Peter measured its side and it looked a hundred times larger than a Cricket field, Peter told to Sarah and his mom.
His eyes explored all about the market of the port where some children shouted London's news; they walked with London’s daily newspapers on them while older boys peddled goods. Then, from nowhere two boys came to Peter and Sarah and one said, "Hello little Mister and hello little Princess! Please tell us what are your names? This is Mark and this is Sonny; I’m a King and him only a Prince.” One said jokingly and left behind their loud guffaws!!! The taller of the two boys laughed then he bowed; the shorter one giggled and bowed quickly at them too as both laughed at the same time and left running. Peter and Sarah said nothing but giggled too as the two boys left behind and returned to merrily play with their friends around.
"They funny? Sarah said surprised.
"Perhaps playing with us," Peter said smiling.
"Uuh! It stinks a lot in this market," Sarah said.
“All markets stink a lot; pinch your nose like this,“ Peter said pinching his nose with two fingers and Sarah clipped her nose with too. She tried indeed to stop the stench of fish and both laughed but before long a loud hoot called all passengers aboard. Peter's eyes caught with a row of men, all carrying large sacs on their backs. They went on the ramp from the ground up to the deck and then back. “Mom, what do those men carry on their backs? Peter quickly asked.
“They carry food and coal to keep the boilers' fire up. The steam pushes the ship on the water you know,” her mom explained.
Then, again the men walked up and down the went carrying, like big and strong busy ants, foods and goods for all aboard. The men walked up and down the plank each carrying suitcases or sacs. They went from the ground to the ship's hull above deck, up the ramp and others climbed down with plank, plank, plank noisy strides.
By then, their mother had paid the driver and he horse-carriage made its way out of the market.
The Carnerhill family stood behind ready to go onboard and got help from three men who came for their luggage and carried it away aboard the ship. The last hoot called all passengers to the ocean liner soon to leave the port of Plymouth. The ship was ready to go. It was ready for its way to the city of Alexandria in Egypt, the land kings, and Pharaohs.
"Look, Sarah, look up there! Peter said pointing to the white letters on the ship's hull. “Castle One," Peter read with pride and Sarah too tried to read each letter one by one.
Sarah did repeat after Peter.
"Castle-One it says, it's the ship's name,” she said. She was happy to read it too. She was learning vowels and sounds. She wanted to read all the books anywhere in the world now that she put sounds together. She loved all books about Egypt and Pharaohs, she told Peter and she pointed to where passengers stood, all waving their goodbyes. Both children wanted to walk up the rail too, where people aboard were saying farewells to families on the ground.
“Children walk, walk children, “their mom said. They walked on the passengers’ ramp-up to the boarding deck.
"To Egypt…wow! We’re going to Egypt now Sarah!! Peter said smiling to his sister, his glowing with happiness as they went up the ship.
The ship hooted long and then loud one more time; it was ready to leave port. On the ship's final hoot, the ship moved slowly away from the waters while on the port below people yelled their goodbyes.
“Goodbye, adios amigos and ciao”, they said. Good luck they howled to all on board.
Those by the rail above were waving goodbyes to people below shouting goodbyes as well. Sarah remembered the bedtime stories her father read to her. She worried for a moment about the Forty Thieves of Ali-Baba from bedtime stories.
“Mom, would Ali-Baba come to Morocco too? Sarah asked her mother. “Of course not, honey-pie. We'll have English soldiers from the Crown to protect us from any harm. Her mom reassured her to erase her fears.