Satisfaction

by Jenny Thompson 

The captain clambered up the rope ladder.

“I’ve got it!” he called cheerfully before hopping the rail onto the deck of his ship. He tossed his leather map quiver to the First Mate. “The map’s a gift from the harbour master’s wife who turned out to be a most agreeable lady. Her husband, on the other hand…” He shook his head. “I had to make a rather quick exit from her bedchamber this morning.”

“Captain, you seem to have forgotten something.”

The captain glanced down.

“Right.” He shrugged. “I’m sure I can pick up my trousers next time we visit.”

Jenny Thompson

Jenny Thompson is an IT analyst based in Pittsburgh. Her poetry has been published in Strange Horizons, Star*Line, and the anthology Post ROE Alternatives: Fighting Back.