Two hours on Facebook the previous night had left me exhausted, feeling overwhelmed by what I had learned and at my emotional wits’ end. The desire ... had felt for Fenella all those years ago had reawakened as strongly as before: yet what now was it sensible for me to want or to hope for, now that we had moved on into separate and very different lives? I couldn’t even focus on wanking myself to sleep. The next morning I had known what I needed; I had phoned Gemma and asked if I could spend the. We’ll do exactly as you want us to do. If you want us to sit here with our hands folded in front of us then that’s how we’ll act. If you want us to behave more professionally in the future, then I think it is safe to say that we will do our best to meet that expectation. Just don’t get upset if we slip from time to time. You’re asking us to make a stark change not only in our personalities but in the working relationships we’ve developed over the past several months. I just wanted to make sure. Children played on the side of the road and in the front yards of the small modern homes, the sun slowly setting behind the mountains to the west of the small suburb. Temperatures slowly cooling off as night approached and engulfed the landscape, setting an altogether quiet and peaceful mood for the night, something I have longed for. I pulled into the driveway of my humble abode, smiling softly as I realized my hard day of slaving at work was finally over, and could once again return to the. Much of the ship’s round hull was given over to cargo so the crew lived cheek-by-jowl under the foredeck. Even the Captain enjoyed no special privilege in this regard, the blunt stern housed no cabins or accommodation. It was here that the charcoal brazier of the cook stood and the long tiller. The ship was old. It was little different from the round ships of Ancient Rome and quite unlike the swift sea-dragons of the North. Built to carry cargo, it was neither swift nor particularly.