and intrigued to discover more.
Sergei boarded the ship and spoke with the quartermaster about their travel arrangements. From the dock, Maria could hear some shouting and arguments, but this was typical negotiation tactics in Russia. As she looked around taking in all of the sites, a large group of men walked by her to board the ship. They were poorly dressed and smelled of alcohol but walked like kings of their own world inside an entourage of sweat and muscle.
Sergei returned with a discouraged face that he tried to hide as he explained the situation to Maria. «There is not enough for both of us to take this trip, so you will have to go without me.» He said in a slight whisper, keeping his back to the ship. «I told this man that you knew your way around the ship and would be okay without an escort. Can you go alone?»
Maria’s hand slid towards her pocket, thinking to offer the money Oksana had given her earlier. But something in the back of her mind told her to go on without Sergei.
«As long as this ship will take me to Neva, I will be fine,» Maria said as she reached for her sack of belongings.
Sergei seemed very relieved, «The quartermaster is a good man, he will keep an eye on you. Meanwhile, I’ll explain everything to your brother when he returns next week.» He said with a smile.
As they walked towards the gangplank, Sergei’s voice lowered once again as he whispered, «There are all sorts of people on these ships, criminals, slaves even spies. Do not trust anyone, and sleep with this in your hand.» He said cautiously as he placed a palm-sized knife between her fingers.
Maria quickly hid the knife in her pocket and thanked Sergei for his help. «I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, now go and be with your dear wife, she is lucky to have such a devoted man,» Maria said as she began to board the ship.
Sergei watched as Maria found her place on the deck. He marveled at her maturity and character as he was accustomed to the cavalier and insatiable personalities of city women, but this young farm girl seemed wise beyond her years. With intense regret he turned back to the carriage, watching this charming lady fend for herself on an unknown journey.
Maria looked around, taking a long silent view of the Volga River; the view was breathtaking in the morning air. She felt the boards beneath her feet creaking and bumping as men below worked and prepared the ship to get underway. She recognized the boisterous language and tone of the workers who had passed her earlier on the dock. These were the oarsmen who would row the ship to its destination. She found it hard to imagine such an existence and wondered how anyone could live such a life.
A few more passengers boarded the ship as the ropes were being untied. The ship gently floated away from the dock as the creak and splash of the oars began their rhythm to and fro taking the vessel northward. Soon the dock was a small detail on the rear horizon as scenes along the river rolled by. A cold breeze blew from the South filling the large square sail entirely until it whistled at the edges.
The cold air quickly chilled Maria’s body as it blew through the open weave of her dress. She saw a portal inside and decided to seek warmth inside of the ship. Her curiosity was peaked, she wanted to explore rest of the ship and find where she would be spending her nights. She had never slept in a cabin on a ship, and her mind began to imagine a spacious room with a window and comfortable bed. She saw the quartermaster directing everyone in different directions; each person seemed to be going the wrong way or had a complaint about their assigned place.
«Excuse me, sir, can you tell me where I will be sleeping tonight,» Maria said gently.
The quartermaster turned to answer her as if he were annoyed by yet another question, but he saw the innocence of her big grey eyes and hesitated to answer. His demeanor changed as he smiled, «Young miss, you’ll be sharing the forward cabin with our cook. We’ve no steerage for young ladies, and I can’t put you on the deck with the crew. Just walk straight down this way to the door at the end». He said.
«And may I also have a room, kind sir?» Teased an oarsman, faking a woman’s voice
The quartermaster quickly returned to his coarse nature and barked at the man, «Get your gear stowed below and get to your post! He said as he pushed the man to the stairwell.
Maria giggled quietly, enjoying the kind attention she had not expected. She walked toward the cabin, keeping her hands along the walls to balance as the ship rocked from left to right. It was an unpleasant almost sickening sensation to have such sway in each step. The massive Volga was clearly not as gentle as the river she had just traveled the day before.
As she reached for the door she feared for the worst of characters, she imagined a fat old man keeping her awake all night with snoring. «Why would they put me in a room with a man?» She wondered in protest.
She took her hand away from the doorknob and decided to knock softly before opening the door. Hearing no response, she felt relieved and opened the door, trying to keep from stumbling in as she made an effort to walk and enter as the ship swayed sharply to one side. At the corner of the room, a naked petite woman stood bent over a wash pan with her hair dipped in the water. She was wrapping her hair in a towel and quickly looked up, sensing the open door and shouted at Maria,
«Close the door!» the woman snapped.
Maria stepped inside and immediately closed the door. «Sorry! I’m looking for the cook’s cabin.» Maria said awkwardly. «He said it was this way, and I must’ve opened the wrong door.»
The woman fixed the towel over her head and comfortably walked about the cabin as the light from the forward window cast a shadow on her nude figure. She had a slim hourglass figure with full breasts, warm brown eyes, and long chestnut hair. She moved in a hurried pace as if she had to be somewhere else at any moment.
«Relax, you’re in the right place, I’m the cook, Svetlana Nikolayevna.» She said, extending her hand generously.
Maria hesitated to extend her hand and tried to avert her eyes feeling embarrassed by Svetlana’s nude body.
Svetlana’s brown eyes looked down and realized her appearance, «Oh, sorry, not used to having guests on voyages. Most of the crew prefer me this way.» She said with a loud laugh. Sveta’s bright smile was contagious, her teeth looked almost childlike, white and perfectly straight.
Maria smiled and continued to look down at the floor, «It’s pleasant to meet you Sveta, I am Maria Alexandrova.»
The two made brief eye contact and stood in the middle of the room with awkward silence around them.
«Right,» said Sveta, as she reached for her dress. She turned her back to Maria as she pulled it over her head.
Maria’s eyes quickly looked noticing how different Sveta’s body looked compared to her own. As the dress cascaded down Sveta’s back, the curves of her body intrigued Maria. The graceful way her body curved sinuously inward to her waist, then extend outward to her hips. Her skin was smooth and toned with tan and white where her clothing had been. She had bruises and scratches that seemed to tell a story of her hard life as a cook on a ship. Maria felt an awkward interest to see the rest of Sveta’s body in more detail but looked away before Sveta turned around.
«I thought the cooks were men on these ships?» Maria asked politely.
«They usually are, but my father died with debts to the ship’s captain so it was either take his place or watch them put my mother and me on the street,» Sveta replied in a neutral tone. «Besides a kholops life isn’t so terrible compared to the nunnery!»
Maria quickly understood the situation and stopped asking questions. She pointed to an empty bunk and waited for Sveta to nod in agreement that she could sleep there. Sveta nodded and continued preparing herself.
Maria moved to sit on the bunk and fell onto it as the ship rocked more intensely with the wind and waves.
«That wind is a blessing and a curse on the river; it speeds up the ship