Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 429: Sparkle

Charles nodded silently at Linda's explanation and chose not to extend the conversation. After all, there was nothing more to be said; they could only wait.

The sea's oppressive darkness weighed down on Charles, but he was helpless. He reckoned that even turning to the gods to pray would be futile. If there was no response, he would deceive himself, saying that the prayers were merely consolation for his own peace of mind.

If there were a response, however, it would be troublesome.

Just then, Cook Planck approached Charles with a tray filled with food.

Charles dipped a piece of bread into the fish stew and ate. As he chewed on his food, he asked, "Does Feuerbach have anyone else in his family besides his three wives?"

Linda looked at Charles, slightly taken aback. "Three wives? He doesn't have that many."

Charles was stunned, and then he realized immediately that it was something he had heard from another perspective. "My mistake. Do you know about Feuerbach's family situation?"

"Feuerbach has a child, but we don't know who the mother is. That child is a bit lacking in intellect, too," Linda remarked.

"He's not exactly father of the year. When he does pay attention, he's overly generous with money. Whenever he forgets his child's existence, he can vanish for days or even weeks.

"He's a regular at the brothels on Hope Island. He visits daily and asks for a different girl each time."

Charles arched an eyebrow in surprise. "Why do you know so much about him?"

"In the three years that you were gone, we tried spending time together. But in the end, we realized we weren't suited for each other and decided to go our separate ways," Linda explained.

Charles nodded in understanding as he swallowed the food in his mouth.

His knowledge of his Second Mate was very limited. He only knew that Feuerbach had been an explorer captain of the ship Waverazor before they settled down on Hope Island. The green-haired man also possessed the ability to communicate with that group of red sharks.

Beyond that, Charles was unaware of Feuerbach's past actions or experiences. Feuerbach had never shared, while Charles had never probed.

Perhaps Feuerbach had ulterior motives at the beginning, but now, as death approached, Charles suddenly felt a strong sense of reluctance to let the man go.

Lost in thought, Charles finished the food on his plate. He cleared his throat and stood up.

"Inform me immediately if there's anything unusual about Feuerbach," he instructed Linda.

"Will do," Linda responded and returned to her meal.

Leaving the mess hall, Charles headed toward his captain's quarters.

The moment he opened the door, he was greeted by a pair of glowing green eyes in the darkness. Instinctively, he pulled out his revolver and aimed it at the unknown entity.

But just a few seconds later, he recognized the owners of those eyes. It was Sparkle, his daughter, intently flipping through the pages of his diary.

"Sparkle, why are you here? Did Mommy send you here to pass me something?" Charles asked as he lowered his weapon and approached her.

Sparkle looked up at her father and stated, "I want bananas."

"Huh? Bananas?" Charles reiterated, confused by the sudden request.

"Yes. I'm visiting a friend's house, and Mommy said that I ought to bring a gift. Since my friend loves bananas, Mommy said you have them, and I want to get some for her," Sparkle explained.

A smile surfaced on Charles' countenance as he scooped Sparkle up into his embrace.

Despite the fact that her adorable face was a disguise, Charles felt an unusual warmth toward her; she was, after all, his flesh and blood.

Truth to be told, this was also their first moment alone together without Anna around.

Under normal circumstances, Charles should have taken this opportunity to bond with his daughter, but he found himself at a loss for words. He lacked experience in this area and was unsure of what to say.

"Um Erm So, how's Mommy doing?" Charles initiated a topic with apparent awkwardness.

"Bad. The moment she got back, she seemed really upset and was throwing stuff around. She even said a bunch of things I couldn't understand."

Charles was surprised by Sparkle's reply and probed further, "What exactly did she say?"

"She said something about pushing herself so much to grow stronger, but yet she is still so weak and couldn't even retaliate at all."

Is Anna frustrated that she couldn't stand up against the "Chalkboard Eraser"? Her fiery spirit is still the same as always. Charles mulled over Anna's words.

Sparkle was oblivious to her father's thoughts; her mind was only consumed by her own matters. "So, when are you giving me the bananas?"

"Sparkle, I don't have any bananas here. Tell you what, I'll write you a note. Take it to James on Hope Island, and he'll get you some. You remember James, right? That big, burly guy."

Charles placed Sparkle back down on the floor and swiftly flipped to a blank page in his diary. He scribbled a line of text, ripped the page out and handed it to Sparkle.

Sparkle took the note and vanished almost instantaneously, not even bidding farewell to Charles.

Left alone in his empty quarters, Charles smiled bitterly. "It seems like in Sparkle's heart, that friend is much more important than her father."

Then, he moved toward his desk and started penning his diary entry for the day.

***

On sunny Hope Island, James was in his office and staring down at a little girl who had suddenly appeared in front of him; his gun was raised in reflex.

It was inevitable for him to react so intensely, given that a child had suddenly appeared in his office. Anyone would have reacted the same way.

"Who are you? And what are you here for?" James interrogated as he discreetly pressed a hidden red alert button under his desk.

"Daddy sent me," Sparkle said and presented the note.

Having spent much time with Charles, James immediately recognized the familiar handwriting. However, the request on the note puzzled him. "Bananas?"

"Yes, bananas. My friend likes bananas." Sparkle confirmed with an earnest nod.

"How are you related to the Captain?" James asked.

"I don't know any Captain. Daddy just told me that you would have bananas."

James gestured at the approaching police officers to hold off on entering for the moment. Then, he pulled out his wallet and took out an old, black-and-white photo.

The photo showed the crew of the old S.S. Mouse, and he pointed at a much younger Charles in the picture. "Do you recognize this person?"

"That's my daddy," Sparkle confirmed.

James inhaled sharply. She's really the Captain's child?

He couldn't help but be reminded of that monster woman named Anna and the rumors among the maids at the Governor's Mansion about the Governor having a monster daughter.

"When are you getting me the bananas?" Sparkle asked. This time, her tone was laced with a hint of impatience.

"Come, let's head to the banana plantation," James responded, standing up from his chair to guide Sparkle out of his office.

Though his mind buzzed with questions, he decided it was best to wait and ask the captain directly. The main priority now was to fulfill this little girl with special abilities and send her off. Fortunately, her request wasn't too demanding.

Under the "escort" of a squad of fully equipped officers, they arrived at the thriving banana plantation.

"The twenty acres here are all planted with banana trees. How many do you need?" James asked as he donned a wide-brimmed hat to block out the lethal sun rays.

Clusters of bananas, some green, some yellow, hung heavily, almost touching the ground.

Sparkle dashed into the sunlight and grabbed a bunch of bananas. With a swift whoosh, she vanished from everyone's sight.

"She just wanted a hand of banans?" James muttered out loud.

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