by Anonymous
by Anonymous
Set in the last scene of episode 2: the examination for lieutenant.
Hornblower stood on the behind deck of the ship, leaning against a rope.
He wondered what was wrong with him.
Why did he feel attraction toward this person?
The only time he felt attracted to someone before, it was toward a girl; the
daughter of one of his father's friends.
This time it was different.
Was it normal to fall in love with a man?
Then why did the Bible not write anything about it?
If something made people fall in love with their own sex, why were those
people considered heathen, and even devilish? Why were they executed?
Was this perhaps a trick of the devil, to spoil his soul?
No, probably not. The Evil had better ways of doing that.
The people were just afraid of the unknown, and tried to exterminate what
they didn't understand.
It was like with those Muslims. They were different, that was why their
missteps - like fighting for that gold- were interpreted like: You see,
they're beasts. They're savages.
But had those people who laughed at them ever saw the way the English men
behaved, after they got drunk, when they were angry, or when they got
hungry? It was just as bad, if not worse.
No, he should not try to change himself.
But he wouldn't show how different he was either.
After all, he didn't want to end up on a stake, did he?
No, he was just born in the wrong century.
The people didn't accept the different people yet.
They would in a few hundred years, probably.
But he wouldn't live then anymore.
Too bad.
Too bad, it would still take so long for the world to realize, that
different wasn't wrong.
Suddenly, he was pulled back to reality, by one of the officers.
The man came to tell him that the others wanted him to drink a glass of
alcohol with them.
He had to answer something, but he was so comfortable standing there, that
he didn't want to leave yet.
'Tell them, that I will join them presently.'
That should be sufficient.
'Is something bothering you, sir?'
'Thank you,' he thought. 'Thank you for asking the question. Thank you for
asking it so, that I can answer without lying.'
'Just thinking of the distances we travel,' he answered, 'and the distance
we still have to sail as men.'
THE END
