NationStates Jolt Archive

Skagway, Alaska 1896

The Steamer Spirit of Gettysburg loomed in the harbor, adjacent the port city of Skagway. The Summer heat could bve appauling to those not acustomed to such intense degrees. The flies were terrible and disease rampant such as malaria and cholera which would flare up from time to time. The port was always busy, ships came and went, people came and went, just as the seasons came and went. The mountains offered a blessed view, gracious and abundant to the eyes, tantalizing to the senses of those who love the outdoors and live to breath in the fresh air, climb mountains, and triumph over nature. It offered a fresh start, washing away the life you once knew, ushering in a new start, a better start at life where one could make or break it by their own will. The sweat of your brow and the will in your heart were all one needed. That's all Jack Castner had as his rough hands gripped the railing. The sun spotted on and off, through the clouds. A gentle breeze waved across the bow, causing him to hold onto his hat for dear life as others occupied the top.
"There she is" a rusty old voice uttered from behind. Jack turned around to see an old man, grasping a pipe away from his mouth, a fresh cloud of cherry tobacco wafting into the air, disappearing into the cool air. "Skagway, little better than Hell on Earth" he began to laugh but quickly turned to a fit of coughing.
"It's a start better than before" Jack replied more to himself than to the old man.
"Where off you head, friend?"
"Like all the others, I suppose." Jack replied, this time to the old man who's name was simply, Thatch.
"The slippery slope, my friend. Just make sure you fall down the better side" Thatch said as he pointed a finger to the distant mountains, cascading over the harbor and the sprawling tent and timber city.
"You seem a bit optomistic, good sir" Jack joked. He turned back to the sight of the harbor and imagined a better life for himself, for once. Sadly, it rarely ever turned out such for him, trouble ahd a way of finding its' master.
"I'm an old hand on this'n ship, lad. I see your kind come and go, always coming and going, always moving." Thatch said as he stepped up to the railing, his face sunk into a great white bushy beard. "I'll say the same to you as I says to all the others, good luck...cause luck's all ya got to rely on out there." he craned his head, motioning out again to the mountain.

The gangway dropped onto the pier with an audible crash. Jack watched the other passengers depart first, something kept him on there a little longer. A feeling crept over him, an all too familiar feeling that dulled his ambition, that sank his energy. It was once a comfortable feeling because he knew it well, numb best described it in a way. Jack noticed that the line began to thin and he thrusted his legs out, one in front of the other and finally made his way to the gangway and off the steamer which bellowed its' loud horn.
"Don't forget!" Thatch shouted "We'll be seeing each other soon enough, I always see them soon enough!" and he puffed another cloud of smmoke, a grin on his face. Jack began to know the old man well over the course of the voyage from San Francisco, a trip which seemed unbareable to most hardly bothered a man such as Jack, a man running from something. The "streets" of Skagway were little more than wide avenues of dirt and mud as wooden buildings and billboards lined these streets. Wagons, boots, and hooves dug into the ground, tearing up grass and dirt. It was loud, roudy, and everything Jack remembered from back when, back when he lived that life. Smoke billowed into the air as a thousand smells and sounds bombarded his senses, he lugged his pack and knapsack down the streets and towards what he did not know. In fact, Jack didn't have much of a plan after arriving, he knew not enough of this land but knew what it entailed, a hard life. A hard life here was easier to live than a hard life back home. His boots clopped through mud as he observed everything, the numerous bars, prostitution houses, general stores, stables, and such. Finally, after much walking, he saw an inn.