Reunions and Destinies!

This is the sequel to the story that you are making for me. It's kind of heavy on David, though.


Chapter I

Perhaps it was the eye-patch he was wearing, along with his voluminous cape, but there was something strange about the man who was to walking up Slamdoor Street in a town in Michigan early one bright June morning. You would have thought him even stranger if you had heard what he was saying at that moment. “Ah, 2565 Slamdoor Street. My old friend’s residence. I only wonder how tall his sons are now?” While speaking, he had come to a halt in front of a large purple house. “Purple, rather strange color for a house, I must say,” he mused “But then, he was always a little eccentric.” With this, he knocked on the door.
The door was opened by a tall, thin lad of about seventeen, who said, without showing a hint of the surprise he actually felt at seeing this stranger on his doorstep at such an early hour “Welcome, Sir. Will you come in?”
“I think I will, actually.” The man replied, and stepped inside.
“Now what are you here for, and who are you?”
“I was good friends with your father when he was alive.”
The boy, ignoring this irrelevant answer, once again shouted “and who are you?” into the man’s face.
At this, the man seemed to remember what he had come for, and said “I identify myself as David Mellino, your godfather, and I bring bad news.”
The boy, who had regained his composure, said with a laugh “Well, take your bad news somewhere else. We don’t need it.”
“I’m afraid that’s impossible. This bad news concerns you.”
“No! It’s true, then!”
Moments later, Mark, for that was this boy’s name, returned to the breakfast table where the rest of his family was seated, and said “We have been told. It’s true.”
Instantly, one of his younger siblings asked “What’s true?”
Standing again, Mark said “Mother, you’ll have to tell them later. The message has come.” Moving toward the entrance to the hall, he called Mr. Mellino into the room and left to pack himself a sack of clothes.
David, who had waited in the hall until he was called, came in at this point and announced “Yes, it’s true. He is not coming back. I have come to teach your son a trade, and I will return him in a few months. In the meantime, you’ll need this letter of credit.” He concluded here, as he saw that Mark was waiting in the hall once more.
It was only after they were about a block away from Mark’s house that David spoke to him again. “Now then, boy, the first thing you’ll have to do is to tell me your name. It seems to have slipped from my mind.”
“I am Mark Sponsler, eldest son of the U.S. Navy Captain Joseph Sponsler, whom I know to be dead.”
“Very good,” David replied “But how did you know that he was a Captain?”
“I observed you. You are wearing a captain’s coat and you look to be younger than my father. I see no reason why he was not also a Captain.”
“You are correct on all counts, but, respects to you, it is no longer the time to dwell on the past, because we have adventure awaiting us. And there are people I wish you to meet before we have that adventure.” Hailing a cab which had just driven up, David stepped inside and looked up to the driver, saying “Farthing Lane, Duck Shop.” As if it were the passphrase of a secret society.
With a hearty acknowledgement from the Scottish driver that Mark could hardly understand, they drove off.
“Seriously, I am rather surprised that any brother of mine would stoop so low as to drive a cab for hire.” David said loudly, to make sure the driver heard the remark.
“Or” answered the driver, who was now speaking in plain English “as the case may be, raise himself up to drive a cab. And what is the next part of the plan, David?”
Mark was shocked, but recovered himself moments later. “Is he really your brother?”
“Yes, and he’s in on this plan too.” Replied David, shrugging off his coat.
Five minutes later, they reached Farthing Lane and stopped at a little general store, the sign of which establishment loudly proclaimed it the Duck Shop. David entered alone, and a few minutes later returned with a long parcel that perpetually flopped in the middle. Mark got another shock when the driver leaned over and asked David “So brother Tony had it ready? He always liked that sort of thing.”
Stowing the floppy package under his seat, David looked up at his brother and said “1680 49th Street. You know it.” Turning to Mark, he continued “Yes. That is my residence.” Mark, who had been about to speak, shut his mouth once more.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at a large two- story house which was painted bright red. As they stepped out of the cab, David paid his brother and, as he watched him drive off, and sensing another question from Mark, explained “The house may look tall, but the fact is that the second story is built rather high. Are you ready for a dramatic entrance?”
“I’d enjoy that.”
“Then go around to back side, make your way onto the overhanging roof you’ll find, slide through the window that is kept open for fresh air, and then wait until you hear me tell them who I brought back. If they ask, you’re to jump down announcing yourself. They don’t know that I did this today. Good luck.”
Opening the front door, David shouted, “I’ve returned!” Immediately, his whole family, including his brother and nephew, came crowding around him and asking “What news? What news?”
“Nothing really” David said in reply “I’ve only been getting things set up for our little adventure. As part of that, I brought somebody home with me.”
“Who else do we need? We have everybody.”
“You don’t have me!” yelled Mark in response. Having found everything as David had said, he had climbed down the ladder silently until he was less than five feet from the floor, and leaped from there.
David had been right. Everyone was surprised. But instead of being shocked, they all began to laugh. Finally, Dameon managed to gasp out “This is another of your jokes, brother. This one’s Matt, isn’t it?”
Through the laughter, Mark got up, dusted himself off, and said coolly “It appears that I bear a striking resemblance to one of your nephews, Sir, but I am Mark. Mark Sponsler. I am under the impression that you knew my father?”
Dameon, who had recovered by this time, replied “Yes, yes, that’s right Mark, I did know him. We were good friends.” He broke off, thinking that no one could fabricate such a fantastic lie so calmly, and knowing that he had his friend’s first-born standing in front of him.
At this, One of David’s sons, Luke, exclaimed “Bear a resemblance! I think you do! In fact, I believe I know where Matt belongs, now!”
“You don’t mean that, Luke.” David answered, sounding frustrated.
“No really” Luke insisted “They’re as alike as two peas!”
“Well here’s Matthew coming up the walk now.” Cut in John, Dameon’s son “We can compare them if you like, cousin.”
At that point, Matt bust through the door exclaiming “I’ve got the supplies, Sir. Are we really going to- Mark, where have you been all these years?”
Mark remembered everything in a flash. In the next second, he was slapping matt hard on the back and answering “It’s you, Matt? Really, where have you been hiding?”
To this, Matt replied “Oh, that? Well, Mr. Mellino came to Dad a few years ago and told him he was going to teach me a trade. He couldn’t have you because you, being about five minutes older, are the eldest. Since then, I’ve been living in high society. Just wait until we both start doing this. No one will know which is which!” At this point, Matt turned to David and asked “Well, Sir, it appears that we are going on that little adventure quite soon. Is that right?”
“Yes,” David replied “it is.”
Here Dameon cut in. “All right, I guess it’s time to tell you the plan, now that everyone involved is here. We’ve received special permission from the president, and we are going to have some fun being privateers for a few years. Later, when we are all ridiculously wealthy, thanks to Spanish galleons, we’ll take the President’s pardon, and settle down once more.”
David resumed the story at this point. “just before I went to get Mark, I sent Matt to forward a request that the Boston shipyards have the Montana Ricer refitted and completely restocked. If they start as soon as they receive the message, they’ll probably be finished by the time we arrive.”
“Only if we wait for a few more weeks. The message can only travel slightly faster than our coaches.”
“I had forgotten that point. But we’re not completely prepared anyway. Are we?” David replied.
“No, we aren’t. But as Gabe already has a colleague who has agreed to aid our transportation, we can’t wait for a long time to leave.”
“That’s all great, “ said Luke when Dameon had finished “but what is Uncle Tony planning to do?”
“He has a capable partner who will run the shop while he’s away. By the way, we haven’t told anyone the purpose of this trip, so mind you don’t let it slip.”
“We won’t.”
Later, as they were sitting down to breakfast, Tony, Gabriel, and their sons finally showed themselves. “Hello everyone,” Tony began by way of greeting “I hear hat we’re about to make ourselves known as-“
“Quiet!” Dameon cut in just in time. Pointing at each of the boys in turn, he continued “They don’t know yet, so keep quiet about it, why don’t you? Gabe, who else have you told?”
“Only my colleague who is going to help us travel to Boston.”
“Didn’t I warn you?! Didn’t I warn you to tell strictly no one at all?!” Dameon began shouting “Didn’t I tell you that making this ‘little excursion’ is risking our lives?! We’re going out as privateers, and anyone who knows can get us chased and sunk for no other reason! Now do you realize the necessity of keeping the truth from the public? This could lead to our death! And now, join us for lunch, if you please.”
When Dameon had finally finished yelling, Gabriel retorted “What was the point of telling me to keep quiet, when you went ahead and yelled about it in front of everyone anyway.” He took his seat looking disgusted.
When everyone had finally calmed themselves once more, David turned to Dameon and said “You know, it isn’t as bad as you think.”
Dameon’s jaw dropped as he asked his brother “What? You’d like to be shot or hanged or whatever they’re going to do to us if they catch us?”
“Oh no, nothing like that!” David quickly reassured his astounded family “The truth is that a network of underground sympathizers in the Old World seem to know who I am, and all the messages read something to the effect of “Old alliance rebuilding. We fear war is looming once more.”
“Do they?” Dameon replied “Well, we only have to follow our original plan and use it to destroy their shipping, which will surely cause England to think twice.”
“That may be, but unfortunately, our one ship can’t be every where at once “
“Don’t worry. We’ll tell the Congress about the threat, and they’ll authorize more ships.”
“That’s all very good, but now we really must finish our meal before we do anything else.”