Hide in a barrel

You glance around and notice an empty barrel sitting with the goods, it's lid setting up against it. Hoping that no one is watching, you quickly jump into the barrel and close the lid down. Feeling your heartbeat race around you lean your head back and watch the top, trying to figure out what you are going to do when you are discovered.

Sitting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Slowly your heart rates starts to pace at a more regular rate and with all of the adrennaline no longer being pumped into your blood you start feeling the effects of fatigue. You have been running for quite a while and finally you can rest. And rest you do. Fast asleep.

You are jostled awake, however, as the barrel is lifted and taken into the ship. You wait in still silence, almost holding your breath, until the barrel is finally set down. More waiting as other goods are moved into the ship only causes sleep to over take you once more.

You awaken once again and no longer hear the sounds of work. Quiet as can be, you lift the lid of your barrel and sneak out, looking around. You find a blanket, covering some crate, to use to cover up while you sleep and steal food and water from around you whenever you can. It's not a very good diet and you find yourself sleep more than anything else. You try and come up with a plan for what to do when the ship finally finds port.

A week passes in this way, finally, one day you are awakened by something nudging into you. As you realize that this should not be happening you get up with a start, looking at a lanky sailor with a big mustache. "Ah, what do we have hear?" he asks, looking at you. "Young boy, stowing away on a ship is a very dangerous afair." He grins and rubs his finger under his nose, "Now, it looks like I'm going to get to teach you why." He starts after you but you deftly dodge out of the way. Right into a heavy, grain-filled sack on the ground, causing you to trip and raise quite a din as you hit what feels like just about every other container in the hold before you hit the ground.

"Just what is that racket coming from down there Mr. Lemma?" A loud, baritone voice calls, coming down the stairs. Bold footsteps heald the arrival of a large man with a full beard, dressed in captain's finery, looking down at you. "Is this the cause of all this commotion."

The lanky sailor finds his way to his feat. "It appears we have a stowaway, Captain sir," he says, righting himself. "I just caught this boy sleeping in the back over there." He points out the location of where you've been sleeping this past week. The captain looks you over and then over to the sailor.

"Hah," he says with a grin. "Yer about half right, there, Mr. Lemma. It's a stowaway alright. But this here is no boy." He laughs as Mr. Lemma looks closer at you, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. You try and stand, feeling yourself tremble at the thought of your predicament. The captain laughs again, "Well, well. This is quite a surprise, and I'm sure you have an excellent reason for being on my ship." His voice is so full of sarcasm it nearly knocks you back over.